Targeted by Lumine's ill-intentioned gaze, Ganyu shuddered slightly.
"I..."
"Traveler, there is nothing between us..."
"So, I'm going to take my clothes!"
Ganyu was innocent. She and Lumine were good friends, and nothing had happened yet. However, Lumine leaned close to Ganyu's ear and whispered like a demon.
"Ganyu~ You don't want Keqing to know about Zhongli's identity, do you?!"
"Eh—!?"
Ganyu looked astonished and hurriedly spoke, "I understand... Y-You can take them..."
"Ganyu, you're so good~ Mua~"
Lumine hugged Ganyu and gave her a kiss, then went into the room with a beaming smile. "Fragrant little clothes, here I come~"
The gazes of the surrounding girls instantly filled with amusement.
"Master Ye Xi! Let's set off quickly!"
Keqing didn't want to stay a second longer! It was too shameful!
Ye Xi nodded. "How do you plan to return to Liyue Harbor?"
"Walking!"
Keqing explained, "Inside The Chasm, there is a place called Cinnabar Cliff, where there is a tunnel leading to Avidya Forest!"
Ye Xi knew that tunnel. It was the cave one had to walk through when first unlocking the Sumeru map. In the game, it was very short and could be traversed in moments. But in the real world of Genshin Impact, that tunnel would be very, very long! He wanted to avoid walking through that tunnel as much as possible.
"I know that place, but that way is too slow."
"Better leave it to me."
Saying this, he used the [Abyss Core] skill.
A black cube appeared behind him, constantly shifting its form. At this, all the girls in the courtyard held their breath. This was the first time they had seen Ye Xi use this skill up close!
Keqing and Ganyu both widened their eyes. They could feel it—this powerful pressure was the same mechanism technique Ye Xi had used during his proclamation yesterday!
Under everyone's gaze, black light bloomed, and a semi-transparent phantom appeared in the center of the courtyard. Gradually, the phantom became solid, and its outline became increasingly clear. Before long, a helicopter was parked in front of everyone.
"Whoa—! What is this, Master!"
"Such cool machinery! What is this used for?"
"Is it some new weapon? It's too handsome!"
"Master's mechanism technique is too amazing! So strong! I love it!"
The girls exclaimed in succession.
Ye Xi explained, "This is a flying machine. It can carry people into the sky."
"Flying machine!?"
Hearing this answer, the girls couldn't help but come up to the aircraft and touch it.
"Ooh, it's so cold!"
"This texture is great!"
"Is it really that magical!?"
"Just this machine, it can fly?"
In Teyvat, most things that could fly were balloon-shaped, or utilized Anemo Slimes for low-altitude flight. So seeing this kind of flying machine, the girls were exceptionally shocked. Ayexia and Setaria had already begun to study its principles.
"Of course, it can't fly yet."
Ye Xi modified it again, loading an [Energy Core] onto the aircraft. Without fuel, the aircraft couldn't operate. But with the Energy Core, as long as the aircraft didn't encounter strong air currents, flying for a lifetime would be no problem. This Energy Core was simply more awesome than a nuclear-powered aircraft.
"Now it can fly."
Ye Xi opened the cabin door and boarded the plane, saying, "Come, my lady passengers."
Keqing and Ganyu looked at each other and followed Ye Xi onto the plane. Dehya and the others instantly looked envious; they also wanted to go up and try it.
Ye Xi saw the girls looking over with burning gazes and couldn't help but smile. "When I come back, I'll take you all for a ride too."
"Business first today. I'll be back tonight."
"Be obedient."
At this, the girls beamed with joy and nodded one after another.
"Okay~"
"Master, come back early!"
"Safe travels~"
This scene of being seen off by his wives made Ye Xi feel somewhat blissful. In the real world, the biggest dream of ordinary people was a warm bed with a wife and children; watching videos of Japanese wives welcoming their husbands home could make one incredibly envious. Now he had so many wives waiting for him to come home; it was simply too exhilarating!
