Ryan soon found Paimon and Morax waiting in the plaza.
However, compared to Morax, who seemed perfectly normal, Paimon and Lumine appeared to be in a bad mood.
"What's wrong, Paimon? Are you feeling down? Would you like some candy to cheer you up?"
Ryan asked, puzzled, as he pulled out some candies he had bought on the way back.
His appetite had grown significantly, and he would easily get dizzy from hunger if he wasn't careful, so he chose to carry some candies for emergency energy boosts.
"Yes! Thank you, Ryan!"
Paimon's eyes lit up, and he immediately perked up, taking the candy from Ryan and eating it.
Later, after Paimon and Lumine explained, Ryan learned that they had just met Young Master again and had an unpleasant encounter, though it was barely resolved.
'It seems they don't particularly like Young Master, which is good...'
Ryan felt a slight sense of relief.
He had been worried that Paimon might be led astray before he even had a chance.
Regarding the unpleasantness between Paimon and Lumine and Young Master, Morax, who was nearby, didn't seem to care; his attention was focused on the preparations for the Rite of Parting.
Next, they still needed to go to Bubu Pharmacy to purchase some everlasting incense.
And so, the group of four arrived at Bubu Pharmacy.
"Familiar aura... Qiqi, wants to drink..."
Just as they stepped into Bubu Pharmacy, a small head with a talisman on his forehead and wearing a hat peeked out from behind the counter.
Perhaps due to his height, he had to cling to the tabletop with both hands.
"Long time no see, Qiqi~"
"This is the little zombie I told you about; his name is Qiqi."
Ryan greeted Qiqi with a wave.
On the way, Ryan had already mentioned Qiqi to Paimon and Lumine, so he immediately introduced him when they saw him in person.
"Hello, Qiqi~"
Paimon and Lumine greeted Qiqi.
"Hmm, hello to you too..."
Qiqi responded.
Then, seemingly finding it too troublesome to just peek out from behind the counter and lean on the table, he directly walked out from behind the counter and ran to Ryan.
"Qiqi, wants to drink..."
Having not had coconut milk for several days, Qiqi, upon recognizing Ryan, put his hands together in front of him and looked at him with expectant eyes.
"...I didn't bring any today. How about I buy some for Qiqi next time?"
Ryan patted Qiqi's head; he hadn't known they would come to Bubu Pharmacy for the Rite of Parting preparations, so he hadn't prepared any coconut milk.
"Eh..."
Hearing Ryan's words, Qiqi looked a little disappointed.
"This... Young Qiqi, may I ask if there is everlasting incense for sale in the shop?"
Morax tentatively asked Qiqi.
"Hmm... May I ask, for a prescription, is there one."
Qiqi remembered he was minding the shop, and after a slight boost in spirits, he asked Morax.
"...To buy everlasting incense, a prescription shouldn't be necessary, should it? It has nothing to do with treating illness."
Qiqi's words stumped Morax, who could only remind him thus.
"Hmm..."
Qiqi thought seriously for a moment, then looked back at Ryan.
"Alright, but Qiqi, will help you, get everlasting incense, you must also, help Qiqi, that's only fair."
Qiqi then said this to Ryan and Morax.
"Is it unfair for a shop assistant to help a customer...?"
Qiqi's request left Paimon speechless for a moment.
However, Ryan had explained the condition of this little zombie from Bubu Pharmacy on the way, so he and Lumine understood Qiqi's difficulties and didn't press the matter too much.
Finally, for the sake of fairness in the contract, Morax, representing the four of them, agreed to Qiqi's request.
"Then please, go to Mt. Tianheng, use the Guizhong Ballista, to hunt Cocogoat."
"Cocogoat, the legendary, Half-Illuminated Beast."
...After leaving Bubu Pharmacy, the group headed together to the foot of Mt. Tianheng, intending to use the Guizhong Ballista there to hunt Cocogoat, as per Qiqi's request.
