He changed Tiwat

For the people of Liyue, the Emperor was alive when their great-great-grandfather was still alive; he would still be alive when their great-great-grandson was born. Almost no one in Liyue could imagine life without the Emperor. Yet now, his body lay motionless before their very eyes.

The Geo Archon was widely loved in Liyue, and the idea that "the Geo Archon will rule Liyue forever" was as natural as breathing for the people of Liyue. Upon hearing the devastating news, while foreign tourists were still discussing it, many of the native Liyue residents were already weeping uncontrollably, some even collapsing to the ground as if they had lost their souls.

Some people tried to return to spread the news but were stopped by the Thousand Rock Army soldiers guarding the area. Others shouted, "I don't believe the Emperor is dead!" and "Save the Emperor!" and began to charge the Thousand Rock Army's defenses, creating a chaotic scene.

For most of the people of Liyue, the Geo Archon was not only a god and ruler, but also a pillar of support. Now that this pillar has collapsed, the situation is far more critical than it appears. Han Fulai has already noticed that the Thousand Rock Army's defensive line, responsible for maintaining order, is beginning to weaken.

The Thousand Rock Army was not supposed to harm civilians, and they were already struggling to stop the wailing crowd from charging forward. Furthermore, the Thousand Rock soldiers were all native Liyue soldiers, their hearts already in turmoil due to the Emperor's death, making them even weaker. Soon, civilians broke through the Thousand Rock Army's lines and rushed towards the center of the plaza.

Han Fulai had seen it in the news before: during disasters, people lose their order, often leading to chaos, accidents, and heavy casualties. Someone has to be there to maintain order! He stood up, looking for Gan Yu, but found she had vanished.

Just then, a figure suddenly rose from the center of the square and hovered in mid-air; it was Ning Guang.

Ningguang's robes fluttered, her white hair flew, and she was surrounded by seven jewel-like star vortexes, as if a star had descended to earth, a true immortal had descended.

Ningguang's hands moved in a series of hand seals, one finger pointing to the sky and the other to the earth, as she uttered a low shout, "Tianquan Collapses Jade."

The seven stars surrounding Ningguang suddenly spun around, arranging themselves into the shape of the Big Dipper, and then transformed into streaks of light that shot into the vortex of black clouds in the sky with a thunderous sound.

The suspended stars scatter and break apart the clouds; the constellations are arrayed and the power of heaven descends!

The sun, which had been obscured by dark clouds for so long, shone down on the earth again, making the shimmering light in the sky appear even more otherworldly.

"Don't panic! Though the Emperor has passed away, the Seven Stars of Liyue still exist, and I, Ningguang of Tianquan, still exist!"

Even the chaotic crowd stopped running and slowly knelt down before Ningguang upon seeing this scene.

"It's Lord Tianquan!"

"Yes, we still have Lady Ningguang to rely on!"

"Truly worthy of being called Ningguang," Han Fulai thought to himself.

Seeing that a mutiny was brewing, Ningguang acted decisively. First, she floated into the air to attract the crowd's attention, then she dispersed the dark clouds in the sky to demonstrate her strength, and finally she made a public declaration to give the people confidence. Not only did she control the situation on the spot, but she also managed to win back the scattered and disorganized people who had lost their support.

Ningguang made all these decisions and took all these actions in less than three minutes. No wonder the people of Liyue say "Heaven's authority is supreme," Ningguang truly deserves it, and Han Fulai couldn't help but feel admiration for Ningguang at this moment.

Just then, the Thousand Rock Army squad searching outside suddenly cried out – “Assassins!”

With that shout, a figure wearing a red mask and a gray outfit leaped out of the bushes halfway up Yujingtai Mountain. He held a longbow as sharp as solid ice in his hand, and with a series of quick movements, jets of water arrows shot out, felling the Thousand Rock Army soldiers searching for the assassin. The figure didn't give Ningguang a chance to send more soldiers to capture him, and quickly disappeared along the cliff face of Yujingtai.

"Thousand Rock Army, listen to my command! Search the entire city for the assassin from earlier!" Ningguang gave the order.

"Yes, Lord Tianquan!" The Qianyan Army below responded in unison. Fengyan left a small squad to protect the scene, while the rest of the soldiers left Yujingtai in formation.

"The Thousand Rock Army squad will remain here. The rest of you, disperse!" Ningguang's voice was stern and authoritative.

Although the spectators were still saddened and reluctant to leave, they obeyed Ningguang's orders and departed.

