Seeing that Ei truly did shut her mouth, Miko lifted her chin like a victorious rooster, her voice smooth and triumphant.
"Separating from the military doesn't mean abandoning the military's exploration duties.
"I asked Jean about it. She said the 'Base One Training Program' Ryen mentioned isn't merely familiarizing troops with the general workflow of his world.
"The Millelith stationed there follow a precise, mature system,
a timeline of what should be done in which development stage.
"When to begin mass mining operations, when to enter the Nether,
when to expand territory…
"All of this is part of the training."
Miko twirled a lock of hair lazily.
"That system is the result of walking far ahead and testing countless methods.
It's a refined template.
"So, the army can be inserted directly into that world and trained by the Millelith.
We don't need to micromanage,
just guide the overall trajectory based on Inazuma's needs."
She raised a finger elegantly.
"For example: once our base is built, the troops will need to continue mining and searching for Lucky Blocks in surrounding regions.
"We only need to define priorities; execution is theirs."
"We, however, do not need to follow the army's pace."
Her smile deepened.
"We operate individually, following Ryen's group to stay at the cutting edge.
"New mods, new systems, new discoveries,
we learn those ourselves."
"That way,
First, our personal combat strength stays aligned with the world's newest advancements, like the blade you carry, like the spellstaffs.
Second, when the military eventually catches up, we will already know how to teach them how to handle new mods."
She flicked her tail with satisfaction.
"That's exactly how Mondstadt and Snezhnaya are doing it."
Sara suddenly understood.
This was simply an inversion of the usual exploration structure.
Ordinarily, Inazuma's method was:
Powerful individuals lead,
the army enters once the area is secure,
the nation follows with governance and development.
Miko's proposal flipped it:
Insert the army first, let them learn the base systems at their own pace.
Meanwhile, the top combatants, Ei, Miko, Ayaka, follow Ryen directly, never missing the frontier of the world's evolution.
With Ryen's notoriously steady planning, danger was unlikely.
Ei, however, had not been listening closely to the reasoning.
She only waited for the end, then looked at Sara with an unreadable expression.
"Is this feasible?"
Sara calculated quickly, then nodded decisively.
"Yes, my Shogun.
With this approach, our few elites won't fall behind in mod progression, and the army can still advance steadily."
Ei nodded slightly.
"Can the time be reduced further?"
Sara gave a helpless laugh.
"That… I don't know.
But with only one thousand soldiers, large-scale development is physically impossible."
"According to my conversations with Ningguang and the others, Liyue will soon deploy their armies to develop both the New Continent and the Twilight Forest."
"With just one thousand soldiers, after dividing them across three bases and leaving some to guard the Nether…"
"…we may not even have the manpower to explore the End."
She continued cautiously:
"Moreover, complex technologies, mass potion production, and mass enchanting require specialists."
"We only brought fighters."
"If possible, we need blacksmiths, alchemists, carpenters, professional workers from Inazuma."
Ei frowned, ready to respond, when Miko sighed dramatically.
"Stop pressuring her.
Completing in four months what took Liyue five, while you just finished throwing the country into chaos, is already a miracle."
"Inazuma's thousand-year development may be inferior to these next four months."
Hearing this, Ei fell quiet.
Only Makoto and Miko could speak to her this way. And only they could stir that deep, lingering guilt over the Sakoku Decree and Vision Hunt.
Silence stretched.
At last, Ei lifted the sword resting at her side, the Musou Isshin.
"Ryen said the next batch of mods will unlock after further exploration of the Twilight Forest.
"This is our opportunity.
If the Blade Mod opens…"
Miko rolled her eyes.
"And even if it does, do you think your thousand soldiers will be the first to touch it? They'll die!"
Ei muttered,
"I never said they would.
This mod,
I will handle it myself."
She swung the sword lightly; spatial force rippled subtly through the room, tugging at the air.
"This sword is strong, but not the strongest of the blade mod…"
"If I could obtain a blade like Ryen's Enma Blade,
I may be able to confront a Sustainer of Heavenly Principles head-on."
Miko groaned audibly.
"Learn to walk before you try to sprint, will you?"
Ei shot her an irritable look.
"Why are you sniping at me tonight?"
"You started it!"
Ei blinked.
"Did I… say anything untrue?
Aren't you thinking about Ryen?"
Miko choked.
Ei continued mercilessly:
"For days now, the moment he reaches out a hand, you're ready to manifest your tail and place it in his palm."
"Miko, you weren't like this."
Her voice softened, unexpectedly serious.
"Once, only Makoto could make you willingly offer your tail.
You wouldn't even let me touch it."
"I know you care for Inazuma.
But you don't need to go this far."
"Even without sacrificing yourself, Ryen would never treat us unfairly."
