Several days after obtaining the Wonder Core and Adepti Sigil, the Jade Chamber's reconstruction officially entered its final phase.
Ningguang declared with satisfaction, "With the Wonder Core and Adepti Sigil installed in the Jade Chamber's control chamber, the Jade Chamber's reconstruction will be formally complete."
Qin Yu smiled. "That's wonderful, Lady Ningguang."
Ningguang nodded, turning to Lumine and the others with a warm smile.
"The Jade Chamber's restoration is all thanks to you all. Allow me to express my gratitude once again."
Beidou shrugged. "I was just roped in to help. You've already paid me, so there's no need for formalities."
"Etiquette remains necessary," Ningguang replied evenly.
Yun Jin chuckled softly. "Lady Ningguang, you truly needn't be so polite. Allowing our opera troupe to perform our new play here is already more than enough."
Yun Jin's real question for Ningguang concerned the performance venue for her new play.
Ningguang cut to the chase. "There is no place more suitable for Miss. Yun Jin than here."
The two immediately reached an agreement, deciding on the spot that the Yun-Han Opera Troupe's new play would premiere at the Jade Chamber.
Truth be told, even without the competition prize granting Yun Jin the opportunity to ask a question, Ningguang would have readily answered her query and made the same suggestion. After all, Ningguang deeply admired Yun Jin as a renowned opera star.
Had the opportunity arisen to invite Yun Jin to perform at the Jade Chamber, Ningguang would have undoubtedly extended the invitation, though Yun Jin might have declined.
Those who frequented the Jade Chamber were either wealthy nobles or select Secretaries from Yuehai Pavilion. Yun Jin, however, preferred performing for the common folk.
Were it not for the Jade Chamber's restoration, and the Chamber's unique significance, Ningguang might never have secured Yun Jin's presence.
As Ningguang often said, "Some things are priceless."
"It's my honor to have Miss Yun Jin join us," Ningguang said. "The Jade Chamber will soon release its chains and officially ascend. Since the performance is scheduled for tonight, I trust you'll prepare accordingly."
Yun Jin nodded with a smile. "Certainly. I'll have the props and instruments delivered shortly. I also need to begin my own preparations, so I'll take my leave after exchanging pleasantries."
Yun Jin urged everyone present to attend the performance before departing.
Beidou's expression turned serious. "My crew is already ready."
"Thank you for your assistance," Ningguang replied.
"No problem. I'll head out first. You two can continue chatting."
Watching Beidou's departing figure, Paimon grew confused. "Whoa, why are you all talking in riddles? It feels like something big is about to happen!"
"You'll see soon enough," Ningguang replied. "By the way, Shenhe, I haven't heard what you wanted to ask me."
Ningguang hadn't expected Shenhe to have any questions for her. Last time, she asked me what romance was. Could this be another question about common knowledge? But if that's the case, why not just ask Qin Yu directly? Why use this opportunity to ask me? Ningguang pondered, her curiosity and skepticism warring within her.
Half curious and half suspicious, Ningguang fixed her gaze on Shenhe.
"You may ask now."
Shenhe glanced at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu looked momentarily puzzled, then realization dawned.
Ah, Shenhe's question is about me... Wouldn't it be better if I wasn't here?
Tch, fine. Qin Yu smiled faintly. "Lady Ningguang, before we ascend, I'd like to take another look inside the Jade Chamber."
"You don't need to leave," Shenhe said.
"Eh?"
I don't need to leave? Is she going to say it now?
"I don't plan to say it now."
Ha?
Qin Yu felt a surge of frustration. She keeps dangling this in front of me! Even I have my limits! But with Lumine and Paimon present, she forced herself to suppress her annoyance.
"Ah, I see," Qin Yu said, secretly pouting.
Ningguang's brow furrowed slightly.
The question Shenhe wants to ask... does it involve Qin Yu? What's going on here?
Ningguang pondered for a moment but couldn't make sense of it. She casually asked, "Why not now?"
"Because the crucial battle is about to begin. I can't afford any distractions."
That makes sense. Ningguang nodded slightly, accepting Shenhe's explanation.
Even so, she remained deeply curious about what Shenhe wanted to ask and how it related to Qin Yu.
After confirming that the Jade Chamber's mechanisms, overall structure, and everything else were functioning perfectly, Ningguang nodded.
"All preparations are complete. It's almost time."
Ningguang stood once more on the platform surrounding the Jade Chamber, filled with emotion.
"I still remember the first time I ascended the Jade Chamber. It wasn't nearly as grand back then. As I gazed upon Liyue Harbor, I vowed that one day, its shadow would stretch across all Seven Nations."
