Before long, Lumine's group arrived at Liyue Harbor's docks.
"Wow, this ship is way too huge?!"
Looking at the gigantic aircraft carrier docked at the harbor, Paimon's little face was filled with shock.
It was her first time seeing such an enormous ship!
Compared to it, the nearby wooden boats looked like toys.
"Yeah, just looking at it gives you a sense of security."
Lumine nodded in agreement.
With such a massive size, it looked like a small island floating on the sea.
It was almost comparable to the Jade Chamber.
After recovering from her amazement, she quickly urged:
"Paimon, hurry and take pictures! We'll have one ourselves soon!"
"Hehe, that's right!"
Paimon giggled and hurriedly began snapping photos with the camera.
Your aircraft carrier is really awesome!
But soon I'll have one too!
Before she could take many pictures, however—
The previously quiet carrier suddenly released a thunderous roar.
It sounded like a giant beast letting out a howl.
Then the ship slowly began moving, cutting through the waves as it gradually sailed toward the open sea.
"The big ship… left?!"
Paimon froze with the camera still raised.
"Yeah. Beidou hasn't gone out to sea for several days now, so she's probably heading toward Inazuma."
Keqing nodded and explained.
Still, the momentum of the carrier moving really was extraordinary.
If she had the chance someday, she wanted to go aboard and take a look herself.
"Looks like our timing was pretty good."
Watching the carrier disappear into the distance, Lumine smiled.
If they'd arrived any later, they probably would've missed this gigantic vessel entirely.
As for Inazuma…
If this had been before she learned her brother was safe, she definitely would've tried to sneak aboard that ship somehow.
After all, neither Mondstadt nor Liyue had any trace of him, so Inazuma would've been her next lead.
But after finding out this morning that her brother was safe, she completely lost the urge.
He'd already gone and found her a sister-in-law, so what was there to worry about?
At most, they could just call occasionally in the future.
Building a home that belonged to herself and Han Feng was far more important now.
Thinking of that, she looked toward the other two.
"Then let's head to Jueyun Karst now!"
"Okay!"
The two nodded.
The trio immediately changed direction and flew westward.
…
Aboard the Southern Cross Aircraft Carrier.
Inside the control room—
"Kazuha, nicely done! You actually managed to get this carrier moving!"
Feeling the vibrations of the ship and watching the images displayed on the monitor ahead, Beidou looked absolutely delighted.
Owning an aircraft carrier and actually being able to operate one were two completely different things!
From this moment onward, the carrier had truly begun its maiden voyage.
"It's thanks to Boss Han's reward."
Kaedehara Kazuha sat in the control seat with a smile.
Although Daigo and Shinjo had been terrible at flying planes, that had simply been bad luck.
It had nothing to do with their actual expertise.
The modern technological knowledge those two possessed was still incredibly rich.
So while these systems looked impossibly complicated to Beidou, to Kazuha they were child's play.
It hadn't taken him long at all to understand the operating procedures.
Of course, one person's abilities were limited.
Later, he'd still need to teach some of the other crew members the simpler controls.
"Well done. Next time we return to Liyue, I'll take you to read manga again.
I'm going outside now. Those guys are definitely excited out of their minds already!"
Beidou laughed as she patted the younger man's shoulder before walking out.
"Once I reach Inazuma, Boss Han's branch store should already be open. Then I can just read manga there."
Kazuha silently thought to himself.
That way, he wouldn't have to keep traveling back and forth anymore.
Shaking his head, he stopped thinking about it and focused fully on the monitor.
He actually quite enjoyed the feeling of operating an aircraft carrier.
It was far more interesting than simply practicing swordsmanship.
Mm.
Once Inazuma's affairs were resolved, he would officially join the Crux Fleet.
Then he could travel the world adventuring alongside Big Sis Beidou.
That was the kind of life he truly wanted!
…
Mondstadt.
After returning, Jean had contacted Lisa to discuss the matter of the train.
However, after obtaining the research equipment, Lisa had become completely absorbed in studying APTX4869 and had no time to spare.
Left with no choice, Jean instead invited Albedo and Sucrose, the master-and-disciple pair.
At this moment, the three of them were gathered inside the Knights of Favonius headquarters discussing the matter.
"So that's the situation. I obtained a train from Boss Han's manga shop, but I can't get it moving. Do you think you can figure it out?"
Jean looked toward Albedo as she spoke.
This man before her was Mondstadt's chief alchemist!
In her eyes, he was the only person remotely connected to something like a train.
If even he couldn't do anything about it, then there truly was no solution.
At that point, she could only continue gambling on luck at the manga shop.
"Would it be convenient for us to see the train itself?"
After thinking for a moment, Albedo raised his head and asked.
He was quite interested in the train Jean described—something capable of moving quickly while transporting huge numbers of passengers.
And only after seeing it personally could he determine whether he could operate it.
In fact, if possible, he even wanted to dismantle it for research.
"Of course. Come with me."
Jean nodded and didn't refuse.
It was a perfectly reasonable request.
Soon afterward, she brought the two to a spacious and deserted area.
Then she took out the card she'd previously obtained and activated it with a thought.
The card instantly transformed into countless points of starlight that spread across the empty ground ahead.
In the next instant—
A gigantic white train appeared before the three of them.
The train consisted of twenty carriages, with a total length of roughly five hundred meters.
It was also three to four meters wide.
Fortunately, the terrain here was open enough.
Otherwise, there probably wouldn't even have been space to place the thing.
"So this is the train? It really is astonishing."
Looking at the enormous steel behemoth before him, even Albedo looked shocked.
It was far larger than he had imagined!
Just standing there, it radiated overwhelming presence!
That manga shop could really grant rewards this miraculous?!
"Come, Sucrose. Let's go take a look inside!"
Albedo suddenly became excited.
It was rare for him to encounter something that interested him this much.
"Okay!"
Sucrose obediently nodded.
But curiosity also shone in her eyes.
Previously, she had only seen horse-drawn carriages from Liyue.
This was her first time seeing a vehicle this gigantic and imposing!
"I wonder what it feels like to drive a train…"
Staring at the locomotive ahead, Sucrose suddenly felt eager to try it herself.
—------------------------------
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