A week has passed since Jiang Xuan and the others left for their journey.
During this time, the third batch of miners and Millelith had also moved in.
After spending three days learning the specifics from the first batch of stationed troops, they remained to guard Base One.
Their main task was to continue searching Base One, help Cloud Retainer transform the mountains, and prepare to build a city on the plains.
The first batch of stationed troops followed Zhongli and Xiao to the Nether.
They repaired the portal, creating a direct passage to the Nether Fortress, and were responsible for harvesting resources from Blazes and other monsters.
It is worth mentioning that among this batch of miners, there were indeed a few who were good at badminton.
They were given important responsibilities, joined the Millelith, and their main task was to kill Ghasts.
With the sheer number of people, and top combatants like Zhongli and Xiao often overseeing, mining in the Nether also got on track.
However, unlike other troops whose驻守时间 was about to be extended to half a month.
This group had to return to the Overworld every day and then to Teyvat to clear their minds.
The Nether was not like other places; it was too harsh.
Staying there for too long could easily lead to psychological problems.
The second batch of stationed troops was now stationed at the Snowfield Base, and according to Keqing, progress there was smooth.
They were currently marking major mines, and once the base was basically repaired, mining could begin.
Base One was the closest to being fully complete.
Redstone Technology, Villager Technology, mob grinders, iron farms, and the like were all finished.
Iron ore was certainly not lacking, but it would still take some time to equip everyone with iron armor sets.
After all, excluding Jiang Xuan and his group, there were now thousands of Millelith and miners stationed in the MC world.
All of this was thanks to Keqing.
Keqing acted very quickly; she had said she would recall the miners from Mingyun Village a few days ago, and it had already been accomplished.
However, Keqing did not leave the MC world herself to plan Mingyun Village as before.
After all, last time she left, it wasn't long before there were trips to the Nether and Redstone Cannons.
She didn't want to fall too far behind.
She let the rotating Millelith do it.
Anyway, alchemy potions could basically be mass-produced now, and the Elite Millelith even had enchanted equipment.
If it came to one-on-one combat, even top Archons were no match for them.
Especially Pyro Archons, who were heavily targeted.
Fire Protection and fire resistance potions, one after another, gave even Hu Tao a terrible headache.
However, even though alchemy potions were being mass-produced, Ningguang and the others did not plan to sell them.
They only gave a small-scale heads-up to Mondstadt and Inazuma, allowing them to witness the power of some alchemy potions.
According to Beidou, Sangonomiya Kokomi immediately hosted a banquet for her that day, repeatedly requesting to trade for alchemy potions during the meal.
She even allowed Ningguang to fill in the conditions herself, willing even if Ningguang tried to fleece them.
However, Ningguang felt that it wasn't yet time to sell alchemy potions.
So many Millelith in Liyue had not even been equipped yet; it made no sense to give them to others first.
War profiteering was easy, but Liyue disdained it.
Currently, alchemy potions and enchanted equipment were still standard only for those stationed in MC and the already elite troops.
The most basic equipment included a bottle of Strength, Swiftness, and Leaping for everyone.
But Jiang Xuan knew that Ningguang had specifically assigned Yelan's subordinates to distribute many Invisibility Potions.
As for what they were for…
Anything related to Yelan was quite obvious.
Ningguang had even planned to give Yelan enchanted equipment, but Yelan was still abroad, rumored to be in a confrontation with a certain Harbinger.
Perhaps the people of Liyue didn't know their current strength.
But Jiang Xuan did.
The horses on the plains had armed five hundred heavy cavalry.
Alchemy potions and enchanted equipment had armed five hundred light infantry.
And these infantry were the strongest existence.
Any one of them, after drinking the potion and picking up weapons and armor, could easily sweep through a Hilichurl base of dozens of people, let alone being capable of taking down a Stonehide Lawachurl.
Individual combat power, under these circumstances, if unable to dismantle four Ruin Guards, was not permitted to join this batch of troops.
The base strength had rapidly soared in just one week, reaching a point where it could even crush the Fatui's modified soldiers.
Fatui soldiers could use Elemental Power, but so what?
Five hundred Millelith, two hundred with Fire Aspect, two hundred with Strength and Sharpness, and the rest with Flame Bows.
With potions, suppressing thousands of Fatui modified soldiers was no problem.
The only thing lacking was quantity.
Liyue Harbor's resource dumping had also entered a stable period.
With an average of forty billion Mora worth of resources per week, Ningguang and the others decided after a meeting to maintain this state for the short term.
Don't think forty billion was a lot; one also had to consider Liyue Harbor's normal monthly Mora flow.
Close to a trillion…
Throwing these resources in would, at most, create a large splash.
But the money earned was a small matter; the influence it brought was the most important.
These resources were top-quality and carried a trace of laws different from this world, which already put them at the pinnacle.
It could even be said that once these forty billion Mora worth of resources were put on the market,
Merchants and the Seven Nations would flock to them and snatch them all up with money within a morning.
There was no worry about dumping resources; many people were even requesting pre-orders and custom orders.
The resources seemed abundant, thousands of tons in minutes, but when spread among the Seven Nations and major factions, it wasn't much and was insufficient to meet their demands.
But…
They were playing hard-to-get!
As for Liyue itself…
Major strategic departments received resources at low prices.
Iron ore, which sold for hundreds of thousands of Mora per ton on the market, cost, at most, ten thousand Mora per ton at the blacksmith department.
After all, this stuff truly had no cost!
The iron farm was still running; the Millelith could casually pick up an iron ingot with a single swing of their sword and sell it for hundreds of thousands of Mora.
