He changed Tiwat

“Miss Gan Yu, tell him the actual situation of the replica of the Returning Machine.” Ke Qing raised an eyebrow at Gan Yu. Gan Yu had commanded the Returning Machine position with her at the Lonely Cloud Pavilion.

"Celestial mechanisms are beyond the comprehension of mortals." Gan Yu repeated her master's favorite saying without any emotion. "Without the modifications made by the immortals during the Battle of Oser, the Resurrection Machines would have been unable to fire at all. The Resurrection Machines made by Liyue craftsmen were not only less powerful than those made by Lord Liuyun, but also had a high failure rate. We produced fifty replicas of the Resurrection Machines in this batch, twenty of which failed to pass inspection after leaving the factory, and half of the other thirty were scrapped after the Battle of Bacha because the material strength could not withstand the impact of the elemental force being fired."

“The new equipment has all sorts of problems and is not as reliable as the old one,” Ke Qing interjected.

"You mean the weapons from the era of the Demon God War three thousand years ago...?" Han Fulai asked.

“Actually, Liyue made another batch five hundred years ago during the time of the Kanria monsters’ rampage,” Gan Yu added. “The Thousand Rocks series has stood the test of time.”

Gan Yu, whose side are you on? We're here to persuade Ke Qing, not for you to help Ke Qing persuade me!

Han Fulai forcibly suppressed his inner roar and emphasized to Keqing, "But the equipment problem can be solved. I proposed to establish the 'Liyue Academy of Celestial Arts' precisely to solve the equipment problem. By using real Celestial technology, it will naturally not be so easy to break down."

“But the power of Gui Zhong Ji is still not as great as that of Qun Yu Ge. If even Qun Yu Ge cannot deter the enemy, what use is Gui Zhong Ji?” Ke Qing retorted.

Han Fulai was silent for a moment, then smiled. It was as if he was being asked why he still needed a standing army when he had nuclear weapons. But for a transmigrator from the modern era, this was never a question.

He took a few steps forward and came to Keqing's table.

"Lady Keqing, do you really believe in the 'deterrence of the Jade Pavilion'?"

“Of course.” Ke Qing nodded without hesitation.

"Why?" Han Fulai asked.

"Of course, it's because it can serve as a deterrent," Ke Qing replied, puzzled.

"Who?"

"Huh?" Ke Qing stared at Han Fulai in surprise.

"Whom are we going to intimidate with the Jade Pavilion?" Han Fulai repeated.

"Of course it's the Fools of the Winter Solstice Kingdom!" Keqing's crimson eyes were filled with question marks.

"why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is the Jade Pavilion able to intimidate the foolish masses?" Han Fulai asked.

Ke Qing replied somewhat impatiently, "Because they know that if they dare to invade, we will smash down the Jade Pavilion."

"Oh? Lady Keqing, if you were in charge of the Qunyu Pavilion, would you smash it down?" Han Fulai asked with a smile.

Ke Qing always felt that Han Fulai's smile had a hint of disdain.

She glared at Han Fulai. "Why not?"

"When will you choose to smash up Qunyu Pavilion?" Han Fulai asked with his smile unchanged.

"...If it's the last minute, I think I'll smash it, I'm sure of it," Ke Qing replied after a moment's thought.

"When will it be considered the 'final moment'?" Han Fulai continued to ask.

"When the Winter Kingdom invaded Liyue," Keqing replied solemnly.

"Do you really think the Winterborn will amass tens of thousands of troops on the border of Liyue and launch a full-scale invasion?" Han Fulai asked with a smile.

“Uh…isn’t that right?” Ke Qing tilted her head.

“No.” Han Fulai shook his head. “They will use the Keqing tactic.”

"'Keqing tactics'?" Keqing's eyes widened.

"Ahem..." Han Fulai realized he had let something slip and quickly coughed to cover it up.

"I mean, the 'gua sha tactic,' scraping little by little, scraping a little at a time."

"Let's take an example, the first step."

Han Fulai held up one finger.

"An anomaly has occurred at the bottom of the Layered Rock Abyss. The Fools' vanguard has been dispatched to the Layered Rock Abyss to assist in disaster relief. Will you smash down the Jade Pavilion?"

"Of course not." Ke Qing shook her head.

Han Fulai raised his second finger.

"Alright, step two. The Fools have also sent their elite debt collectors. Will you smash up the Jade Pavilion?"

Ke Qing continued to shake her head.

“Then comes the third step.” Han Fulai held up his third finger.

"The Fatui Enforcers have also arrived, such as Childe Tartaglia, who said he's here to help with disaster relief in Liyue. Then the Fatui advance team stopped moving and started wandering around the streets of Liyue..."

Han Fulai stared into Ke Qing's eyes, "At this moment, would you choose to smash down the Qunyu Pavilion?"