"Even now, my ambition remains unchanged. However, this reconstruction of the Jade Chamber is not solely for my own sake."
Ningguang glanced at Qin Yu as she spoke.
Qin Yu returned her smile, easing the tension in Ningguang's heart.
"I wish for the Jade Chamber to forever float above Liyue Harbor, witnessing and safeguarding the prosperity of every household. I invite you all to bear witness to this alongside me."
"Begin the ascension ceremony!"
At Ningguang's command, the iron chains released with a resounding clang.
Freed from its restraints, the Jade Chamber once again ascended into the sky. Under Ningguang's control, it soared toward the waters off Guyun Stone Forest.
As they approached Guyun Stone Forest, the sky abruptly darkened. A bolt of lightning struck the sea, and a massive, serpentine creature emerged from the whirlpool.
Though only its head was visible now, this spectacle alone proved her formidable power, demanding utmost vigilance and caution.
"Uwaaaah! What's that?!" Paimon shrank back in fear.
Qin Yu immediately spotted Guyun Stone Forest and Beidou's Crux Fleet. Combined with the Jade Chamber, Beisht was now surrounded.
While the new Guizhong Ballistae might lack some firepower compared to the old ones, their sheer numbers would prove decisive.
If we bombard her with everything, we might take Beisht down directly. Then I wouldn't have to go in.
No, I can't think like that.
The longer this drags on, the greater the casualties will be. We need a swift victory.
If that's the case... Qin Yu suppressed her anxiety and said, "That's Beisht, Osial's wife. She's harbored a deep grudge against Liyue Harbor ever since Osial was defeated."
"Lady Ningguang, I'm launching an attack now," she added.
Ningguang's expression turned serious. "Don't push yourself too hard."
"I won't."
Qin Yu glanced one last time at Shenhe before leaping off the Jade Chamber.
If we're going for a swift victory, I have no choice but to use my newly acquired Skill right from the start.
Dimensional Armor, activate.
The moment the Skill activated, ethereal projections rapidly materialized around Qin Yu, solidifying into a physical form. As the cockpit sealed shut, a heavily armed, massive machine appeared on the sea surface.
Seeing that Beisht had entered firing range, Ningguang activated the Jade Chamber's mechanisms without hesitation.
Ever since Osial's emergence, Ningguang had been determined to add more offensive mechanisms to the new Jade Chamber to prevent a recurrence of such a situation.
A Geo Elemental Formation shimmered around the Jade Chamber, from which countless Geo Crystals rained down like a tempest, striking Beisht's body relentlessly.
Beisht writhed, emitting a piercing roar of agony.
Ningguang's attack served as a signal. Keqing and Ganyu exchanged glances and raised their swords.
"Fire!"
All the Guizhong Ballistae stationed in Guyun Stone Forest, operated by the Millelith, launched their bombardment in unison.
The nearby Crux Fleet, under Beidou's command, joined the assault from the opposite flank.
Caught completely off guard by the three-pronged assault, Beisht staggered. Qin Yu seized the opportunity, activating all of the Dimensional Armor's armaments except its self-destruct function.
With a terrifying, fabric-tearing screech, the armor unleashed a torrent of explosive rounds, each trailing a streak of light as they hurtled toward Beisht.
Over a dozen missiles roared from the armor's rear, detonating in blinding white flashes against Beisht's scales.
By now, the Particle Cannon had fully charged. Qin Yu pressed the firing trigger.
A beam of azure light pierced Beisht, shooting straight into the sky.
"Whoa, what's that thing?" Paimon exclaimed. "Its firepower is insane!"
"But it doesn't seem to be enough," Ningguang observed, narrowing her eyes.
True to her words, even under such overwhelming bombardment, Beisht remained standing.
"It's weakened considerably, though," Shenhe noted.
"It must have sustained considerable damage."
Just as Ningguang resolved to press her advantage and completely crush Beisht, the creature suddenly threw back its head and let out a piercing shriek.
In an instant, the sea erupted into colossal waves, interwoven with flashes of lightning and thunder.
Qin Yu was stunned. Beisht could trigger a tsunami?
And this tsunami towered higher than the mountains of Guyun Stone Forest, its scale immense. Even the Jade Chamber, floating in the sky, might be swallowed whole.
The thought of the Jade Chamber being destroyed steeled Qin Yu's resolve.
"Not a chance," she muttered.
She piloted her mech to even greater heights.
Aimed at Beisht, she unleashed a full-scale barrage!
Every missile and energy projectile hurtled downward at breakneck speed. Bathing in such terrifying firepower, Beisht lost control of its power, and the tsunami instantly dissipated.
Yet the receding seawater still stirred up new waves.
