"...Although I generally trust what beautiful ladies say."
"But dear Paimon, look, are that thing in the sea and this thing on my head the same species?"
Ryan was speechless for a moment, pointing to Osial's five giant snake-like heads emerging from the sea, then pointing to his gently twitching fox ears and speaking to Paimon.
However, despite his inner speechlessness, he didn't forget his goal of increasing Paimon's friendship to abduct him, so his tone towards Paimon was still very gentle.
"Ah... then I guess I'll listen to the Traveler after all."
Paimon looked at the fox ears on Ryan's head, then obediently put the wuxia novel back into Lumine's backpack.
After putting away the novel, the three of them then hurried towards Liyue Harbor.
Soon, the three arrived at the harbor, where the Millelith were organizing the evacuation of the pale-faced, weak-kneed civilians, who were affected by the God's oppressive aura.
On this day, people finally remembered the fear of facing mountain-high raging waves and earth-shaking tsunamis.
"Hmm, the Jade Chamber is so high, let's go find its guide to go up."
Looking at the Jade Chamber in the sky, Paimon could only suggest.
They had ascended the Jade Chamber this way before, as they couldn't fly... Paimon could fly, but not that high.
"No need, I'll take you up."
Looking at the Jade Chamber in the sky, Ryan briefly estimated the height, then reached out his hand to the side.
"Eh? Does Ryan fly like the immortals?"
Paimon was a little surprised, placing his small hand on Ryan's palm.
"Of course."
Ryan nodded affirmativery, gently holding Paimon's small hand.
"Immortal Art, please allow my master to possess me."
He formed a hand seal with his free hand, and the next moment, a phantom of Cloud Retainer in human form appeared behind Ryan.
Then, Cloud Retainer used Immortal Art, transforming her azure immortal power into a flying bird that carried Ryan and Lumine into the sky.
"Immortal...?"
The Millelith evacuating civilians at the harbor watched in shock as the three flew into the sky.
"The wind is a bit strong, be careful."
In the air, Ryan protected Paimon's face with his other hand.
"Mhm."
Paimon nodded gratefully, burying his head behind Ryan's arm to prevent his hair from flying everywhere.
"..."
Beside the two, Lumine, also carried by the flying bird formed from immortal power, had her hair blown by the strong wind, slapping her face a few times, forcing her to raise her hand to protect her hair from flying wildly, and her skirt kept fluttering.
In this way, with the power of Immortal Art, the three successfully flew high into the sky towards the Jade Chamber, and soon ascended it.
Landing on the Jade Chamber, Ryan then released Paimon's hand.
Glancing at the situation on the Jade Chamber, Ryan noticed that some Millelith had gathered there, along with Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu.
Besides that, what surprised Ryan the most was that the immortals of Jueyun Karst were also here.
Cloud Retainer, Mountain Shaper, and Moon Carver, as well as Vanquisher of Evil, Streetward Rambler, and other immortals, stood beside the two Liyue Qixing, though with a little distance between them, and Ganyu stood in the middle.
Clearly, to reconcile the conflict between the two sides, this half-human, half-immortal Secretary of the Liyue Qixing had put in no small effort.
"Ryan? Why are you here, child? It's so dangerous, come here to This Immortal."
Seeing Ryan, who had flown up using Immortal Art, Cloud Retainer quickly flapped his wings.
"Coming, coming, Master, Auntie Ping, Uncle Moon Carver, Uncle Li Shui, Vanquisher of Evil, Senior Sister Ganyu..."
Ryan could only wave to Paimon, then obediently ran back to Cloud Retainer, politely greeting each of them.
Back with Cloud Retainer, Ryan's mind raced.
He wasn't sure if the Geo Archon had informed Cloud Retainer of his disrespectful behavior towards the Exuvia, so he decided to act first to divert Cloud Retainer's attention.
"Master, why aren't you colorful anymore...?"
Looking at Cloud Retainer, whose feather colors had returned to normal, Ryan immediately whispered his question.
"A mere Rainbow Feather Pill, with This Immortal's ability, what difficulty is this?"
Cloud Retainer responded somewhat proudly.
She initially tried to transform into a human, but found that after transformation, her long hair in human form also turned colorful, even more vibrant than her true form's feathers, so she gave up on appearing in human form.
Thus, in her true form as an immortal crane, she used powder she had used before to apply to her body, and supplemented it with Immortal Art to conceal it, successfully restoring her normal color.
This way, even if other immortals could see through Immortal Art, the powder applied to her body was genuine, so they still couldn't see Cloud Retainer's colorful feathers.
