Outside the Alcor, rain poured down in torrents, and lightning crashed violently into the sea.
This was the divine might of the Raiden Shogun.
With effortless ease, she could change the fabric of the world and summon countless bolts of lightning.
Especially now—still within the waters of Inazuma, with the ley lines under her command—her strength had been greatly amplified.
However, in the eyes of Kazuha and Ayaka, whether it was Beidou or the Alcor's crew, they remained calm, unbothered, and carried on with their work as if the heavenly wrath was no more than roadside weeds—completely insignificant.
Ayaka felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.
This thunderstorm… was likely aimed at her.
For ordinary Inazuman citizens trying to flee, the only thing they'd need to deal with would be the Shogun's natural thunder barrier.
But for her, it was different…
She was the Shirasagi Himegimi, the eldest daughter of the Kamisato Clan, part of the Yashiro Commission—Inazuma's upper echelon.
Naturally, the Raiden Shogun would not permit her to leave Inazuma.
The divine pressure deepened, stirring the sea as if it might be torn asunder.
Ayaka gave a bitter smile and murmured,
"I'm sorry, Beidou-jie. It looks like I've brought trouble upon you all. Maybe you should let me off. I can cross the sea by freezing it…"
Her voice was full of sorrow and helplessness.
The Raiden Shogun, exalted and mighty, had chosen to ignore the suffering of Inazuma's people—only to turn her attention to a mere noblewoman like herself.
Was this something to be honored by?
To Ayaka, it was more tragic than anything.
The Raiden Shogun of the past had cared for her people, sheltering every citizen in the palm of her hand.
When did things turn out this way…
Just as she was lamenting, Beidou placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, smiling:
"It's fine. Today, I'm taking you with me—no one can stop that."
Ayaka blinked, stunned. She knew the Alcor was frighteningly powerful.
Every crew member carried alchemical potions and could easily sweep across Inazuma.
But there was an unbridgeable gap between mortals and gods…
No matter how strong alchemy was, it couldn't defy a god's will.
Ayaka grew anxious.
"Beidou-jie, I understand your intentions, but… this is the will of the Shogun…"
"I don't want to get everyone else involved…"
But Beidou shook her head leisurely.
"True, gods are high above and not to be defied. I'm not arrogant enough to think a few potions can beat an Archon."
"But don't forget—"
With unshakable confidence, Beidou straightened and looked up at the thunder pressing down from the sky.
"This is Liyue's Alcor! We are the people of the Geo Archon!"
"If we die at sea in a storm, or to sea beasts, that means our skills weren't enough."
"But if a god dares attack us…"
She sneered coldly, her voice deep and sharp:
"Then our Lord Morax will step in."
As her words fell, the golden Liyue characters carved on the Alcor's prow lit up with a brilliant radiance.
A force far beyond the thunder's oppressive might soared into the sky.
Ancient. Majestic. Vast…
It was like a flood flowing out from the depths of history.
In an instant, the churning sea calmed and became as solid as a bed of rock.
Vaguely, a golden figure wearing a white hood manifested above the Alcor.
It was a projection of the Geo Archon himself.
He said nothing, simply gazing quietly at the raging storm in the sky.
His gaze was calm, and his presence subdued—but the lightning stalled.
After a few reluctant cracks of thunder, the storm slowly dispersed.
The clouds parted, and the world grew bright.
The Alcor had never stopped moving—calmly, it continued sailing toward Liyue.
The projection of the Geo Archon vanished without a trace.
From beginning to end, he merely showed up—and that alone had been enough to disperse the Raiden Shogun's summoned storm.
Since the Archon War, the Geo Archon had kept a low profile and rarely made public appearances in Teyvat.
But no one had ever dared forget his might.
It was he who held Liyue firm, who struck down countless gods with spear and fist, forging a legacy a thousand years strong.
Among the gods, no one surpassed him in power.
Though Liyue's people affectionately called him "Rex Lapis,"
To the other Archons, he was known by only one name:
The God of War — Morax.
Countless gods had died by his hand in the Archon War. Others were sealed by him. Many more had fled from Liyue without even daring to face him.
While generations of mortals had come and gone, the gods and history itself would forever remember the terrifying power of the God of War.
Beidou wasn't surprised in the least. She cupped her fists toward the sky, then ordered the ship to pick up speed toward Liyue.
With the Rite of Descension approaching, she needed to return quickly.
She turned and led Kazuha and Ayaka back into the cabin, sitting down as if nothing had happened and resumed drinking.
"So that was the Geo Archon…"
Thinking back to that crushing pressure just moments before, Kazuha wiped the cold sweat from his palm.
Every cell in his body had screamed at him—not to even draw his sword.
"He truly lives up to the name of the God of War, the original Archon…"
He sighed and shook his head, saying no more.
Ayaka, still confused, remained silent for a while before asking:
"Beidou… Why would the Geo Archon…"
"Isn't it curious?"
Beidou chuckled. With plenty of time on the journey, she didn't mind explaining.
"Because the nature of things is different."
"The Lord doesn't interfere in personal grievances. In the early days, many Liyue sailors died at sea—from storms, beasts…"
"I was angry too, wondering why the Archon didn't protect his people."
"But later, I understood."
Beidou set down her cup and sighed softly.
"To him, we're like his children. When we grow up, we have to face the world ourselves. The risks and dangers we face are our own responsibility."
"If we die to those, it means we weren't good enough. We can't blame anyone."
"But if the one who attacks us is a god—or another Archon…"
"Then the Geo Archon will not stand by."
