The sky above Yaoguang Shoal was bright and clear, sunlight bouncing off the calm water like scattered Mora coins. Takumi stood at the edge of the shore with Klee, pointing toward the broad, rocky expanse where the new port's core would be carved.
Klee listened with laser-focused excitement—her tiny hands clenched into eager fists.
"Brother Takumi, you really want me to blow all of this up?"
Her voice was filled with disbelief and hope, as if asking whether it was her birthday.
Takumi nodded.
"Yes. This area, and specifically the points I show you. But only those points. If you blow up the entire coastline…" He glanced at the bridge leading to Mingyun Village. "We lose the bridge. And maybe half of the fishing families' retirement funds."
"Ohhh…"
Klee nodded gravely, as if absorbing the wisdom of the ages.
Takumi pointed at the water again.
"We're not blowing up the surface. We're blasting underneath. There's an underground river flowing right below the rock bed. If we open that layer, everything collapses naturally to form the depth we need for a proper harbor."
"An underwater river?" Klee's eyes sparkled. "That sounds so cool!"
"Yes. But it means the bombs must be precise. And deep."
Klee patted her backpack proudly.
"Klee has water-proof bombs! Master Jean banned them because I kept blowing up fish…"
Takumi froze.
"…You made specialized underwater explosives just for fishing?"
Klee puffed up.
"Klee is a professional! Boom-style fishing is different from boom-style hillchurl hunting."
"Sucrose must be so tired…" Takumi whispered.
"Huh?"
"Nothing." He coughed.
"Klee, if you place the bombs exactly where I mark, the underground river will do the rest. The debris will fall in and get washed away. No need for divers, no need for cranes."
"That's amazing!!"
Klee bounced happily.
"Klee will make super-special-mega-bouncy bombs for this! Bigger than the ones I used in the Whispering Woods!"
"NO—"
Takumi panicked and waved his arms.
"Not too big! Controlled explosions!"
Klee blinked.
"Oh… controlled. Okay! Klee will make medium booms!"
Takumi sighed in relief. A medium Klee boom could still crater a mountain, but at least it wouldn't destroy the coast.
The Mapping Tour on the Bamboo Raft
Takumi paddled the bamboo raft slowly along the coastline, with Klee kneeling at the front like a dedicated artillery officer observing her battlefield.
He pointed at areas with a long bamboo stick.
"This. And this. Not that. Definitely not that—it's part of the natural barrier. And absolutely DO NOT blow that rock. That one's holding the hill together."
Klee saluted like a soldier.
"Yes, Captain Takumi!"
"Also…" Takumi leaned close and whispered. "Don't blow up any fish today."
Klee's face fell like a collapsing cart.
"Not even a little? Just a small fishy-boom?"
Takumi sighed deeply.
"Klee, if the fish disappear, Liyue's fishermen will appear at MY door with pitchforks."
"I'll behave…"
She pouted but accepted her fate.
After the last marker was placed, Klee fully understood her mission.
This entire zone was her playground… as long as she followed the lines.
Once they returned to Wangshu Inn, Klee sprinted to her assigned room to begin "mission preparation," which consisted of excited humming, scribbling bomb schematics, and Sucrose yelling from the other room:
"Klee—NO, you cannot use three elemental cores! Two is already too much!!"
Takumi chuckled.
"Good luck, Sucrose…"
Takumi's Next Step — Repair the Bridge, Open the Mountains
With Klee occupied, Takumi returned to his own desk, conjuring blueprints with lightning precision. The new focus: the Snowy Mountain Bridge.
This bridge mattered more than people realized.
It connected Guili Plains → Yaoguang Shoal → Mingyun Village
It opened a straight path into Dragonspine's rich resource mines
It gave Liyue another trade corridor into Mondstadt
Liyue and Mondstadt both mined the mountain. Once repaired and reinforced, transportation would become far easier.
Takumi tapped the blueprint, summoning a detailed 3D projection.
A four-lane concrete and steel bridge. Wide. Strong. Future-proof.
People might not understand now, but later—
Vehicles would travel this road.
Not carts.
Not carriages.
Actual engines.
Takumi's heart raced at the thought.
"Alchemy-driven vehicles…"
He whispered as he wrote.
Chaos Hearth = Engine Core
Chaos Circuits = Power Regulation
Electro Crystals = Battery Backup
Anemo Slimes = Cooling Fan Unit
Hydro Slimes = Emergency Fire Suppressant
It was insane.
Ridiculous.
Revolutionary.
And absolutely achievable with the resources of Teyvat.
Takumi sketched an early concept of a construction vehicle—a massive crane-arm shaped by alchemy, powered by a Chaos Hearth, capable of lifting stone blocks.
