He changed Tiwat

Liyue is rich in minerals. Besides amber, there are also things like Noctiluca and Jadeite... which of these can't be refined into elemental energy to serve as the energy source for the final stage? Moreover, fireworks, as an explosive, have a long history in Liyue and can be developed into bombs—these are bombs that Pantarone and Han Fulai demonstrated their use in actual combat.

Imagine this: instead of a massive "Floating Life Stone" like those in the Jade Pavilion, you could use a floating life stone the size of a pavilion like those in Qingyun Peak... or even smaller, like the "Mingxiao Lantern." Load a certain amount of explosives, or even one or several Departure Machines, onto the floating life stone, and have a Thousand Rock soldier pilot it—then Liyue would possess bombers and fighter jets!

Both Qingyun Peak and Qunyu Pavilion rely on floating stones to float in the air, and their power is almost inexhaustible—meaning that the Liyue Air Force doesn't even need to refuel for long-distance voyages!

The Jade Pavilion is a large target, and its movements attract a lot of attention. However, the Floating Stone, operated by a single person, does not have this problem. Flying across the borders of the seven Teyvat kingdoms is as easy as entering an empty land!

The "Floating Stone" is such a strategically valuable resource, and you Liyue people actually use it to build houses and set off fireworks! What a waste!

In Han Fulai's eyes, Liu Yun's technical ability is worth at least a Liyue air force!

However, due to the discord between the immortals and the Seven Stars government, the immortals were unwilling to have any dealings with the Seven Stars government, let alone help Liyue build an army.

Their reason for protecting Liyue is primarily the pact they made with the Emperor years ago. Outside of that pact, the Liyue immortals are mostly free spirits, acting only according to their own desires. Even Zhongli himself is an old friend of theirs and has no power to coerce them, nor does he wish to force them to do anything.

In the two months since Han Fu arrived in Liyue, he has had many interactions with the Liyue immortals and knows that they respond better to gentle persuasion than force. Therefore, his goal is to do the immortals a favor by rescuing Shen He, the immortal's "darling," and helping them completely resolve their "karmic obstacles."

It's worth at least the equivalent of an Air Force favor!

With the development of the "Liyue Academy of Arts", Liyue will have a powerful army with land, sea and air forces!

Watching Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun leave, Ning Guang turned around and said to Shen He, "Miss Shen He, please rest for a while. Once you've recovered from your fatigue, come up to Qunyu Pavilion. We'll celebrate not only the reconstruction of Qunyu Pavilion but also Liyue's successful passage through the crisis. You, as a hero, are the guest of honor. This banquet will surely be the most lively ever."

Shen He nodded calmly and accepted Ningguang's invitation.

Ningguang walked slowly to Han Fulai's side and asked quietly, "Little Han, what did you talk about with True Monarch Liuyun just now?"

Han Fulai countered, "Sister Ningguang, do you still remember that I said I would give you a fleet?"

Ningguang nodded; her "theory of the threat of the demon god" that she had presented at the Qunyu Pavilion had already begun to show results.

"That statement needs to be changed a bit." Han Fulai smiled. "Sister Ningguang, this time I'll give you an extra Air Force unit!"

Chapter 125 The Goddess Splits the Temple, the Wind Rises and the Cranes Return

As night fell, the Qunyu Pavilion was brightly lit and filled with distinguished guests, creating a lively atmosphere.

Han Fulai naturally had a place at the inauguration ceremony of Qunyu Pavilion and the celebration banquet for defeating Ba Che.

Besides him and Ningguang, Shenhe was also seated at the head of the table, and even Keqing had joined them—something almost unimaginable before. This was a statement from Keqing, and all the guests present understood that Keqing of Yuheng Star and Ningguang of Tianquan Star had become political allies. The vanguard of the rule of man, together with the authority of Liyue's laws and intelligence, would inevitably bring about earth-shattering changes to Liyue.

Keqing had clearly dressed up meticulously this time, not only wearing expensive jewelry and light makeup, but also the evening gown Ningguang had given her on the Lantern Festival. If Shen He hadn't been there, Keqing would undoubtedly have outshone everyone else.

Shen He, dressed in white without any makeup, sat quietly at the table, exuding an ethereal beauty that was in no way inferior to Ke Qing.

The one who had the hardest time was Han Fulai, who was sitting between the two.