"Everyone, climb to higher ground! Don't get swept away by the waves!" Keqing urged urgently.
"There's no need for that."
Ganyu's calm voice drew everyone's attention.
She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and shot an ice arrow. The arrow split into countless identical icy projectiles, raining down upon the surging waves.
In moments, the icy barrage completely froze the surging wave.
Ganyu exhaled. "If it's just waves like this, leave them to me."
Keqing was about to thank her when Beisht opened its maw and unleashed a blinding beam of light at them. The scorching radiance intensified relentlessly.
Suddenly, Qin Yu's mech tore through the sky, raising its Particle Cannon.
"You'll have to get past me first!" Qin Yu muttered, squeezing the trigger and firing the energy beam.
The azure beam clashed with Beisht's light cannon, erupting in a blinding flash of light.
"Qin Yu..." Keqing murmured.
Snapping back to focus, she barked orders: "Aim for Beisht's lower body! We must cripple its movements!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The Guizhong Ballista unleashed another volley of light arrows, joining the Jade Chamber's Geo Crystal assault in a coordinated strike against Beisht.
Having learned from its previous mistake, Beisht split its focus, immediately summoning a water shield. Layer upon layer of water shields blocked both the Geo Crystals and light arrows.
Meanwhile, the light cannon continued to blaze relentlessly.
Qin Yu noticed the mech's energy reserves had plummeted below 20%. Continuing to fire would inevitably deplete them.
The mech's ammunition was also nearly exhausted.
"In that case..." Qin Yu swiftly opened a panel and entered the code 2887.
I have no choice but to self-destruct!
Activating the "Peacemaker" self-destruct function, Qin Yu yanked the thrusters to full power, sending the mech barreling straight toward Beisht, bracing against the energy cannon.
Then she ejected from another hatch.
The Dimensional Armor, with its heavy plating, charged into the energy cannon's path. It detonated in a thunderous explosion the instant its energy reserves ran dry, unleashing a scorching blast of wind that roared outward in all directions.
Paimon exclaimed in awe, "So powerful! Beisht must be gone for good now, right?"
"Wait, don't say that yet..."
Before Lumine could finish, Beisht's silhouette emerged from the smoke.
Though battered and seemingly at the end of her strength, her fighting spirit still burned fiercely.
"She's going for broke, fighting with her back to the wall..." Ningguang murmured.
She had expected Beisht to retreat in the face of adversity, never imagining she would choose a life-or-death showdown. But if that's the battle she wants, anything could happen.
With a furious roar, Beisht unleashed another energy cannon blast at Qin Yu.
Am I the target? Is she enraged?
Qin Yu, realizing the danger, activated her Force Field Shield as a precaution. She then flew around the Particle Cannon at full speed.
If Beisht wants a fight to the death, then I have no choice but to indulge her.
Data Collection Rate: 80%
"Not 100%, but it's enough."
Causality Calculation!
In an instant, Qin Yu grasped Beisht's future actions: the Particle Cannon suddenly transforming into a Particle Bomb, deploying shields to resist attacks from the Guizhong Ballista and the Jade Chamber.
Seizing the precise moment and distance, Qin Yu once again materialized the Dimensional Armor.
With a sudden burst of acceleration, she sliced diagonally above Beisht.
Beisht twisted her head to see the muzzle of the Particle Cannon glowing with an eerie blue light.
The instant Qin Yu pulled the trigger, Beisht lunged forward with all her might, jaws agape. In a desperate gamble to harm the enemy at great cost to herself, she shattered the Particle Cannon in her jaws the very moment it fired its first particle stream.
Tch!
Just as she suspected, the missing 20% of data meant there were still unforeseen possibilities.
Even more astonishing was that Beisht, having taken a Particle Cannon blast to the mouth, managed to simultaneously fend off a three-pronged assault while nimbly coiling her body around Qin Yu's mech.
Like a constricting python, she squeezed the machine before dragging it into the sea.
Though on her last legs, Beisht's sheer tenacity drove her onward, leaving everyone stunned for a moment.
Ningguang's eyes widened. "Qin Yu—!"
Shenhe snapped out of her daze, her gaze hardening. Without hesitation, she leaped forcefully into the whirlpool, following Beisht and Qin Yu into the churning vortex.
"Shenhe too?! Lumine, hurry, we have to go after them!"
Before Paimon could finish speaking, the whirlpool vanished as if a gate had slammed shut.
Ganyu and Keqing halted in their tracks, their faces etched with regret.
They had nearly made it.
"Eh?! The whirlpool disappeared..."
Lumine shook her head slowly, surmising that Beisht had trapped them in her underwater realm, inaccessible to outsiders.