"Speaking of which, little Ryan, why do you seem so excited? Your tail hasn't stopped wagging since just now."
Granny Ping, beside him, asked curiously.
"It's just because it's my first time fighting such a big guy, so I'm a little excited, that's all."
Ryan didn't quite understand the reason for his excitement, so he could only explain it this way.
He couldn't possibly say he was excited because the Vortex God had been released, could he?
That would be like how he was excited after the Geo Archon's demise earlier, which he definitely shouldn't say... While Ryan was explaining, Lumine and Paimon also learned about the current situation from the Liyue Qixing and the immortals.
Although the immortals had come to question the Liyue Qixing, after Osial was released, Streetward Rambler believed that in this time of crisis, the immortals and the Liyue Qixing should temporarily set aside their differences and fight the enemy together.
So, for now, the immortals and the Liyue Qixing stood on the same side, and the enemy was the God released by the Fatui from the sea.
Combining this with the previously discovered intelligence that the Fatui were attempting to replicate the Talisman of Abiding, Ningguang, though still unaware of what happened at the Golden House, had enough to confirm that the God's release was related to the Fatui.
"So, has everyone discussed how to deal with that Vortex God yet?"
"Ugh... just looking at it makes it hard to breathe!"
After learning the attitudes of the Liyue Qixing and the immortals, Paimon finally couldn't help but ask.
Unlike Ryan, who became excited after seeing Osial and feeling the God's oppressive aura, whether it was Lumine, the Liyue Qixing, or the immortals, the feeling of the God's oppressive aura weighing on their hearts, while not having a practical impact on them, still required serious attention.
And besides them, the Millelith on the Jade Chamber were not doing so well, especially some younger Millelith, who couldn't even stand steadily.
"Even the oppressive aura of an ancient God is harmful to ordinary people, so it's even more important not to let it approach Liyue Harbor."
Hearing Paimon's words, Keqing also said with a serious expression.
"Now that all the immortals are here, and two Liyue Qixing, can we all together defeat this God?"
Ryan, after explaining his situation to Granny Ping, couldn't help but ask.
According to the stories he knew, immortals were also capable of fighting Gods in the past.
Although there were also huge differences in strength between Gods... "Osial is, after all, a God who once ravaged the seas. If the immortals rely solely on their own power, it may not be feasible."
Cloud Retainer seemed to think of something and immediately shook his head, speaking to Ryan first.
Then he stepped forward and looked at Ningguang.
"However, the previous repair of the Guizhong Ballista attracted the attention of the Liyue Qixing. They sent people to investigate and tried to rerun it for use during this extraordinary period."
"And now, as the creator of the Guizhong Ballista, This Immortal happens to be here. As long as This Immortal makes a slight improvement to this old crossbow, and it is wielded by the immortals, perhaps Osial can be repelled."
After glancing at Ningguang, Cloud Retainer said proudly.
Although the Guizhong Ballista was not invented by him, the Guizhong Ballista at the ancient city wall built below Mt. Tianheng was indeed manufactured by him according to the blueprints.
After all, when they migrated south from Guili Plains to Liyue Harbor, the one who invented the prototype of the Guizhong Ballista had already passed away.
"This can also be considered a kind of immortal edge, then I shall trouble the immortal."
Ningguang smiled knowingly and nodded, then began to activate the array on the Jade Chamber, constructing a platform in front of the Jade Chamber that could accommodate three Guizhong Ballistas.
"Ryan, Mechanics is indeed complex and difficult to understand. A lively child like you naturally doesn't like to study it, but once you master it, it is a technique with endless wonderful uses."
Cloud Retainer seized this opportunity to persistently instill in Ryan the idea that Mechanics had endless wonderful uses.
"You shall see how This Immortal and your two martial uncles repel that Vortex God."
With that, Cloud Retainer was the first to spread his wings and fly towards the Guizhong Ballistas.
With the power of the immortals, the Guizhong Ballistas instantly gained unprecedented power.
Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper followed closely, these three immortals who often resided in Jueyun Karst each infused immortal power into one of the three Guizhong Ballistas.
"Is it really that good...?"
"Later, I'll refine Master's Mechanics into a pill and eat it to see if I can directly master Mechanics..."
Cloud Retainer's words made Ryan couldn't help but mumble... Remember to use the Primogem redemption codes:
Fatui
FROSTMOONSCIONS
LIGHTKEEPERS
THEWILDHUNT
VOYNICHGUILD