Genshin, No sad stories

Childe couldn't be abandoned, and Snezhnaya couldn't afford to go to war with Liyue.

In the end, the Fatui had no choice but to accept all of Liyue's demands.

This absolutely destroyed Pantalone.

Right now, he genuinely wanted to strangle Childe to death.

This was all his fault.

Because of him, Snezhnaya had to pay an exorbitant price.

Meanwhile, the man himself—Childe—was still locked up in the Jade Chamber's prison.

At the moment, he looked utterly miserable.

And his kidneys ached.

He had woken up long ago.

And he knew exactly what had happened.

He'd been beaten up.

By Jiang Chen.

A single kick had knocked him out cold, and now he was a prisoner.

With his kidneys still throbbing, Childe couldn't help but worry.

Would his actions in Liyue cause trouble for Snezhnaya?

He hadn't even gotten the Gnosis.

Instead, he'd cost his country a fortune.

And now, he'd been captured.

Thinking about all this, Childe felt like his future was hopeless.

They might as well have just killed him!!

But instead, they'd taken him prisoner.

"Is anyone there?"

"Hellooo?"

"Can someone come over?!"

Childe currently felt completely drained.

Even his Vision had been confiscated.

Meaning, he had no combat power left.

When he'd first been imprisoned, Ningguang had ordered him to be treated—just enough to keep him alive.

And, of course, they'd drugged him.

Making sure he couldn't use his powers.

Otherwise, this guy might break out.

Ningguang wasn't foolish enough to make such a basic mistake.

Even without his Vision, Childe was still dangerously strong.

Better safe than sorry.

"Is the Eleventh Harbinger having some kind of problem?"

A woman's voice suddenly spoke up.

It was one of Yelan's intelligence agents.

This prison was entirely under Yelan's control.

For someone like Childe, extreme caution was necessary.

"When can I get out?"

Childe didn't bother with small talk.

He just asked the one thing he cared about.

He wanted out of this damn place.

Why hadn't his colleagues come to bail him out yet?

Had they abandoned him?!

This thought made him incredibly frustrated.

Right now, he had no information, and it was driving him crazy.

Not that he was scared, of course.

He'd been through far worse.

A little jail time?

No big deal.

"Get out?"

"You committed a crime."

"You're not going anywhere until Liyue and Snezhnaya reach an agreement."

"Another Harbinger has already arrived."

"But when you'll be released depends entirely on the negotiations."

The agent didn't bother hiding anything.

After all, what could Childe do with this information?

Nothing.

Hearing this, Childe fell silent.

So it really had come to this.

But he didn't press further.

Asking more would just make him feel worse.

He sighed.

Even if he did go back, he'd probably get chewed out anyway.

Just thinking about Pantalone's furious face made Childe grimace.

Maybe… he didn't actually want to leave prison.

Would Liyue just keep him locked up forever?!

Seeing Childe lost in thought, the guard simply left.

Liyue was planning to milk Snezhnaya dry using him as leverage.

So she had to keep a close eye on him.

Meanwhile, in Liyue…

Over the next few days, Jiang Chen and Keqing worked together to oversee the construction.

Roads were being paved.

Mechanical constructs were being deployed.

Many merchants were astonished when they saw these machines.

And they immediately saw the business potential.

These things weren't just for transporting construction materials—they could haul goods too.

And they didn't even need horses.

Damn, wasn't this way better than carriages?!

So, naturally, they were extremely interested.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs gave a simple response:

"There will be commercial sales in the future."

"But the factories aren't fully operational yet, so you'll have to wait."

Right now, the machines being used were all built by Guizhong and Cloud Retainer.

The numbers were still limited.

Production lines were still under construction.

Only after everything was ready would they start selling these vehicles.

For now, Jiang Chen was only focusing on construction machinery.

The rest could wait.

Though disappointed, the merchants were still thrilled.

They could wait.

La Signora Returns

While Liyue was busy with its projects, La Signora once again came to see Jiang Chen.

This time, she didn't waste words.

"We've accepted your conditions."

"So, release Childe."

"Everything you demanded has been delivered."

Her face was dark.

She was not in a good mood.

The price Snezhnaya had paid was far too steep.

Even she felt the sting.

(Though it wasn't her money.)

But these were Snezhnaya's national reserves.

And now, they were being handed over.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen grinned.

"Oh?"

"Then let's verify the goods!"

He called out to someone outside.

Soon, Havria entered.

Seeing her, Jiang Chen smiled.

"Havria, go get Guizhong and Albedo."

The moment those names were spoken, Signora's pupils shrank.

This woman was Havria ?!

And Guizhong was alive too?!

Resurrected gods?!

She stared intently at Havria.

Was Jiang Chen doing this on purpose to intimidate her?

Havria met Signora's gaze coldly.

With Jiang Chen here, she wasn't afraid.

If she were alone, maybe.

But Jiang Chen was her shield.

What could a mere Signora do?

After a brief glance, she nodded to Jiang Chen and left.

Once she was gone, Signora spoke again.

"Impressive. You've even resurrected gods."

Her voice was laced with wariness.

This man was dangerous.

She knew exactly who was behind all this.

Before Jiang Chen arrived in Liyue, everything had been normal.

But after he came?

Everything changed.

Jiang Chen gave her a thumbs-up.

"Right? Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Who knows? Maybe I'll even revive other dead gods in the future."

He said it so casually, as if it were nothing.

But Signora's face paled.

Revive other gods?!

This… could change everything.*

She had to report this to the Tsaritsa.

"Aren't you afraid of attracting trouble by revealing this ability?"

Signora stared at him in disbelief.

The power to bring back the dead—if this got out, countless people would come for him.

Jiang Chen looked at her like she was stupid.

"You actually think resurrection is that simple?"

"Are you serious right now?"