Hu Tao chuckled mischievously.
"Azhdaha, guest consultant, co on, ti for work!
Huohuo, go get so incense and joss paper."
Huyao led Azhdaha and Huohuo straight to Wuwang Hill.
The three arrived at Wuwang Hill.
Azhdaha asked,"Master Hu, what do you want to do?"
Hutao giggled again."Dig holes!"
Just like that, Hutao led Azhdaha all over Wuwang Hill, digging holes.
Hutao was in charge of directions, Azhdaha did the digging, and Huohuo offered incense and burned joss paper to appease any disturbed spirits.
Several spirits that had been drifting around in slumber were awakened by the commotion.
"Isn't that Master Hu? What's she doing now? Why so many holes?"
So spirits floated over to Hutao."Master Hu, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
Hutao glanced at the spirits."I'm digging holes. Listen, from now on, no more sleeping wherever you want! You have to sleep in a pit. You keep drifting around when you're asleep."
The spirits nodded repeatedly in agreent.
At the sa ti—
In Suru City.
Nahida was holding a eting in the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
Those attending included Alhaitham, Tighnari, Cyno, Kaveh, Rahman, Candace, and Tighnari's ntor, Sage Naphis.
Naphis was the only one of the sages who hadn't been involved in Azar's sches.
Naphis focused entirely on academic research and stayed out of politics.
Nahida looked over the group.
"Everyone's here. The eting will now begin. Feel free to speak your minds."
Naphis imdiately stood up.
"Lesser Lord Kusanali, I heard you planted a sacred tree in Aaru Village. I request to lead a team to observe and docunt it!"
Nahida nodded with a gentle smile."You may, but let's wait until Suru has stabilized first.
The forr Grand Sage Azar and the other five sages have already been arrested. For now, you're the only one left among the sages."
Naphis pointed at Alhaitham."Isn't Alhaitham still here? I wholeheartedly support him becoming the next Grand Sage! Who's with ?"
Nahida replied,"Sage Naphis, I know you're eager, but please be patient. There will be many strange and wonderful plants for you to study in the future."
Hearing that, Naphis sat down, though he kept grumbling under his breath.
Next, Candace stood up and gave a slight bow."Lesser Lord Kusanali, may I ask what plans you have for the desert people?"
Nahida replied,"The desert people? They will cease to be a separate group. From now on, there will only be the people of Suru—one nation, whether from the desert or the rainforest."
Alhaitham added,"I discussed this with the Lesser Lord Kusanali last night.
Among the desert rcenaries, those who haven't committed serious cris will be pardoned.
All minors from the desert will be eligible to attend the Akademiya.
Over the next year, the Lesser Lord Kusanali will nurture the Tree of Life to turn the desert into a forest.
Additionally, we will send large amounts of supplies to the desert to support the people there during this transition."
Nahida nodded slightly.
"Candace, I understand you and Rahman might worry about being discarded once you're no longer useful, but please rest assured—I would never do that."
Rahman nodded."Of course we trust you. After all, you planted the sacred tree in Aaru Village. That alone speaks volus.
Leave the rcenaries to —I'll weed out the truly wicked ones."
To Rahman, the fact that Nahida planted the sacred tree in Aaru Village rather than Suru City showed her commitnt.
After all, people in Suru City worship the Great Tree King, and such a miracle would make 99% of the rainforest folk follow Nahida.But instead, she chose the desert.
Nahida smiled and turned to Cyno."Cyno, take your matras and lend a hand."
Cyno nodded in agreent.
Tighnari then pulled out a chart.
"Lesser Lord Kusanali, I've compiled a list of all the Eleazar patients in Suru. Please take a look."
Nahida accepted the list—it contained over 5,000 nas.
"Good. I've reviewed it. Tell them not to worry. I will heal them."
Tighnari bowed slightly and sat down.
A silence fell over the room.
Nahida looked around."Any other questions? If not, I'll speak on a few matters."
Everyone at the table straightened up, paying close attention.
Nahida cleared her throat."First:
Regarding immigration across Teyvat. I've already held a eting with the other Archons and the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, Lady Calestia.