Even Ganyu and Keqing yearned for this kind of family atmosphere. During the day, everyone went out to work, busy with what they needed to do, handling household chores as needed. At night, so many people would soak in the hot springs lively and live together. Later, when they had children and grandchildren filling the hall, how beautiful it would be. If one lived in such a family, returning home after work would surely be very happy!
"Alright, we're setting off."
Ye Xi started the plane, and the propeller immediately began to spin.
Da da da—
As the propeller speed became faster and faster, sand and weeds on the ground were blown in all directions, and the girls' clothes flapped loudly in the wind. This scene made the girls click their tongues in wonder.
As Ye Xi pulled up the control stick, the plane slowly rose toward the sky. Keqing and Ganyu looked out the window, seeing their line of sight getting higher and seeing further and further.
Soon, the commotion here attracted the attention of people in the city. Pedestrians on the street looked up at the sky one after another.
"What sound is that!? What happened!"
"Look over there! My god! What is that thing!"
"It's actually flying! That looks like a machine!"
"Could it be new research from the Akademiya!?"
"No, look at that color and style, it's exactly the same as the locomotive Master Ye Xi built yesterday!"
"That's right, it has a huge core on it just like the train!"
"Could this be another of Master Ye Xi's new inventions!?"
The scholars of the Akademiya were also in a panic, walking out of the Akademiya one after another to gaze into the distance.
"It looks like a new device created by Master Ye Xi!"
"He just built a train, and now he's built flying equipment?"
"If this is used to transport cargo, it seems like it would be very easy!"
"Indeed, Anemo Slimes and transport balloons are too slow and very unsafe! This machine can fly so high, there's no need to fear monster attacks!"
"Truly amazing!"
"....."
The helicopter flew in the direction of Liyue, gradually disappearing from everyone's sight. And in just these few seconds, it dealt a heavy blow to the scholars of Kshahrewar (School of Technology) who studied machinery at the Akademiya! How could they compare with this!?
....
On the plane.
Ye Xi controlled the operation of the plane relying on memory. Of course, he didn't actually know how to fly. This bit of third-rate skill was actually practiced when he played flight simulations on console games back then. In Teyvat, there were no other aircraft, so there was absolutely no need to worry about collisions or flight paths. He could fly however he wanted. Even if he crashed, it didn't matter. He would just use a Time Stop, then fly the two girls to a safe place. So it was very safe.
Sitting in the back row, Ganyu and Keqing's small faces were filled with surprise.
"Ganyu, look, we can already see the mines of The Chasm so quickly!"
"Such fast speed!"
The two girls were not afraid at all. They both knew how to use Wind Gliders; at worst, they could jump out and land safely, so at this moment, they were admiring the scenery in the sky.
Keqing couldn't help but think again. If this machine called a "Helicopter" were used to transport goods, the efficiency would simply be too fast! At this speed, from Sumeru City to Liyue Harbor, it felt like it wouldn't even take an hour!
Ganyu was already fantasizing in her heart. Maybe in the future, she could eat fresh fruits just picked from Sumeru! The kind just plucked off the branch!
Ye Xi went full throttle. Before long, the plane flew past The Chasm. The distant Mt. Tianheng was close at hand. This was Ye Xi's first time coming to Liyue Harbor. He looked at the magnificent rivers and mountains of Liyue, his heart full of admiration. Sumeru was beautiful, but Liyue was even more beautiful! Here, there was a feeling of returning to his hometown. Compared to Khaenri'ah, Liyue had a greater sense of belonging!
Not long after, the plane bypassed Mt. Tianheng and arrived directly above Yujing Terrace. Yujing Terrace was just spacious enough to land directly.
"Alright, we've arrived. Prepare to descend."
Keqing sucked in a breath of cold air. This speed was truly too fast! If they had walked, it would have taken them at least a whole day! And now, they had actually only spent just over half an hour to return to Liyue Harbor! Simply incredible!
....
At this moment.
Yujing Terrace was already in chaos. The Millelith were on high alert.
"Assemble! Quickly assemble! Enemy attack!"
"Instructor, the brothers are rushing to Yujing Terrace, they can't make it here immediately!"
