Turns out… it wasn't.
Kairo shook his head, speechless.
But in the next second, as he looked at the option again, his eyes narrowed.
Setting up the Binding Evil-Subduing Formation…
Could that actually mean repairing the Guizhong Ballista?
How in the world were those two things even "combined" into one?
Absolutely ridiculous.
"Hunt… Cocogoat?"
Paimon looked completely baffled. "What even is that?"
"This kid isn't messing with us, is she?"
Lumine hesitated. "I've read plenty of Liyue's creature logs. I've never heard of any animal called 'Cocogoat.'"
Zhongli shook his head. "But I have heard of the thing she mentioned—the Guizhong Ballista."
"The Guizhong Ballista is an ancient adeptal ballista installed on Mt. Tianheng—a product of adeptal mechanism arts."
"It stands among the ruins of the old Tianheng city walls. It can automatically target and strike enormous monsters, defending against threats from outside."
Paimon gasped. "Mr. Zhongli, you really do know Liyue inside and out."
As expected of the Geo Archon, Morax!
"…Not entirely."
Zhongli's expression turned a little odd at Paimon's praise. "For example, I truly have never heard of 'Cocogoat.'"
"Cocogoat… is a legendary… half-adeptus beast."
Qiqi added flatly.
Paimon stared. "Eh? That's it? What does it look like? Any details?"
Qiqi nodded. "Mm. Cocogoat is a legendary half-adeptus beast."
Then, in the same calm tone, she continued:
"What it looks like: don't know.
Where there are the most: don't know.
Where it came from: don't know."
"…So it's a triple 'don't know,'" Paimon deadpanned.
Lumine scratched her head. "That makes this really hard."
"…No matter."
Zhongli spoke again. "Let's go take a look near the Guizhong Ballista first. Perhaps once we're there, we'll find clues."
With that, Zhongli started walking out of Bubu Pharmacy.
"Shame…"
Kairo sighed inwardly as he followed.
If he hadn't triggered HuoHuo's option, he wouldn't need to go to Mt. Tianheng at all.
But since going to Mt. Tianheng to repair the Guizhong Ballista would let him obtain HuoHuo's crowd-control technique, the benefit outweighed the trouble.
Soon, Kairo, Lumine, and Paimon followed Zhongli to Mt. Tianheng.
The ancient mountain road was carved by time. Jagged stone peaks stood solemn and mighty; emerald pines clung stubbornly to cliff faces, silently witnessing a thousand years of wind and rain.
Thin mist wound through the mountains, turning the entire range into a drifting immortal realm.
Halfway up the mountain—
An enormous ancient mechanism ballista, the Guizhong Ballista, stood tall on the heights.
Like a slumbering colossal beast that had slept for a millennium—waiting to awaken and deliver a fatal strike to any enemy that dared violate Liyue.
Its body was broad, built from dark timber and bronze—steady and indestructible.
Its base was massive, formed from countless interlocking gears, ensuring smooth rotation and adjustable firing angles.
When its arms spread, it looked like a giant eagle taking flight.
Along the bowstring, dense lines of carved sigils flickered faintly under sunlight, hinting at the mysterious art of ancient adeptal mechanism craft.
Each bolt was thicker than an adult's arm; the arrowheads were forged from meteor iron, radiating a sense of unstoppable penetration.
Under Zhongli's guidance, they arrived before the Guizhong Ballista and looked up.
Even Lumine and Paimon were struck by its grandeur.
Paimon couldn't help blurting out, "This thing is HUGE! How many people would it take to pull it?!"
"The Guizhong Ballista… is not something ordinary people can operate."
Zhongli's voice was low and distant as he stared at the ancient guardian with a trace of nostalgia.
"It carries the shared memory of the adepti and Liyue's people. If not for a great threat to Liyue… it should never have to start again."
From this height, Liyue Harbor's outline could be seen in the distance—brilliant lights below, in sharp contrast to the quiet solemnity of the ruins.
At the foot of the mountain, the broken remains of the Tianheng city walls lay like a relic inside the river of time, still marked with traces of old battles.
"So… how do we operate it?"
