Verr Goldet paused, stunned for a heartbeat.
"Does… he know?"
Her gaze darted from the letter in Takumi's hand to Takumi himself, as if trying to determine whether he truly understood what he was asking her to deliver.
Takumi blinked. "Know what?"
Verr Goldet immediately waved her hands, flustered.
"Ah—no, no, it's nothing! I'll send someone right away!"
Her reaction was suspicious, but Takumi didn't pry.
He had long since learned that everyone in Liyue had one of three reactions when dealing with big projects:
• pretend they know nothing
• actually know nothing
• or know too much and pretend they know nothing anyway
Wangshu Inn's owner clearly belonged to the third category.
"Thanks," Takumi said before turning away.
As soon as he left, Verr Goldet let out a tiny sigh of relief.
"Boss… what was that about?" asked an employee nearby.
Verr Goldet only murmured, "The less you know… the safer you sleep."
Slime Tech Revolution — Beginning of the Age of Teyvat Industry
Takumi returned to the temporary command room. His desk—literally a plank balanced over crates—was already covered in more papers.
The System chimed silently in his mind.
[SYSTEM — PRIVATE]
Draft Queue:
• Slime Utilization Volume 1 — Cooking & Heating
• Slime Utilization Volume 2 — Water Purification
• Slime Utilization Volume 3 — Waste Management
• Slime Utilization Volume 4 — Agricultural Enhancement
• Slime Utilization Volume 5 — Electricity (restricted)
• Slime Utilization Volume 6 — Environmental Cooling & Airflow
Priority: Water → Waste → Electricity
Note: Teyvat's inhabitants underestimate their monsters. Continue harvesting innovation potential.
Takumi sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"System, you basically want me to rewrite the industrial revolution with slimes."
[SYSTEM]
Correct. Efficiency ↑
Resource costs ↓
Chaos potential: moderate, acceptable.
"Please don't use the word 'chaos' so casually…"
Keqing's Inspections — Liyue's Legendary Workaholic
Outside, Keqing was already enforcing early-site regulations.
"NO! Toilets go farther."
She pointed with her sword. "Build them downwind, not upwind. I don't want construction workers inhaling… that."
Workers groaned but complied.
Next, she marched toward the food tent.
"You. The vegetables must be washed. Two rinses minimum."
"We don't have that much water yet!"
"Then go get more."
She pointed at three strong masons.
"You three, fetch ten barrels. Now."
The masons immediately scattered like frightened hilichurls.
Somewhere nearby, the slime stove team gathered around the prototype Keqing brought.
"Master Keqing, are you sure it won't explode?"
Keqing crossed her arms, chin lifted.
"If it does, I will personally dock Takumi's wages."
The workers exchanged looks.
"Wait—he has wages?"
"Apparently?"
"Master Ningguang must be paying him a fortune…"
"Or he's mooching off the emperor?"
They all paused and shivered.
"Forget I said that."
Keqing clapped her hands sharply.
"Alright! Prepare a test cooking batch! Someone bring me a pyro slime!"
A nervous handler approached with an iron cage carrying a wobbling pyro slime.
Keqing placed it inside the stove.
A few seconds later—
FWOOM!
The stove lit instantly with a bright, even glow.
Heat radiated outward, controlled and clean.
The workers gasped.
"It works!"
"It's amazing!"
"Look at the flame! Perfect for stir-fry!"
"Master Takumi is a genius!"
Keqing nodded smugly.
Well, he did explain it clearly. For once.
"Good. Get these installed by nightfall. I want hot meals ready for all workers."
Takumi's Document of Doom — Slime Utility Proposals
Takumi reviewed his draft once more before sealing the document for Ningguang.
Inside were pages filled with ideas.
1. Pyro Slimes — Heat/Fire
• cooking
• heating worker tents
• portable furnaces
• industrial kilns (future)
2. Hydro Slimes — Water Purification
• filtration towers
• clean water supply lines
• emergency cooling for pyro slime accidents
3. Cryo Slimes — Refrigeration
• cold storage depots
• food preservation
• summer cooling stations
4. Rock Slimes — Waste Compaction
• compress garbage into stone
• transport stone to the Chasm
• environmental conservation
5. Anemo Slimes — Air Purification
• ventilation systems
• cooling towers
• dust suppression
6. Electro Slimes — Electricity
• generators
• power stations
• electrified workshops
(only theoretical—needs Albedo/alchemic research)
7. Dendro Slimes — Agriculture
• crop stimulation
• soil rejuvenation
• possibly a natural fertilizer conversion system
Takumi flipped the page.