“Hmm…” Ke Qing shook her head with difficulty.

"But in reality, the Fools' Enforcers robbed the Iwagami Tea House and stole a 'Treasure of No Taboos' in preparation for releasing the Demon God Oser," Han Fulai said slowly.

"I...I need time to think," Ke Qing said hesitantly.

"You don't have much time," Han Fulai said with a smile.

“But… these are all your assumptions,” Ke Qing retorted hesitantly.

"You are the Jade Balance Star, and there may be emergencies at any time that require your decision. Even now, an emergency may occur..."

Before Han Fulai could finish speaking, there was a knock on Ke Qing's office door.

Ke Qing almost jumped up from her seat.

Gan Yu got up and opened the door. Outside was Yue Haiting's secretary assistant, wearing a blue uniform. After exchanging a few words, Gan Yu turned to look at Ke Qing.

"Lady Keqing, Lady Ningguang is asking if it's appropriate to schedule the Seven Stars Meeting for 10 a.m. tomorrow?"

"I initially thought there would be no problem, but now I'm not sure." Ke Qing covered her face, her voice muffled.

"She said it was no problem." Gan Yu calmly closed the door.

"Okay, let's continue."

Han Fulai smiled and raised his fourth finger.

"Fourth step: the Fatui infiltrated Liyue Harbor through the Northern Bank, Tartaglia broke into the Golden House, and even released the Demon God Ocel. Now, will you smash down the Jade Pavilion?"

"No." Ke Qing shook her head.

"Why? Isn't this the final moment?" Han Fulai asked.

"But we can't just destroy the Jade Pavilion in Liyue Harbor! We're using it to protect ourselves, not to commit suicide!" Keqing retorted.

"When will it be the final moment? When the Fools storm into the general store and smash all the Emperor's clay figurines? Or when they storm into the Star Pavilion and steal all the Glazed Crescent Moons? Or do they have to break into this office?" Han Fulai asked one question after another, relentlessly pressuring Ke Qing.

Ke Qing slumped back in her chair like a deflated balloon and whispered, "...So the Jade Pavilion was completely useless after all."

“No, the Jade Pavilion is useful.” Han Fulai shook his head with a smile. “The Jade Pavilion is the symbol of the rule of the Liyue Seven Stars government, the strongest military force of the Liyue people at present, and it can also serve as a very good aerial base.”

"Imagine using the Jade Pavilion as a base, in conjunction with our naval fleet and the Floating Stone air force, we can rapidly transport large numbers of troops to any region of the Teyvat continent! This is the greatest significance of the Jade Pavilion!"

"So that's how it is!" Ke Qing's eyes lit up again.

"You see, the Fools will use the 'scraping tactic' to avoid forcing you into a corner, so it's impossible for us to easily destroy the Jade Pavilion. But similarly, it's impossible for them to gather a large force to invade Liyue. The battle will at most be concentrated in localized areas, so as long as we can have localized superior forces and firepower, we don't need to fear the possible war with the Winter Kingdom!" Han Fulai concluded.

“Then, according to your suggestion…” Ke Qing seemed thoughtful.

"'Liyue Academy of Arts'! New type of Return Machine! Liyue Fleet! Liyue Air Force! In this way, we will have... I mean, the Jade Pavilion Battle Group!" Han Fulai tried his best to describe the wonderful blueprint to Keqing.

"And for the 'Qunyu Pavilion Battle Group' you mentioned, the first step we need to take is..."

Ke Qing looked at Han Fulai, who smiled and nodded.

"Expand the army! We need a massive Thousand Rock Army!"

"The massive Thousand Rock Army... but where will the money come from? How will Liyue manage its recruitment expenses..."

Keqing tilted her head back and thought for a moment, then suddenly flicked her ponytail and stood up—

"I've got a great idea! I heard that Inazuma has a conscription system, so we should also have a conscription system and encourage eligible young people in Liyue to join the army on a voluntary basis!"

"Oh?" Han Fulai looked at Ke Qing with interest.

"This will not only solve the defense problem, but also the employment problem!" Ke Qing said excitedly.

"Lord Keqing, wouldn't implementing a conscription system be too radical?" Gan Yu suddenly interjected.

"Huh? Radical? Really?" Ke Qing shook her head.

Gan Yu nodded and said, "Soldiers of the Thousand Rock Army have already complained about the low pay and hard work. We can't even recruit enough people, let alone ask people to serve for free."

Han Fulai recalled the scarred Liu and his henchmen who had stopped Shen He from "selling information." There were many such idle young people on the streets of Liyue Harbor.

"It's simple. We'll rename the conscription to 'National Service.' The Liyue Septate will call on young people who haven't found suitable jobs to serve the community—with stipends, of course."