Paimon flew around it, peering skeptically. "Where are the buttons? This doesn't look like something a normal person can control—half of it's too high to even reach."
"We can't operate it right now," Zhongli said, "because it's broken."
Paimon blinked. "It's… broken?!"
"It has endured a thousand years of wind and frost," Zhongli replied. "Even an adeptal mechanism cannot remain perfect forever."
"Then what do we do?" Paimon panicked. "Mr. Zhongli—quick, use your endless 'upper-class knowledge' and think of something!"
Zhongli rubbed his brow. "Why does that make me sound like some rich wastrel who only knows how to watch operas and stroll birds…"
He paused, thinking. "When the Guizhong Ballista was first built, backup materials were prepared in case of damage."
"If my guess is correct, we can find the old armory in these ruins."
"With the materials stored there, and with knowledge of how the mechanism works, repairing it won't be difficult."
"So you do know how it works?" Paimon lit up.
"I know… a bit," Zhongli said. "As long as we gather enough materials, we can try."
"Hehe, finding materials is our specialty," Paimon grinned—then immediately looked at Kairo. "Kairo, Kairo… we'll need you again."
Lumine also looked at him expectantly.
Kairo, however, took out his instrument first and asked Zhongli, "The backup materials… do they contain elemental energy? They're not ordinary materials, right?"
If they were ordinary, his instrument wouldn't detect them.
Zhongli didn't understand why Kairo asked, but he answered honestly. "Correct. Some of the Guizhong Ballista's materials were made using adeptal power fused into mechanism craft."
"Then it's easy."
Kairo smiled, pressed a button on the Biological Wave Prospecting Instrument in his hand—
A faint blue ripple instantly spread outward like water rings.
In the blink of an eye, it blanketed the entire surface of Mt. Tianheng.
The air itself seemed to shimmer.
As the wave rebounded, the ground appeared to gain countless tiny points of light—too subtle for ordinary eyes.
Star-like markers that revealed hidden resource nodes beneath the earth.
Woom—
In an instant, every mineral vein, special material, and even rare plants within the mountain range appeared clearly in Kairo's vision.
Some points were dim; others blazed like stars—completely different from ordinary ore.
Kairo's heart jumped.
So this is Mt. Tianheng… it's loaded with precious resources.
His gaze snapped toward the brightest points, and he moved immediately.
Zhongli stood to the side, eyes locked on the instrument, brows faintly furrowed with deep curiosity.
Even with his experience, he had never seen such a device.
It can precisely locate leyline resources?
Kairo moved so fast Zhongli barely had time to think.
On the way, Kairo flicked his hand and cleanly harvested several Qingxin flowers—without damaging even the roots.
The pearly petals shimmered under the morning light.
Zhongli's pupils tightened.
Not only could it find ore—
it could pinpoint Liyue's rare local specialties too?!
If this device spread through Liyue, countless mine bosses would go mad for it.
Even merchant clans would fight over it.
It could completely change Liyue's mining landscape—
Even the hardest-to-find adeptal treasures could be located with ease.
"…This thing," Zhongli said slowly, genuine surprise leaking into his voice, "is truly wondrous."
"It's nothing," Kairo said without turning back. "Just a tool that's a bit more convenient."
Zhongli didn't believe him for a second.
A tool like this was no ordinary thing.
It wasn't even something Liyue had ever produced—more like an entirely new "alchemy product" beyond their era.
Zhongli studied it and said, "If I'm not mistaken… this is not an alchemical device."
Kairo only smiled and kept searching.
Soon, he reached the brightest point.
He brushed aside gravel—
And sure enough, a strange ore pulsing with faint elemental fluctuations lay quietly in the soil, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"Found it."
Kairo picked it up. The moment he sensed it, he could feel the contained energy—clearly one of the Guizhong Ballista's backup materials.
Zhongli watched, stunned.
To find adeptal mechanism materials with such precision and efficiency, using only a mysterious instrument…
This was already beyond his understanding of mechanism craft.
What is this thing?
It was as if Mt. Tianheng's leylines had no secrets left in front of Kairo.
