"Lady Keqing, the casualties and losses have been preliminarily tallied. Please review them..."
After reviewing the results, Keqing took a deep breath, a wave of self-reproach washing over her once more.
The heaviest casualties occurred when the Jade Chamber was infiltrated and destroyed. Liyue had even lost several of its most brilliant researchers, who had been monitoring the Energy Core's data at the time. No one ever expected an incident to happen in their safest rear base.
She also learned about Fontaine's situation. Aside from the loss of some Clockwork Meka, they had suffered almost no personnel casualties. This stark contrast only deepened Keqing's guilt.
"This is all my responsibility. When we return, I will plead for Rex Lapis's forgiveness."
Hearing Keqing's words, the people around her began to offer words of comfort.
"Keqing, don't be too hard on yourself. You've already done an excellent job."
After all, the crisis they faced this time was far more dangerous than the one with the Overlord of the Vortex Osial, yet their casualties were much lower. This alone was proof enough of Keqing's competence.
Furthermore, Keqing had even risked her own life, acting as an energy relay to reinforce the defensive barrier.
If she hadn't, the casualties would have been at least several times higher.
If Rex Lapis had not intervened at that moment to help Keqing stabilize her condition, she might have met a grim fate.
But in truth, even if the defensive barrier had shattered, the threat to Keqing herself would not have been too great. How could anyone harshly criticize a commander who was willing to sacrifice her own life for ordinary soldiers?
"Our medical technology in Fontaine has advanced greatly, and we have even developed medical Clockwork Meka. If Ms. Keqing trusts me, I will immediately arrange for the treatment of the wounded."
After finishing her tasks, Clorinde approached Keqing and spoke.
"Miss Clorinde, you are too formal. Liyue and Fontaine are now allies who have shared hardships, so how could there be any distrust?"
"I will leave it in your hands, Miss Clorinde!"
Keqing spoke to Clorinde with gratitude.
Clorinde nodded and immediately found someone to make the arrangements, but she did not leave right away.
"Ms. Keqing, there is actually one more matter I would like to discuss with you in detail."
"I plan to lend Liyue three Clockwork Meka Squads and provide professional guidance. I wonder what Ms. Keqing thinks of this proposal?"
Upon hearing Clorinde's words, Keqing and the people of Liyue beside her all showed expressions of pleasant surprise and gratitude.
After the previous battle, they had already deeply experienced the power of Fontaine Technology and were extremely covetous of those Clockwork Meka. However, it was truly a bit embarrassing to ask for things from an ally. Moreover, with a powerful enemy looming, the other party would likely refuse to share a portion of the Clockwork Meka for their own safety concerns, so they hadn't brought it up.
No one ever expected that Clorinde would actually take the initiative to propose this. How could this not move them?
As for the "loan" she mentioned, it was merely to spare them from feeling too much of a burden.
However, by doing so, she was putting her own people in danger.
"This is to show gratitude for Lady Keqing's previous actions. If Lady Keqing hadn't made a decisive choice and continued to maintain the defensive barrier regardless of her own safety, our Fontaine forces would have also suffered considerable casualties."
Seeing that Keqing was about to refuse, Clorinde quickly added.
"So please do not decline, Lady Keqing."
The words Keqing was about to speak were blocked by Clorinde's sincere expression of gratitude. After hesitating for a long moment, Keqing nodded seriously.
After this battle, Liyue and Fontaine truly united. This was completely different from fighting alone before; although there were fewer people than before, their fighting spirit and morale were even higher.
Just at this moment, someone suddenly rushed over and reported to everyone that Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara had arrived.
They finally managed to get in touch with the Inazuma side. Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief and then hurriedly invited the two of them over.
After a round of pleasantries, Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara began to describe the current specific situation in Inazuma to everyone.
When everyone heard that nearly half of Inazuma's territory had already fallen, they found it completely unbelievable.
With Inazuma's strength, they could actually retain half of their territory?!
It wasn't that they looked down on Inazuma. The main point was that they had just experienced a battle and had a rough judgment of the enemy's strength.
One must know that these two Expeditionary Forces had drawn at least more than half of the domestic strength, and Rex Lapis was also escorting them, but they still suffered heavy losses.
The enemy had not even deployed many people, and it was truly not easy for Inazuma to hold out for so long.