Ningguang slowly descended from the sky, and the dignitaries in the audience immediately surrounded her, wanting to know what was going on. However, Ningguang shook her head at them and said, "Please hand over the investigation of the Emperor's assassination to the Seven Stars of Liyue. Now is the time for everyone to work together to appease the people."

Everyone present nodded in agreement and dispersed. Ningguang then directed the Thousand Rock Army soldiers who remained to carry the Emperor's remains into the Yiyan Palace. As the highest-ranking official present, Han Fulai also followed them into the Yiyan Palace.

Inside the Yiyan Palace, Ningguang dismissed everyone, leaving only Han Fulai to be alone with her.

After exchanging greetings with Ningguang, Han Fulai asked, "Does Lady Ningguang have something to ask me?"

Ningguang nodded and said, "As Miss Ganyu's personal secretary, I think you must know where she went."

Han Fulai shook his head. "I don't know, but since the Emperor was murdered and an assassin appeared, Lord Ganyu must have gone to hunt down the assassin."

Ningguang's wine-red eyes were fixed on Han Fulai's face, as if trying to find the answer in his expression, but Han Fulai's expression remained unchanged, revealing no clue.

After a long silence, Ningguang sighed, "Why lie to me? If Miss Ganyu had made the move, the assassin would have been captured long ago. She left before the assassin even appeared."

"I truly do not know where Lord Gan Yu has gone." Han Fulai looked innocent; Gan Yu really hadn't told him where he was before he left.

“Sigh. You are Miss Gan Yu’s personal secretary, and you should be loyal to her, I understand. But with such a major event as the Emperor’s murder, Miss Gan Yu left without a word. There are many people there, and if any rumors spread, I will have to give an explanation.” Ning Guang sighed.

"In that case, I have a guess about Lord Gan Yu's whereabouts that I can offer to Lord Ningguang for reference," Han Fulai said.

"Oh? What guess?"

"She went to find the Emperor."

Chapter Forty-Eight: A Strategy to Kill Three Birds with One Stone

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Ningguang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly smiled: "You knew all along?"

"I knew it from the moment Lady Ningguang uttered the words 'The Emperor has been murdered, the entire place is sealed off,'" Han Fulai replied with a smile.

"Oh?" Ningguang raised her eyebrows slightly, crossed her arms, and looked like she was all ears.

"The Geo Archon is a martial god of Liyue, the ultimate victor who emerged from the Great War of the Gods 3,700 years ago, and was recognized by the Sky Isles as one of the seven ruling gods of the mortal realm. In other words, the Geo Archon is one of the seven most powerful Gods on the continent of Teyvat. Among the seven ruling gods of the mortal realm, the Geo Archon has the longest history. Gods have come and gone, but the Geo Archon has remained steadfast as a rock. The people of Liyue are proud of their history of walking alongside the gods."

"Tell me, who could assassinate such a Rock King Emperor? Not to mention the ordinary spectators present, even if other demon gods personally took action, they might not be confident of killing the Emperor."

Han Fulai had read many books in Yan Fei's library and had also exchanged ideas with Gan Yu at work, so he knew that the history of the Teyvat continent was exactly the same as that in the game. Therefore, he spoke with even greater confidence.

"If someone were to assassinate the Emperor silently during the Immortal Invocation Ceremony, does Lord Ningguang think that the Thousand Rock Army soldiers present could contain such an opponent?"

“But this immortal body of the Emperor is indeed lying right before our eyes. In the past, the Emperor also appeared in this form during the ceremony of inviting immortals.” Ningguang pointed noncommittally to the “Immortal Ancestor’s Body” lying in the Yiyan Hall.

"That's why Lady Ningguang went to check on this immortal body immediately. If the Emperor had really passed away, Lady Ningguang should have shouted 'Evacuate everyone' instead of 'Seal off the entire area'," Han Fulai said with a smile.

Ningguang looked at Han Fulai and gave a bitter smile: "You're right. You can't imagine how terrified I was at the time. It was the first time in my life that I felt death was so close. If it really was the Emperor who was assassinated, let alone catching the murderer, it's unknown how many people would be left alive in the entire Liyue Harbor."

Han Fulai nodded and said, "The landform of the Salt Island was formed by the power of the deceased 'Salt God' Heuria that leaked out. If it is true that the Emperor has passed away, I'm afraid the leaked power of the God of the Salt Island would have completely petrified the entire Liyue Harbor, and even affected a wider area."

“Moreover, the nature of demons is different from that of humans. They are near-immortal beings. Even if their physical bodies perish and their wills dissipate, their power will remain forever,” Ningguang said. “In Liyue, the power left over from the ancient war between demons still entangles this land as ‘karma’.”