Ningguang, though deeply concerned, shared this assessment.
"Let's trust them," she sighed.
On the other side, the Dimensional Armor continued to be dragged downward, sinking deeper into the abyss.
To think they'd go this far! Aren't they afraid I'll self-destruct...? Wait, could it be...
They're willing to drag me down with them, even in death?
Qin Yu listened to the blaring alarms within the cockpit, watching the hull integrity gauge steadily decline on the interface. She tried to eject, but Beisht seemed to have anticipated her move, blocking the ejection port with her massive body.
Clicking her tongue, Qin Yu maintained her composure and muttered:
"In this situation, self-destruction is the only way to escape."
With the Dimensional Armor's protection and the Force Field Shield, she should be able to barely withstand the explosion. As long as I survive, I can heal myself.
Disengaging the armor and using Overclock? No, underwater, it won't be fast enough. Beisht will catch me again.
This is my only option.
Deciding on the spot, Qin Yu suppressed her anxiety, opened the control panel, and prepared to enter the self-destruct code.
Just as she was about to input the final digit, she suddenly heard Beisht let out a piercing shriek.
"What's happening...?"
With the camera broken, Qin Yu had no way of knowing what was happening outside.
She only felt Beisht release its grip on the mech, which immediately crashed to the ground, sending tremors through the cockpit.
Had Beisht collapsed first?
A flood of questions surged through Qin Yu's mind.
Before she could react, a pair of hands brutally ripped open the cockpit hatch.
"Eh?"
Shock and confusion left Qin Yu momentarily stunned.
As the hatch was ripped open by brute force, Shenhe appeared before her, the dim cockpit finally bathed in external light.
Shenhe?!
Seeing Qin Yu unharmed, Shenhe let out a sigh of relief.
When she had seen Qin Yu and Beisht disappear into the sea together, her heart had clenched with an intensity she had never experienced before. An indescribable emotion had erupted within her.
In that moment, Shenhe realized anew—she absolutely refused to lose Qin Yu.
And if Qin Yu were to die, she would want to die alongside her, in the same place, by her side.
However, Shenhe fervently hoped such a scenario would never come to pass. Living together with Qin Yu was far better than death.
And so, she had jumped in.
Seeing Qin Yu show no reaction, Shenhe's heart clenched again. Am I too late?
She reached out to touch Qin Yu.
Qin Yu instinctively deactivated her visor, allowing Shenhe's hand to press against her cheek. Feeling Qin Yu's warmth and seeing her face, Shenhe finally felt reassured.
Evaluation: SS+
Qin Yu was both delighted and bewildered. "Shenhe, how did you—"
"I came to protect you."
Shenhe's words cut off Qin Yu's rambling.
"Even if I can't protect you, I want to die with you."
Evaluation: SSS
Qin Yu stared blankly at Shenhe. More than the idea of "protection," she was overwhelmed by Shenhe's declaration of "sharing life and death."
A storm of emotions churned within her, leaving her momentarily speechless, unsure how to express them.
"Don't say such ominous things," Qin Yu finally said, rubbing her eyes.
What's with all this talk of death...?
At that moment, Beisht's roar echoed once more.
Qin Yu sniffled, temporarily regaining her composure, and glanced at her interface.
The Particle Cannon was unusable, and Beisht's earlier crushing attack had damaged the rest of her Dimensional Armament as well.
Even though it could still fire, Qin Yu figured it would probably explode the moment she pulled the trigger, leaving only the cockpit relatively intact.
But even if they didn't need the mech, she was confident they could completely defeat Beisht as it was now.
"I don't want to die, and I won't let you die either, Shenhe. We'll take this thing down together."
She reached out her hand.
"And then... we'll go home together. That's all that matters."
Shenhe nodded gently, took Qin Yu's hand, and pulled her out of the cockpit.
Qin Yu glanced around, realizing they seemed to be in an underwater world. There was oxygen and ample space to move, conditions that couldn't have formed naturally.
This must be something Beisht created deliberately.
Are we trapped?
No matter. We're definitely not going to lose.
With that thought, Qin Yu drew her Combat Pistol and steadied her breathing.
She had very little stamina left; summoning the Dimensional Armor twice had drained her severely. Yet, despite her physical exhaustion, her mental state was surprisingly sharp.
Beisht circled them in the open space, its form flickering in and out of sight.
"Shenhe..."
"Hmm?"
"I feel like I can do anything right now."
Shenhe replied softly, "Me too."
Beisht suddenly materialized, unleashing a thunderous roar at them.
Qin Yu raised her hand and fired a shot.
"So noisy," she muttered irritably.