All of Teyvat's population will be relocated to a new world."
Everyone—except Alhaitham, who already knew—was stunned.
Naphis muttered to himself,"So that's why she said there'd be new plants to study... Now I understand."
Nahida continued,"At that ti, Lady Calestia will descend upon Suru and transport both the people and the land to the new world.
So during this period, everyone must prepare and reassure the public. Understood?"
All responded in agreent.
Nahida nodded with satisfaction and went on:
"Second, the matter of Azar and the five other sages' sentencing. I will take them to a special prison in the new world."
Naphis interjected,"Lesser Lord Kusanali! You can't just let those guys off easy! Death penalty! They must die!"
Nahida raised a hand."Don't be hasty, Sage Naphis. That prison is very special. Azar and the others will receive the punishnt they deserve."
Naphis sat back down but kept mumbling that it was too lenient.
Nahida continued,"And finally, the last matter—
The Sabzeruz Festival."
Everyone suddenly rembered—right, it's almost ti.
Alhaitham spoke up."I recomnd we focus our efforts on the upcoming Sabzeruz Festival, Lesser Lord Kusanali.
Though the people of Suru now know the truth, they haven't seen you in person.
Through this festival, we can establish your authority."
Cyno and the others expressed agreent.
Nahida nodded."Alright. Over the next few days, work closely with Alhaitham. I'll be inviting many special guests to the festival, so we mustn't make any mistakes."
Everyone responded affirmatively.
Then, Nahida and the others discussed the festival details.
The eting lasted until midnight.
Afterward, the group walked out to the plaza in front of the Akademiya.
Cyno asked,"Alhaitham, do you know who these 'special guests' are?"
Alhaitham shook his head."Not exactly. But they must be important people.
Like the ones who helped us defeat Azar last ti—
Aether, Stelle, March 7th, Firefly, Ye Yun, and so on."
***
Candace, hearing that, suddenly rembered—they indeed hadn't seen Stelle and the others since the battle ended.
"So it was them."
Alhaitham glanced at everyone.
"Go back and rest. See you later."
He tidied up the eting notes he had just taken and walked off.
Candace, Cyno, and the others also left one after another.
Luofu, Alchemy Commission.
Early this morning, the Alchemy Commission was already packed with many people from the Xianzhou.
These people shared a common trait—they were all elderly, with gray temples.
The first batch of Qingling Pills that Bailu refined totaled 100,000 pills.
Thanks to the combined efforts of the six little ones and their top-notch equipnt, they managed to make that many pills in just one day.
However, after this batch was completed, the raw materials were nearly depleted.
After discussing with Feixiao and Huaiyan, Jing Yuan decided to pause pill refining until the herbs planted by the Alchemy Commission matured.
If they had to rely solely on buying materials with starcoins, Jing Yuan and the others would feel heartbroken.
To prevent any incidents, Jing Yuan, Huaiyan, and Feixiao personally oversaw operations at the Alchemy Commission.
Not only that, Jing Yuan also deployed a large number of Cloud Knights to guard the area—almost ensuring nothing could go wrong.
Pill Distribution Site.
The six little ones each sat at a desk, behind them boxes of Qingling Pills stacked high.
Besides them, several other dicinal points were also set up.
Rios, Jingliu, and Dodo-Co stood guard around the six, protecting their safety.
Everyone who received Qingling Pills was required to take them on the spot.
After taking the pills, they clearly felt physically better and noticeably more energized.
Jing Yuan stood on a starskiff, quietly observing from above.
Yanqing walked over and saluted.
"General, a large group has gathered outside the Alchemy Commission demanding pills for themselves as well."
Jing Yuan remained expressionless—he had anticipated this scenario.
For the people of the Xianzhou, Qingling Pills were practically life itself. Taking them delayed the onset of Mara.
"Yanqing, arrest the ones causing the most trouble and detain them for a few days.Then publish a statent saying that the pills are scarce, but the Alliance is ramping up production.All Xianzhou citizens will eventually receive their share."
Yanqing took the order and left.
Outside the Alchemy Commission, he drew his sword.