"Cocogoat... why does it sound a bit familiar?"
Ryan was certain he was hearing the name for the first time, but a vague image kept surfacing in his mind, and he couldn't quite recall who it was at the moment.
At the foot of Mt. Tianheng, there was an ancient city wall, long abandoned.
According to Morax's introduction, this ancient city wall had existed for thousands of years, once serving as a defense line for Liyue Harbor, but after the God War ended, there was no longer a need for defenses here, and it naturally fell into disuse.
Here, one could see the giant Crossbow, the Guizhong Ballista, once set up by the Adepti.
"I can't believe it's so huge, truly a creation left by the Adepti."
"But how do we use it? Does it require a lot of strength to operate?"
Paimon asked curiously, circling the giant crossbow mechanism.
Lumine was also observing curiously nearby.
According to Morax's description of this ancient city wall, it had existed for thousands of years, having been abandoned for over two millennia.
Yet, this Guizhong Ballista, despite being made of wood, had endured wind and sun for two thousand years without decaying? Was this the power of the Adepti... "It cannot be operated now, because it is broken."
Morax observed the Guizhong Ballista, then explained to Paimon.
"It's... broken?"
Paimon scratched his head.
"Indeed, though it is a creation of the Adepti, after enduring thousands of years of wind and frost, it is difficult to maintain its original state."
Morax nodded, then turned to look at Ryan, who was lost in thought while gazing at the Guizhong Ballista.
"I heard earlier that Young Ryan is a disciple of Cloud Retainer. According to ancient records, this Adeptus seems skilled in mechanisms. How about entrusting Young Ryan with helping to repair the Guizhong Ballista?"
Morax suggested to Ryan.
"Huh? Who? Me?"
Morax's words brought Ryan back to his senses, and he subconsciously raised a finger to point at himself.
Repair the Guizhong Ballista?
You could ask me to refine it into a medicinal pill, and I could do it, but repairing it is truly beyond me... "..."
Seeing the expression on Ryan's face, which was uglier than crying, Morax hesitated for a moment.
"Ahem, actually, during the initial construction of the Guizhong Ballista, to cope with battle damage and similar situations, spare materials were prepared."
"If I'm not mistaken, within this ancient city wall, one can surely find the wartime armory from back then. With the materials stored inside, as long as one knows the operating principle of the Guizhong Ballista, repairing it should not be difficult."
Seeing that Ryan seemed unable, Morax could only explain it this way.
Subsequently, under Morax's guidance, the group successfully found the armory nearby and obtained materials that, similarly blessed by Adeptal power, had not decayed for a thousand years.
Next, after Morax briefly studied it, he successfully repaired the Guizhong Ballista.
Ryan had a very familiar feeling about the Guizhong Ballista; he suspected he might have touched it before he gained sentience and took human form, so he actively stepped forward to operate it.
The Guizhong Ballista came with a telescope effect, and Ryan roughly scanned its movable aiming range.
However, perhaps it was the threat posed by the Guizhong Ballista's location, but within the entire observable field of vision, let alone Cocogoat, not even a Slime could be seen. Instead, there was a group of Treasure Hoarders shouting something.
Only when Ryan listened closely did he realize that these people were upset because they had been attacked by the Guizhong Ballista while searching for treasure here, and had subsequently found a way to damage it. Now that it was repaired, they were very displeased.
"?"
Upon hearing this, Ryan immediately adjusted the Guizhong Ballista to aim at the group of Treasure Hoarders.
"Continued firing of the Guizhong Ballista will only accelerate its damage."
"But these people, for their selfish desires, have desecrated the wisdom of the Adepti; they should receive some lesson."
Morax stopped Ryan, who was about to activate the Guizhong Ballista, then personally took out a Black Tassel spear to teach the Treasure Hoarders a lesson.
The Black Tassel spear is a type of polearm mass-produced by the Blackcliff Forge, typically one of the standard weapons used by the Millelith...