Shen He is now not only his nominal sister and secretary, but also his lover with whom he has a real relationship, so it's normal for her to sit close to him. But strangely, Ke Qing somehow moved her chair to sit next to him as well, seemingly to get closer to Shen He—then why don't you sit next to Shen He! Han Fulai thought to himself.

The bigger problem is that Ke Qing is unaware of what happened between Han Fulai and Shen He beneath the sea. In Ke Qing's view, Han Fulai and Shen He are probably just close sworn siblings.

Ke Qing's words were full of probing, while Shen He only said that he had used immortal techniques to heal Han Fulai. Han Fulai was too embarrassed to talk about the matter of intercourse and exchanging qi, so he could only change the subject.

So now the scene is that Ke Qing and Shen He are chatting and laughing, while Han Fulai is awkwardly smiling like a giant light bulb in the middle, and can even feel the faint pressure coming from Ke Qing.

—Ke Qing, in high spirits, chatted with Shen He about her and Han Fulai's experiences during the Lantern Festival, such as dancing in the Qunyu Pavilion and playing with the Hidden Shadow Lantern together. Han Fulai was sweating profusely as he listened, feeling that Ke Qing was implying something.

Fortunately, after chatting for a while, Keqing changed the subject back to today's battle against the enemy.

"The damage in this battle was within expectations, but looking back at the whole plan, there were still some flaws. If we had known in advance that Báchá had the ability to use tsunami attacks, we could have set up barriers at the Liyue Harbor docks and the Lone Cloud Pavilion position to defend against the impact of the waves." Keqing solemnly summarized the lessons learned from this battle to Han Fulai.

"These are all lessons learned, and I will record them in my work report. I believe that with this experience, we can do better in the future." Han Fulai knew that Ke Qing's perfectionism had flared up again, so he nodded in agreement, while silently complaining in his heart, "Then you have to be a transmigrator like me to know all the information in advance and set up the barrier."

Keqing took Shenhe's hand again and said, "This time, thanks to Sister Shenhe, we were able to avoid the damage caused by the tsunami. Fortunately, we had you. On behalf of the Liyue Seven Stars, I thank you for your help."

Shen He tilted his head, looking puzzled, and replied, "...I'm twenty-three years old this year. According to Liyue's customs, you should call me 'older sister'?"

The purple-haired girl with pigtails, who had just turned twenty, called out "Sister Shenhe" with a stiff smile.

At this moment, Ningguang, who was moving among the guests, raised her wine glass and said loudly, "All of you are my honored guests. Today, you are here, so please enjoy yourselves to the fullest."

"Guests who cannot drink alcohol, please substitute with beverages. Fine wine is pleasant, but it's not just the wine that's pleasant. We believe the beautiful scenery at Qunyu Pavilion will also captivate your heart."

At the table next to Han Fulai and his group, a middle-aged businessman with glasses and a small mustache chatted with his fellow guests with an expectant look on his face: "Do you remember what Lord Ningguang said earlier? Today, Mr. Yun will be on stage."

“Mr. Yongye is right.” Zhu Tao, who had a goatee, nodded in agreement. “Heh, to be honest, that’s exactly why I came here! I never miss a single one of Mr. Yun’s plays. This time, I heard he’s performing ‘The Goddess Splits the Temple,’ a play written by Mr. Yun’s father and adapted by Mr. Yun himself. I’m so excited that I don’t even dare to drink, for fear that I’ll get drunk and miss Mr. Yun’s wonderful performance.”

Suddenly, their female companion at the same table exclaimed, "Hey, look, Mr. Yun is coming up on stage!"

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Yun Jin, dressed in her full Liyue costume, took to the stage.

She gave a slight bow to the audience, slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, her entire demeanor suddenly changed—cool, aloof, like a fairy in the clouds.

"What a pity!"

Yun Jin began to sing loudly, and the charm of her glance drew the entire Qunyu Pavilion into the play, as if only Yun Jin, the solitary goddess, remained in the world.

"The wild goose flies alone in autumn, never to return; the foolish man is obsessed with resentment and madness."

Yun Jin moved gracefully, singing softly, her face filled with indescribable sorrow and desolation. It was the first time Han Fulai had ever heard Yun Jin sing live, and he felt that her voice was captivating, drawing him into a dreamlike state, as if he could witness the final madness of a husband who had lost his wife.

"It is only because the evil animal sacrifice will surely bring disaster..."

Yun Jin's voice lowered, the last syllable lingering, as if an evil god had descended, dragging people into the abyss of despair.

