The month passed in a blur—tea with Zhongli, comedic ambushes by Hu Tao, taste-testing Xiangling's new dishes, listening to Yun Jin rehearse opera lines, and getting dragged (literally) by Keqing from one corner of Liyue Harbor to another.
Takumi learned the rhythms of the harbor: the timing of fisherman returns, the buzz of the morning food stalls, the way gossip spread like wildfire along the Wharf, and the quiet dignity with which the Liyue people handled change.
It was peaceful. Too peaceful.
Which is exactly why Keqing smashed that peace to pieces.
WAKE-UP CALL OF THE CENTURY
BANG!
The door to Takumi's room flew open as if kicked by a particularly motivated Hilichurl.
"Takumi! Get up!" Keqing's voice sharper than a blade of lightning.
"The sun is already high! Today is the official start of construction in Guili Plains. You can't oversleep!"
Takumi groaned like a dying adepti beast.
"Keqing… this is too much. Again?"
"You keep barging in like you own the place."
Keqing crossed her arms, chin lifted. It was the posture of a boss scolding an employee who'd already burned through all his paid vacation days.
"You've relaxed for a month," she said flatly. "Meanwhile, the Emperor entrusted you with the biggest project in Liyue's history! Do you expect the roads to pave themselves?"
Takumi mumbled something halfhearted in response.
Keqing didn't enter further—she'd learned her lesson.
A certain prior encounter with his morning "blanket mountain" had traumatized her into maintaining a strict one-meter boundary around Takumi's bed.
"Just get dressed," she muttered, cheeks faint pink.
"We're leaving. Now."
BREAKFAST WITH A SIDE OF JUDGMENT
Takumi washed, dressed, and stepped out, hair still slightly messy. Keqing was waiting like an impatient foreman.
They stopped at a street stall. Takumi bought two Mora Meat skewers.
He handed one to Keqing.
She blinked.
"…Thank you."
He smirked.
"You're easier to handle when you're fed."
Keqing chomped the skewer aggressively to hide her embarrassment.
THE GENERAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT ASSEMBLES
Inside, the room pulsed with energy.
Workers, officials, and clerks bustled in preparation for the Guili Plains project.
Ganyu—calm, gentle, and serene as always—was already waiting.
"Good morning, Mr. Takumi."
"Good morning, Ganyu. And Lady Ningguang."
Ningguang stood at the center of the chaos, as steady as a lighthouse in stormy waters.
"Mr. Takumi," she said, "materials have been prepared. All contractors are assembled. Today, you take over."
Everyone looked to him.
This was no longer training. No more wandering.
Today, he was Project Leader Takumi.
Takumi inhaled deeply.
"Let's move."
THE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
When they exited the building, a crowd had already formed.
Ningguang raised a hand for silence.
"Citizens of Liyue," she began in her authoritative voice,
"Today marks the beginning of a historic development in Guili Plains."
She gestured toward Takumi.
"This man has been entrusted with this task by the Emperor himself."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Really? That guy?"
"Isn't he the tea-drinking wanderer with Zhongli?"
"Didn't he spend a month eating Mora Meat and sightseeing?"
Then Ningguang said:
"This is the will of the Emperor."
Instant silence.
Doubts evaporated like mist.
Zhongli's name was all the endorsement needed.
Takumi smiled awkwardly.
THE JOURNEY TO GUILI PLAINS
Takumi and Keqing boarded a carriage guarded by Qianyan soldiers.
They crossed the iconic bridge—but now it looked different.
Smooth gray stretch.
Four-lane concrete.
Yellow-painted markings dividing each lane.
Roadside drainage channels.
Even a primitive "pedestrian lane."
Takumi's idea brought to life.
Workers touched the smooth surface in awe. Children ran up and down the lanes, racing each other.
"Once Yanfei finishes reviewing the traffic guidelines," Takumi said, "we'll have speed limits, road signs, and maybe even penalties."
Keqing raised an eyebrow.
"You want to legislate… everything?"
"No. I want to prevent merchants from using three ox-carts side by side and blocking the road."
"That… is reasonable."
The road stretched far, all the way to Dihua Marsh, smooth as silk.
Keqing spoke:
"Once the Guili project stabilizes, we continue to Stone Gate. Then we blast through the rocky veins."
Takumi nodded.
This reminded him—
THE DEMOLITION KNIGHT OF MONDSTADT
"Keqing, we need Mondstadt's Spark Knight."
Keqing blinked.
"You mean—Klee?"
"Yes."
Keqing rubbed her temples.
"That child is chaos embodied."
"We need her," Takumi insisted.
"Deep-water dock construction needs blasting. Guili Plains has rocky terrain. She can reshape land faster than any tool."
Keqing sighed deeply.
"I'll send a letter. But I refuse responsibility if Mondstadt complains."
"Fair enough."
THE FIRST SIGHT OF GUILI PLAINS
As they approached the site, the wind changed. The open fields of Guili Plains spread before them—beautiful but wild. Ruins, broken pillars, overgrown grass. Hilichurls fled at the sound of Qianyan troops.
Workers had gathered, masons stood ready.
Mountainfuls of raw limestone.
Carts of sand.
Rows of rock slimes in containment pens—slurping and spitting stones.
A foreman approached.
"Sir Takumi! All masons are assembled! Techniques fully learned!"
Takumi grinned.
RISE, GUILI PLAINS
Takumi stepped onto a temporary platform.
He summoned the Blueprint Projection System.
The workers gasped.
A 3D holographic layout of the entire future city flickered above the field:
Concrete houses.
Office buildings.
Markets.
Piers.
Drainage networks.
Road grids.
Reinforced foundations.
Future industrial zones.
Keqing smirked.
"This will certainly motivate them."
Workers murmured in awe.
Ganyu clasped her hands softly.
"It truly… looks like a new world."
Takumi exhaled.
"Alright everyone—listen up!"
His voice boomed over the field.
"Today we begin leveling the land. Clear the rubble. Flatten the terrain. Prepare the foundation trenches."
"You masons—mix cement using the ratios you were trained in."
"Slime handlers—maintain feeding cycles and stone collection."
"Qianyan Army—stand guard and ensure no monster interference."
"We start with the riverfront area—future home of the deep-water docks."
"And next—residential blocks along the main road."
"Let's build the new Liyue!"
Cheers erupted.
Keqing nodded approvingly.
"You finally look like someone responsible."
Takumi snorted.
"I've always been responsible."
"That's not what Zhongli said."
"…Traitor."
NINGGUANG'S MASTERSTROKE
Back in Liyue Harbor, Ningguang watched workers load boats with supplies.
She whispered to herself:
"A new city… a new economy… a new age."
Her eyes glimmered.
"Takumi, you'd better not disappoint me."
Ganyu approached gently.
"Lady Ningguang… do you think Guili Plains will truly transform?"
Ningguang smiled faintly.
"If Takumi succeeds, it will change not only Liyue…"
She glanced toward the horizon.
"…but the entire continent."