"When I saw the Emperor's immortal body fall in front of me, I was so shocked that I couldn't move for a moment, and I even lost the strength to run away." Ningguang said with bitterness.

"But you still went to examine the Emperor's immortal body, risking your life to confirm that there was no trace of demonic power remaining on it. It is truly admirable," Han Fulai said, bowing.

“As one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, I must take responsibility,” Ningguang replied calmly.

"What I admire even more is that Lady Ningguang was able to come up with this three-birds-with-one-stone strategy in such a short time."

Ningguang turned her head to the side, looking at Han Fulai as if she were looking at something rare: "What strategy of killing three birds with one stone? I don't understand."

Han Fulai smiled slightly, raised a finger, and said, "The first point is that Lord Ningguang thought of turning a fake act into a real one in the shortest amount of time."

"Lord Ningguang knows that the Emperor is not dead, but if the Emperor is not dead, who could throw his 'Immortal Ancestor's Manifestation' down from the sky? Naturally, only the Emperor himself could do it. Whatever the reason for the Emperor's actions, since he did it in front of Lord Ningguang, he must be asking Lord Ningguang to cooperate with him. Otherwise, if Lord Ningguang were to announce on the spot that the Emperor had faked his death and was not attending the Immortal Invitation Ceremony, not only would the Seven Stars of Liyue lose face in front of everyone, but the Emperor would also be embarrassed."

Han Fulai then raised his second finger and continued:

"The second layer is that Lady Ningguang's act of sealing off the scene solidified the news of the Emperor's assassination attempt to the greatest extent possible. The Summoning Ceremony at Jade Capital Terrace is an annual grand event in Liyue, with both local residents and foreign travelers participating. Local residents are relatively easy to deal with, but how easy is it to detain foreign travelers participating in the Summoning Ceremony? One wrong move and it could turn into a diplomatic issue. Moreover, with such a commotion at Jade Capital Terrace, how could the news be contained?"

"But Lady Ningguang did the opposite, deliberately using the futile act of sealing off the scene to pretend that she wanted to hide the news. If even the Seven Stars of Liyue wanted to hide the news, then it must be true. As a result, certain forces that were secretly plotting will naturally take advantage of the Emperor's death to jump into the limelight."

"The third layer is that Lady Ningguang deliberately characterized this matter as an assassination attempt on the Emperor in response to the undercurrents of these forces." Han Fulai raised his third finger. "It is perfectly reasonable for the Seven Stars of Liyue to search for the culprit after the Emperor's assassination attempt."

“Even if no masked assassin had appeared just now, Lady Ningguang could have arranged for another masked assassin to escape into the place Lady Ningguang wanted to search, such as… the Northern Bank?”

Ningguang clapped her hands lightly a few times, a hint of amusement in her wine-red eyes: "Xiao Han, to be honest, I really want you more and more."

"You flatter me, Lady Ningguang." Han Fulai bowed humbly and performed a salute.

"As an assistant to the Seven Stars of Liyue, if Lady Ningguang needs me, Moonsea Pavilion will certainly do its utmost. I will return to Moonsea Pavilion shortly to draft an official document regarding the assassination of the Emperor and make it public. Of course, the warrants for the arrest of the masked assassin will also be distributed at the same time, so as not to delay Lady Ningguang's important matters."

“I didn’t expect that you would already be so capable after only a few days in Moonsea Pavilion. I realize that my previous evaluation of you was not high enough,” Ningguang said with a smile.

"The Rock King has been assassinated, and Lord Gan Yu has gone missing. If I, the Executive Vice Minister of Yuehai Pavilion, do not exercise my utmost vigilance this time, Lord Ningguang will think I am incapable of fulfilling my duties and will inevitably have to take over the management of Yuehai Pavilion at this critical moment. By then, I fear that when Lord Gan Yu returns, Yuehai Pavilion will have already changed hands. How will I be able to face Lord Gan Yu then?"

“In that case, I won’t take up any more of your time,” Ningguang said. “Xiao Han, you can go ahead and get back to work.”

"Yes, Lord Ningguang." Han Fulai bowed again, bid farewell to Ningguang, and left Yiyan Palace.

Only when he was walking on the winding corridor leading to the Moon Sea Pavilion did Han Fulai dare to breathe a sigh of relief and wipe away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

Gan Yu did indeed disappear without a trace this time, but Han Fulai was actually prepared for this. In the original storyline of the Genshin Impact game, Gan Yu did not appear at the Summoning Ceremony; she truly appeared in the game after the Summoning Ceremony.

Moreover, as a Liyue master, Gan Yu was the one who remained the most composed about the death of the Geo Archon.

