The hilichurls, whose strength alone could easily tear through human flesh—
Were instantly turned into wisps of black smoke under the charge of five warhorses,
leaving behind nothing but a pile of loot and materials.
The five steeds galloped forward like armored tanks, sweeping aside all in their path.
Hilichurls were sent flying.
Juvenile Geovishaps were knocked off their feet.
Even a Ruin Guard that stood in their way was effortlessly smashed into pieces.
The counterattacks from the hilichurls—whether arrows or entangling vines—
couldn't even scratch the riders' defenses, let alone trip the legs of their horses.
Unstoppable.
This was the true definition of "unstoppable."
Even Diluc, once a cavalry captain himself, had to admit—
this was the kind of absolute dominance, every cavalry should possess.
The charge lasted just five seconds, but in that short time,
they had already cut through the entire monster horde.
Their armor still gleamed like mirrors—unblemished and pristine,
without a single scratch.
And as if they hadn't had enough fun, the five riders circled around and galloped back in again.
Seeing them charging again like they were addicted,
the five infantrymen who followed behind quickly shouted out:
"Stop! Chiyan, you bastard! That's enough already! There's hardly anything left—leave some for us!"
At their words, cavalry captain Chiyan clicked his tongue and tugged his reins, bringing his horse to a halt.
The rest obeyed immediately as well, pulling up alongside him in perfect unison,
as if they had drilled this maneuver a hundred times.
They glanced at the aftermath of their charge:
One Ruin Guard.
One juvenile Geovishap.
More than a dozen hilichurls.
Chiyan grinned.
"Alright! That was satisfying! You guys can clean up what's left.
Next time, if you're too slow again, don't blame us for taking the whole round!"
Hearing that, the Qianyan infantry captain on the other side rolled his eyes.
"You've got four legs, we've only got two—and you still have the nerve to brag…"
With that, he turned serious. His gaze swept over the regrouping monsters.
With a practiced motion, he pulled out an alchemical potion.
"Brothers! It's rare to see this many monsters at once.
Hurry up and drink your potions! Let's go all out before our shift ends and we head back to Liyue Harbor!"
The other four burst into laughter.
Each retrieved their own potions and began drinking.
Strength. Swiftness. Leaping.
With the effects of the three potions stacked together, the explosive surge of power
even startled Jean and the others watching from afar.
"That's… one of those alchemy potions!"
Diluc's voice burned with excitement as he stepped forward.
"So it's true… Liyue can now mass-produce them for the Qianyan Army!"
Lisa didn't speak.
She simply observed quietly.
She recognized the Strength Potion,
but the others—she had never seen before.
But the next moment, they all realized what the other potions were.
The five figures suddenly blurred, their speed soaring—
as if riding on the winds of a hurricane.
Trailing afterimages in their wake,
they dashed straight into the monster horde.
Each drew a wooden sword and lightly tapped the ground.
In an instant, wind-like momentum carried them high into the air.
The strength of these alchemical potions had definitely been enhanced within Teyvat.
The squad leader's face was full of excitement.
He slashed downward with his wooden sword,
and a burst of fire ignited out of thin air.
Dodging the incoming Ruin Guard—
He landed a blazing strike that engulfed the construct in flames.
Within seconds, it collapsed to the ground, defeated.
One of the Qianyan soldiers couldn't help but sigh with admiration.
"Fire enchantments really do look the coolest…"
"Forget it, stop daydreaming. If you're too slow, you won't get a turn."
Another teammate stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder.
The five of them fought individually, without formations or strategy—
no tactics, no coordination.
Just pure strength.
With overwhelming strength and blistering speed, the monsters were wiped out in no time at all.
From the heavy cavalry's charge to the final cleanup by the infantry—
If you excluded their chatter, the entire operation took barely a minute.
This medium-sized hilichurl base, along with the juvenile Geovishap and a Ruin Guard, had been thoroughly cleared.
And yet, every single Qianyan soldier still wore a look of slight dissatisfaction.
"Chiyan, we killed more than you this time!"
The infantry captain chuckled and patted Chiyan's warhorse.
Chiyan curled his lip.
"If you hadn't stopped us, we'd have done two rounds and cleared it all ourselves."
"Heh…"
The infantry captain grinned, then pointed off in the distance.
"Looks like there are travelers over there. Let's go check it out."
The ten of them walked in perfect formation toward Venti and the others.
As they approached, Chiyan dismounted.
In a low, commanding voice, he said:
"Captain Chiyan, 79th Heavy Cavalry Battalion, directly under the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs. Unknown travelers, please identify yourselves."
With an iron-clad warhorse behind him and five imposing infantrymen whose potions hadn't worn off yet, the aura was overwhelming.
Paimon immediately ducked behind Lumine in fear.
Jean took a deep breath, stepped forward, and placed a hand over her chest.
"Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Jean. May the Anemo Archon bless you."
"We're here to Liyue on a trade mission."
Chiyan blinked, then stomped the ground lightly.
"Liyue stands firm, unmoved as the mountains."
"Welcome, Captain Jean. Do you carry a letter from the Ministry of Civil Affairs?"
Jean stiffened awkwardly.
They had left in a rush and only sent the letter ahead of time—it probably hadn't reached Liyue yet.
