The faint pop of the shattered bulb echoed through the workshop like a tiny firework. Shards of thin glass tinkled onto the wooden floor. Keqing stood frozen with her hand held awkwardly mid-air, still crackling faintly with Electro.
"…I didn't mean to break it," she said flatly.
Takumi didn't even blink. He brushed aside the shards and muttered calmly:
"Expected. Filament's too thin. Electro conduit overloaded. Need a limiter circuit."
Keqing blinked. "A what?"
"A… uh… small device that stops you from blasting the light bulb with the power of a thunderstorm."
She crossed her arms and huffed.
"That's not my fault. You said 'increase power.' Not 'increase it a little.'"
Takumi grinned. "Fair."
Despite the failed prototype, energy hummed in the air—excitement, discovery, the thrill of something never before seen in Teyvat.
They had made light.
Even if it lasted four seconds.
The Traveler's Mark
Earlier, Albedo had connected the dots quickly.
"Your knowledge is too refined. Too complete. Miss Alice has speculated the existence of worlds where technology surpasses magic. Are you from such a place, Mr. Takumi?"
Takumi didn't deny it. "Yes. My world has these things—machines, engines, electricity. But every world functions differently. Teyvat has its own logic. I can't copy things directly. I have to adapt them."
An idea struck him then—a soft but determined thought.
"If I can leave Liyue stronger than when I arrived, it's worth it."
Keqing, hearing that, had been quiet a long time.
Now, as she watched glass shards wink at her feet, she murmured:
"You really intend to change everything, don't you?"
"Only the parts that should change."
Keqing nodded, eyes bright.
She liked that answer.
Alice the Pioneer… or Potential Threat?
When Albedo mentioned Alice, Klee lit up like a lantern festival.
"Brother Albedo, Mommy and Brother Takumi think the same way?!"
Albedo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Yes. Miss Alice once suggested creating 'eternal energy loops' using Hilichurls running on wheels. Or launching satellites from Mondstadt into Celestia using storm vortexes. Or—"
Takumi choked. "Wait—satellites—?!"
Sucrose added nervously, "She also once tried to use slime cores to power a mechanical distillery. It exploded and launched the barrel ten meters."
Klee nodded proudly. "Mom's experiments always explode!"
Takumi whispered under his breath, "…I need to meet this woman."
Albedo's expression grew serious.
"But Takumi—don't teach Klee too many dangerous things. She's still a child."
Klee puffed her cheeks and stomped a foot.
"Klee is NOT dangerous!"
A bazooka prototype clattered off her backpack and hit the floor.
Sucrose: "…please take responsibility…"
Klee:
"THAT ONE IS SAFE!! (…mostly…)"
Takumi coughed lightly.
"She's naturally gifted. And her Constellation protects her. She's basically explosion-proof. If trained well, she could become the world's most successful arm—"
"NO," Sucrose blurted.
"Absolutely not," Albedo said instantly.
Keqing grabbed Takumi's collar.
"Do NOT turn Klee into an arms dealer."
Takumi raised his hands.
"Fine, fine. Future demolitions engineer. Better?"
"No," the entire room said.
Klee just giggled and hugged her bazooka.
The City That Would Shine
With Albedo in charge of Chaos imitation cores, Takumi was free to focus on another critical frontier:
electricity.
He had already created wire samples using hammered copper, resin insulation, and alchemical tempering.
Now he needed:
switches
junction boxes
transformers (Albedo's job)
circuit limiters
lighting fixtures
streetlamp prototypes
and trained craftsmen to install everything safely
Guili Plains buzzed with activity. Newly built factories—simple stone-and-wood structures—now had forges burning day and night.
Craftsmen learned to wrap copper wires, shape bulb glass, and build fixtures. Some were confused, others excited, but all were invested.
Keqing oversaw logistics, unfaltering as ever.
She had become Takumi's right hand without ever being asked.
"Takumi, the first electrical workshop is ready," she reported. "Workers await instruction."
"Good. Start them on making sockets. Simple, rectangular ones. Then lamp holders."
Keqing shot him a sideways look.
"You enjoy overworking yourself, don't you?"
He didn't answer.
Because it was true.
Light for the First Time
After a week of nonstop work—sleeping at odd hours, eating on the go, and occasionally dodging Klee's misfires—Takumi placed a completed glass bulb on the workshop table.
Hand-blown, filament carefully coiled, glass reinforced with tiny condensation runes to handle Teyvat's humidity.
Keqing arrived breathless.
"You said you needed me?"
Takumi pointed to the setup: a copper coil running into the bulb.
"Inject a small amount of Electro into this wire. Small."
She obeyed.
A faint hum.
A soft glow.
Then—
Light.
A warm, gentle yellow light filled the workshop.
Keqing gasped.
Her violet eyes reflected the glow like dawn over the harbor.
"This little thing… uses almost no energy," she whispered.
"With just a tiny amount of Electro… it can light up a room?"
Takumi nodded.
"Imagine—homes lit at night. Streets safe to travel. Workers no longer depending on oil lamps. Factories running later."
Keqing swallowed.
"This is… revolutionary."
"Raise the power a little."
She did.
The glow brightened—stronger, richer.
"A little more."
She complied—
POP!
The bulb burst, spraying harmless fragments.
Keqing flinched.
"Ah—sorry!"
Takumi smiled gently.
"No. This is good. It means we found the upper limit. We refine it from here."
Keqing stared at him for a moment—a strange expression, halfway between admiration and disbelief.
"Takumi… sometimes I wonder if you're trying to rebuild the entire world."
He shrugged.
"Maybe."
System Update — New Blueprint Detected
As Takumi swept the shards aside, a gentle ringing chimed in his mind.
[SYSTEM] — New Blueprint Registered
ELECTRICAL GRID (ALPHA)
• Light Bulb v1 — Status: 70% stability
• Wiring Network — Ready for deployment
• Switches & Sockets — Prototype complete
• Power Grid Diagram — Pending Core & Transformer Unit
• Safety Limiters — Recommended: Test with Electro user
Takumi smirked.
Perfect timing.
Plans Underway
"Once Albedo finishes the imitation core," Takumi said, "we'll start installing wiring through the new city. Later, streetlamps. Factories. A proper power station."
Keqing's breath caught.
"…We're witnessing history."
Takumi gazed at the shattered bulb, then at the glowing fragments, still warm.
"Not history," he murmured.
"The beginning."
Meanwhile… at Wangshu Inn
Klee returned from her "controlled exploration session" looking suspiciously soot-covered.
Hu Tao was nowhere in sight.
A Qianyan soldier whispered, pale-faced:
"…The Director fled toward Liyue Harbor screaming something about needing a vacation."
Takumi sighed.
"Not again."
Klee pouted.
"Brother Takumi, Sister Hu Tao ran away again. Did I do something wrong?"
Takumi ruffled her hair.
"No, Klee. Hu Tao just… needs time to recover."
Keqing muttered, "From YOU."
But she couldn't hide her smile.
The First Step Toward an Industrial Liyue
Far from Liyue Harbor, in the soon-to-be heart of the new city, workers raised the first tall metal pole—a future streetlamp.
And although the world didn't know yet…
Tonight, Liyue had created light.
Tomorrow?
They would create power.
And step by step—
brick by brick—
spark by spark—
Takumi was building a modern nation in the land of gods.