Chapter 199

When Takumi arrived at the shipyard, he found Beidou there as well.

She hadn't left after parting ways with him earlier and had instead stayed to learn about the battleship production process. She had even obtained details about her new cargo ship from Jiang Ji.

When she saw the blueprint, Beidou was ecstatic.

It looked like a fortress at sea.

If she could, she would have wished for the ship to appear before her immediately.

After reviewing the design Takumi had provided, Beidou couldn't help but feel dissatisfied with her current ship, the Death Omen.

Death Omen?

Bah, it was nothing compared to this!

The ship that Takumi designed for her was several times larger than the Death Omen.

In front of this new vessel, her current ship was nothing but a dinghy.

When Beidou saw Takumi approaching, she quickly ran over.

"Takumi!"

"When will my ship be ready?"

"I can't wait any longer!"

At this point, Beidou was getting impatient.

She didn't want to wait another second.

She wanted to skip ahead to the future.

Hearing her words, Takumi rolled his eyes.

"Be patient."

"I already told you, you'll have it after you return to the Seven Nations a few more times."

"It's not ready yet."

"Uncle Jiang, how's the second battleship coming along?"

Takumi ignored Beidou's impatience and turned to Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji immediately responded:

"It's already in production."

"This time, we've prepared all the remaining parts in advance."

"While we were assembling the first ship, other factories were already producing additional components."

"This assembly should go much faster."

"If we had more manpower, we could even assemble two ships at once."

He spoke with enthusiasm, though the main challenge remained a shortage of workers.

Hearing this, Takumi nodded in satisfaction.

"It looks like things are moving faster than expected."

"Good."

"Beidou, if you go out on another trip and return, your ship should be ready for construction."

"Production is speeding up now that everyone has experience."

Beidou's spirits lifted instantly.

"Really?"

"Alright!"

"I'm heading out now!"

Without another word, she turned and left.

Watching her hasty departure, Takumi was speechless.

What was that all about?

However, he didn't dwell on it.

Beidou was heading back to Inazuma, and there was a lot she needed to transport.

Electro Crystals were in high demand.

Right now, the supply wasn't sufficient.

Not only Liyue, but even Mondstadt would need them soon.

A lot of components were already being shipped over.

The electrical grid would take time to establish.

Once everything was set, Takumi could install the motors and begin testing.

So Electro Crystals remained a necessity.

Liyue still had a significant shortage.

Takumi shook his head, deciding not to overthink it.

A few more supply trips would be needed.

With that in mind, he got back to work, helping to assemble the ships.

Eventually, he planned to produce small frigates as well.

Liyue's navy would soon be fully operational.

The first assembled battleship was still in place.

Ningguang's navy was likely still being formed.

It would take time for all the recruits to arrive.

Meanwhile, Beidou wasted no time.

She gathered her crew and set off to sea once again.

Their next destination—Inazuma.

They needed to transport more Electro Crystals back.

At the same time, she planned to visit other nations to purchase essential supplies.

She hadn't forgotten the items Keqing had asked her to bring.

They had been custom-ordered earlier, and by now, many were likely ready.

She would retrieve them on this trip.

A few more voyages, and then—

Time to upgrade her ship!

With these thoughts in mind, Beidou set sail once again.

Her first stop was, of course, Inazuma.

From there, she would travel to other regions before finally returning to Liyue.

With high expectations, Beidou embarked on her voyage.

Meanwhile, in Inazuma…

Kamisato Ayaka, the princess of the Kamisato Clan, was at the Grand Narukami Shrine, speaking with Yae Miko.

At that moment, Yae Miko was holding some newly minted Mora in her hands.

"Oh my~!"

"It seems we're falling behind the rest of Teyvat."

"That Takumi… does he really not care?"

"The world is changing rapidly outside."

"If things continue like this, does Inazuma truly have a future?"

Yae Miko sighed.

She was starting to feel exasperated by Ei's decisions.

The changes in Liyue had become widely known, even in isolated Inazuma.

Despite the nation's seclusion, smugglers brought in plenty of news.

Ayaka had come to the shrine specifically to discuss these matters with Yae Miko.

The new currency, the advancements in Liyue—

Everything pointed to a world undergoing dramatic transformation.

Ayaka understood the importance of these developments.

That was why she had sought out Yae Miko, the cunning and intelligent overseer of the Grand Narukami Shrine.

Yae Miko, however, found herself at a loss.

The world was evolving.

And Inazuma remained stagnant.

If things continued like this, it would eventually lead to problems.

No.

There were already problems.

After learning about Liyue's advancements, countless Inazumans wanted to escape.

They sought to flee from their war-torn land.

"Lady Miko…"

Ayaka looked at Yae Miko with concern.

Hearing Ayaka's voice, Yae Miko sighed.

After a moment of thought, she finally spoke:

"We can't just sit back and do nothing."

"Lady Kamisato."

"Would you be willing to travel to Liyue?"

Ayaka was taken aback.

"What do you mean?"

Yae Miko stood up and gazed out at the scenery.

She spoke slowly:

"True eternity isn't about clinging to what we have."

"But in doing so, we also give up on endless possibilities."

"Right now, Inazuma is in that exact situation."

"We've given up on progress and cut ties with the outside world."

"Is this really the eternity we desire?"

She sighed deeply.

Ayaka remained silent.

This wasn't something she could easily comment on.

Yae Miko shook her head, pushing aside her thoughts.

Instead, she continued:

"Go to Liyue."

"See for yourself how the world is changing."

"I'll write a letter to Ganyu."

"She'll take care of you while you're there."

She turned to look at the young lady of the Kamisato Clan.