Chapter Summaries

After leaving Yanshang Teahouse, Yucheng wandered through Liyue Harbor and ran into Hu Tao, Zhongli, and Zhongyuan at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He asked whether the parlor accepted international business, leaving Hu Tao eager to hear his proposal.

• Yelan left to inform Ningguang about the threat to the Liyue Qixing, while Yucheng strolled through Liyue Harbor.
• Yucheng overheard Hu Tao confronting Zhongli and Zhongyuan over their expensive bills from their day out.
• Zhongli explained that the Inazuma delegation’s arrival had raised dining prices, prompting Hu Tao to complain that the visit had cost her money.
• Hu Tao recognized Yucheng as the Inazuma Regent and Chief Envoy, then asked whether he had funeral business for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
• Yucheng asked Hu Tao whether Wangsheng Funeral Parlor accepted international business.

Yucheng proposed that the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor help Inazuma establish funeral services after the war left more than a hundred thousand people dead or wounded. Hu Tao accepted the profitable partnership and suggested sending Zhongli and Zhongyuan to train Inazuman workers, leaving Yucheng wondering whether Zhongli’s trip could cause an international dispute.

• Yucheng told Hu Tao and Zhongli that the war in Inazuma had caused more than a hundred thousand casualties and that dendrobiums now covered Nazuchi Beach.
• Yucheng explained that Inazuma needed better funeral rites and proposed that the Shogunate fund a funeral system staffed by workers trained by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
• Yucheng offered to let Inazuma’s funeral establishments use the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor name, recognize Liyue’s parlor as their head, and pay Hu Tao ten percent of yearly profits.
• Zhongli explained why the offer was worthwhile, and Hu Tao suggested sending Zhongli and Zhongyuan to Inazuma to train funeral workers.
• Yucheng wondered whether sending Zhongli, secretly Rex Lapis, to Inazuma might cause an international dispute.

Yucheng and the Inazuma delegation pursued trade deals in Liyue while Yucheng looked for ways to secure favorable tariffs from Ningguang. As the Jade Chamber’s ascent ceremony began, Shenhe arrived with Yucheng and met Miko and Kuki Shinobu.

• Yucheng returned to Inazuma’s embassy, where its staff reviewed the many trade partnerships they had secured with Liyue merchants.
• Yucheng, Miko, and Kuki Shinobu negotiated trade tariffs with Ningguang, but Ningguang outmaneuvered Kuki Shinobu and refused to yield.
• Yucheng learned that Yelan had secretly brought Baizhu to treat Uncle Tian, whose poisoning remained concealed as part of a plan to catch the foreign forces behind it.
• The Jade Chamber’s ascent ceremony arrived, and Liyue Harbor filled with Millelith soldiers preparing to deploy.
• Yucheng boarded the Jade Chamber with Shenhe, who met Miko and Kuki Shinobu after Yucheng introduced them.

At the Jade Chamber's ascent ceremony, Yucheng and Shenhe reunited with Miko and Ningguang before Ningguang raised the rebuilt palace into the sky. Beisht emerged from the Sea of Clouds, revealing that Ningguang had rebuilt the Jade Chamber partly to lure Osial's follower out of hiding.

• Miko teased Shenhe about letting Yucheng rest on her lap in Inazuma, and Shenhe calmly asserted her confidence in their relationship.
• Yucheng eased the tension between Shenhe and Miko and led them to greet Ningguang before the ceremony began.
• Ningguang welcomed the guests, congratulated Yucheng and Shenhe, and declared that the Jade Chamber would stand as a witness to Liyue's peace and prosperity.
• Ningguang began the ascent ceremony, and the Jade Chamber rose above Liyue Harbor as the guests admired the view.
• A storm swept over the Sea of Clouds, and Beisht, Osial's wife and last follower, appeared beneath the Jade Chamber.
• Ningguang revealed that Beidou had warned her about Beisht and that she had rebuilt the Jade Chamber partly to lure her out; Yucheng realized the gathering was not just a celebration.

Ningguang led Liyue’s forces against Beisht, but Beisht unleashed a tsunami that threatened Guyun Stone Forest and Liyue Harbor. Ningguang offered Yucheng a tariff reduction to intervene, and he countered the wave with a massive fire technique.

• Ningguang attacked Beisht with Geo gems while Keqing, Ganyu, the Millelith, and Beidou’s Crux Fleet coordinated a three-pronged assault.
• Beisht exploited a gap in the attacks and summoned enormous waves toward Liyue Harbor and Guyun Stone Forest.
• Ganyu failed to freeze the wave, and Ningguang realized she could not protect the soldiers and civilians without help.
• Ningguang offered Yucheng a 2% tariff reduction in exchange for his intervention, and he accepted.
• Yucheng appeared before the tsunami and used Majestic Destroyer Flame to burn through a vast section of the wave, filling the sea with steam and warming the water.