Not long after, under Zhongli's gaze, Kairo led Lumine and Paimon to gather the remaining materials with absurd ease.
When the full set was placed before Zhongli, he couldn't help saying again, "That device in your hand… truly is a treasure."
Whoever held it could easily get rich.
For adventurers, it was priceless.
"Hehe, back in Mondstadt, we made money with it like this all the time," Paimon said smugly.
Then she added, grinning, "Didn't expect even you would be amazed, Zhongli. You're Morax, you know—what's there to be amazed about?"
Zhongli laughed. "It's only because it's my first time seeing it."
Then his expression grew calm again. "But back to business—these backup materials should be enough."
"Please wait. I'll attempt repairs…"
Zhongli began working on the Guizhong Ballista right there in front of Kairo, Lumine, and Paimon.
Kairo's smile was radiant.
No need for me to lift a finger.
Watching Zhongli repair it—
Honestly, it felt amazing.
Soon enough, Zhongli stopped.
"Done."
He looked at the mechanism thoughtfully. "Its structure is even more precise than I expected."
"Wah! So how do we make it work?" Paimon hovered around excitedly. "How do we use it?"
"Simple. Like this."
Zhongli demonstrated with a light smile. "Adeptal mechanisms come with a built-in far-sight effect."
"If we want to search for the 'half-adeptus beast' Cocogoat, we can use this to observe all of Mt. Tianheng."
"From this position, most areas of Mt. Tianheng fall within its field of view."
Paimon and Lumine's eyes lit up instantly.
"So we really can see the whole mountain?"
Paimon flew up, patting the huge wooden body of the mechanism, thrilled.
"Of course," Zhongli said calmly.
Lumine lightly pushed the adjustment lever.
Click.
The mechanism slowly activated.
Gears turned. The aiming assembly adjusted automatically.
The ballista's front lifted slightly—like an adeptus' gaze standing above the mountain, overlooking the entire range.
A moment later, within the mechanism, a lens-like view unfolded.
A special light screen rippled like water, projecting distant scenery:
Mountain ridges, green forests dotted with adeptal ruins, white clouds drifting between peaks like a soft veil.
Paimon stared at the screen, scanning fast. "Whoa! It really can show everywhere on Mt. Tianheng!"
Lumine couldn't help admiring it too—this "far-sight" was indeed an adeptal masterpiece.
Even distant stone platforms were crystal clear.
"Then where's Cocogoat?" Paimon asked excitedly. "Help us find her!"
Zhongli smiled and gestured at Lumine. "Try it yourself."
Lumine immediately adjusted the direction disc.
The internal core gears turned slowly, and the picture shifted.
Cliffs, bamboo groves, streams, stone steps…
The view swept across every corner of Mt. Tianheng.
Even hidden birds and beasts could be seen clearly.
But only one thing—
No sign of Cocogoat.
"Huh…?"
Paimon blinked, still searching.
Lumine frowned and checked again.
Mountain tops, caves, creek edges, bamboo forests—
Still nothing.
Paimon grabbed her head, miserable. "What's going on? This thing can see the whole mountain—so why can't we find Cocogoat?"
She spun in the air and looked at Zhongli. "Don't tell me… she's hiding?"
Zhongli stood with hands behind his back and said evenly, "A half-adeptus beast would naturally be extremely alert. It lives in seclusion and avoids the world. If Cocogoat doesn't wish to be seen, it won't easily show itself."
Paimon's eyes widened. "So it's not that she isn't here—it's that we can't see her?!"
"Perhaps," Zhongli nodded lightly.
Paimon slumped onto the mechanism, devastated. "Ugh! That's not fair! Liyue's mechanisms are already this amazing, and we still can't find her!"
Lumine sighed and let go of the lever.
Zhongli looked at their helpless expressions and shook his head. "Sometimes, when we stop searching on purpose… the answer may reveal itself instead."
Paimon and Lumine exchanged a look.
They didn't fully understand what he meant, but for now they could only give up on finding Cocogoat—while their curiosity only grew.
Visit my patreon for more chapters
Advance 60+ Chapters Available
patreon.com/ZeusOp