Ryen and the others did not waste any time. After quickly checking their equipment, they entered the Lich Tower together.
Guizhong, now bored, found a spot to sit down, resting her chin in her hands as she stared into space.
Makoto, however, carefully settled Nahida and the others before turning her calm gaze toward Ei.
That look,
It was exactly the same as when Makoto had first revived, her eyes filled with disappointment.
Almost instinctively, Ei shuddered. She quietly took a step back and let Yae Miko move in front of her.
Although Ei genuinely wanted to spend time alone with her sister…
This clearly wasn't the right moment.
Judging by Makoto's expression, this was not going to be a warm family chat.
Most likely, the very first sentence would be:
"Ei, I'm very disappointed in you."
Ei wracked her brain, unable to figure out what she had done wrong recently.
She felt wronged, but didn't dare say anything.
Her sister's presence carried absolute authority.
Sensing that things were going in a dangerous direction, and feeling Ei secretly poking her waist from behind,
Yae Miko rolled her eyes inwardly and softly changed the subject.
"Since we finally have some time to talk, Makoto, I have something to tell you too."
"You haven't been in Liyue recently, so you don't know everyone's plans."
Hearing this, Makoto's expression eased slightly as she looked at Yae Miko.
"Is it something important?"
Yae Miko smiled lightly.
"Besides Ryen's grand blueprint for the world… there's also, "
Before she could finish, Makoto tilted her head curiously.
"Ryen's grand blueprint for the world?"
Yae Miko nodded.
"That's right. He mentioned it a few days ago, he plans to turn this world into a true civilization."
"In short, it all sounds very mysterious. We're still far from it, though. You can think of it as him drawing a pie for himself, and for us, that won't be eaten for a very long time."
"Besides that, there's another matter."
Yae Miko paused, her tone turning serious.
"Liyue is planning to expand a seventh military division, true elemental elites."
"Elemental elites?"
Makoto's interest was clearly piqued, and she gestured for Yae Miko to continue.
"You've probably noticed that everyone now carries not only a Vision, but also a Delusion, right?"
As she spoke, Yae Miko displayed the Delusion hanging at her back.
It was a Dendro-element Delusion, though it clearly differed from ordinary ones.
At the very least, in Makoto's perception, it lacked the sinister aura that devoured life force.
"The Delusion production facility has been fully completed. Thanks to a certain Archon who 'volunteered' against their will, the output is quite considerable."
"So Liyue plans to use five hundred people as the target number, to create truly elite soldiers. In Ryen's words, 'special forces.'"
"These soldiers will all be equipped with Delusions."
Makoto was slightly surprised and couldn't help imagining the scene.
Five hundred warriors, each wielding a Delusion, forming a battle formation…
They might not rival massed firearms units or the Dragon Knight Corps, but without a doubt,
In small-scale battlefields, and especially in rear-area conflicts,
This force would be terrifying.
"But…"
Makoto frowned slightly.
"Delusions erode life force. That's manageable for gods and long-lived beings, but for ordinary people…"
"Even with healing potions, it's not something they can handle easily."
Yae Miko shrugged.
"And that's the key point."
"Albedo's alchemy workshop has made a major breakthrough."
"He combined Delusions with magical materials from the Twilight Forest, creating Delusions whose erosion is almost negligible."
"In fact, their self-recharging speed rivals that of Visions."
"In other words, Delusion technology has finally achieved its original goal."
"Artificial Visions."
"Of course, there's still some burden on the body, but with alchemical potions, it's no longer severe."
"So Ningguang and the others plan to expand the military."
Makoto nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's what you wanted to tell me? If it's just this, you can leave everything to Kujou Sara. Inazuma will cooperate fully."
Yae Miko sighed helplessly and lightly patted Makoto on the shoulder.
"Oh, honestly… that's not what I'm trying to say."
She continued softly:
"Inazuma only has one thousand soldiers stationed here. You've seen it yourself, base construction, resource mining, excursions to collect Lucky Blocks…"
"Plus the garrisons in the Overworld and the End."
"We're completely short on manpower."
"Ryen plans to build cities on a massive scale later. Once we speed-clear the Twilight Forest this time, its exploration and resource gathering will also be handed over to us."
"The new continent also needs people sent ahead to develop it. On top of that, Dragon Knight training will take away another batch of manpower."
"Makoto, one thousand people just isn't enough to fill this gap. Kujou Sara knows how difficult things are for you, so she doesn't dare to urge you."
"But you should understand, if we can't send more people, we won't be able to keep up with the others' progress."
Makoto frowned deeply, worry creeping into her expression.
"So it's that bad… I didn't realize the situation was already this severe."
"It's worse than you imagine,"
Yae Miko said, shaking her head.
"Liyue and Mondstadt have enough manpower. In Snezhnaya, the Cryo Archon secretly ordered her Harbingers to recruit more people, apparently they've already gathered another eight hundred."
"When are reinforcements from Inazuma coming?"
"Soldiers from Liyue, Snezhnaya, and Mondstadt can join recreational activities in their downtime, parkour, Bed Wars, all sorts of things."