Even he was shocked at the absurdity of his own ideas.
"…I seriously turned monsters into a utility grid."
But in Teyvat…?
It worked.
Guili Plains — Becoming a Changing Land
Takumi walked outside to observe the site personally.
Foundations were marked.
Surveyors had ropes stretched across the land.
Tent clusters rose like miniature villages.
Worker shouts echoed in the distance—
"Move the beams!"
"Watch the slope!"
"Tie the rope tighter!"
"Stop poking the slime!"
Already, the place felt alive.
The air was filled with:
• the crunch of earth
• the thud of hammers
• the chanting of Geo users compacting ground
• the bubbling of captured slimes
• and the unmistakable voice of Keqing lecturing someone
Takumi watched the efforts quietly.
In one month…
Liyue Harbor had changed.
Slimes had become resources.
Workers had new tools.
The city planning model had become a gathering point for citizens.
And Guili Plains was turning into the heart of a new Liyue.
He took a deep breath.
"This is actually happening…"
Later — A Message for Ningguang
Takumi returned to the inn after walking the site.
He found Verr Goldet on the balcony.
Her face carried a strangely motherly expression.
"When will the letter reach Lady Ningguang?" he asked.
"Oh, within an hour," she replied. "She's always… prepared."
Then she offered a cup of tea.
"Why so curious?"
Takumi shrugged.
"I'm proposing… changes. Big ones. I want her feedback."
Verr Goldet studied him for a moment.
"You're changing more than Guili Plains, you know."
Takumi turned to her.
"What do you mean?"
"Liyue has been the same for thousands of years," she said softly.
"People change slowly. But you… you're making them run."
She looked out toward the plains.
"It's… frightening. But exciting."
Takumi didn't know what to say.
Before he could reply—
A faint tremor shook Wangshu Inn.
BOOM—!!
The workers all screamed.
"HILICHURLS!?"
"MONSTERS!?"
"No!"
Keqing's voice cut through the panic.
"It's the pyro stove. Someone overheated it!"
A handler yelled:
"THE SLIME TRIED TO ESCAPE!"
Takumi facepalmed.
"Oh for—"
Takumi: Emergency Troubleshooter
He rushed down the stairs with Keqing. They arrived to see:
• a pyro slime bouncing angrily
• a half-collapsed stove
• workers scrambling
• and a cryo slime running wild on a slab of ice
Takumi shouted, "Someone get a water bucket!"
Two masons came running with barrels.
They dumped water over the pyro slime—
SPLASH!
The slime froze like a puppy being given a bath.
Its flame sputtered out instantly.
Everyone stared.
"…That's it?" one worker whispered.
Takumi wiped his forehead.
"That's it."
Keqing glared at the guilty worker.
"You fed it SPICY HILICHURL STEW?! What were you thinking?!"
The man trembled.
"It… it smelled good…"
"For YOU, not for slimes!"
Takumi sighed.
He turned to Keqing.
"We need training."
Keqing exhaled deeply.
"Yes. And supervision. And safety signage."
"Add it to the list."
She groaned.
"Takumi… the list is already eight pages…"
Nightfall — A City in Motion
By night, lanterns lit the plains.
Workers ate warm meals cooked by slime stoves.
Cryo slimes kept the food storage cool.
Hydro slimes purified drinking water.
And the first foundation trenches were already finished.
Keqing reviewed reports.
Ganyu sorted paperwork.
Takumi updated blueprints.
Everything was moving.
Everything was changing.
System Notification — A New Era Begins
Just as Takumi prepared to rest, the System chimed again.
[SYSTEM — PRIVATE]
New Blueprint Unlocked:
Basic Slime-Powered Utility Network (SPUN)
• Water purification
• Waste conversion
• Heating/cooling grid
• Energy (limited)
Status: Prototype phase
Note: Liyue's development path has diverged from historical trajectory.
Warning: Expect geopolitical consequences.
Takumi stared at the last line.
"…Yeah. I figured."
He looked out over the flickering lights of Guili Plains.
Tomorrow…
The first true construction would begin.
And the first building of a new Liyue would rise.