“Yes, the Thousand Rock Army is the best at reforming these guys! They can even teach them to read and write. Soldiers should at least be able to read maps and understand orders from superiors!” Keqing had clearly been troubled by those hooligans. Since Liyue’s economic development stagnated, many people like Lu Hu, the servant of Maocai Gong, or Scarface Liu had appeared on the streets.

She paced around the office a few steps, then suddenly waved her hand.

"That's the plan! Let those lazybones know that if they waste too much time, they won't get things done!"

“That’s right.” Han Fulai nodded.

"Whether it's taking risks or doing business, opportunities are fleeting!"

“Very fair.” Han Fulai continued to nod.

"A balance between work and rest is good, but don't relax too much!"

"That's spot on!" Han Fulai nodded vigorously.

“With just one policy, we solved defense, education, and employment, right?” Ke Qing’s eyes were practically sparkling.

Han Fulai smiled and said, “As you said. I believe the Liyue Daily will praise you, ‘A bright future for Liyue, a magnificent blueprint for Yuheng.’”

"Then, Mr. Han, please accompany me to tomorrow's Seven Stars meeting. Since you can convince me, you can also convince the other Seven Stars."

Han Fulai nodded.

"I will not fail in my mission."

Ke Qing looked at Han Fulai with anticipation in her eyes.

"The time for change has arrived; the order that has lasted for millennia is about to be rewritten... Would you like to witness this historic moment with me?"

Han Fulai placed his hand on his chest and bowed to Ke Qing.

"Yes, Keqing."

Volume Two End-of-Volume Summary (Those who have been waiting to read this can subscribe now!)

Okay, here's the usual summary. Since this summary contains spoilers, a heads-up: readers who haven't finished reading Volume 2 should not read this summary to avoid affecting their reading experience.

As you can see, I've basically never asked for votes or anything like that. I only ask for subscriptions after I've finished writing a long chapter, so my readers who are waiting for this story to finish can support me a bit.

Volume Two contains approximately 330,000 words, roughly the same length as Volume One. It consists of two major chapters: the Lantern Festival and the Return of the Cranes. These two chapters introduce two themes: Liyue's "enrichment of the nation" and "strengthening of the military."

Viewers familiar with the original storyline would probably find it hard to imagine that digging deeper into the Lantern Festival and Shenhe Legend quests could uncover the secrets of national prosperity and military strength, lol.

I. Timeline

First, let's look at the timeline of Volume 2.

On January 15th, Keqing was seconded to Han Fulai, and the "Keqing Legendary Quest" began.

On January 16, a fireworks theft occurred at night.

On January 17-18, amidst the covert battle surrounding the fireworks display, Ningguang, Keqing, and Han Fulai began to lay out plans for the Liyue Coins.

On January 19th, Ningguang began preparations for the Liyue National Bank. Han Fu came to see Zhongli to explain the situation, and Zhongli, the riddle teller, gave Han some pointers. Later, she left a Celestial Power restriction at the residence of the True Lord of Qixia in Minghai.

On January 20, Ningguang began preparations for the renovation project of Qunyu Pavilion.

On January 25th, during the Lantern Festival and Fireworks Display, Keqing invited Xiao Han to a quest. After dancing with Xiao Han, Keqing attempted to give Liuli Xinyue (a type of moon), but was cruelly persecuted by Ningguang. On the same day, Ningguang received a message from Beidou confirming that Bache had been released.

On January 26th, the Liyue National Bank held its opening ceremony, and Ningguang issued Liyue coins. Han Fulai secretly spread rumors in preparation for a press conference.

On February 9, the Liyue National Bank experienced a bank run.

On February 10, Han Fulai held a press conference to announce the official circulation of Liyue coins.

On February 14, Shenhe descended the mountain and encountered Chongyun.

On February 15th, Shen He arrived at Liyue Harbor. Ningguang held a tender for the Jade Pavilion project, and Han Fulai met with Shen He. At noon, at Bubulu, Han Fulai noticed the connection between Bai Shu and the *Seven Treasures Mountain Classic*. That afternoon, Han Fulai obtained the Floating Stone and the Celestial Power left by Zhongli at the Qixia True Lord's Grotto in Minghai, and at the same time, he and Shen He saw each other's past. In the evening, after talking with Liuyun Jiefeng True Lord, Han Fulai saw the three-way layout and began his own layout as the fourth party. He opened his heart to Shen He and resolved to become part of Shen He's "historical process".

On February 16th, I met with Yun Jin Beidou. That afternoon, I went to Tianheng Mountain with Yun Jin Shenhe to find the core materials for Qianqi. I obtained clues about Shenhe's background and discovered that Shenhe had remnants of a demon god on him. That night, Shenhe created immortal talismans.