They were truly numb to it.
Additionally, three days ago, Liyue's newly established blacksmith department finally succeeded in using iron ore, Lapis Lazuli, and some Teyvat materials.
Coupled with Zhongli's Divine Power.
They forged elemental resonance weapons.
The cost was five hundred thousand Mora per weapon, and ten weapons were forged at once.
They then sold each for ten million.
The Adventurers' Guild took seven, and the Archons took the remaining three.
Even so, they felt they had gotten a great deal.
When they heard that the blacksmith department accepted custom orders but required some Teyvat materials,
Countless people rushed over, waving Mora and materials, to place orders.
These items were not comparable to Divine Artifacts, probably similar to 4-star weapons.
But the problem was that these could be customized to suit one's preferred weapon and elemental power!
Moreover, 4-star weapons were extremely rare; even Keqing previously only had a Lion's Roar.
For the Archons, this was the most important thing.
It was even rumored that the Fatui Harbinger Tartaglia ordered all types of weapons in one go.
The demand was for the top-tier effects.
It cost five hundred million Mora.
As for the cost…
It was uncertain.
The blacksmith department was currently on vacation enjoying life, but it was estimated not to exceed five million.
Weapon customization, like playing hard-to-get.
They couldn't let people know that forging these things simply involved throwing all the materials into a container to smelt them and then pouring them into molds.
Each weapon could be produced in less than two hours, by all accounts.
There was no helping it; the effects of Lapis Lazuli and elemental resonance were surprisingly good.
But them knowing it was one thing, and others knowing it was another.
If all of Teyvat understood that the weapons they cherished as family heirlooms could be mass-produced,
Then the price would not be able to go up.
In addition, during this period, the breeding of wolf packs also had a portion of the Millelith specially assigned to it.
There were already four to five hundred wolves.
One hundred were sent to Liyue Harbor and incorporated into the Millelith.
They were publicly declared to be special monsters discovered by Liyue that could obey humans.
Ningguang and the others even gave the wolf packs official positions; they were legitimate military dogs.
Although the people of Liyue found the wolves' appearance a bit strange, these creatures were genuinely obedient and well-behaved.
They would sacrifice their lives to protect people.
Therefore, the wolf packs were very favored.
Wolves patrolling the streets with the Millelith would even have children chasing after them to pet their heads and feed them meat.
Whenever this happened, the wolves would whine and wag their tails.
But no one doubted their ferocity.
Snapping large trees with one bite was effortless.
But the more so, the greater the contrast.
Fierce and fearless externally, affectionate, clingy, well-behaved, and obedient internally.
These weren't magical beasts; they were clearly Liyue's beloved darlings.
Even for the Millelith, you could scold them, but if you touched their wolves,
It would be a fight to the death.
The wolf packs had saved them more than once; in just one week, hundreds of merchant caravans, Millelith, and ordinary citizens had been saved by the wolves.
The wolf packs were considered Liyue's guardian gods and the saviors of these people.
The armed light infantry were not seen by the public; they were only responsible for the most dangerous missions of eliminating high-level monsters.
But the heavy cavalry were brought out for parades from time to time.
Visibly, the traces of Treasure Hoarders and the Fatui had decreased, and they had settled down.
After all…
The horses were completely encased in refined iron and ran incredibly fast.
Forget being shot by the heavy cavalry on top; even a collision would shatter not just people, but even Mitachurls.
People didn't know why Liyue had changed so much in just over a month; originally, many might have wanted to explore.
But later…
They didn't dare.
Wolf packs patrolling, heavy cavalry inspecting.
Millelith with greatly upgraded equipment were everywhere.
Ordinary people truly didn't dare to think too much about these things.
Before, being surrounded by the Millelith might have offered a chance to fight for escape.
Now…
Being surrounded by the Millelith, surrendering immediately was the best option.
Otherwise, the wolf packs wouldn't mind taking a bite.
Moreover, these greatly strengthened Millelith were very enthusiastic.
From time to time, they would form groups to clear out monsters.
Their passion for battle couldn't be fully unleashed, and no one dared to provoke them.
Ningguang had told Jiang Xuan about Liyue's changes, but he didn't care much.
It was all normal.
He was currently full of enthusiasm, spending his days building the Sanctuary of Surasthana with Nahida, and occasionally exploring distant places with Ningguang and the others, opening Lucky Blocks.
At night, he would be intimate with Ganyu.
Life was incredibly fulfilling.
He planned to finish building the Underwater Villa and renovate the Manor Villa.
Then, he estimated the Rite of Descension would be around the corner.
At that time, he would maliciously watch Zhongli bungee jump without a rope from high altitudes, watch Ganyu and the others smash Osial's head, and then go to the End.
Once everything was over, he figured he would have enough Wither Skeleton Skulls to complete the quest and unlock a new mod!
As for whether Osial could be defeated…
Was there even a need to think about it?
The Jade Chamber's repeating Redstone Cannons for saturation bombing were already completed.
If all else failed…
The Jade Chamber had two large chests of lava and five chests of alchemy potions stored.
That should be enough, right?
Everything was going smoothly, and Jiang Xuan and the others were joyful every day.
Without external pressure, Ningguang also occasionally launched attacks on Jiang Xuan.
This also led to Jiang Xuan experiencing many love triangles during this time.
It was probably a mix of pain and pleasure.
However, in Mondstadt, the situation was a bit special.
Dvalin was saved by Lumine and the others.
After becoming a hero of Mondstadt, Lumine asked Jean to help find her brother.
And then…
They planned to visit Liyue.
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