"We're nearing Guyun Stone Forest. With the big shots' help, this ship's moving at an unnatural clip," the hatamoto captain said, checking his Star Chart Compass.
"My lords, should we stop at Guyun Stone Forest to rest?" he asked Reisen Riou.
What was a six-day, six-night trip had shrunk to three days, two nights.
It started fine, but the last two days, the ship's speed visibly surged—faster by the hour.
"Nah, I hear Guyun Stone Forest's waters are crawling with Liyue pirates. No need to stop. Straight to Liyue Harbor," Reisen said, knowing what lurked beneath.
The Geo Archon had speared the area with his stone lances, sealing ancient Archons.
Best not stir trouble. He ordered the fleet to skip rest and head to Liyue Harbor.
But the world's a cruel place—trouble found them anyway.
"Captain! Lady Guuji! Lord Recorder! Someone's on Guyun Stone Forest's peak!" the lookout shouted, clutching an alchemical telescope.
"What the—!" Reisen glanced over and nearly jumped out of his skin.
The figure leaped off the peak—without a Glider, no flight or gliding gear, nothing.
Guyun's cliffs weren't towering, but they were still seven or eight hundred meters high.
Reisen cursed, then flashed into action.
A streak of lightning later, he returned to the ship with a middle-aged Liyue man dressed as a wandering knight.
"Brother, what's got you so down you're jumping cliffs?" Reisen asked.
"Ahem," the man coughed, embarrassed. "I'm the seventh-generation head of the Swordmaster Sect, known in the jianghu as Swordmaster Young Noble."
"You? Swordmaster Young Noble? Pfft!" Yae Miko doubled over, laughing.
"Ugh, I knew you wouldn't believe me," the man sighed, slumping onto the deck.
He spilled his story.
The Swordmaster Sect was once a mystic arts faction, but as mystic arts faded and talent dwindled, it turned into a jianghu martial sect.
He joined by chance. A rich Liyue kid with decent talent, he craved the jianghu life and picked a sect at random.
He even snagged an Ice Vision by fluke.
His lifelong dream? Forge a sword for true swordflight.
He'd made one before—Skyward Sword. Decent, but it only slowed his fall, not enough for flight.
A jump off Jueyun Karst's cliffs only broke his legs.
While recovering, a magical beast tide swept Teyvat.
By the time his legs healed, the tide had receded.
Ready to forge a new sword, he found his family's wealth drained—trade routes cut, materials pricier than ever.
He sold his beloved sword to fund a new one: Grand Skyward Sword.
This time, he tested it at the "safer" Guyun Stone Forest to avoid broken bones.
Clearly, he failed. Grand Skyward Sword didn't let him soar.
"Okay, but why no backup? No Glider, no parachute, nothing?" Reisen asked, baffled.
A master smith crafting three-star weapons shouldn't be broke. A basic Glider cost five to ten thousand Mora, depending on region and materials. One commission could cover it.
The man's response floored Reisen.
"You can do that?" Swordmaster Young Noble gaped, as if the idea had never crossed his mind.
"…" Reisen facepalmed, then remembered something. With a spark of lightning, he summoned a greatsword.
"This is your 'Grand Skyward Sword,' right? Solid work."
"What's your plan? Disembark at Guyun or come with us to Liyue Harbor?"
Taking the sword, Swordmaster Young Noble said, "I'll head to Liyue Harbor with you. Swordflight's a pipe dream, huh?"
Seeing the man's crushed look, Reisen scratched his head.
"Swordflight's not exactly reliable," Reisen said. "Why bother when you can just fly? Like me."
"But swordflight's cool!" the man protested.
"Fair point," Reisen conceded, deciding not to argue with the guy. Despite his quirks, he had talent.
In Liyue's jianghu, Swordmaster Young Noble was a standout. Reisen's appraisal pegged him at LV60+ vitality, Forging LV6, and not that old—mid-thirties. Wind, rain, and too much youthful makeup just made him look forty-something.
Chatting, Reisen got the latest on Liyue.
Liyue's god, the strongest of the Seven, led the Thousand Rock Army, Teyvat's most disciplined and powerful force.
Well, formerly. Inazuma's mid-to-low-tier forces now outshone Liyue's. Large-scale assaults? Thousand Rock still led. Small-scale? Inazuma had the edge.
A day and night later, they reached Liyue Harbor.
"Been ages since I've seen Liyue Harbor. Still bustling," Reisen mused.
"Beast tides and regional monsters have hit Liyue Harbor's trade hard," Ganyu said, approaching from the docks, her Cryo Qilin aura unmistakable.
"Good to see you, Sister Ganyu," Reisen and Miko said, showing respect.
"Let the staff handle the cargo. I'll take you to the Qixing and Lord Morax," Ganyu said.
"These smiths and materials are in your hands," Reisen said warmly to Liyue's port officials, then followed Ganyu with his retinue and Miko.
Miko's shrine maidens, stuck with the military ones, were busy dismantling barriers.
Unlike Reisen, who could whip up Archon-level barriers with his youkai power, they had to recycle high-grade barrier materials the hard way.