In the game's storyline, the other immortals of Liyue were busy with the death of the Geo Archon, either grieving or clamoring for revenge, even going so far as to suppress Liyue Harbor. Gan Yu, on the other hand, remained remarkably calm, running errands for Ningguang, working overtime behind closed doors at the Moonsea Pavilion, and even fishing and picking flowers in the wild. In short, he made no difference whether the Geo Archon was dead or alive.

Now that Han Fulai knows that Gan Yu has been preparing for "the day the Emperor is not here," he can roughly guess where Gan Yu is now. If nothing unexpected happens, Gan Yu is going to places like Jueyun Karst to invite the various immortals. Liyue is vast, and based on Han Fulai's previous experience traveling outside Liyue Harbor, even if Gan Yu has the speed of an immortal, it would still take several days to find the immortals scattered in various places.

So during the time Gan Yu is away, he will have to take care of the Yue Haiting family.

Chapter 49 Actor or Screenwriter?

It was said that he was to take care of Yuehaiting's household for Gan Yu, but such a heavy responsibility suddenly fell on Han Fulai's shoulders, and it was easier said than done.

Han Fulai recalled that in the game's storyline, during Gan Yu's legendary quest, Gan Yu was only away for a day when Ningguang sent her three trusted personal secretaries, Baiwen, Baishi, and Baixiao, to temporarily take over Gan Yu's work. For Ningguang, it was much more convenient to issue and execute orders herself than to have every administrative order go through Gan Yu, the head of the civil service, before it could be carried out.

After all, everyone wants to be both a referee and a player, and Ningguang is no exception.

Now that Gan Yu is gone, all the pressure has fallen on Han Fulai. If possible, Han Fulai really wishes he could be like Gan Yu in the game, hiding in Yuehaiting and working overtime as if nothing had happened.

However, that wouldn't work, because Gan Yu had already given him a task, though not today.

Before the invocation ceremony, Gan Yu had discussed the plan in detail with Han Fulai for "the day the Emperor is gone." One of the contingency plans was to reorganize Yuehai Pavilion and form a political force belonging to Yuehai Pavilion. However, plans can't keep up with changes. Before the draft of the reorganization of Yuehai Pavilion was completed, the Emperor had already "passed away."

Another contingency plan Gan Yu had devised with him was to have Gan Yu request the Liyue Immortals to protect Liyue Harbor should Liyue lose its Emperor and face a major upheaval. Gan Yu was a disciple of the Liyue Immortals, possessed the bloodline of the Kirin, and was a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside the Immortals in the Demon God War. Having her personally request the assistance of the Liyue Immortals was naturally the best choice.

The Geo Archon is known as the progenitor of all the Liyue Immortals. The three-eyed, five-manifested immortals of Liyue are not only comrades and friends of the Geo Archon, but also members of his family who have signed a pact to protect Liyue. Regardless of the reason for this relationship, the fall of the Geo Archon will inevitably lead the immortals to Liyue Harbor to demand justice.

If the immortals believe that the Seven Stars of Liyue caused the Emperor's fall, or that the Seven Stars plotted to control everything in Liyue, then suppressing Liyue Harbor would be no small matter.

Most importantly—if we're going to be honest about their intentions, the Seven Stars' plot to control everything in Liyue is pretty obvious.

Keqing, the Jade Balance Star among the Seven Stars, is a notorious reformer who has never shown respect for gods or immortals, at least verbally. Ningguang, the Heavenly Power Star, has just won over the hearts of the people at the Immortal Invocation Ceremony and is now eyeing Moonsea Pavilion, showing signs of becoming the "Rock King's Princess." The Liyue Immortals, seeing their behavior, are already showing considerable restraint by not attacking them on the spot.

Fortunately, Gan Yu was there, so he didn't have to worry about these things. He believed that Gan Yu wouldn't let the immortals ruin Liyue Harbor.

As long as Gan Yu can lead the immortals back, with their martial prowess as a backup, there's nothing to fear.

Han Fulai's task was to temporarily assume the position of executive secretary of Yuehaiting and stabilize the situation in Liyue before Gan Yu returned.

According to the contract between Gan Yu and Han Fulai, these are indeed things that Han Fulai should do, since they agreed to work for the well-being of the people of Liyue.

The problem is that Gan Yu dared to leave Liyue Harbor so confidently to seek help because he believed that Han Fulai was "an heir to an otherworldly nation with the strength of an immortal," but Han Fulai was actually "a low-level corporate slave from another world who couldn't even beat a wild boar."

The water added to your resume will become the tears shed during overtime work—Han Fulai now deeply understands this.

