As more and more people from New Eridu—and its technology—arrived in Liyue, Liyue Harbor's appearance gradually began to change.
The once-ancient city suddenly took on a distinct sense of modern technology.
However, Keqing did not wish for New Eridu's influence to overwhelm Liyue Harbor itself. After discussing the matter with Ningguang, she decided to establish a new city beside Liyue Harbor, near the foothills of Mount Tianheng.
With the assistance of Belobog Heavy Industries, only a few days passed before the outline of an entire district emerged on what had once been empty land. Many buildings were quickly erected using rapid-construction materials.
Naturally, the purpose of building this new city was to accommodate the people arriving from New Eridu, so it was put into use immediately after completion.
During this same period, exchanges between Mondstadt, Inazuma, Sumeru, Fontaine, Natlan, and Liyue became increasingly frequent, with all nations actively preparing for war.
Even Snezhnaya—once distant and reserved in its dealings with other nations—began sending envoys nonstop, preparing for the pitch-black calamity that could arrive at any moment.
...
At this moment, outside Mount Tianheng, along the road leading toward Dihua Marsh.
A small team from Mondstadt was preparing to cross the mountain and head to Liyue Harbor to seek out Sam Li, the Traveler, and the others to discuss urgent matters.
Suddenly, an explosion rang out behind them.
Kaeya turned his head—and sure enough, it was Klee, once again blasting fish by the river.
"Klee, hurry up and keep moving. Once we cross this mountain, we'll reach Liyue Harbor."
"Kaeya, Klee's here! Kaeya, look! Klee blasted a really, really big fish! I'll give it to Sister Nekomata as a gift later!"
Klee loved blasting fish.
Nekomata loved eating fish.
Ever since they met once before—and blasted fish together—Klee and Nekomata had become close friends.
During this time, Klee had repeatedly begged to come to Liyue to play with the Traveler, Paimon, and Sister Nekomata, but she had always been stopped by Acting Grand Master Jean.
This time, she finally managed to come along with Brother Kaeya.
As she spoke, Klee hurriedly held up the freshly blasted bass in front of Kaeya, proudly showing just how big it was.
It really was enormous.
But… giving a fish as a gift was a bit strange, wasn't it?
Well—children's games were children's games.
Kaeya smiled faintly.
"Hurry up. Once we cross Mount Tianheng, you'll be able to see Liyue Harbor."
Klee hugged the giant bass tightly and nodded repeatedly.
"Mm! Soon I'll see the Honorary Knight—and Sister Nekomata too…"
With that, Kaeya and Albedo walked ahead, with Klee following closely behind.
Before long, they reached the summit of Mount Tianheng. Standing at the cliff's edge, they looked out toward the distant Liyue Harbor.
But when they saw the scene before them, all three froze.
Kaeya frowned in confusion.
"Albedo… since when has there been another city next to Liyue?"
Albedo shook his head.
"Don't ask me. This is my first time coming to Liyue."
Klee's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Kaeya, that city looks so strange! Let's go check it out!"
Before Kaeya or Albedo could respond, Klee had already dashed down the mountain path, unable to contain her curiosity.
The two exchanged a glance and hurried after her.
Once they reached the base of the mountain, they finally got a clear look at the strange city.
Unfamiliar architectural styles, wide roads, and all kinds of bizarre vehicles—none of them recognized a single one.
In the distance, Klee suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
"Kaeya, look! It's March 7th! Klee knows her… March 7th, Klee's coming!"
During her previous visits to Liyue, Klee had already met several members of the Astral Express crew.
Calling out March 7th's name, she ran straight toward her.
March 7th turned around and lit up with surprise.
"Little Klee! Why are you holding a fish? Did you just buy it?"
Klee shook her head.
"Nope! Klee blasted it herself. I'm giving it to Sister Nekomata."
Then she looked around and realized that only the Express crew were nearby. She didn't see anyone from the Cunning Hares, nor did she see the Traveler or Paimon.
She quickly asked, "March 7th, do you know where Sam Li, the Honorary Knight, and Sister Nekomata are?"
March 7th replied confidently, "You're asking the right person! I just saw them. Come on—follow me."
With that, March 7th led Klee, Kaeya, and Albedo deeper into the city in search of Sam Li and the others.
Along the way, they encountered countless unfamiliar sights. Every new invention left Kaeya amazed, while Albedo fell deep into thought.
Ten minutes later, they finally found Sam Li, the Traveler, and Paimon on the other side of the city.
Nekomata, Nicole, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Tsukishiro Yanagi, Caesar, Keqing, Hu Tao, and others were there as well.
The moment she saw Nekomata, Klee ran over excitedly.
"Sister Nekomata, this is for you!"
Seeing such a massive bass, Nekomata's eyes lit up.
"Meow! That's a huge bass—where did you catch it?"
Klee beamed.
"I blasted it in the river below Mount Tianheng! I can take you there later—there are lots and lots of big bass over there!"
Nekomata nodded eagerly. "It's a promise, meow!"
Nicole, however, interrupted them.
"Do you even know what time it is? Still thinking about blasting fish? You didn't come all this way just to fish, did you?"
Klee replied seriously, "Of course not!"
Kaeya stepped forward and handed a document to Sam Li.
"This is Mondstadt's preparation report from the past two months. Please take a look, Mr. Sam Li."
During this period, it wasn't just key figures in Liyue Harbor—important figures from other nations had also learned of Sam Li's identity as the Geo Archon.
Naturally… Venti was no exception.
With preparations underway, their identities had already been exposed.
After glancing through Mondstadt's report, Sam Li nodded in satisfaction.
"How has Venti been lately?"
"Lord Barbatos told us to deliver the preparation data to you… and then disappeared again."
Kaeya sounded entirely used to it.
After all, this wasn't the first time the Anemo Archon had vanished without a trace.
In the time that followed, all nations across Teyvat continued preparing for war. After Albedo's visit to Liyue, he successfully replicated much of New Eridu's technology, allowing it to be reproduced in Mondstadt.
In addition, Mondstadt invited several specialists from New Eridu to assist with their efforts.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Another two months went by.
During this period, the Abyss once again attempted to invade Teyvat through Natlan, but was repelled by the combined efforts of Sam Li, Venti, and Mavuika.
However, only a few days later, grim news arrived from Sumeru.
The seal on the Mausoleum of King Deshret had been broken.
Darkness spread across the desert. Monsters roamed freely.
The pitch-black calamity had finally descended.