"Cloud Knights! Arrest those stirring up the most trouble!"
The worst offenders instantly felt a chill down their backs and broke into a cold sweat.
One of them even tried to resist.
"Why are you arresting us? We're just standing up for our rights!We're all Xianzhou citizens—why do they get pills and we don't? Am I right, everyone?"
He was smart enough to try rallying the crowd.
Unfortunately, Jing Yuan had already prepared for this. The public statent Yanqing issued was ant to cool down the masses.
Yanqing leapt forward, pressed the troublemaker's head to the ground with one hand.
Then he looked around.
"The General has ordered: All Xianzhou citizens will receive the pills.They're scarce, but the Alliance is working hard to produce more.Anyone who causes further trouble will be thrown into the Shackling Prison!Cloud Knights! Watch them—anyone who stirs up trouble, send them to the Shackling Prison!"
The surrounding Cloud Knights responded in unison:
"Yes!"
The crowd quickly cald down.
There was nothing to gain from causing trouble—and they might even get arrested.
Didn't the General just say it? As long as you're a Xianzhou citizen, you'll definitely get the pills.
Forget it. Better to wait.
The gathering crowd gradually dispersed. The unrest was squashed before it even got going.
Liyue Harbor.
Stelle, March 7th, Firefly, Kiana, and Calestia were playing gas in an internet café.
To facilitate team play, Calestia rented a five-person private room on the first floor today.
Thanks to Stelle's recomndation, Calestia got into a new ga—PUBG.
Calestia and Kiana were duoing.
"Kiana! I'm fully geared! Let's go fight!"
"Okay! I picked up two M249s! You drive, Calestia—we'll hunt down cars, and I'll shoot them!"
They left Pochinki in a jeep, swaggering down the road.
Calestia cheerfully drove, honking the horn like crazy, acting extrely cocky.
"Beep beep! Beep beep! Anyone there? Co out and fight!"
Seeing this, Kiana had her character peek out the window and wildly fired the M249 in all directions.
While shooting, she even added sound effects.
"Rat-a-tat-tat! Rat-a-tat!"
What they didn't know was that nearby, a camping player had set up with a rocket launcher right in their path.
A few seconds later—
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, the screen turned gray before their eyes.
Calestia was furious.
"What?! People use rocket launchers in this ga?!"
Kiana was just as indignant.
"How unlucky can we be? We finally had great gear and got taken out by a rocket launcher!"
Stelle took a sip of her iced cola and made a suggestion.
"Why don't you guys just play rocket launcher-style too? Drive around hunting cars and blow them up."
Kiana and Calestia's eyes lit up like they'd discovered a new world.
"Right! Isn't that even more fun?""One rocket, one kill! Wipe out the whole team in a blast!"
They quickly started another match.
This ti, they landed at the Steel Plant, and sohow found eight rocket launchers there.
Kiana drove over in a jeep, carrying two herself, and stored the remaining six in the car.
"Let's go! Calestia! Ti to blow up so cars. I'll fire first—then it's your turn!"
The circle landed on the Airport, and they planned to camp the bridge.
Calestia again drove with flair, honking as they cruised along the M-town road.
Two teams hiding in M-town panicked and started fighting just from the noise—completely baited out by Calestia.
Just as they reached the bridge, a small car suddenly sped up from the slope.
Kiana's eyes lit up—she instantly pulled out a rocket launcher and fired a perfect shot.
BOOM!
The car exploded on the spot, dropping four loot crates and four bodies.
"Wahoo! So fun! Rocket launchers are aweso! Your turn, Calestia!"
But right as Kiana finished her sentence, the table shook.
She looked over—Stelle had slamd her fist down.
"Stelle, what's wrong?"
Stelle gritted her teeth.
"I just got blown up by a rocket while driving! Damn it! I'm playing rocket launcher style too!"
Firefly poked her.
"Stelle, look here."
She pointed at the kill feed.
Stelle saw—and was instantly speechless.
[Kiana used a rocket launcher to kill Firefly]
Stelle almost choked—was this karma?
She had just given Kiana the idea—and beca the first victim?
Tragic!
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