"Liyue's… Wood Spirit Immortal Lord?"
Barbatos murmured, then nodded.
"Thank you."
Hearing Barbatos's gratitude, Jiang Yan smiled.
"No need to thank me. You owe me a favor, don't you?"
"Mm. As long as it's something I can do, I'll do it."
Barbatos spoke with rare seriousness.
His closest friend had survived thanks to this man before him.
Even if the request were impossibly difficult, he would still do everything he could.
"Heh… I'm not in a hurry to claim that favor. I'll come find you when I need it."
Jiang Yan yawned, then continued:
"Since the show is over, I should get going."
"The rest is up to you."
As he finished speaking, rainbow-colored light surged violently around his body, making the surrounding space tremble faintly.
His entire figure shot upward like a bolt of light, streaking into the distance.
"Liyue…"
Barbatos watched the direction Jiang Yan had flown.
In his arms, Venti had already stood up again, his radiant, fully recovered appearance making Barbatos momentarily dazed.
"That man was…?"
Of course Venti had also noticed Jiang Yan's brief appearance and asked.
"He said he was the Wood Spirit Immortal Lord from Liyue."
Barbatos replied.
"Li… Liyue…"
Venti murmured. Both he and Barbatos, as wind spirits near the Mondstadt tundra, had heard of the emerging nation that had recently formed beside their land.
"Hey! Barbatos, let's build a nation too!"
"A nation of freedom!"
Venti spread his arms, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Build… a nation?"
Barbatos repeated under his breath—then his gaze grew firm.
"Alright."
Jiang Yan had no idea how much his actions today would affect Barbatos.
Right now, he has his own problems to solve.
After returning to Liyue Harbor, he immediately began preparations for the establishment of the Liyue Navy and the Liyue Air Force.
The navy was fine—mostly shipbuilding.
But the air force… that was a problem.
His idea was good, but on this continent of Teyvat, whose tech tree had long since veered off into unknown territory…
something that allowed mortals to freely soar in the sky—
really didn't exist!
Even Guizhong and Cloud Retainer—masters of mechanisms—looked troubled.
"Jiang Yan, your idea is interesting, yes… but not easy to execute…"
Guizhong frowned tightly.
"According to your description, creating such a massive mechanism would require unimaginable materials and funding. And you intend to mass-produce them on top of that…"
Cloud Retainer also frowned.
"Wait—don't we have a Floating Stone? Can't we use that?"
Jiang Yan remembered that a few days ago, Streetward Rambler had excavated a stone from The Chasm—Floating Stone—that naturally levitated.
Even the future Jade Chamber could fly thanks to the Floating Stone.
"That material is far too rare. Even Qixia has only two or three pieces…"
Cloud Retainer didn't finish her sentence before her eyes widened.
"No way—don't tell me that was your plan from the beginning?"
Jiang Yan grinned without denying it.
"That will depend. Qixia treats those few stones like precious treasure. If you want one for experimentation, it won't be easy."
Guizhong exchanged glances with Cloud Retainer.
"Mm. Let's at least ask. If we can get one small piece to experiment with, that's enough."
Jiang Yan said.
"What we're building isn't huge—just something that can carry over a thousand people into the air."
"I'll also inform Huishan Hall to keep an eye out for Floating Stone. Try to collect more."
"Understood. I'll go with Guizhong to ask Qixia then."
Cloud Retainer nodded and left with Guizhong.
After they left, Jiang Yan leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.
Whether it was training the air force or the navy, everything required long-term planning…
Even if Guizhong and Cloud Retainer succeeded in developing the devices, if the soldiers couldn't effectively fight in the air or on the sea, it would all be pointless.
This was clear from Liyue's situation in his previous life's storyline.
As for Liyue's naval forces… only Beidou's fleet was worth mentioning—and frankly, it was more like a mercenary group or an auxiliary force, not a true regular navy.
What Jiang Yan wanted was a Liyue Regular Army capable of dominating land, sea, and air.
To hold absolute authority in all three.
On land, the Millelith—enhanced by all the martial techniques Jiang Yan had given them—were already the strongest mortal army.
But naval and aerial combat were completely different from land combat.
Even transferring soldiers from the Millelith would require full retraining.
Jiang Yan closed his eyes and pondered quietly…
The next day, the Liyue government posted an announcement at Yujing Terrace.
From this day forward, Liyue officially established the Liyue Navy.
Recruitment would also begin immediately.
Men under thirty with strong swimming ability would be prioritized.
This shocked the people of Liyue, who had been living peacefully for three hundred years.
After so many years of quiet development, the government suddenly created a new military branch.
What big move were they preparing to make?
Many citizens even suspected Liyue was preparing for war.
The Millelith already maintained a standing army of five hundred thousand.
And now, on top of that, the government wanted to expand its forces?
If not preparing for war—what else could this be?
But this newly announced "Liyue Navy" also sparked curiosity.
"Navy? So they're soldiers who fight at sea?"
Someone asked before Yujing Terrace.
"I guess so. And honestly, fighting on the sea… sounds pretty awesome."
A young man's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Hmph! Brat, war isn't a game! People die in battle!"
Naturally, excitement was accompanied by worry.
An elderly man spoke in a tone full of concern.
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