He changed Tiwat

Mora seemed to possess a black hole-like attraction, firmly gripping the gaze of everyone at the press conference, making it impossible to escape. The room fell into absolute silence.

Han Fulai deliberately coughed loudly to draw everyone's attention back to himself.

"As I just mentioned, Lady Keqing has already prepared the Mora for exchange in the Golden House. Now, please welcome Lady Keqing to the stage to speak. If any reporters have any further questions, please feel free to ask Lady Keqing."

After Han Fulai finished speaking, he stepped down from the stage and hurried towards Ke Qing.

These Mora are Han Fulai's trump card for today! He wants to create a powerful and impactful scene to leave everyone with the illusion that the Golden House can still produce Mora!

—In fact, he did arrange the timing of his appearance with Keqing.

Keqing wasn't forging Mora in the Golden House; she was simply directing Ningguang's personal guards to load the stockpiled Mora onto trucks.

According to the plan that Han Fulai, she, and Ningguang discussed in the Moon Sea Pavilion a few days ago, the construction and disguise of the Golden House has been completed today. What she needs to do now is to cooperate with Han Fulai to create the illusion that the Golden House can continue to forge Mora.

Han Fulai said this at the Moonlit Pavilion: "Tell a colossal lie and make the whole of Teyvat dance! If the Golden House can still infinitely mint Mora, the credibility of Liyue Coins will be infinite!"

The reason he orchestrated this press conference to spread and refute rumors was to turn a lie into a fact!

He made extensive preparations for this, and during the press conference, he subtly changed a concept—he replaced the concept that "the Golden House can produce Mora" with "there is enough Mora in the Golden House to exchange for paper money!"

Han Fulai spread rumors, first focusing people on the two issues of "Golden House ceasing production" and "Liyue Coins being unable to be exchanged for Mora"; then, by deliberately leaking the Whitewater Hall's financial report and using paid experts and scholars, he made people believe that "Golden House ceasing production" was a sufficient condition for "Liyue Coins being unable to be exchanged for Mora," leading people to believe that the cessation of Golden House production was the reason why banks had no Mora to exchange for banknotes; then, at the press conference, he guided reporters to ask questions, demanding evidence that Golden House had not ceased production.

—And the final step is to equate “Golden House has enough Mora to exchange for Liyue Coins” with “Golden House has not stopped production”!

The most important of these steps is to have the Liyue National Bank gradually stop supplying Mora, creating the illusion of a Mora shortage.

To paraphrase the words of Sun Tzu's Art of War, which Han Fulai had read before: "Warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when you are capable, make it appear that you are incapable; when you are active, make it appear that you are not active; when you are near, make it appear that you are far away; when you are far away, make it appear that you are near."

What Han Fulai used was precisely "to appear incapable when one is capable".

They arranged for Liyue coins to begin circulating and prepared enough Mora to exchange for the existing paper money, but deliberately didn't allow the public to exchange them. When everyone thought the inability to exchange paper money for Mora was due to the Golden House's production halt, they held a press conference to announce—"Our Golden House can produce Mora to exchange for paper money at any time!"

Han Fulai had also considered that perhaps someone would notice something was amiss, but even if someone did, they wouldn't care.

On one hand, it's because Han Fulai is using the name of the "Geo King's national policy" to promote Liyue currency. Opposing Liyue currency is tantamount to opposing the King's authority, and people like Keqing who dare to question the King are rare in Liyue.

On the other hand, most of the people who will attend this press conference are those who have exchanged Mora for paper money. What these people care about most is, of course, whether the paper money in their hands is still valuable. Whether the Golden House will stop production or not is far from them, and that is something that Seven Stars should care about; whether the paper money can be exchanged for Mora is very close to them, because they actually have paper money in their hands.

It's like an old winter joke: Someone asked a farmer if he would donate ten million Mora to Her Majesty the Queen, and the farmer said yes; then they asked him if he would donate a villa to Her Majesty the Queen, and the farmer said yes again; but when asked if he would donate a cow to Her Majesty the Queen, the farmer refused, because he actually already had a cow!

