Faced with Ningguang's proposal, Ye Xi naturally had no reason to refuse.
Besides, having the three little secretaries around the house would be a genuine help.
What he was a little curious about, though, was why the three of them were so utterly devoted — devoted enough to follow her all the way home.
Ningguang explained, "Those three were hand-picked and promoted by me. They're my closest assistants."
"So the three of them are bound by contract — an oath they can never break. They will stay by my side forever."
In plain terms, it was more or less a bond of indenture.
Of course, Ningguang had also given them enough in return to make them willing — wholeheartedly, without a single thought of leaving.
Hearing that, Ye Xi felt quite at ease about these three trusted aides.
Their idle pre-sleep conversation soon drifted toward the development of Liyue Harbor.
Ye Xi was talking away about his plans when he noticed, without quite realizing when it had happened, that the girl in his arms had already drifted off to sleep.
Her breath was soft and fragrant, her delicate nose rising and falling gently. Moonlight spilled through the porthole and fell across her small face, bathing it in perfect peace.
Just then, a crystalline chime rang out in Ye Xi's mind.
[Ding~]
[Quest [Branching] completed!]
[Physical Enhancement +15]
[Electro Elemental Power...]
[....]
[Abyss Power +17]
[Notice: A new Abyss ability can now be unlocked.]
He had just been starting to feel drowsy, but the moment he heard that an Abyss ability was ready to unlock, he was wide awake.
Another Abyss ability!
Every single one of them had turned out to be extraordinarily useful.
He couldn't help but start wondering what this new one would be.
He brushed past the elemental power bonuses without a second glance and went straight for the system panel.
[Unlock new ability?]
[Yes?][No?]
The moment Ye Xi chose [Yes], the branching tree that symbolized his Abyss Power lit up with a sixth branch!
[Congratulations — [Abyss Nail] unlocked!]
[Abyss Nail: A long spike forged from condensed Abyss Power. It can completely nullify the full force of the Nail of Judgment!]
Reading that, Ye Xi blinked.
He hadn't expected this new ability to be... a nail.
Wasn't that a bit ridiculous?
What was anyone supposed to do with a nail?
He didn't know much about an Abyss Nail, but a Nail of Judgment — that he knew.
The Skyfrost Nail on Dragonspine, and the Nails of Judgment driven deep into The Chasm — both were acts of punishment handed down from the Celestial Throne.
The Chasm, in particular, had been severe.
When the great cataclysm struck Khaenri'ah, The Chasm became a massive breach — a gaping wound through which the Abyss bled into the world. The Ruin Serpent had torn open a passage connecting Khaenri'ah to The Chasm, and countless Abyss monsters had poured through, invading Liyue.
The situation had been catastrophic. Countless Millelith soldiers had been swallowed by the depths.
In the end, a Nail of Judgment fell and pinned that wound shut.
Only then did the Abyss monsters' advance finally stop.
The Abyss Power that had saturated the surrounding area was purified by the nail and reduced to sludge.
Thinking back on that, Ye Xi's brow furrowed.
Why had the system suddenly given him this [Abyss Nail] — something capable of standing against a Nail of Judgment? Could it be that the Celestial Throne had already taken notice of him?
The thought sent a faint chill crawling up his spine.
As though it had heard his unspoken question, the system panel popped open a new notification window.
[Notice: There is no need for concern. The purpose of the [Abyss Nail] is preventive — a safeguard against a surprise strike from the [Nail of Judgment].]
At that, Ye Xi let out a quiet breath of relief.
The system's concern wasn't without reason.
His abilities, without question, revolved around Abyss Power.
And what the Heavenly Principles feared most was precisely Abyss Power.
If his activities drew the attention of the Celestial Throne, there was only one possible outcome.
The moment they spotted someone walking around with Abyss Power like his, they would send down a [Nail of Judgment] to obliterate him entirely.
And if he couldn't stop that nail when it fell — even if he somehow survived — it would punch straight through his home.
If this [Abyss Nail] could block the force of a [Nail of Judgment], it was at least one more card up his sleeve.
A card specifically for playing against the Celestial Throne!
The only downside was that, in day-to-day life, it was completely useless.
Feeling like he'd gotten his hopes up over nothing, Ye Xi lost interest.
Right then, the system popped up another reward window.
[Congratulations — Superpower acquired: Body Armor.]
[Body Armor: Harden any part of the body into armor, dramatically increasing its defensive capability. 90% immunity to physical damage!]
That one lit Ye Xi's eyes right up.
Defense was exactly what he was lacking most!
Sure, his raw strength was staggering and he had no shortage of powerful trump cards — but his defensive options were pitiful.
Whenever he ran into real danger, his only move was to freeze time and then put distance between himself and the threat.
Those combo techniques were unbeatable in their own way — landing a strike while time was stopped, for instance.
But having zero defense on his person always gave him the nagging feeling of having stepped outside without his trousers on.
Bare and exposed. Deeply unsettling.
With [Body Armor], he could turn his arms into solid plate on command.
Impervious to blades. Untouched by fire or water.
If he was worried about someone targeting a vital spot, he could just as easily harden his neck, his eyes, whatever he liked — diamond-hard.
After that, killing him with a sword or a spear would be a great deal easier said than done!
And best of all, this skill seemed to have some unexpected side applications he hadn't thought of yet.
Mm.
He had a feeling it was going to come in very handy. For everyone's benefit.
Once all the ability upgrades and rewards had finished, the system delivered one final physical reward.
[Blueprints and operating manual for a ten-thousand-ton cruiser acquired!]
Ye Xi stared at the screen with a face full of question marks.
Good lord.
A cruiser!?
That was completely off the charts!
What on earth did the system think he was going to do with that?
After a moment's hesitation, a full three-dimensional model of the cruiser materialized in his mind.
With that blueprint, he could use the [Abyss Core] to manufacture cruisers directly.
In bulk, no less.
Honestly speaking — planes, cars, he knew those well. He'd spent plenty of time playing simulation games for both.
But ships? That was something of a blind spot for him.
He'd been worrying about Inazuma for exactly that reason — you couldn't run a railway to an island nation. It had to be ships and air transport.
The trouble was, shipbuilding wasn't really his strong suit.
Now, though, that problem had solved itself — blueprints for a full cruiser, delivered right to his door.
Use something like that as a cargo vessel, and wouldn't the delivery speed absolutely skyrocket!?
And given how solid the hull construction was, a bit of rough weather at sea wasn't going to do a thing to it.
Built entirely from specialized metal alloys — if some sea beast decided to ram its head against the hull, it would shatter its own skull before it left so much as a scratch.
It was settled, then. Tomorrow, he'd take Ningguang to the coast and get a proper look at this cruiser.
After all, the cargo trade running between Liyue and Inazuma right now relied entirely on ships.
Beidou's fleet was the backbone of that transport operation.
The problem was that her vessels were rickety wooden boats that still relied entirely on human oarsmen.
A single round trip took at least half a month — and that was on a good day.
And the moment they hit a serious storm, things turned dangerous fast.
If he could swap out the whole fleet for cruisers, wouldn't that be an absolute game-changer?
Lost in thought, a wave of drowsiness finally rolled over him, and Ye Xi drifted off to sleep.
.....
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