The waves on the sea grew fiercer, crashing violently as a massive figure emerged from the depths near Guyun Stone Forest, rapidly advancing toward Liyue Harbor.
The lookout towers sounded alarm bells, urging ships to hastily return to port. Those too far out began sailing away from the harbor, all seemingly avoiding a certain impending threat.
Thunder rumbled overhead as the Jade Chamber soared across the sky, heading out to the sea. Meanwhile, the Millelith soldiers hurried through the streets, gathering at the port in an organized manner.
It was clear they had anticipated this, as they moved without panic.
"It's finally happening," Luo Qing muttered, watching the ominous shadow beneath the sea.
"Mr. Zhongli, you'd better take Master Hu Tao and retreat somewhere safe. After all, Liyue is a harbor city, and one casual wave from that guy could be disastrous," Luo Qing said, nodding toward the approaching threat.
Zhongli calmly replied, "For ordinary people, this is indeed a catastrophe... Farewell."
With that, Zhongli turned and returned to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, preparing to take Hu Tao to the mountains for safety.
After all, Hu Tao was his current employer—he couldn't allow any harm to come to her.
As Zhongli left, Luo Qing also made his way back to the Northland Bank. Seeing the commotion out on the sea, some confused Snezhnayan merchants had started to panic and rushed to the bank for refuge.
Being an official Snezhnayan establishment in Liyue, the Northland Bank served as a kind of embassy—once inside, they were under its protection.
Luo Qing glanced around the lobby, noticing that all the guards had been pulled away, leaving only the trembling Snezhnayan merchants.
He didn't even need to ask to know that this was undoubtedly on Childe's orders.
"Luo Qing, what should we do now?"
Natalia and the others, visibly nervous, calmed down slightly once they saw Luo Qing enter. The looming presence of an ancient god was terrifying, and even the residual shockwaves from such a battle could easily crush them like ants.
"You need to evacuate the people in the bank to the mountains. This place is too dangerous. If just one wave crashes down, you'll all be dead," Luo Qing ordered, looking at the panicked merchants surrounding them.
In Childe's absence, Luo Qing was now the highest authority here.
"And what about you, Luo Qing?" Natalia asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Me? I'm invincible, that thing out there won't be able to harm me. Now go, follow orders and stop dawdling."
With a sharp rebuke, Luo Qing gestured to Sergei and Igor, who nodded and began organizing the evacuation of the merchants.
Childe, the reckless brute that he was, was solely focused on causing chaos. He clearly didn't care about the lives of the merchants, nor did it even occur to him that he should've evacuated his own people before attempting to wake Osial.
Out on the streets, the people of Liyue hurriedly followed the Millelith's instructions, heading toward Yujing Terrace to escape the impending danger by ascending Mount Tianheng.
Soon, the bustling streets of Liyue became deserted, save for the soldiers standing at attention by the docks and the figures aboard the Jade Chamber—Ningguang, the Qixing, and the Adepti.
Luo Qing stood alone on the balcony of the bank, watching the sea.
Before long, a colossal figure broke through the water's surface, its entire body towering over the waves and rising to the same height as the Jade Chamber itself.
And the first words that bellowed out of its mouth shook the entire harbor:
"Tianji Star Li Feiyu, come out and face your death!"
Osial's thunderous voice echoed across Liyue Harbor.
On the Jade Chamber.
Ningguang and the others, along with the Adepti, were left utterly dumbfounded.
Isn't Osial supposed to be an enemy of the Geo Archon? they wondered. Why is the first thing out of its mouth a demand for Li Feiyu?
And... what's with the strange black markings all over Osial's body? Some of them look like little chickens… and is that a ball? Are those... dancing figures?
Upon closer inspection, they noticed large black characters painted around Osial's neck that read:
"Liyue Tianji Star Li Feiyu Was Here."
"…"
Everyone stared in disbelief. No wonder Osial came out screaming for Li Feiyu's head—it was because someone had turned its body into a canvas for artistic expression!
The poor creature had been defaced so thoroughly that even its own wife probably wouldn't recognize it anymore.
Suddenly, Luo Qing's system interface lit up with notifications:
[+10 Frustration Points from Ningguang]
[+10 Frustration Points from Ganyu]
[+10 Frustration Points from Keqing]
[+10 Frustration Points from Yelan]
[+10 Frustration Points from Cloud Retainer]
[+10 Frustration Points from Mountain Shaper]
[+10 Frustration Points from Moon Carver]
[+10 Frustration Points from Wang Fugui]
[…]
The fear and concern Osial had struck into the hearts of Liyue's inhabitants now morphed into Luo Qing's precious anxiety points, his system's notifications updating almost every second, and the rate was only increasing.
The Adepti, already angry at the Qixing, grew even more furious upon seeing the state of Osial. Now they were convinced that the Qixing were irresponsible jokesters who couldn't handle serious matters.
Cloud Retainer spat, "Tianji Star Li Feiyu… Hmph! Is this how your Qixing conducts business?!"
"Uh... not gonna lie, the drawings are pretty good," Paimon commented, hovering nearby.
"Yeah, they are," Lumine agreed.
Ningguang, Keqing, and the others looked grim, thinking, Who on earth is this Li Feiyu? He's definitely not one of our Qixing!
"Esteemed Adepti, I believe the most pressing matter is not this 'Li Feiyu,' but rather how to deal with Osial," Ningguang interjected. "We can discuss the rest after we've taken care of Osial."
Ningguang knew that any attempt at explaining the situation to the Adepti would be futile at this point. It was better to focus on the immediate threat and deal with the aftermath later.
Meanwhile, down in the city.
Hearing Osial's deafening roar, Shenhe glanced up at the Jade Chamber. Seeing her master standing there, she assumed Li Feiyu must be up there as well.
With that thought, she activated her Adeptal arts and leapt toward the floating structure.
The group on the Jade Chamber was still debating when Shenhe suddenly landed among them.
Cloud Retainer's eyes widened in surprise. "Shenhe! What are you doing here, child?!"
Shenhe scanned the crowd but didn't see Luo Qing. She responded calmly, "Master, the person I seek is Li Feiyu."
"..."
Everyone else was speechless.
Li Feiyu again?!
Cloud Retainer's temper flared. "Hmph! Qixing, is this how you operate? Colluding with the Fatui and stealing from my domain? We will settle this account as well!"
"Is Li Feiyu not here?" Shenhe asked, turning to Ningguang and the others.
"I understand that you may not believe me," Ningguang said, frowning slightly, "but there is no such person as 'Tianji Star Li Feiyu' among the Qixing."
Still, she mentally noted the name Li Feiyu.
Daring to use the Qixing's title as a shield? You better hope I never catch you!
"Interesting," Cloud Retainer sneered. "So, my disciple and Osial are both lying, are they?"
"..."
Before the situation could escalate further, Osial interrupted their standoff. Frustrated by the lack of response, his anger grew.
"Very well. Whether it's Morax or Li Feiyu, since you refuse to show yourselves, I will flood all of Liyue!"
With that, he summoned a massive tidal wave, aiming it directly at Liyue Harbor.
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T/N: LI FEIYU!!!( ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)💢