"What exactly is going on! How could they come directly to Yujing Terrace!"
The deployment of the Millelith was very scattered. Because Yujing Terrace was located very high up, it was inherently difficult to access, so there was no need for heavy guards. No one expected the enemy to actually descend from the sky and arrive directly at Yujing Terrace!
In the Jade Chamber, Ningguang also walked quickly out of the great hall, looking toward the direction of Yujing Terrace. After seeing the huge machine flying in the sky, her gaze instantly filled with gravity.
"Someone, maneuver the Jade Chamber! Fast!"
"Yes! Lady Ningguang!"
Because the helicopter made a huge noise, the people of Liyue Harbor also looked up at the sky one after another. People felt it was very novel and watched the excitement from the streets.
Zhongli, who was drinking tea at "Three Bowls Drunk," instantly frowned and walked quickly toward Yujing Terrace. People on the street were looking up at the plane; no one noticed him. If anyone had looked, they would have discovered that when Zhongli took a step, it was like crossing more than ten steps, rapidly shuttling through the crowd.
Northland Bank.
Childe, Tartaglia, looked at the sky with interest, muttering to himself.
"What is that?"
"Looks like a nice toy...."
Yujing Terrace.
Madame Ping stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze full of shock. She was already surrounded by Millelith. Hundreds of soldiers held long spears, their eyes staring dead at the descending helicopter. Even though the propeller was blowing a hurricane downwards, they didn't dare blink, terrified this "monster" would suddenly launch an attack!
It wasn't until Ye Xi slowly parked the plane steadily that the Millelith swarmed up, surrounding the plane tightly.
"It seems the people of Liyue Harbor welcome me very much."
Ye Xi smiled and looked at Keqing and Ganyu, asking, "What should we do? We're surrounded."
"Cough... Extremely sorry! Master Ye Xi!"
Keqing hurriedly explained, "It's really just that this aspect is too astonishing, I will go handle it! Right away!"
After speaking, she opened the cabin door under Ye Xi's guidance and jumped down from the plane.
"Eh!? Lady Keqing!"
"How can it be the Lady Yuheng!?"
"What's the situation? Why am I confused? Instructor!"
"Isn't this an enemy?"
The Chief Instructor standing at the front also looked blank. A group of people asked him, but he didn't know who to ask!
Keqing spoke up, "Everyone, no need to worry. There is no danger here."
Ganyu followed from behind, leaping down from the plane.
"It's a false alarm. Everyone disperse, no need to worry."
"Miss Ganyu is also here!?"
Seeing Keqing and Ganyu say this, the Chief Instructor finally relaxed.
"Brothers, disperse!"
Just as he was speaking, Ye Xi followed and got off the plane. Upon seeing Ye Xi, the Millelith were surprised for a moment.
"Why is there also a man!?"
"What happened? Lady Keqing was only out for a day, and she brought a man back!?"
"Damn it, he's so handsome too! What is his background?"
"Even Miss Ganyu is here, don't tell me even Miss Ganyu is also...."
"How is that possible! He must be a guest with a special identity!"
"..."
Whether it was Keqing or Ganyu, their popularity in Liyue Harbor was very high! Many wealthy young masters wanted to pursue them, and even the Millelith fantasized about receiving a gaze from Keqing and Ganyu. Seeing Ye Xi together with two beauties, they all suddenly felt sour.
Ye Xi didn't care about the surroundings but looked in the direction of Yiyan Temple. He saw that Zhongli had already stopped there.
To be honest, Zhongli was also very astonished. He hadn't figured out what this flying machine was at first either. But seeing Ye Xi, he relaxed. However, now he was quite curious about this flying machine. So he silently came up to join the fun, sizing up the iron lump before him.
Meanwhile, Ningguang had already used a Floating Stone to slowly land at the entrance of Yuehai Pavilion.
"Keqing, Ganyu, you've returned."
Seeing Ningguang, Keqing stepped forward on her own initiative to make introductions: "Ningguang, I've brought Ye Xi!"
"This is Master Ye Xi!"
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