Just then, like a silver bottle suddenly breaking and water gushing out, Yun Jin's voice rose from the depths of despair!

"If it weren't for the heroine drawing her sword, everyone would have perished!"

The musicians surrounding the stage, in sync with Yun Jin's singing, added rousing drumbeats, each strike like a hammer blow to the hearts of the audience. Yun Jin, using her spear as a sword, thrust it into the air, shattering the atmosphere of despair that enveloped the stage!

"Mortal ties are hazy, immortal ties are boundless; the bonds of family are severed, and the invitation to the Crimson Palace is extended."

"The crimson silk binds the rotten woodcutter, and the wild goose's tracks are far away in the snow!"

Yun Jin spun rapidly, her voice clear and bright, like light after darkness soothing the hearts of the crowd. They seemed to see a goddess wielding a spear atop a celestial mountain, ethereal and otherworldly.

"The crane returns, but the former Huabiao pillar is nowhere to be seen; the spider's webs have vainly woven the soul banner that flutters."

"Cause and effect are fleeting in this mortal world... vanish like smoke..."

Yun Jin slowly sat down, leaning on her spear. Her voice gradually faded into silence, and the music also disappeared, just as the goddess severed her ties with the mortal world and vanished without a trace.

Just when everyone in the audience thought the opera was coming to an end, Yun Jin suddenly turned around and stood up.

"The story of 'The Goddess Splits the Temple' should be nearing its end here, but today, I'd like to add another stroke—"

"Sing for—you—to—listen—"

The music started again, powerful and resonant. Yun Jin's gaze fell on Shen He in the audience, and she sang at the top of her lungs:

"Highbrow art may not be unknown; there will always be connoisseurs and refined lyrics."

"The red-tasseled sword flutters like a shooting star, aiming straight for the raging tide to wash away the sea and bring peace!"

Shen He smiled again, but this time the smile was no longer lonely; it was one of contentment.

"When the crane returned then, it had no one to rely on in the vast world and left alone; today we meet again, with new and old friends filling the hall, gathering together at this moment!"

The guests below the stage raised their glasses to toast the completion of the Jade Pavilion, to the defeat of Ba Che, and even more so to the hero who saved Liyue Harbor.

Under the table, Shen He and Han Fulai quietly clasped hands.

Chapter 126 is about Ke Qing [6k]

Han Fulai now regrets rejecting Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun's suggestion yesterday. He deeply understands that buying a house is indeed a necessity for survival in Liyue Harbor.

Last night, after the banquet at Qunyu Pavilion, he took Shen He back to Gan Yu's office at Yuehai Pavilion.

Shen He has no residence in Liyue Harbor, so he is staying in Gan Yu's lounge as he did the previous two days. Gan Yu didn't mind before, and he slept quite well even when sharing a bed with Shen He.

When they returned to the lounge last night, Gan Yu happened to be out. Shen He was concerned about Han Fulai's health, so he used his magic to circulate it throughout Han's body to check the recovery of his meridians—then Shen He asked him if he needed another "course" of treatment.

From Shen He's perspective, this was a perfectly legitimate medical procedure, and Han Fulai, being a well-mannered young man, would naturally not agree to have a medical procedure performed in Gan Yu's rest room.

But the problem was that Gan Yu's return came at the wrong time.

When Gan Yu pushed open the door, she saw her junior sister and her personal secretary sitting hand in hand on the same bed. Her junior sister was even asking her personal secretary, "Want to do it again?"

Then Gan Yu silently closed the door and worked overtime in the office all night.

For the first time, Han Fulai discovered that his once-proud silver tongue was utterly useless; he was completely unable to defend himself.

This led to the current awkward atmosphere—Gan Yu and Han Fulai walked to Yuhengxing's office without exchanging a single word.

Han Fulai's mind is currently filled with thoughts of housing—should he shamelessly ask Liu Yun for a Dust Song Pot on Mount Aozang in a couple of days, or should he discuss with Keqing, Liyue's biggest real estate developer, about getting a low-rent apartment in Yujingtai?

The two knocked on the door and entered the office. Ke Qing was sitting behind the desk working on documents. When she saw Gan Yu, Ke Qing stood up to greet her warmly: "Miss Gan Yu, you've arrived. Please have a seat."

As for Han Fulai… Ke Qing didn’t seem to greet him at all, so he could only stand there awkwardly.