Yucheng defeated Beisht by redirecting her attacks and striking her with Lightning Release: Kirin, saving Liyue Harbor. After celebrating his apparent victory, he noticed something beneath Beisht’s body on the seabed.

• Yucheng evaporated Beisht’s massive waves with Great Fire Annihilation, and the Millelith soldiers cheered as Liyue Harbor was spared.
• Beisht fired three Hydro-Electro blasts at Yucheng, who caught them in distorted space and sent them back into her body.
• Yucheng summoned lightning from the clouds and unleashed Lightning Release: Kirin, which struck Beisht as she tried to flee.
• Yucheng checked Beisht’s charred body and signaled the Jade Chamber, the Millelith, and Beidou’s fleet that they had won.
• As everyone celebrated, Yucheng’s expression changed when he noticed something beneath him on the seabed.

Yucheng rescued the Millelith, Ganyu, and Keqing from the destruction of Guyun Stone Forest, but Osial broke free of his seal after Beisht was wounded and turned toward Liyue Harbor. The Adepti joined Ningguang and Yucheng on the Jade Chamber as Osial began advancing on them.

• Yucheng used Kamui to transport the Millelith, Ganyu, and Keqing away just before Guyun Stone Forest exploded.
• Osial emerged from the sea, mourned Beisht's injuries, and threatened the Jade Chamber and Liyue Harbor.
• The Adepti left Mt. Tianheng to help confront Osial, and Cloud Retainer assured Ningguang that Yucheng had rescued Ganyu and the others.
• Yucheng returned to the Jade Chamber and released Ganyu and Keqing from the Kamui Dimension.
• Osial wrapped his serpent bodies around Beisht and advanced toward Liyue Harbor as the Jade Chamber's defenders watched.

Ningguang, the Crux Fleet, and the Adepti struggled to stop Osial as he sent three waterspouts toward Liyue Harbor and the fleet. Beidou risked her life trying to strike down the waterspout pursuing the Alcor, but Yucheng rescued her and destroyed it with an ice whale.

• Ningguang activated the Jade Chamber's amplification array, while Beidou ordered the Crux Fleet to bombard Osial, but their attacks could not break his defenses.
• Xiao attacked Osial and wounded him, prompting Osial to summon three waterspouts that threatened the Crux Fleet and Liyue Harbor.
• The Adepti flew to intercept the two waterspouts heading for Liyue, while Beidou ordered the Crux Fleet to scatter as the third pursued the Alcor.
• Beidou faced the waterspout with her Lithic Blade and Electro power, but her strike failed and the weapon was swept away.
• Yucheng rescued Beidou and used Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale to smash through the waterspout, saving the Alcor's crew.

Yucheng and the Adepti overwhelmed Osial, but he deliberately stopped resisting in an attempt to make them kill him and unleash divine resentment upon Liyue. With no one able to seal that resentment, Ningguang and the others faced the threat of Osial’s death near the harbor.

• Beidou embraced Yucheng after the fleet survived, then followed his order to withdraw from the battlefield.
• Yucheng returned to the Jade Chamber, where Ningguang confirmed the soldiers and Crux Fleet had evacuated.
• Yucheng struck Osial with fire and water techniques, and Ningguang and the Adepti joined the assault.
• Osial gave up resisting and shielded Beisht, hoping the attackers would kill him and curse Liyue Harbor.
• Yucheng stopped the attack and warned that a god’s death near Liyue would unleash dangerous resentment.
• Mountain Shaper and Yae Miko said they had no way to prevent Osial’s divine resentment, leaving the group without a solution.

Yucheng stopped Osial’s suicidal attack on Liyue Harbor by defeating him with a Wood Golem and draining away his divine power. He reduced Osial and Beisht to intelligent sea serpents, healed them, and let them leave the Sea of Clouds alive.

• Osial charged toward Liyue Harbor, forcing the Adepti to choose between letting him escape and killing him despite the danger of his resentment.
• Yucheng summoned a massive Wood Golem and struck Osial, destroying five of his remaining heads and leaving him near death.
• Yucheng used Kōan Nyūsen Shū to absorb Osial’s energy until his order of life fell by three tiers, then healed him as an ordinary sea serpent.
• Yucheng lowered Beisht’s order of life by two tiers, healed her, and returned her to Osial.
• Osial carried Beisht away from Liyue, leaving the harbor safe from their attack.

After defeating Osial, Yucheng reassured the Adepti that he had eliminated the god’s dangerous resentment, then returned to the Jade Chamber. Keqing discovered she had missed Rex Lapis’s announcement of his retirement because she had worked through the night, and Yucheng encouraged her to rest as Ningguang worried he might change her habits like he had Ganyu’s.