"Our Inazuman soldiers? They start working the moment they open their eyes, and only get half an hour of rest before sleep."
Seeing Makoto's expression darken, Yae Miko quickly added:
"This isn't Kujou Sara's fault. She doesn't want to overwork the soldiers either, but she has no choice."
"Makoto, your plan requires at least three fully developed bases, and we also have to keep pace with the other three nations."
"This is already the only way."
Makoto pressed her lips together, guilt flickering in her eyes.
"This is my fault… I was too impatient. The soldiers… have they complained?"
Yae Miko smiled and shook her head.
"The soldiers haven't complained at all."
"In fact, they've been actively requesting to rotate shifts and work overtime."
"They say that in this world, as long as your hunger bar is full, you don't need to worry about rest."
"The soldiers understand that the work they're doing now is for Inazuma's future, so that their families and friends can live more prosperous lives."
"You came today and spoke with them yourself. Because of the continuous output of resources, Inazuma's livelihood has recovered and is rapidly becoming prosperous again."
"To be honest, if Kujou Sara weren't keeping them in check right now, they'd probably already be pulling all-nighters again."
"But Makoto, this is the soldiers' sincerity. We can't just ignore it."
"Yes, with hunger mechanics and alchemical potions, not sleeping only affects mental condition."
"But if they keep working themselves to death like this every day, their focus will inevitably drop. In this world, that's extremely dangerous, the Overworld is no safer than Teyvat."
Makoto rubbed her temples, clearly feeling a headache coming on.
"I'll remember this. Roughly how many more people do we need?"
"Two thousand."
The moment Yae Miko said that number, Makoto's heart sank.
Two thousand…
Inazuma's military had only just been reorganized.
Unqualified and redundant personnel had been cleared out, and those unwilling to continue military service had been dismissed.
Even counting generously, only a little over four thousand soldiers remained.
Those four thousand still had to maintain public order in Inazuma and accompany Gorou in suppressing monsters.
Pulling out two thousand at once would destabilize Inazuma all over again.
But if they didn't send two thousand…
Not only would development here fall behind, the thousand soldiers already stationed here would continue to push themselves to the limit.
If that happened, losses were practically inevitable.
As for recruiting anew,
Inazuma had only just stabilized after so much turmoil. The people might not be willing to enlist again so soon.
For a moment, even Makoto found herself at a loss.
Seeing this, Yae Miko quickly added:
"It doesn't have to be two thousand right away. Sending one thousand first would also work."
"One thousand, huh…"
Makoto let out a bitter smile and nodded.
"I understand. I'll find a way."
Ei secretly cast Yae Miko a grateful look.
She then quickly glanced toward the top of the Lich Tower.
Gunfire echoed without pause, it was obvious the battle was still ongoing.
At the very least, worries about recruitment would probably keep Makoto from focusing on her for a while.
Ei quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, Makoto heard it.
Her gaze sharpened slightly as she looked calmly at Yae Miko.
"Oh? Miko… now you're even helping Ei divert my attention?"
Yae Miko blinked and replied with a cheerful smile.
"How can you say that, Makoto? I'm just stating facts. Kujou Sara has been so worried she hasn't slept properly for nights on end."
Makoto shot her a glare and said softly,
"I'll handle recruitment. But Ei, your situation needs to be discussed as well."
Ei instantly tensed up and hurriedly glanced at Yae Miko.
"Don't look at Miko,"
Makoto snapped, displeased.
"And Miko, if you dare divert my attention again, none of Inazuma's shops will sell you fried tofu ever again."
"..."
Yae Miko pursed her lips and gave Ei a helpless look that clearly said I've done all I can.
Makoto sat upright on a wooden chair and spoke calmly.
"Ei, come here."
Ei's heart trembled. With her head lowered, she reluctantly walked over to Makoto.
"I was wrong, Makoto."
"Wrong about what?"
Makoto looked at her steadily. Ei remained silent.
After a long pause, Makoto sighed, her tone filled with helplessness.
"Your body is now a puppet, isn't it?"
Ei nodded.
"The puppet is the Shogun, right? She developed self-awareness, correct?"
Ei pressed her lips together, still saying nothing.
"You sealed her consciousness inside my original consciousness space, didn't you?"
Ei panicked and rushed to explain,
"I, I wanted her to protect your consciousness space!"
"So you locked her in that lightless place?"
Makoto's voice rose slightly.
Nearby, Guizhong blinked, sensing drama unfolding, and immediately perked up to listen.
Makoto looked at Ei with deep disappointment.
"How many times is this now, Ei?"
"You created the puppet Kunikuzushi, then abandoned him, letting him become the twisted Harbinger Scaramouche he is today."
"You created the Shogun, treated her as a tool, and once she developed consciousness, you still sealed her away in endless darkness, to suffer eternal solitude."
"Ei, is this how I taught you?"
"Did I teach you to become such an irresponsible Archon?!"
Makoto slammed her hand hard against the wooden post, her eyes cold as she stared at Ei.
Ei's heart shook violently. She lowered her head even further, unable to say a word.