Does it matter whether the Golden House has ceased production or not, as long as the paper money can actually be exchanged for Mora? No!

A rumor, a press conference—Han Fulai successfully told a colossal lie, granting the Golden House "unlimited" Mora.

As Han Fulai walked towards her, Keqing felt a little nervous, knowing the great significance of her trip today. As one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, Keqing was usually quite low-key and rarely did anything that required her to show her face—things like holding press conferences to gain attention were usually done by Ningguang.

Next, she would face dozens of reporters and hundreds of people. Although she had spoken in public before, it was mostly about conferences in the construction industry she oversaw or interviews about public welfare projects. Promoting Liyue Coins was Liyue's next national policy, and there was no room for error. Keqing felt a growing unease, fearing she might make the same mistake as at the fireworks display.

She quietly asked Han Fulai, "Mr. Han, how should I answer if reporters ask me questions later?"

Han Fulai smiled slightly.

"If you have nothing to say, just say 'No comment.' Of course, it's best to have something to say. No matter what they ask, don't worry about the questions, just give your opinion. If they bring up the same question again, say 'That's not the problem' or 'I think the real problem is...,' and then give your opinion—for example, 'Trust the Rock King, trust the Seven Star Government.'"

Ke Qing's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new continent, and she nodded repeatedly.

Just before going on stage, Ke Qing suddenly stopped, turned around, gently tugged at Han Fulai's sleeve, and whispered, "You... come with me."

Han Fulai, who was just about to take a break backstage, nodded helplessly, thinking to himself, "Ke Qing, you still need to learn something."

Chapter Seventy: Descending the Mountain (Part 1)

early morning.

In the grassy area southwest of Liyue Harbor, near Qingxu Pool, a young man dressed in white with blue hair was hurrying along, wielding a greatsword, oblivious to the dew soaking his clothes.

The boy is chasing his prey.

Not far in front of him, a demon, enveloped in a water elemental shield, was desperately fleeing through the air. The demon was short and dwarf-like, its face obscured by a furry robe.

The demon and the boy had been chasing each other for half an hour, and even so, the demon's flying speed was no less than the boy's full-speed sprint.

"Stop!" the boy shouted as he ran.

He certainly didn't expect the demon to obediently stop, but the demon was also attracted by his shout, turning its head to look at him in the air, its two long, rabbit-like ears twitching as if in provocation.

The boy who chased after the demon was none other than Chongyun.

Throughout Liyue Harbor's long history, tales of evil and strange occurrences have never ceased. Regardless of the truth, someone always has to step forward to resolve them. Chongyun was born into a renowned exorcist family in Liyue, and it was his duty to eliminate demons and uphold justice. This was not the first time he had encountered such a demon.

The demon was known among adventurers as the "Water Abyss Mage." His distinctive features included a deep blue, furry robe and a water elemental shield enveloping his body.

Legend has it among adventurers that Abyss Mages, as the lowest-ranking enforcers of the "Abyss Order," are active around the world, engaging in various conspiracies and sabotage. Although they jokingly say that the greatest danger of these Abyss Mages is that they can cause rheumatism, Chongyun, who has fought them, knows that they actually possess a formidable power.

These abyss mages can use magic to create seemingly harmless giant bubbles, but once touched, the entire body will be enveloped and trapped within. If one underestimates them and gets trapped inside, unable to escape in time, they are likely to suffocate and die.

The Abyss Mage turned back to provoke Chongyun, and his flight speed naturally decreased slightly—Chongyun had been waiting for this opportunity! He had maintained a distance from the Abyss Mage, making the Abyss Mage think that his running speed had reached its limit, but he could actually accelerate further!

Chongyun exerted force with his feet and leaped high into the air. While his body was still in the air, his left hand had already formed a hand seal.

"Precious Seal Illusion Sword!" With Chongyun's shout, three precious swords made of condensed ice suddenly appeared in front of him, and in the blink of an eye, they all fell to the ground.

Each ice sword that landed on the ground exploded immediately, blasting out a shower of ice blades that rained down on the abyss mage like arrows.

