Sumeru, Desert Domain.
A large number of Abyss Mages were scattered throughout the place, mingling with the Primal Constructs. They even seemed capable of commanding them.
Had the Abyss Order developed a way to control Primal Constructs? Li Qiuzhi wondered.
These Primal Constructs had been developed by King Deshret, the former ruler of the desert, through his research into "forbidden knowledge."
Another nation that had used "forbidden knowledge" to develop similar machines was the fallen kingdom of Khaenri'ah.
Those ruin-series machines were the products of Khaenri'ah's research into "forbidden knowledge."
Primal Constructs differed greatly from Ruin Machines, but both were mechanical creations of some kind.
Clearly, the "forbidden knowledge" that carried the power of corruption contained a great deal of mechanical technology, though it still fell short of the knowledge the Interstellar Society made publicly available online.
Otherwise, Khaenri'ah and King Deshret might have built spaceships, and would not have fallen so easily.
As an organization composed of survivors of Khaenri'ah, it was only natural for the Abyss Order to possess some of the surviving technology behind Khaenri'ah's Ruin Machines.
And since that technology bore some similarities to King Deshret's Primal Constructs, it was hardly surprising that research had yielded a way to control them.
Still, from the looks of things, Aether had continued secretly working to accumulate strength despite suffering several setbacks.
Li Qiuzhi had no idea why he held such a strong prejudice against the "Heavenly Principles."
Li Qiuzhi himself was only somewhat wary of the "Heavenly Principles" because he did not understand them well enough. Whether they were good or bad remained uncertain.
After all, Teyvat was relatively peaceful and prosperous under their rule.
Although the "false sky" prevented those within from leaving, it also kept out potential invaders from beyond.
Such as the "Abyss."
He had