Han Fulai could barely manage the paperwork at Yuehai Pavilion in a few days. But stabilizing the situation in Liyue... how could he possibly handle that!

The situation in Liyue is far more complex than it appears on the surface. The assassination attempt on the Emperor was orchestrated by the Emperor himself, Ningguang acted opportunistically, and was also partly the schemes of the Fatui.

He not only had to deal with the unpredictable Ningguang, but also Zhongli, who was lurking behind the scenes, and the executor prince of the Fools. Any subsequent actions by these people would certainly affect the development of the situation, and Han Fulai would inevitably have to prepare corresponding countermeasures.

In order to stabilize the situation in Liyue, he must be able to keep a close eye on how things are developing. He must ensure that events continue to unfold along the familiar path of the game's storyline, without any unexpected problems.

Ningguang is always very composed and won't fight the Fatui anytime soon.

Zhong Li was originally planning to retire on her own initiative, so of course she wouldn't cause any unplanned trouble.

The only problem is the young master. What he seeks is the Heart of God, an item unique to the Seven Rulers of the Mortal Realm, possessed by the Rock King. According to the game's storyline, the young master hopes to find out the whereabouts of the Celestial Ancestor's Manifestation left behind by the Rock King and obtain the Heart of God from it. In the story, the young master relies on the Traveler and Paimon to obtain crucial information and accomplish his scheme.

However, there's no longer a blond traveler or that goofy Paimon to guide the plot.

In other words, it's impossible to predict what the young master will do now; he might change his plans due to a lack of intelligence.

To stabilize the situation in Liyue, it is necessary to control Nautilus. In order to control Nautilus, someone must be able to take the place of the Traveler and provide Nautilus with the information he wants.

Han Fulai knew that this person was himself.

He is now the Executive Vice Minister of Yuehaiting, so he naturally possesses a great deal of intelligence. It's perfectly reasonable for the young master to want to obtain information from him. And since Zhongli happened to have treated him to a meal, it's also perfectly reasonable for him to do Zhongli a favor now.

All he needs to do is pretend to accompany Zhongli to complete the "Sending Off the Immortals Ceremony," make contact with the young master, and accidentally let slip the secret when the young master is present, thus guiding the young master onto the predetermined plot track.

At this point, all he can rely on is the information he already possesses.

Although the reason is unknown, the events he experienced differed significantly from the game's script. However, it seems that even without the Traveler's appearance, the Emperor still plans to fake his death to escape, and the Fatui Enforcer Prince has also appeared at Jade Capital Terrace to fight against the Thousand Rock Army. The direction of the events has likely remained unchanged.

In the original game storyline, the Traveler was tricked by the Child Lord into going to Jueyun Karma as a messenger to spread news of the Emperor's assassination, thus angering the immortals to come to Liyue Harbor to settle scores with the Liyue Septim. Now, without the Traveler, this errand-running role has been taken over by Gan Yu, and the sequence of events still follows the game's storyline.

In reality, Teyvat no longer follows the plot of the game exactly, and Han Fulai also knows that he is no longer the so-called "chosen one who has read the script," but Han Fulai feels that he has a new direction for development.

—Isn't it better to be a screenwriter who writes scripts than an actor who has read them?

Chapter 50 Meeting the Crew Members

Han Fu returned to his office at Yuehai Pavilion, preoccupied with his own thoughts, only to be greeted with a polite yet cold greeting:

"Uncle Han, you're back."

The speaker, holding a folder, stood ramrod straight in front of the desk; it was Yun Huixin, Yue Haiting's newly appointed secretary assistant. Huixin's first task every morning was to report to his office and await his orders.

Gan Yu was always very efficient. The day after Gan Yu asked him to take care of Hui Xin, Tian Shu Xing Yun Tian brought his daughter Hui Xin to Han Fu Lai's office, making Hui Xin apologize for her previous rudeness. He then asked Han Fu Lai to look after Hui Xin on the spot, making her his direct assistant secretary.

If Huixin's apology was somewhat sincere, the way she addressed Han Fulai as her uncle was downright humiliating, even for someone as thick-skinned as Han Fulai. He was only five years older than Huixin, and for her to call him uncle made it seem like he was on the same generation as that old man from Tian Shu Xing. However, since it was Gan Yu's instruction and Yun Tian's insistence, Han Fulai couldn't refuse and reluctantly accepted Huixin as his "niece."

Humans are always very adaptable. After getting used to Huixin spouting "Uncle Han" through gritted teeth, Han Fulai had to admit that he was starting to enjoy the way Huixin disliked him but couldn't do anything about it.