The moment the ice blades touched the Abyss Mage's water elemental shield, they froze it layer by layer, turning the Abyss Mage into a round, icy lump.

This is Chongyun's unique skill, Spirit Blade: Clouds Part and Stars Fall!

Chongyun swung the Flying Great Sword in his right hand in mid-air, using the momentum of his descent to slash down at the large ice block.

This Flying Great Sword was a precious gift bestowed upon Chongyun by his family elders. Although holding the sword would not allow him to truly fly, it filled Chongyun with courage, complementing his martial arts skills and movements, making him even more formidable.

The power of the sword shattered the ice block completely, along with the abyss mage's elemental shield.

The Abyss Mage fell from the ice block like a ball, rolled around on the ground a few times, and struggled to get up, seemingly still disoriented.

Chongyun, carrying his greatsword, walked step by step toward the Water Abyss Mage: "No wonder demons and evil spirits have been rampant lately. It turns out you were the one behind it all. Surrender now!"

After the Lantern Festival, he bid farewell to Xingqiu and traveled alone in Liyue to exorcise demons. When he arrived near Qingxu Pool, he saw many Hilichurls gathered unusually. He cleared out two Hilichurl settlements with his sword and discovered that this Abyss mage was gesticulating wildly and giving them commands in the Hilichurl language, and he didn't know what kind of conspiracy he was plotting.

For some unknown reason, the Abyss Mage is fluent in the Hilichurls' clumsy language and can control their minds. Since an elder in the Chongyun family has some knowledge of Hilichurls, Chongyun plans to take this Abyss Mage home for interrogation.

At this moment, the seemingly trembling abyss mage suddenly roared, shouting something unintelligible. Chongyun couldn't see the abyss mage's expression beneath the white mask, only that the staff in its hand shone brightly.

Chongyun's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong. It was said that Abyss Mages had some understanding of the lost ancient language, which was now almost impossible to decipher, and used the power of this language to wield magic. Could it have used some kind of magic just now?

Before he could figure it out, a strong wind was blowing behind him. Chongyun turned around and saw two muscular thugs, each over two meters tall, appearing from the void. They were wielding long-handled axes, the blades already in front of him.

They'd been ambushed! Chongyun only had time to adjust his posture, preparing to trade injury for a chance to escape.

But the two giant axes stopped in front of him. A figure made of ice crystals raised its hands and forcefully withstood the two giant axes.

"An ice puppet by your side! You are...?" Chongyun stared at the ice puppet in astonishment. This wasn't the first time he had seen an ice puppet, but even as a renowned exorcist family in Liyue, only one highly skilled elder in Chongyun's family could command the ice spirit summoned by such a talisman.

The spirit of the talisman, of course, would not answer. Chongyun was not asking about the spirit of the talisman, but about the person who controlled it.

The spirit grasped the long-handled axe with both hands, unleashing an immense force that sent two tall, burly thugs tumbling backward. Then, the spirit gracefully flew back to its master, circling endlessly.

On a stone pillar behind the two Hilichurl thugs, a tall, white-haired beauty held a light blue spear, her graceful figure ethereal and otherworldly. Neither Chongyun nor the Abyss Mage had previously detected any trace of this woman.

"Evil spirits are masters of disguise; we must not be careless," the woman said calmly. Though her voice was not loud, it was still clearly audible amidst the roars of the hill thugs.

As soon as she finished speaking, the woman's figure disappeared from the stone pillar and reappeared in front of the two hillbilly thugs.

His speed was so fast that even Chongyun was ashamed of himself.

"The divine power is not unfounded, commanding a hundred crafts. The goddess commands, hurry to the talisman. Seize!" The woman formed a hand seal and softly called out, and immediately circles of immortal talismans coiled around her.

A spirit appeared, wielding a long spear, its form remarkably similar to the woman's. The spirit possessed the spear, and a cold glint suddenly appeared on its azure tip.

"Soul, leave!" the woman shouted.

A flash of cold light appeared first, followed by the spear thrusting out like a dragon!

