PFC Chapter 717 - 717: 717: Aether: I Really Want to Join the Bed Wars!
Chapter 717 - 717: 717: Aether: I Really Want to Join the Bed Wars!
Zhongli paid no mind to Ryen's commentary. Noticing that Childe had already returned to the inner perimeter of his Sky Island, he began calculating. Based on the previous skirmishes, he estimated Childe's health was critically low. He reached out, took the bow and arrows from Xiao's hands, performed a few quick mental calculations, and released an arrow.Childe, who was just about to report to the Tsaritsa, suddenly saw Rosalyne's hands erupt in flames. She transformed the fire into a long whip and lashed it toward him. Startled, Childe instinctively retreated a step. It was that single step that saved him: the arrow missed his chest by a hair's breadth, whistling past and thudding into the wool block directly in front of him.
Cold sweat broke out on Childe's face. He looked back toward the source. Zhongli was leisurely lowering his bow, staring at him with a quiet, steady gaze.
"That was ruthless!" Childe wiped the sweat from his brow. If that arrow had connected, he would have been dead for sure.
Zhongli did not continue the attack. At such a distance, arrows moved slowly enough to be easily intercepted once the target was alert. His failure to kill Childe meant the element of surprise was gone: now, the other four nations would be watching him with extreme caution.
"You won't be so lucky next time," Zhongli murmured calmly. He turned back toward the center of his island. "Keep your eyes on the center island. If anyone dares to set foot there, use indiscriminate carpet fire. Leave no one standing!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
With Liyue holding a massive advantage, the fighting spirit of the Millelith was boiling over, feeling as though they could take on the entire world.
"Heal up, everyone!"
Childe led his team back to the inner circle of the Sky Island, arranging for the soldiers to eat food to restore their saturation and health. He walked quickly to the Tsaritsa, looking somewhat embarrassed.
"Your Majesty, my apologies. Our losses were significant this time... However, we brought back two stacks of arrows. They should last us for a while."
The Tsaritsa sighed. She couldn't blame Childe for this failure; he had been underhanded and hardworking enough. It was simply that Liyue's tactics were a cut above the rest.
"You've worked hard. Rest for a moment, then go take over the sub-island development from Scaramouche. Keep a close watch; be wary of a sneak attack from Mondstadt. Although our losses aren't the worst, the current situation shows that Mondstadt and Liyue have pulled significantly ahead of us. We must be careful of their schemes."
Childe accepted the command and hurried to switch places with Scaramouche. The Tsaritsa gazed toward the Liyue and Mondstadt bases. After the recent battle, those two had secured a massive haul and were currently integrating their resources. Trying to ambush them now was unrealistic. For now, Snezhnaya's target couldn't be Mondstadt or Liyue; the best strategy was to let those two wear each other down.
After a long silence, Scaramouche walked over. "Your Majesty."
The Tsaritsa nodded. "Consolidate the resources. Craft Iaito and bows. In a moment, take thirty men and launch an assault on Sumeru's main island. The center island is a deathtrap; we cannot go there for now. By taking the risk to crush Sumeru, we can use their resources to catch up."
"Rosalyne, once Childe has secured the sub-island and finished gathering resources, have him return to guard the main island. You and Scaramouche will lead the charge. Scaramouche will focus on Sumeru, while you harass the other three nations. You must ensure they don't seize the chance to ambush us while we are vulnerable."
The two acknowledged the orders and tensely began crafting weapons.
Over at the Inazuma base, Kujou Sara returned to Ei's side with a dark expression. She knelt on one knee and said solemnly: "Almighty Shogun, my apologies. Your subordinate has failed..."
Ei shook her head. "Restore your health first. Though our losses were high, they are still within acceptable limits. Sumeru is currently the weakest. Go to the sub-island and replace Ayaka. Gather resources and craft weapons. We will launch an attack on Sumeru shortly. Their resources will be enough for us to stage a comeback."
Kujou Sara nodded and headed for the sub-island without a word.