"Once I master alchemy, I can build equipment instantly."
His eyes glowed faintly.
"Herrscher of Reason… the ultimate fabricator."
Not yet.
But someday.
Aviation? In Teyvat?
Takumi continued scribbling possibilities.
Golem-style robots using Ruin Guard joints
Rotor-based aircraft using Planktonic Cores for lift
Self-sustaining farms using Grass Slime nutrient cycles
Electrical grids powered by Thunder Slimes + Electro Crystals
Teyvat was full of energy sources the locals overlooked.
Chaos mechanisms, ancient Khaenri'ahn engineering… the potential was endless.
"Khaenri'ah fell because they used everything for war."
Takumi muttered.
"We'll use it for life."
He flipped pages.
Factories.
Electronics industry.
Food processing.
Entertainment district.
Public education center.
Research lab.
He imagined a Liyue where—
Children studied biology from Sucrose
Engineers learned structural mechanics from Keqing
Craftsmen learned precision forging from Xingqiu's guild
Chefs like Xiangling learned advanced thermal techniques
Even Hilichurls (if peaceful) could join basic labor crews
A society built on cooperation, not exclusion.
His pen danced across the blueprint.
"Industrial Liyue."
A country reborn.
The System Responds
In his mind, the familiar invisible interface flickered.
[SYSTEM — PRIVATE]
New Concept Logged: Teyvat Alchemical Industrial Integration
Subprojects Created:
• Aerial Unit Prototype
• Construction Automaton Unit
• Chaos Hearth Vehicle Engine
• Slime-based Resource Processing Plants
• Snowy Mountain Trade Corridor
Note: Progress locked until city foundation > 40%
Takumi smirked.
"So I have to finish the city first, huh?"
Fair enough.
Meanwhile, at Wangshu Inn…
Keqing performed a strict inspection of the camp outside.
The sanitation stations were being set up.
Temporary kitchens with Takumi's slime-stove prototypes were running.
Water slimes were chilling food in insulated barrels.
Fire slimes were powering stoves under Sucrose's supervision.
Workers murmured with amazement.
"Master Takumi thought of this?"
"He's like a walking factory."
"It's like he sees the world differently…"
Keqing allowed a rare, small smile.
"That's because he does."
After inspections, she returned to the inn to check on research progress.
She was met with—
Klee sitting on the floor surrounded by bomb parts.
Sucrose panicking.
A Qianyan soldier fainted in fear.
Keqing sighed.
"…I was gone for ten minutes."
Klee beamed.
"Sister Keqing! Do you like my super-duper-water-special-bouncy-mega-bomb?"
"NO."
Sucrose weakly raised a hand.
"I tried to stop her…"
Keqing exhaled deeply.
"Just make sure it only explodes in water. And not if it gets… warm, or shaken, or breathed on."
Klee saluted proudly.
"Yes, ma'am!"
A Message from the Jade Chamber
That evening, Baiwen arrived at Wangshu Inn carrying a sealed jade scroll.
"Message from Lady Ningguang."
Takumi accepted it and opened the delicate letter.
Takumi,
Your agricultural proposal has been approved. Two million Mora released immediately.
Demonstrate pier progress and trade viability. Further funding to follow.
— Ningguang
Takumi nodded, satisfied.
Funding was flowing.
Research was progressing.
Klee was preparing doomsday weapons with Sucrose's guidance.
Everything was on track.
The Night Before the Blast
Workers rested early.
Keqing finalized safety lines.
Sucrose completed her seismic monitors.
Ganyu delivered paperwork and reminded everyone to rest properly.
Even Zhongli arrived for evening tea, nodding at the construction site below.
"A transformation of the land," he murmured. "Just as Rex Lapis once shaped mountains."
Takumi looked up.
"Do you approve?"
Zhongli smiled.
"You build not for conquest, but for people. Liyue will flourish."
Klee, overhearing this, puffed her chest.
"Klee will make it super beautiful! Just the right amount of boom!"
Zhongli chuckled.
"I trust you."
Takumi wasn't sure if he should be comforted or terrified by that.
Takumi's Final Thought for the Night
As the lanterns dimmed and everyone retired, Takumi stood alone at the balcony overlooking Guili Plains. The foundations lined the valley like glowing veins. Workers' murmurs had faded. Only the quiet breeze remained.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, "we break ground for real."
And deep inside, his system flickered once more.
[SYSTEM — PRIVATE]
Milestone Approaching:
"First Major Infrastructure Achievement"
Reward: Unknown
Takumi smiled.
Tomorrow, Klee would shake the land.
And Liyue's new era would begin.