Chapter 98

Fontaine has entered the age of steam, but what about Liyue?

Liyue, by comparison, had not even begun to embrace the advancements of the steam era. However, with Takumi's arrival, Liyue skipped ahead, transitioning directly from the age of steam to the age of electricity.

Under Takumi's guidance, Albedo successfully developed radio communication. After reviewing the information provided by Albedo, Takumi quickly grasped the fundamental principles behind the device.

The object before him was undoubtedly the first radio developed in Liyue.

"Do you understand it?" Albedo asked, his eyes turning toward Takumi. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Takumi nodded. "Understood. Mr. Albedo, you can continue your research. This radio currently allows communication between two locations, but it still doesn't meet my full expectations."

Takumi continued, "What I want is a system where dialing a specific number allows anyone holding the corresponding number to communicate seamlessly. Your current device enables long-distance calls, but it's still far from our ultimate goal."

Albedo nodded in acknowledgment. "I know. I'm continuing my research, but progress has been slow. It will take some time. That's why I accidentally developed this device," he admitted with a hint of helplessness.

Takumi nodded in understanding. The fact that Albedo had managed to create a functioning radio at all was already impressive.

After discussing the matter further, Takumi left Albedo to his work. He had several ideas forming in his mind regarding potential improvements to the device. After understanding the communicator's principles, he began devising ways to enhance it. Although full-scale telecommunication was still a distant goal, Takumi decided to first focus on developing a functional walkie-talkie. This would be incredibly useful for the Qianyan Army and essential for construction sites.

However, Takumi needed to set communication distance limits; otherwise, multiple channels could cause interference. He could only hope that Albedo would eventually make progress in developing a true telecommunications network.

Leaving Albedo's laboratory, Takumi made his way to Sucrose's workspace. He found her intently observing the wheat growing before her. However, he noticed that the numbers on her data charts had changed.

Knocking on the door, he got her attention. "Mr. Takumi!" Sucrose exclaimed, quickly getting up.

Seeing her flustered expression, Takumi chuckled. "Relax. Sucrose, how's your experiment going? Any success?"

Sucrose nodded excitedly. "Yes, Mr. Takumi! I have successfully cultivated four varieties of wheat. Look!"

She pointed to several large potted plants, where thick stalks of wheat had already grown and begun producing grains.

Takumi approached, examining the plants carefully. "This one increases yield by about twofold, which is reasonable. This variety has larger grains, improving output. This one is… sweet?" He raised an eyebrow.

Sucrose enthusiastically introduced each variant, and Takumi couldn't help but be impressed. When she mentioned the sweet wheat, he smirked. "So, you've basically created a wheat version of maltose? Sounds promising."

"Have you managed to produce enough seeds yet?" Takumi asked.

Sucrose hesitated. "Not yet. I want to cultivate even better versions first."

Takumi was momentarily speechless. "It's already impressive as it is. Why not produce a batch of seeds first? They can be planted when autumn arrives. Wait… do these even have seasonal restrictions?"

Realizing something, he quickly turned back to Sucrose.

Sucrose shook her head. "No seasonal restrictions. They can be planted year-round."

Takumi gave her a thumbs-up. "Amazing, Sucrose! Then please prepare some seeds. I'll have the Qianyan Army deliver them to Qingce Village."

He then asked, "Can these be replanted? Will they produce viable seeds for future crops?"

Sucrose looked at him like he had asked a silly question. "Of course. If they didn't, why would I make them?"

Takumi laughed, realizing he had underestimated Sucrose's expertise. "Alright, I'll leave it to you. Once the seeds are ready, let me know, and I'll arrange transportation. Also, if possible, could you work on developing high-yield rice?"

Sucrose immediately nodded. "I can do that!"

After chatting a bit longer, Takumi left. While high-yield crops like potatoes existed in Teyvat, wheat and rice still had relatively low output. Since Liyue residents primarily consumed noodles and rice, making them rely solely on potatoes would be unreasonable.

Takumi returned to Wangshu Inn, carrying the radio device Albedo had made. He found that the three little Lolis—Klee, Qiqi, and Yaoyao—were nowhere to be seen. Neither was Shen He, likely visiting her master.

Left alone, Takumi set everything down and began tinkering with the radio device. He wanted to improve its design, making it smaller and preparing a few units to be sent to Liyue Harbor. Additionally, he needed to set specific communication channels to prevent interference.

As Takumi busied himself with his work, an enormous ocean-going ship slowly approached Liyue's port.

It was Beidou's Crux Fleet flagship, The Alcor.