Miko's ears trembled in outrage.
"Shut up!"
Ei's gaze flickered with mischief.
"So you are interested in him?"
"Not your problem!"
"Ah, so that's how it is… I'll help you."
"Who needs your help! Sister-complex, mind your own problems first!"
"You're embarrassed."
"..."
Their bickering erupted again for no reason at all.
Kujou Sara and Ayaka exchanged looks, then immediately stood to excuse themselves.
If they didn't withdraw now, they were certain to be caught in the crossfire.
Miko and Ei, however, hardly noticed.
Miko's agitation came from pure fluster;
Ei, on the other hand, seemed to find this long-lost banter strangely amusing.
Still, after glancing at Miko's stormy expression, Ei pressed her lips together and gently reminded her:
"Miko, I don't know what you're thinking, but before you make any decisions… please consider yourself first.
"Ryen may not have any special feelings toward you. You've known each other too briefly, don't toss yourself in so casually."
Miko narrowed her eyes, gaze drifting out the window.
"Worry about yourself, sister-complex. Compared to you, he's at least closer to me."
Ei's voice remained calm.
"I care only for Makoto."
"As if I couldn't tell! Sister-complex! Say another word and I'll send Makoto straight to Ryen!"
"Miko!!!"
The room once again dissolved into chaos.
Five hundred years had passed since they'd bantered like this, and despite everything, Miko found herself oddly nostalgic.
Of course, she would have preferred that Ei not grab onto her weak points so accurately…
A different floor of Xinyue Kiosk…
Ei's group was housed on the third floor, now reserved for foreign dignitaries.
In Ningguang's eyes, it was only a matter of time before representatives from all seven nations came visiting,
thus Xinyue Kiosk had been quietly designated as a future national guesthouse.
Meanwhile, on the second floor…
Nilou and Dehya sat facing each other.
One glance told them the other was just as bewildered.
Everything they had seen in Liyue today left them confused beyond belief.
Prosperity in clothing, food, and daily life,
that they could understand. Liyue had always been the wealthiest nation in Teyvat.
But…
Alchemy potions? Enchanted weapons?
Soldiers casually dispatching high-level monsters?
Wolf packs roaming freely through Liyue Harbor?
And the stories didn't stop there.
The citizens spoke readily, and proudly, of:
Liyue's six great specialized corps
The Liyue Dragonrider Legion
The total suppression of Osial without losing a single soldier
If not for every Liyue citizen repeating these claims with unwavering certainty, Nilou and Dehya would have assumed they were dreaming.
But if all of this was real…
It bordered on absurdity.
They had been to Liyue before,
only last year, for the Lantern Rite Festival.
It had not even been ten months.
And Liyue had transformed into… this.
From what the citizens explained, the shift began in the months before and after the Rite of Descension.
Even Morax's resignation from the Archon throne seemed trivial compared to these developments.
At this point, even without Rex Lapis governing, Liyue appeared utterly invincible.
And the more impossible Liyue seemed,
the more Nilou and Dehya believed it:
If any nation could cure Eleazar effortlessly, it would be Liyue.
Nilou rubbed her temples and exhaled softly.
"Liyue is…"
"Don't, don't say 'Liyue' again."
Dehya cut her off instantly, offering a bitter smile.
"I just managed to stop my head from spinning. Don't start it again."
Nilou sighed, nodding.
"Dehya… what do we do next?"
Dehya steadied her thoughts.
"First, we find that Miss Lisa, or at least learn how Liyue has been removing Eleazar.
We need contact with someone in Liyue's upper administration.
"And after that, we find the Traveler."
Nilou grew even more troubled.
"But… how are we supposed to get close to Liyue's high officials?
Look at the city, everyone in power must be incredibly busy. Why would they meet us?"
"And the Traveler… if the rumors are true, she's the Tianquan's sworn sister, and a friend of the Geo Archon."
"How could people like us possibly request an audience?"
Her words left Dehya momentarily silent.
Every point was correct.
They weren't representatives of Sumeru, only ordinary travelers.
Even if they were official envoys, Liyue's officials would be unlikely to see anyone from the Akademiya.
The Millelith's coldness toward Sumeru had already made that clear.
Their situation was stuck.
Dehya frowned, running through everything she'd heard earlier today.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up.
"Liyue's people said Inazuma sent a thousand soldiers here, didn't they? To sign some kind of agreement?"
Nilou caught on instantly, tensing slightly.
"You're thinking…"
Dehya nodded.
"It's our only chance.
We'll have to approach Liyue through Inazuma's garrison."
Nilou still looked uneasy, but after thinking for a while, she could only sigh and agree.
"I hope… this doesn't go wrong."
~~----------------------
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