• Yucheng returned to the Jade Chamber after defeating Osial, and the wooden figure sank into the sea when he stopped controlling it.
• Yucheng told Ningguang that Osial was taken care of and assured Mountain Shaper and Cloud Retainer that he had eliminated the divine resentment.
• Keqing asked why Cloud Retainer planned to report to Rex Lapis, and Ningguang explained that Rex Lapis had already informed the Adepti and the Qixing of his retirement.
• Keqing learned that Ganyu now followed a regular work schedule and reacted with dismay at losing her fellow workaholic.
• Yucheng urged Keqing to rest so she would not miss future urgent messages from Rex Lapis, while Ningguang worried he was changing Keqing as well as Ganyu.

After Liyue defeated Beisht, Ningguang and the Adepti acknowledged the cooperation that had helped save the city, and Cloud Retainer blessed Yucheng and Shenhe’s relationship. Yucheng then told Xiao where Bosacius might be and asked him to protect the Traveler and Paimon during their coming expedition into The Chasm.

• Ningguang said she would hold a genuine victory banquet and argued that Yucheng’s help had been part of a successful cooperation between Liyue and Inazuma.
• Cloud Retainer judged Ningguang’s preparations sufficient for now, while Ningguang promised to keep safeguarding Liyue and welcome the Adepti’s oversight.
• Cloud Retainer accepted Yucheng and Shenhe’s mutual affection and asked Yucheng to look after Shenhe, who thanked her master for the blessing.
• Yucheng asked Xiao about his karmic debt, then told him Bosacius might be in a strange space beneath a Skyfrost Nail in the Underground Mines of The Chasm.
• Yucheng asked Xiao to secretly protect the Traveler and Paimon during their upcoming exploration, and advised him to visit the Anemo Archon and tell Rex Lapis before leaving.

Ningguang hosted a victory banquet at the Jade Chamber while the Yun-Han Opera Troupe performed Yun Jin’s new opera, which retold Shenhe’s story. Shenhe watched the performance with Yucheng and, moved by its hopeful ending, answered his question with a quiet “Yes.”

• Ningguang, Keqing, and Yun Jin prepared the banquet, post-battle recovery efforts, and opera performance while Beidou led a search for missing Crux Fleet sailors.
• Ningguang explained that Keqing was working on coastal defenses and that Beidou’s fleet had lost six escort ships and twenty-eight sailors.
• Ningguang toasted Yucheng and lasting harmony between Liyue and Inazuma, and the banquet’s festivities grew livelier as the Yun-Han Opera Troupe performed.
• Yun Jin performed “The Divine Damsel of Devastation,” adding a new verse that transformed Shenhe’s lonely story into one of friendship and belonging.
• Yucheng held Shenhe’s hand and asked whether she had enjoyed the opera, and Shenhe answered, “Yes!”

After Yun Jin’s performance, Shenhe said she was ready to change and shared a tender moment with Yucheng. Their evening turned hostile when merchant Zhu Tao harassed Shenhe, and Ningguang had him removed after revealing Shenhe’s status as Yucheng’s beloved and future Regent’s wife.

• Yun Jin thanked Shenhe for helping complete The Divine Damsel of Devastation, and Shenhe said she hoped to fit into other nations as well as Liyue.
• Yun Jin noticed Shenhe’s affection for Yucheng and joked that the Yun-Han Opera Troupe could perform at their wedding.
• Zhu Tao approached Yucheng’s table, tried to sit with Shenhe, and threatened her after she warned him to leave.
• Ningguang rebuked Zhu Tao for disrespecting her guest and ended their business partnership.
• Ningguang explained that Shenhe had trained under three adepti, was Ganyu’s junior fellow disciple, and was Yucheng’s beloved and future Regent’s wife.
• Zhu Tao begged for mercy, but the Millelith carried him away from the Jade Chamber.

After Zhu Tao’s expulsion, Ningguang and Yelan discussed Yucheng’s overwhelming power and the risks of relying on Shenhe alone to secure ties between Liyue and Inazuma. Ningguang hinted that she might help other Liyue women get closer to Yucheng before he returned to Inazuma.

• Ningguang apologized to Yucheng and Shenhe for Zhu Tao’s actions, and Zhu Tao was left with no future in Liyue.
• Ningguang returned to her bedchamber, drank honey water, and asked Yelan for an intelligence report.
• Yelan reported that Yucheng had wielded several elements, summoned a nearly indestructible Wood Golem, transported himself through space, and summoned a warrior who severed three of Osial’s heads.
• Ningguang and Yelan agreed that Liyue could not withstand a conflict with Yucheng and that he should remain a friend, but Ningguang warned against relying on Shenhe alone for good relations.
• Ningguang told Yelan about Yucheng’s four beautiful secretaries and rumors that Uchiha Sara had married him and taken his surname.
• Ningguang suggested that more Liyue women might accompany Yucheng back to Inazuma, while insisting that she was only offering them an opportunity.