"Like I said—it's all about the nature of the threat."
"If two kids fight, it's their business. But if an adult—or a god—steps in to bully one of them…"
"Then the other kid's parent will get involved."
"The Lord of Geo would never let us be bullied."
Hearing this, Ayaka finally understood why Beidou and the others were so fearless.
But she couldn't help but feel emotional.
Liyue's economy was already thriving, and now it also possessed all kinds of miraculous resources. Its strength had risen to unimaginable heights.
On a purely human level, none of the seven nations or Teyvat's major powers could stand against them.
And if someone shamelessly begged a god to intervene—
They would then have to face the arrival of the Geo Lord and the Adepti.
From top to bottom, Liyue was solid as a rock—utterly unshakable.
Even now, the Qixing continued to diligently maintain and strengthen the nation.
Looking at it this way, Liyue really did seem truly invincible.
But admiration for Liyue was one thing; Ayaka had more important matters to deal with.
She remembered why she was heading to Liyue in the first place.
Worry began to cloud her mind again.
She had heard that among the Qixing, the one truly calling the shots these days was Ningguang.
And Ningguang… was notoriously difficult to deal with.
Convincing her would not be an easy task.
Ayaka couldn't see how someone like herself—a pampered noble lady since birth—could ever compete with someone like Ningguang, who stood undefeated in the ruthless world of commerce and politics.
"Thinking about Ningguang?" Beidou chuckled.
Ayaka nodded with concern. "To suddenly go to Liyue and ask for assistance… I doubt Miss Ningguang would agree."
After all, Liyue already had plenty of its own responsibilities. Why would it bother with the mess in Inazuma?
Beidou shook her head.
"I won't give you false hope. Ningguang is extremely decisive, and the Lord of Geo has already declared that Liyue must not interfere in the domestic affairs of other nations."
"But still… it's worth trying. When the time comes, I'll help put in a word for you."
Though she said that, Beidou wasn't sure if even she could make Ningguang budge.
When it came to national interests, personal feelings didn't mean much.
"But even if you do want to go, you'd better not approach her directly with your request. The Rite of Parting is just around the corner, and Ningguang is the one presiding over this year's ceremony. She's extremely busy."
"If you go to her right now, she might just get annoyed and kick you out."
Ayaka nodded quietly. "I understand…"
The two stopped discussing it and instead chatted about general matters regarding Liyue.
After all, when paying a visit, one should bring a gift.
Since Ayaka had left in a rush, she hadn't brought anything suitable. She'd have to buy something in Liyue Harbor later.
…
Meanwhile, the storm brewing in Inazuma was unknown to Xuan and the others.
Zhongli knew, of course—but he didn't bother saying anything. Such small matters weren't worth his attention.
He was practically retired; why should he bother with these headaches?
—
The next morning, once Jean and the others had gathered in the courtyard, Ryen greeted them with breakfast before opening the gate into the MC world.
Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu still hadn't come.
The Rite of Parting was just a few days away, and they were all incredibly busy.
In fact, if Hu Tao hadn't snuck her way to the top yesterday, Ganyu would've had to work overtime at Yuehai Pavilion again last night.
Because of Hu Tao's move, however, Ganyu had unexpectedly returned to see Ryen.
After exhausting herself to keep him busy until dawn, she dragged herself off to work.
Originally, her plan had been to tire Ryen out so he wouldn't have the energy to get involved with Hu Tao while she was swamped with work.
Unfortunately, she underestimated Ryen—and overestimated herself.
After all that effort, she could barely stand, while Ryen was still stretching and limbering up, totally relaxed.
Eventually, Ganyu gave up on her schemes and no longer cared whether Hu Tao managed to get close to him.
In fact, she even started looking forward to Hu Tao helping ease her burden a little.
—
Crossing through the portal, everyone returned to the manor villa.
The unique world left Albedo utterly stunned. He wished he could study every blade of grass and tree for research.
Klee, on the other hand, didn't care one bit about how different the world was.
The moment they landed, she let go of Ryen's hand and began happily running around the villa.
Thankfully, she didn't immediately pull out her Jumpy Dumpty to cause explosions—this gave Jean a moment of relief.
As Ryen shared his constitution with the others, Lisa let out a comfortable sigh.
"Ah… such powerful strength. After getting used to this, my original witch's body feels a bit… fragile."
She stretched lazily, her voluptuous figure practically radiating allure.
Ryen didn't pay her much attention—after all, Hu Tao was still clinging to his arm.
He simply teased with a smile:
"Well, now that the curse suppression is gone, you could always train your body."
"Training?" Lisa raised an eyebrow and waved her hand disinterestedly. "No thanks. A proper lady covered in sweat? That's just terrible for one's image."
"Besides, do you really think plain exercise can give you strength powerful enough to shatter the heavens like yours?"
Ryen nodded solemnly, full of confidence.
"I have a training regimen that'll make you unbelievably powerful in three years!"
Hearing this, everyone perked up their ears to listen carefully.
Even Zhongli wasn't an exception.
Though his divine power was immense—and further enhanced by Liyue's leylines—he didn't mind gaining the kind of raw, world-breaking physical strength Ryen had.
Seeing everyone staring at him expectantly, Ryen cleared his throat and announced:
"One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run… every day, for three years!"
Hu Tao blinked and asked curiously, "And then I'll become stronger?"
Ryen nodded with a mysterious smile.
"That's right! After three years… when you go bald, you'll have become One Punch Man!"
~~----------------------
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