Ke Qing seemed to be in a bad mood ever since yesterday's dinner party—this information was revealed by Bai Xiao, who notified him and Gan Yu to go to the Yuheng Star office for a meeting this morning.

Yesterday, Han Fulai and Ningguang discussed the plan to establish the "Liyue Academy of Celestial Arts" and the three branches of the armed forces (land, sea, and air). Ningguang expressed her full support and reached an agreement with Keqing. Everything should be going smoothly.

According to Bai Xiao, Ningguang told Keqing about the plan to cooperate with the immortals after the dinner party yesterday, but Keqing expressed strong opposition and believed that this was a step backward for Liyue to achieve human rule.

Of course, Keqing's objections were also quite valid. Whether it was providing funds and materials for the "Liyue Academy of Arts," building warships at the Liyue Shipyard, or mobilizing Blackrock Depths and Liyue forging families to forge new weapons in the future, all of these required a large sum of money. And these funds wouldn't appear out of thin air; military expenditures could only be diverted from other sources, which would obviously affect the budgets for other projects in Liyue this year—such as the infrastructure projects that Keqing was in charge of.

Moreover, they also needed to persuade the entire Seven Star Council to agree to these plans, which obviously put them under even greater pressure. Ningguang could influence the other Seven Stars with the "Demonic Threat Theory," but this tactic wouldn't work against Keqing, who knew the inside story. However, gaining the support of Keqing, a political ally, was clearly crucial to Liyue's military buildup plan, so Ningguang sent Baixiao to Han Fulai and Ganyu to ask them to come up with a solution.

Seeing Ke Qing's attitude towards him, Han Fulai could only give a bitter smile.

He could understand why Keqing was somewhat angry with him—as Keqing's personal secretary, Han Fu had discussed the plan to bring the Liyue Sages into the scheme to strengthen the army with Gan Yu and Ning Guang, but hadn't consulted Keqing at all. Naturally, Keqing felt like she had been kept in the dark. Although Keqing had softened her attitude towards the Sages during the Lantern Festival, the idea of ​​relying on the Liyue Sages' technical support to build an army made her feel that the foundation of her rule by man was being shaken.

—At least Han Fulai thinks these are the reasons why Ke Qing is angry.

However, Ke Qing is a reasonable person, so Han Fulai felt confident that he could persuade her, provided that Ke Qing was willing to listen to him.

Fortunately, Ke Qing didn't completely ignore him.

After Gan Yu took her seat, Ke Qing also returned to her own place. However, she seemed to have no intention of letting Han Fulai sit down. Ke Qing tidied up the documents on the table and said, "Ning Guang told me about your Qianyan Army reform plan yesterday, but I think there are still some aspects of this plan that are worth discussing. Putting aside everything else, the cost alone is already too high."

Sigh, so be it. As long as it makes Keqing feel better.

Han Fulai maintained his upright posture and answered seriously, "Lady Keqing, the current strength of the Thousand Rock Army in Liyue is insufficient to guarantee Liyue's safety, as recent events have proven. You yourself have said that the Thousand Rock Army can only hold off the Fatui for seventy-two hours."

Keqing knew, of course, that the Thousand Rock Army was not strong enough, but—"But Liyue is not just about the Thousand Rock Army. Even if we can't expect immortals and emperors, we still have the Jade Pavilion."

“The Jade Pavilion is used as a strategic deterrent, and there’s only one. If the Jade Pavilion is destroyed, it will be very difficult to rebuild it in a short time,” Han Fulai said. “As far as I know, the construction cost of the Jade Pavilion is at least tens of billions of Mora. Isn’t that a high cost?”

Ke Qing nodded expressionlessly to Gan Yu, "Miss Gan Yu, please tell him about the current military expenditure of the Qianyan Army."

Gan Yu lowered his head and recalled for a moment before speaking: "Liyue has a standing Thousand Rock Army of 30,000 men, 25,000 infantrymen and 5,000 cavalrymen. Without taking into account the compensation for the dead and wounded, the training expenses, salaries and logistical maintenance costs, when averaged out to each Thousand Rock Army soldier, amount to 800,000 Mora per person per month, and the annual military expenditure is about 300 billion Mora."

“I know what you’re thinking.” Keqing glanced at Han Fulai. “Compared to the 100,000 Fools soldiers of the Winter Kingdom spread across the Teyvat continent, the Thousand Rock Army is not many in number.”