Sensing her hesitation, Chiyan's voice lowered:
"May I ask in what official capacity you're visiting Liyue, Captain Jean?"
Jean immediately responded:
"On behalf of Mondstadt's Procurement Department of the Knights of Favonius, and the Mondstadt Chamber of Commerce. This is Diluc, Chairman of the Chamber."
Diluc stepped forward and presented the chamber's credentials. After a careful inspection, Chiyan visibly relaxed.
"Apologies, Captain Jean and esteemed guests. It's our duty to be cautious. If you're here as a Knight, formal approval from the Ministry or the Liyue Qixing is required."
"We understand," Jean said seriously. "We admire the Qianyan Army's commitment to principles."
High-level visits between nations were no trivial matter. But Mondstadt and Liyue had always had a good relationship—formality wasn't strictly necessary.
A show of intent was enough.
Chiyan smiled and said gently:
"In that case, allow us to serve as your escorts and accompany you to Liyue Harbor."
Jean hesitated.
"Won't that delay your monster-clearing operations?"
Chiyan exchanged a glance with his comrades and scratched his head with a sheepish smile:
"No worries. We were heading back to change shifts anyway. If we clear out all the monsters, the other squads will get mad at us."
He turned and began leading Jean's group toward Liyue Harbor. At a quick pace, they'd arrive before dusk.
Diluc, thoughtful, asked:
"Are you only allowed to eliminate one batch of monsters per squad?"
Chiyan nodded.
"Why?"
Diluc was puzzled. "With your strength, surely you should be on constant patrol."
Chiyan rubbed his nose and patiently explained:
"We're the 79th Heavy Cavalry Battalion."
"As I said—we're not the only one."
He paused, then added with pride:
"There are a hundred units like us in Liyue Harbor."
"Monsters aren't really a problem. The Ministry doesn't even ask us to clear them—we do it on our own."
"As for why…"
Chiyan looked a bit embarrassed.
"Honestly, everyone's so eager. Now that we're this powerful, they can't sit still. They want to get out there and fight. But the monsters around Liyue… there aren't enough to go around."
"…"
Diluc felt complicated.
In Mondstadt, they were still struggling with too many monsters and not enough manpower…
And Liyue? Their squads argued over who got to clean up monsters?
Still, when he glanced at their warhorses and heavy armor, he understood.
It was like seeing five tanks.
No—five hundred tanks!
Utterly insane.
Even if Mondstadt's elite forces weren't away on expedition, they couldn't compare.
"Your horses and armor—were they made from the iron ore Liyue has been exporting lately?"
Jean asked curiously. Chiyan considered the question and nodded.
"Then… how can these horses carry such massive weight and not fear monsters?"
At that, Chiyan and the others fell silent.
Out of respect for Jean's status, he answered vaguely:
"These… might be a new breed of magical beasts discovered by our superiors."
Seeing they didn't want to go into detail, Jean didn't press further.
But Diluc glanced at the infantrymen beside them, then asked:
"And… what about these friends of yours?"
Chiyan's expression hardened.
"Apologies. That pertains to Liyue's classified information. We ask that you not pursue it, Mr. Diluc."
Diluc paused, then followed up:
"The alchemical potions too?"
At his words, the Qianyan soldiers halted.
They stared at him, eyes deep and unreadable.
The heavy cavalry didn't matter as much—but alchemical potions and enchanted gear units?
That was top-secret.
More importantly—how did Diluc even recognize the potions?
Sensing the rising tension, Lisa chuckled and broke the ice:
"No need to be so tense, gentlemen. Lord Diluc is simply passionate when it comes to the pursuit of strength. And as for the potion—wasn't it your Tianquan who had them delivered to us?"
As she spoke, Lisa pulled out a Strength Potion and Ningguang's letter.
The infantry captain stepped forward, examined the potion, and then the seal on the envelope.
His expression relaxed.
"I see… if it's from Lady Ningguang, then it was our overreaction. Apologies."
"However, we're not briefed on the potions. As members of the light infantry array, our existence is also confidential."
"If you wish to know more, you'll need to speak to Lady Ningguang directly."
"And… please do not mention our presence to others."
Lisa nodded with a serene smile.
"Of course. We won't speak of this. This trip is just to meet your Lady Ningguang and have a business chat."
"Though… one last question. Are the alchemical potions available for sale?"
That was the real reason Diluc was interested.
He had already observed—if he could get his hands on these potions, his strength would at least double.
With that, and some other tools, revenge wouldn't be impossible.
No matter how steep the price—he would buy them in bulk, even if it meant going bankrupt.
But the Qianyan soldiers were stumped by that question.
Scratching his head, the captain replied:
"Apologies. We really don't know anything about potion sales."
Lisa pressed further:
"Are your potions distributed in fixed amounts?"
The soldier just shook his head, offering no answer.
At that point, everyone understood.
Ask the heavy cavalry, and they might answer out of politeness to Ningguang.
But ask anything about the potions or light infantry gear? No answers at all.
Lisa had seen enough to make her own guesses.
These light infantry soldiers were probably the real secret.
Even the people of Liyue might not know they exist.
Understanding that, Lisa smiled and stepped back beside Lumine.
She had already gathered plenty of intel.
All that remained—
Was to reach Liyue and meet that alchemist.
~~----------------------
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