Yucheng and Shenhe spent the night together, and he left her resting while he negotiated with Ningguang. The negotiations established a binding strategic partnership between Liyue and Inazuma, after which Yucheng gave his delegation time off.

• Yucheng woke beside Shenhe, prepared food for her, and stayed back to care for her before leaving for negotiations.
• Yae Miko sniffed around Yucheng when he met his subordinates, giving him a knowing smile.
• Ningguang lowered tariffs by three percentage points and proposed that Liyue and Inazuma establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with reciprocal diplomatic ambassadors.
• Yucheng matched the three-point tariff reduction, and he and Ningguang signed a diplomatic agreement bound by Rex Lapis's power of contract.
• Yucheng declared the delegation's main objective complete and gave his subordinates time off to enjoy Liyue.

Yucheng and Shenhe encountered Zhongli while traveling, and Yucheng asked him about Havria, the God of Salt. Zhongli connected Yucheng’s question to Osial and asked whether Osial’s authority was in his hands.

• Yucheng and Shenhe enjoyed their life together in an abode on Mt. Tianheng while the Inazuma delegation took a vacation.
• Kuki Shinobu rescued Arataki Itto from trouble with Millelith soldiers with Yanfei’s help, and Itto followed Yanfei to The Chasm with Shinobu.
• Lumine and Paimon accepted a commission to explore The Chasm, while Xiao followed them from the shadows; Yanfei also headed there to handle a will arranged by Yelan.
• Yucheng and Shenhe met Zhongli at Wangshu Inn, where Zhongli praised their relationship and acknowledged Yucheng’s arrangements to help Xiao.
• Yucheng asked Zhongli about Havria, and Zhongli asked whether Yucheng possessed Osial’s authority.

Yucheng asked Zhongli about the authority he had taken from Osial, and Zhongli explained how divine authority and faith shaped a god’s power. He recounted the fates of Havria, Guizhong, and Marchosius, leaving Shenhe astonished that Guoba had once been a god.

• Zhongli explained that Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver had found no trace of Osial, and he concluded Osial had lost much of his power; he told Yucheng to keep the authority he had obtained.
• Yucheng asked what authority was, and Zhongli said gods bore the duty of loving living beings and could draw strength from the faith of their subjects.
• Zhongli explained that Havria’s excessive concessions left her too weak to protect her people, who eventually killed her during the Archon War.
• Shenhe asked why Havria had not sought Zhongli’s protection, and Zhongli explained that only one god could remain in each region for the Archon War to end.
• Zhongli recounted how Guizhong died defending the Guili Plains and how Marchosius gave up his authority to quell disasters, later becoming Guoba.
• Yucheng told Shenhe that Guoba was the creature who stayed with Xiangling, and Shenhe reacted with shock at learning he had once been a god.

Zhongli explained the power of Osial’s authority and the possibility of gaining longevity, prompting Yucheng to decide that Shenhe should receive it instead. Zhongli took them to Sal Terrae to find Havria’s remaining power, where the ruins’ statues and Zhongli’s reflections on distorted history left Yucheng thinking of a blonde girl in The Chasm.

• Zhongli told Yucheng that Osial’s ocean authority could grant him sea-related powers and potentially longevity, while warning that sharing an authority was unlikely to work for him and Shenhe.
• Yucheng chose to leave Osial’s authority for Shenhe, saying he would find another way to gain longevity so they could live together.
• Yucheng asked whether Havria’s power remained at Sal Terrae, and Zhongli agreed to take him and Shenhe there.
• Zhongli broke the seal on Sal Terrae and showed Yucheng and Shenhe the statues of Havria’s subjects, explaining that they had been transformed when Havria died.
• Zhongli reflected on how time distorted the histories of Havria, Marchosius, and Guizhong, and Yucheng thought of a blonde girl who should have reached The Chasm.

Yucheng and Shenhe learned about the Salt Chalice and Salt Ruler, then paid their respects to Havria’s final relic. Yucheng warned Zhongli that Yinyuan Hall’s followers could threaten Liyue, but Zhongli left the matter to the Qixing before hurrying toward The Chasm to bail someone out.

• Zhongli explained that Havria’s Salt Chalice could produce endless salt and her Salt Ruler could make salt rise from the ground, prompting Yucheng to consider their value to Inazuma.
• Zhongli led Yucheng and Shenhe to Havria’s broken sword, and they paid their respects after hearing why her people had returned to break and enshrine it.
• Yucheng warned Zhongli that Yinyuan Hall’s followers worshipped Havria, called Morax by name, and spread rumors that he had assassinated her.
• Zhongli acknowledged that the rumors displeased him but left the potential problem for the Liyue Qixing to handle.
• Zhongli sensed something, left abruptly, and Yucheng told Shenhe he was hurrying to bail someone out near The Chasm.