However, the more the others listened, the more solemn their expressions became.
Although Inazuma had outwardly retained half of its territory, its government had been almost completely overthrown.
Even if Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara had with difficulty regained control, they would still have to face a huge disaster that would be enough to affect the entire sea area of the Teyvat continent.
Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Inazuma.
At this time, everyone also roughly guessed what the time limit that Persephone had mentioned was, and it was most likely this matter.
Just at this moment, Neuvillette returned, and his expression was also very grave.
Judging from the scale of the previous tsunami, the enemy's strength was perhaps even more powerful than he had expected, and he also realized that he was probably not a match for Persephone (No. 3).
To prevent the seawater from being further affected and thereby threaten the life safety of ordinary people, Neuvillette opened the passage to the Primordial Sea and poured a large amount of the Primordial Sea into the sea. Doing this could also slow down the erosion speed of the Electro Element on the ocean, winning them more time.
Precisely for this reason, Neuvillette returned slightly late. He hadn't expected that the Expeditionary Force would actually be attacked by the enemy during the time he was away, suffering heavy losses.
Neuvillette stole a glance at Zhongli, who had returned to the crowd, his eyes seeming to ask a question.
He naturally knew Zhongli's true identity and had spoken with him at length. It was precisely because he knew that the Expeditionary Force was also under the protection of Rex Lapis that he felt safe leaving for so long.
However, when Neuvillette saw that the casualties were almost all Liyue people, he sighed inwardly, realizing that the previous attack had likely not been simple, and that Zhongli had probably done his best.
"Monsieur Neuvillette!"
"Monsieur Neuvillette!"
Seeing Neuvillette's return, the crowd visibly relaxed a lot.
With both Rex Lapis and Neuvillette protecting them, their sense of security was instantly maximized.
Afterward, Neuvillette also shared what he had seen with everyone. When Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara heard that an even more terrible tsunami than the previous ones was coming, they were first shaken, and then became immensely grateful to Neuvillette.
If Neuvillette had not taken action, the ordinary people of Inazuma would have probably all died before the anomaly of the sea could even spread over.
Furthermore, the rate at which the Electro Elemental Pollution was spreading was also somewhat beyond their expectations, and it was Neuvillette's intervention that won them more time.
"Now we have two choices."
After Neuvillette had learned about the current situation in Inazuma, he fell silent for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking slowly.
"The first option is to collect all the remaining Marks and end this farce as quickly as possible."
"I can clearly sense that there aren't many people with the Mark left. There was a team with a large number of Marks in the distance, but now all traces of the Marks' presence have vanished. I believe Persephone (No. 3) should be in that direction, and they have already engaged her."
They've already engaged her?!
Hearing this conjecture, everyone was inwardly shaken.
How could anyone be so confident?
To this, Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara managed to guess the other party's identity and spoke up.
"It might be the Traveler and her companions. Before they left, they also left a message saying that Persephone was very likely on Seirai Island."
"As for the location of Seirai Island, it should be roughly..."
Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara did a quick check, and sure enough, the direction matched. It seemed that Lumine and her party were indeed the ones.
Kamisato Ayato's heart suddenly tightened with tension. The disappearance of all the Marks' fluctuations, could it be because his sister had met with misfortune?!
At this thought, Kamisato Ayato's face turned deathly pale, and a faint sense of regret began to stir in his heart.
He should have forced Kamisato Ayaka to stay behind, even if she held a grudge against him for the rest of her life. Being alive was more important than anything else.
"Calm down, Head of the Kamisato Clan."
Kujou Sara noticed Kamisato Ayato's unusual state and quickly spoke to comfort him.
"Trust the Traveler. They will surely turn this misfortune into a blessing."
"The disappearance of the Marks' fluctuations doesn't necessarily mean they've met with an accident."
Kamisato Ayato nodded, forcing himself to calm down, but still spoke.
"I believe I must go there in person. I will have to trouble General Kujou to handle the affairs of Inazuma City."
If this were before, because there were still many rotten apples among the higher-ups, both Kamisato Ayato and Kujou Sara would have had to stay behind to hold down the Two Commissions. Otherwise, those people would definitely have taken advantage of the situation.
But now, those people had probably all been buried alive, so Kamisato Ayato naturally had fewer worries in his heart.