Chongyun only saw a blur before his eyes, and the white figure, graceful as a startled swan and agile as a swimming dragon, pierced straight through the bodies of the two Qiuqiu thugs.

The woman twirled her spear, then stopped in her tracks.

The two thugs had just regained their footing and were about to swing their long-handled axes again when they suddenly felt their bodies stiffen. They were too weak to even let out a roar of resentment, and they collapsed to the ground, never to move again.

Chapter Seventy-One: Descending the Mountain (Part 2)

With just one strike, two ferocious Hilichurl thugs were defeated.

The white-haired woman, carrying a long spear on her back, moved gracefully over the corpses of two thugs, her expression calm and indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

Hilichurl thugs are the elite of the Hilichurl tribes, warriors among warriors. Not only are they physically strong and fierce in battle, possessing considerable resilience, but they can also wield elemental power to some extent. Ordinary adventurers on the continent of Teyvat, even in a party, might not be able to defeat a single Hilichurl thug. The reason the Abyss Mage summoned two Hilichurl thugs to ambush Chongyun was precisely because he believed these battle-hardened warriors could definitely defeat Chongyun.

Chongyun was completely dumbfounded. He couldn't imagine how he could possibly defeat two Qiuqiu thugs in one blow.

Even though he was already a young genius in the family with unparalleled martial arts and magic, and had even been entrusted with the important task of passing on the "Family Records of Demons and Evils", he felt as weak as a child compared to the white-haired woman in front of him.

If his friend Xingqiu were present, the two of them together might be able to defeat the two Hilichurl thugs. However, alone, he could only use magic to fight and entangle them; a direct confrontation was impossible. The white-haired woman's displayed strength far surpassed that of humans!

Chongyun recalled the fairy tales circulating among the people. Legend had it that a traveler seeking immortality encountered demons and was rescued by a white-haired fairy. This woman's appearance seemed remarkably similar to those in the tales. Could she… be an immortal?

At this moment, a sharp voice suddenly rang out. Chongyun turned his head and saw the Abyss Mage float up again, his staff emitting an even brighter light than before.

The Abyss Mage shouted in Hilichurl, "Ika yaya!"

If a scholar familiar with Hilichurls were present, they might be able to discern that this was a Hilichurl's furious roar, roughly meaning "Bad people!"

Although Chongyun couldn't understand what it was saying, he knew that whenever the Abyss Mage cast a spell, it was never a good thing.

Remembering that he still needed to capture this abyss mage for interrogation, he immediately formed a hand seal and chanted, "Exorcise evil spirits and bind demons, purify inside and out..."

He got stuck halfway through reciting it: "Ah, uh... Oh no, I forgot the second half of the mantra."

Chongyun has a special constitution. When exorcising evil spirits, he only needs to sit quietly in someone else's house for one night, and the evil spirits will naturally dissipate. Therefore, he has hardly ever used such spells and incantations for binding. At this moment, he can't remember the complete incantation.

In that moment of hesitation, the Water Abyss Mage's summoning was complete. A cloud of dust rose from the ground, and from it emerged a colossal creature.

That was the mysterious "king" who roamed among the thousands of peaks, the enormous Hilichurl known as "Lawa" by his fellow Hilichurls—the Rockhelm Hilichurl King.

The Rock Helm Hilichurl King stands approximately five meters tall, with massive horns on its head and a body that gleams with a dangerous golden light. Rock elementals that have proliferated in the environment have become an integral part of its body, as if its flesh and skin were sculpted from immovable mountain rock.

The Rock-Helm Hilichurl pounded its chest with both hands, roared to the sky, and its entire body was instantly bathed in golden light, as if it were wearing armor made of rock. This was the Rock-Helm Hilichurl's special ability, Rock Armor.

Although Chongyun had traveled far and wide slaying demons and monsters, he had only ever seen creatures like the Rock-Helmeted Hilichurl King in books. Today, witnessing the power of the Rock-Helmeted Hilichurl King in person, he couldn't help but be awestruck. He gripped the hilt of the Flying Greatsword tightly with both hands, his palms unknowingly becoming damp with sweat.