“But this is not the full extent of the Thousand Rock Army’s strength. In fact, the Thousand Rock Army’s combat power is not limited to this. During the Demon God War, the Thousand Rock series of weapons that the Thousand Rock Army relied on to fight against the Demon God were not deployed and are currently only used by high-ranking officers,” Ke Qing said.

"Thousand Rocks series..." Han Fulai recognized the term; it referred to powerful Liyue-specific weapons in the game. He recalled seeing soldiers wielding Thousand Rocks spears during the Summoning Ceremony. However, the Thousand Rocks troops currently on duty in Liyue Harbor all used ordinary white-tasseled spears.

Gan Yu then introduced, "'Thousand Rocks Series' is the standard equipment of the ancient Thousand Rocks Army, carved from the divinely forged bedrock that forms Liyue Harbor, and jointly crafted by the earliest forging families in Liyue, the Star Clan and the Han Clan. 'Thousand Rocks Series' weapons come with the 'Thousand Rocks Technique' effect, which can enhance the wielder's attack power for a short period of time as long as the wielder is motivated by the will to protect their homeland. The more people there are, the stronger the effect becomes."

"In ancient times, the Thousand Rocks Army formed battle formations that could withstand demons and gods without retreating a single step. The teachings of 'Thousand Rocks are firm, the mountains are unyielding. Armored to defend the city, pacifying demons and evil' are still passed down in the Thousand Rocks Army, and they have never neglected to train in battle formations."

"Then why isn't the current Qianyan Army equipped with the 'Qianyan series' weapons?" Han Fulai asked, puzzled.

“Because it’s too expensive.” Gan Yu said expressionlessly, “If we were to equip all 30,000 Thousand Rock Army soldiers with ‘Thousand Rock Series’ weapons, Liyue’s annual military expenditure would increase to 900 billion Mora. That’s why for more than 3,000 years, every generation of the Seven Stars has said that they can’t afford to support the Thousand Rock Army and has been cutting military expenditure.”

Nine hundred billion Mora a year... This number is so large that Han Fulai can hardly imagine it. To say that he can't afford to support them is simply an understatement. Moreover, most of the time, the Thousand Rock Army really doesn't have much use, and there's a reason why the Seven Stars Society has thought this way in previous years.

"In addition, the divinely forged bedrock is incredibly heavy, and most of the Thousand Rock Army soldiers simply cannot wield it," Gan Yu added.

That's practically useless! Han Fulai suppressed his surging urge to complain.

“Look, maintaining the Thousand Rock Army is too expensive. But smashing up the Jade Pavilion is much, much cheaper,” Ke Qing said without any hesitation, since it was Ning Guang’s house that was being smashed.

"To be honest, with the deterrent power of the Jade Pavilion, I even considered proposing to further reduce the number of Thousand Rock Army units. The Thousand Rock Army is sufficient for maintaining order in peacetime, and having too many people in wartime would make it difficult to equip them with weapons," Ke Qing added.

“But you see, maintaining a strong Thousand Rock Army is very necessary for Liyue. In fact, all seven kingdoms on the Teyvat continent have their own armies. For example, the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt is also a very large force…”

Han Fulai tried to use other countries as examples of Keqing, but Keqing interrupted him without hesitation: "Miss Gan Yu, please tell him about the situation of the Mondstadt Knights."

Gan Yu remained expressionless, like a question-and-answer robot.

"The Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt are very strong in individual combat, at least on weekdays."

"Workdays?" Han Fulai realized that there seemed to be something wrong with this term.

“Yes, the knights of Mondstadt go home on weekends, working five days a week and resting two. You know, the followers of the Anemo Archon go to the Church of Favonius for worship,” Gan Yu replied calmly.

"Uh... so when the Fatui invade, the Mondstadts would prefer them to invade from Monday to Friday?" Han Fulai's lips twitched.

Gan Yu nodded calmly in agreement.

What kind of world is this, where everyone's worse?! Keqing, are you trying to say that the Thousand Rock Army is already pretty awesome compared to the Knights of Mondstadt?! Han Fulai roared inwardly.

Han Fulai calmed himself down and then pointed out another key point: "We should not limit our focus to the old 'Thousand Rocks Series' weapons and equipment. In fact, it is necessary to develop new weapons for the Thousand Rocks Army. In the battles of Ausel and Bache, we achieved good results with the Returning Machine. If the Returning Machine can be deployed in large numbers to the Thousand Rocks Army, we will not have to rely on the 'Thousand Rocks Series' weapons."