Martial Teyvat Chapter 48 (Patreon)

A loud slurp rang out breaking the tense silence as I drank my comfort hot chocolate.

The water Yaksha Bonanus gave me an annoyed look at my noise but the earth Yaksha Menogias gave a wry smile as he coughed. "So... we felt abyssal taint at your house. Within Liyue Harbor itself."

He brushed a hand through his golden brown hair before saying tiredly. "Jake why is there abyssal taint that is of spiritual and life force level of Nascent Soul and Martial Saint?" 

Left unsaid, was him asking why I was still alive if such a monster was here.

"Arlecchino of Sneznahya teleported into my house. Demanded I go to Sneznahya to build their land factories, and when I obviously agreed, she teleported out after congratulating me on my upcoming nuptials." I reported dryly.

The room went silent before I saw Bonanus's face twitch before she grunted and said. "Aye... I have felt her aura before and it is similar to what remains here. She the fool girl decided to invade the abyss to push back the hordes in Sneznahaya and was tainted when she came to blades with a divine-level abyssal demon."

Menogias exhaled heavily and spoke. "Well, this is quite the conundrum. You already gave your word to help them and this was Arlecchino dealing with you distinctly not Liyue itself."

To which I gave the Geo Yaksha a dark look before I drawled out. "And I a tier 1 martial artist and Cultivator would dare to refuse when a literal demigod tears through space and time into the bedroom to demand my service?" 

The silence became heavy as the Geo Yaksha had no answer. Hell with the way he frowned, I realized something.

Arlecchino was stronger than he was. Hell with the way Bonanus was also scowling, I would believe she was stronger than the both of them put together in a fight.

So I sighed with a hand brushing across my face before I said flatly. "So, I will be busy working in Snezhnaya after my wedding with Keqing. The alchemy factory is working at an efficiency I projected though the Joyous Union Sect that is nearby will likely be an issue once they find out about it." 

"But any plans to make a factory solely based on the mass production of weapon frames will have to be pushed back for at least the next six months." I finished.

There was a heavy silence before Menogias broke it with his aura slipping from his control. "That is... Not going to happen Jake." He spoke slowly.

Bonanus spoke coldly. "Although this is the first I have heard of an alchemy factory. The reality is that your war machines in the Pelican's and Titans once further augmented via formations have cut the average causality rates of the last three incursions by thirty percent." 

Her bright blue eyes stared into me as she spoke plainly. "Sumeru, Sneznayha, or even Mondstadt... They are not your home now Jake Bariss, Liyue is. And Liyue needs more weapons, it needs bigger mechs for when the next divine tier abyssal comes to test the Sect Masters and it brings the true endless hordes." 

I actually snorted making her aura flare and my chest crack at the pressure before she reeled in the pressure as Menogias's aura enhanced my body to protect me. "I am a vagrant water Yaksha." I spat out as I palmed my chest feeling the pain of a bruised if not cracked rib.

"I have no fucking home. I was given this house out of pity from Keqing when I pointed out how the swords and spears of the Millith were far below their standard quality. I literally only accepted Arlecchino's demands for purely one reason. She could kill me with a flick of her wrist and there would be no consequences for her." 

The living room we were in was filled with a tense silence before Menogias spoke slowly. "Jake Bariss, I assure you there would be... Reprisals from my own Sect Master Morax if Arlecchino should have done that. You are more valuable then you may realize." 

To that, I said bluntly. "So what is my value? My value is in making things and should I die my value would be lost. Can or would Liyue actually even go to war to Sneznahya for my death? No, it wouldn't... Sure Sect Master Morax may kill Arlecchino should she come close to Liyue again but that's it and that is cold comfort to my grave." 

I shook my head and said plainly. "I am weak currently. That is reality, and although that will change in the future. That doesn't change the fact that for right now I am being pulled around to create wonders the likes this world has never seen before." 

Well, this version of Teyvat had never seen such technology before. It turns out that Khaenri'ah never amounted to much of anything in this timeline as the abyss had broken into the world have the Celestia War where the gods rose up and slayed the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.

And where Khaenri'ah was, just happened to be weak in the world's dimensional barriers allowing the hordes of abyssal free for a time before several mortal sects took up residence there to keep the area locked down while free of the gods gaze.

So I gave the two Yaksha a simple shrug and said with a wry grin. "So yeah, no weapons factory is happening for a good while. I rather Arlecchino's scythe not take my head as I am sleeping." 

"Sect Master Morax won't be happy to hear that," Bonanus said calmly.

And I replied easily. "And if I refuse the Tsaritsa will be angry at me. And she seems much more pro-active sending one of the agents of the Winter Guard into my bedroom. I will of course come back... If I am allowed with Keqing but that will be whenever the Tsaritsa deigns to let me out of Sneznayha."

That was the kicker...

Once Snezhnaya tasted fifty thousand medium-tier Spirit Stones at very least entering their coffers along with all the other basic resources at zero cost to themselves beyond simply assigning some dead land to me. Why the hell would they let me go? When I could make that a quarter million spirit stones with another four factories?

Hell who was to say that Sneznayha wasn't planning on having me fixing their infamous food problem as the insane blizzard the land was constantly covered in didn't allow for shit to grow.