His intuition told him that the greatsword couldn't even pierce the skin of the Rockhelm Hilichurl.

The Abyss Mage danced triumphantly, laughing shrilly: "Kucha slaken pupu!" A rough translation would be: "Weak human, pupu pupu!"

The white-haired fairy continued walking at a leisurely pace, her face expressionless as she blocked the path of the Rockhelm Hilichurl King.

The Rockhelmt Hilichurl looked down at the white-haired woman, its eyes flashing with golden light, seemingly wondering what gave this woman the audacity to block its path. It clashed its fists together, producing a deafening crash against the rocks, as if boasting of its martial prowess or threatening the human before it.

The white-haired woman, however, paid no heed to King Qiuqiu's threat and even had the leisure to glance back at Chongyun. As if demonstrating, she swept her hand through the air, drawing a silver-white talisman, and chanted: "Exorcise evil spirits and bind demons, purify the inner and outer worlds. Return to the righteous path, protect your body and life."

Centered on the talisman, a pattern formed from condensed frost appeared around the woman—a Tai Chi diagram. A spirit of the talisman was born from the Tai Chi diagram, circled around her, and a mysterious pattern appeared on the spirit's chest and abdomen.

Chongyun recognized the pattern; the same symbol—the Eight Trigrams—was printed on his white Taoist robe!

"Kun, the sixth day of the month, treading on frost, solid ice will arrive. Goddess's True Instruction: Transformation of Ice into Godhood!"

The woman gave a soft shout, put her index and middle fingers together, and lightly stomped her foot.

As she moved, a tai chi symbol faintly appeared on the ground, rapidly rotating and expanding outwards. From the woman's toes as the origin, frost spread in all directions, instantly enveloping an area of ​​several tens of meters in radius.

Countless silver-white talismans fluttered around her, like snowflakes falling in a flurry.

The Rock Helmet Hilichurl King's body froze completely in an instant, turning into an ice sculpture.

This place is Qingxupu, the "pu" meaning waterside. Qingxupu itself has a very large lake, and the air is rich in water elements, making it a natural stronghold for water abyss mages. However, when faced with the white-haired woman's "Ice Transformation," the abundant water vapor of Qingxupu became her weapon to freeze her enemies.

The white-haired woman continued walking at a leisurely pace until she reached the ice sculpture formed by King Chuqiu.

Although the Rock-Helm Hilichurl King is frozen, it has only lost the ability to move. Once the duration of "Ice Godhood" ends, it will be able to break free from the ice. Moreover, the Rock-Helm Hilichurl King had already donned a layer of Rock Armor beforehand, so the freezing will not cause it much damage.

The Abyss Mage was very confident; it was certain that even the woman's spear could not penetrate the Rock Armor of the Rock-Helm Hilichurl King.

Chongyun hesitated, unsure whether he should raise his sword to help the white-haired fairy or stand still and not interfere with her using her magical powers.

But the white-haired woman did something that shocked everyone present—she swung her fist, that seemingly delicate and fragile fist, and punched the ice sculpture formed by the Hilichurl King.

The Rock Helmet Hilichurl King was shattered. Shattered by a single punch from the white-haired woman!

It shattered into pieces of stone and ice, which were scattered all over the ground by the cold wind.

The white-haired woman, spear in hand, strode towards the Abyss Mage, her steps pausing on the ashes of the Hilichurl King scattered on the ground. Her gaze was icy, looking at the Abyss Mage as if he were a corpse—no, she had never considered him a living being at all.

Chapter Seventy-Two: Descending the Mountain (Part Two)

This was the first time in its life that the Abyss Mage had felt such terror. As a low-ranking member of the "Abyss Order," it had been sent out on numerous missions and had dealt with adventurers and even members of knightly orders from various countries. But it had never seen a killing god like the white-haired woman before it!

Even the demons recorded in history were not as terrifying as this woman's eyes in its eyes. They were eyes devoid of all meaning, regarding everything as worthless!