Kujou Sara actually wanted to go too, but if everyone left, the people of Inazuma, who had just gone through so many major disasters, would definitely feel uneasy. She could only give up.
"Alright."
Kujou Sara nodded, a hint of regret crossing her face.
"As for the second option, we will find a way to expand the production of the Dragon Blood Potion, ensuring the safety of the People of Inazuma before considering anything else."
When the words "Dragon Blood Potion" were spoken, a strange expression flickered across Neuvillette's face.
This name didn't seem very friendly to him.
If the key to increasing production lay with him, it would be even less friendly.
If this hadn't happened in Inazuma, and if No. 6 wasn't already dead beyond all doubt, he would strongly suspect someone was plotting against him.
After hearing Neuvillette's words, everyone pondered for a moment, and in the end, most chose the latter option.
The main reason was that Persephone was not an enemy they could easily deal with, and the other Mark holders were also strong. Instead of wasting time chasing an uncertain future, it was better to first ensure the safety of the People of Inazuma.
Human lives are more important than anything else!
Even if they couldn't increase the production of the Dragon Blood Potion, they could still escort these People of Inazuma out of Inazuma and temporarily seek refuge in other nations.
Once the decision was made, everyone sprang into action. The Expeditionary Force set out again, but this time, the Jade Chamber no longer hovered above. In its place, numerous Fontaine Clockwork Meka patrolled the skies.
Only after the Jade Chamber's silhouette vanished from sight did Keqing finally turn around. She could already envision the pained expression on Ningguang's face when she returned the Jade Chamber.
But looking on the bright side, at least they wouldn't have to send people to salvage various treasures from the sea this time, would they?
Some of those treasures remained on the remaining part of the Jade Chamber, while others had completely turned to ash, saving them the effort of searching.
When passing through Inazuma City, Keqing left the wounded and a small number of people behind. This would allow them to recover from their injuries here and also help Kujou Sara with some of the post-disaster reconstruction work.
As for Kamisato Ayato, he continued with the Expeditionary Force to the Kujou Encampment as previously decided.
Shortly after landing on the island, Neuvillette's brow furrowed.
"Monsieur Neuvillette, have you noticed something?"
Clorinde noticed Neuvillette's expression was off and quickly asked.
"There is a very strong Abyss Aura here."
Neuvillette explained, then continued.
"It's not too far away. This distance poses a great threat to the people on the island."
"Have the Expeditionary Force search all around, and make sure to remind everyone to stay safe."
Upon hearing Neuvillette's orders, Keqing and Clorinde immediately issued commands.
Not long after, a distinct elemental fluctuation came from one of the directions, as if a battle were taking place.
Sensing this, Keqing and Clorinde immediately sent reinforcements in that direction. Soon, everyone discovered a dark-colored spatial portal.
A squad of Abyss Monsters was stationed near this Abyss Channel. The strongest ones were two Hydro Heralds, and there were also many Abyss Mages. Clearly, these were not wild Abyss Monsters; they were most likely members of the Abyss Order.
Furthermore, even now, Abyss Monsters were still emerging from that Abyss Channel in a steady stream, and the ranks of the Abyss Monsters were growing larger and larger.
"Attack!"
Without hesitation, Keqing and Clorinde simultaneously gave the order, and then unleashed an all-out barrage of firepower on the enemy.
As if to vent their previous frustrations, everyone unleashed combat power even stronger than usual, quickly routing the squad of Abyss Monsters and bringing the Abyss Channel to the brink of collapse.
After the high-intensity battle just now, the group even felt a sense of sadistic pleasure while pummeling the squad of Abyss Monsters.
"Damn it, His Highness the Prince will definitely not let you off easily!"
After the two Hydro Abyss Heralds spat out their threats, they immediately attempted to escape through the spatial portal.
Seeing this, Neuvillette raised his hand and fired a surging pillar of water, flooding the Abyss Channel.
"Heh, two more Heralds, just go die... Damn it, why is it you again!"
At this moment, a somewhat familiar voice came from the spatial portal. The person's clothing and appearance were also very familiar, as if they had just met not long ago.
However, before Neuvillette could get a full look, the person was directly engulfed by his pillar of water.
Well, the feeling was also quite familiar...