The mechanism before them was noticeably more compact than the main cannons mounted on naval warships.
Its silvery-white barrel and birdlike silhouette immediately caught the eye—even Jiang Yan, a self-proclaimed aesthetics enthusiast, couldn't help but praise it.
"So beautiful!"
"Right?!"
Guizhong was clearly fond of the design as well, grinning as she spoke.
Jiang Yan nodded and asked her,
"Is this a cannon?"
Guizhong shook her head and stepped forward to explain,
"This isn't a cannon. Its single-shot damage is much lower than a cannon's."
As she spoke, she demonstrated it for Jiang Yan and the others watching.
"As long as elemental energy is infused into it, it can accumulate power and fire rapidly in continuous bursts."
"Compared to ship cannons, this mechanism prioritizes lightness and a much higher rate of fire."
Guizhong then infused elemental energy into it.
The bird-shaped mechanism instantly lit up.
"Dada-dada-dada!!"
In the next moment, laser-like beams shot rapidly from the beak, one after another, firing without pause.
The power of each shot was weaker, but the firing speed was astonishing.
Jiang Yan's eyes widened.
This was basically a machine gun!
He had never expected Guizhong to develop a weapon like this.
If these could be mass-installed on flying vessels and paired with focused energy cannons, the firepower those vessels could carry would be terrifying.
"What do you think?"
Guizhong looked at Jiang Yan expectantly.
"Excellent!"
Jiang Yan gave a thumbs-up, fully approving of the research成果 achieved by Guizhong and Cloud Retainer.
"Install these on the flying vessels as soon as possible. Oh—and Guizhong, you'll also need to improve the focusing energy units."
However, Guizhong frowned slightly.
"The Guizhong focusing unit too? You want to make it like this?"
The Guizhong Focusing Engine had always been used as a main cannon precisely because of its immense power.
If it were changed into a rapid-fire type, not only would energy accumulation be a problem, but the reduced power would also make it not worth the trade-off.
But Jiang Yan shook his head.
"The focusing engine mounted on flying vessels doesn't need rapid fire. As the main cannon, it needs to be capable of destroying the target in a single strike."
"I want you to increase its power, but keep the weight as unchanged as possible."
Hearing this, Guizhong finally relaxed.
If she had been asked to balance power and firing speed, she and Cloud Retainer would have had to dismantle the Guizhong Focusing Engine and start research from scratch.
But simply increasing its power?
That was much easier—far simpler than starting over.
After settling Guizhong's research direction, Jiang Yan returned to Liyue Harbor to begin preparations for recruiting the air force.
The next day, at Yujing Terrace.
The Air Force Recruitment Notice was posted on the public notice board.
With the precedent of the navy's establishment, the people of Liyue Harbor didn't immediately associate this with war.
"As expected of the Adeptus—starting something big the moment he gets back,"
an elderly man sighed as he stood before the notice.
"Indeed. His ideas are always so bold,"
someone beside him echoed.
"Air force? Fighting in the sky?"
"On land we have the Millelith, at sea we have the navy—this air force must be for aerial combat."
"To think humans can also fly into the skies…"
No matter the world, humans always held a special fascination with flight.
Even in the original history of Teyvat, the existence of the Skyrider Greatsword proved that point—
though, admittedly, that three-star sword was associated with a rather unfortunate accident…
Driven by curiosity about flying, the people of Liyue showed great enthusiasm for signing up.
After all, this was about fighting in the sky!
Liyue's young people were especially excited.
Their nation had conquered the seas.
Conquered the land.
And now—
It was time to conquer the sky.
With the air force's establishment, Liyue's military structure became fully complete.
On land: the Millelith.
Divided into five armies—Guili, Tianheng, Qingce, Minlin, and Lisha—unchanged since the nation's founding.
At sea: the three major fleets of Liyue—
the Guili Fleet, Tianheng Fleet, and Qingce Fleet.
Preparations were underway for a fourth fleet: the Minlin Fleet.
Now, the air force was officially formed.
It wouldn't be long before its scale rapidly expanded.
Recruitment progressed in full swing, and Jiang Yan didn't idle either.
After handing the air force recruitment to the Kaiyang Star, who was in charge of military affairs, Jiang Yan began preparations for the Seven Archons' gathering.
The next day.
The Liyue Alcohol Industry was officially established.
It was placed under the management of the Eight Gates.
After handing the brewing formulas to Havria, Jiang Yan left the matter alone.
Since joining the Eight Gates, Havria had grown increasingly adept at handling commercial affairs.
Jiang Yan trusted that with the brewing recipes in her hands, she would find a way to expand and elevate the industry.
After all, what was the point of having capable people if you didn't use them?
Jiang Yan had no intention of handling every trivial matter personally.
As Liyue's chief administrator, his job was to issue directives from above.
Soon after, Jiang Yan issued another decree—
From that day onward, standardized regulations were to be enforced for mining operations in the Chasm.
While reviewing commercial plans submitted by the Eight Gates, Jiang Yan had noticed serious issues regarding Chasm mining.
Since the time of the Archon War, mining in the Chasm had been Liyue's primary industry.
But after prolonged, unchecked excavation, the Chasm had gradually been left scarred and deformed.
Jiang Yan knew all too well how Azhdaha had been sealed in the previous era.
It was precisely due to excessive mining in the Chasm that the ley lines were damaged, causing erosion in Azhdaha's mind and ultimately making him forget the pact of coexistence with humanity.
Jiang Yan would never allow that to happen again.
Large numbers of Lisha Millelith troops were stationed in the Chasm to strictly regulate mining activities.
At the same time, Jiang Yan ordered the Huishan Hall to ensure that mining under their supervision was carried out in a reasonable and sustainable manner.
With the deterrence of the Lisha Millelith and the restrictions imposed by Huishan Hall personnel, mining activities in the Chasm became far more restrained.
As long as there was no large-scale destructive excavation, the ley lines would not be easily damaged.
One should never underestimate Liyue's land's ability to recover.
Although some people suffered significant losses because of these measures, they were all illegal miners.
Jiang Yan hadn't even arrested them all—that alone was mercy. Naturally, they didn't dare cause trouble.
For Jiang Yan, the rule was simple:
Either you work properly under my regulations—
or you don't work at all.
Because I'll flip your rice bowl on the spot.
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