On Sumeru's side, Alhaitham and the others had clearly guessed that their weakened state would make them a target for focused fire. They were busily integrating their remaining resources and setting traps. Though their numbers were still decent, they had lost the initiative, and there was no telling how many teams would come to gank them. Alhaitham had no doubt that in this game, everyone loved to kick a man while he was down.
Meanwhile, Mondstadt and Liyue were in high spirits, unhurriedly perfecting their plans. They held the advantage and the initiative: whoever they wanted to hit was just a matter of a single command. Morale, after all, was a critical factor in Bed Wars.
"Phew..."
As the intense confrontation paused, Kaeya and the others let out a sigh of relief. Kaeya spoke with a grin: "It seems my plan was quite effective. While we don't have Liyue's massive lead, we aren't doing poorly either. If our performance stays this good, Acting Grand Master Jean should see my worth and let me stay here, right?"
He truly couldn't stand the thought of going back to Liyue to handle paperwork. Diluc and the others were here enjoying themselves every day; why should he be the one stuck working? Didn't he deserve some entertainment too? Though he hadn't been in this world long, Kaeya felt it suited his tastes perfectly: mysterious and fun. You couldn't pay him to go back now.
Ryen scanned all the screens and chuckled. "The small-scale clashes have concluded. Every nation is busy organizing their resources. I believe a much larger collision is coming soon, and it will be an even more spectacular match to watch."
"Current rankings based on overall assessment: First place, Liyue. Zero casualties, significant resource gains. Second place, Mondstadt. Seven casualties, secured half of Sumeru's sub-island resources. Third place, Snezhnaya. Six casualties, two stacks of arrows. Fourth place, Inazuma. Nine casualties, one stack of arrows. Fifth place, Sumeru. Seven casualties, half of sub-island resources looted and some burned, Priest villagers currently incapacitated."
"Sumeru needs to be careful. As the most disadvantaged team, they are very likely to be swarmed by the other nations. After all, everyone is tempted by the resources gained from eliminating a team."
Listening to Ryen's words, Alhaitham and his team on the Sky Island grew even more tense. They finished harvesting all resources from the sub-island, took their Priest villagers, and retreated as a group to defend their main island.
In the stadium, the tension among the spectators eased slightly as the fighting paused. The previous battles had been intense, featuring several stunning maneuvers. To date, the most impressive play remained Liyue's fishing rod rescue. Many people were taking notes: after all, they would have to play in the official tournament later. The fierce competition in Bed Wars didn't seem to affect the spectators' relationships; they often worked together to develop the world and were mostly friends. Bed Wars was, at its core, a game: it didn't warrant genuine life-and-death animosity. At most, they just grumbled about how "dirty" or "underhanded" certain plays were.
On the Sky Island observation deck, Aether and the Khaenri'ahns behind him watched the match with longing. After a long while, Aether let out a quiet sigh.
"It's a pity we joined so late. Our main force is still in training, otherwise we should have participated in this grand event to earn a high ranking."
Endis leaned in and whispered: "Prince, should we pull some people out early so they can participate?"
"Participate how? These guys are more underhanded than the next. I can't even tell if they are the people of the Abyss or if we are. Bringing untrained people here would just be embarrassing. Can you guarantee you can out-scheme Liyue or Mondstadt? I bet even Snezhnaya could play us to death."
Hearing this, Endis felt a bit awkward, but he had to agree. The participants were playing incredibly "dirty": ambushes, betrayals, arson, mutual destruction, sow-and-reap tactics... the "pro-gamer moves" were endless. As a former Abyss Lector who had lived in the Abyss for five hundred years, he had to admit that Zhongli and the others played games far more ruthlessly than he did. Compared to them, he felt like an innocent little rabbit in Bed Wars.
But it was exactly this kind of heart-pumping, life-and-death combat that made the Abyss Order excited. The citizens of Khaenri'ah were all battle-hungry at heart.
"Wait until next year. We'll practice hard this year and specifically train a hundred people for Bed Wars. Next year, the championship will belong to Khaenri'ah! It will be the best gift to celebrate our restoration!" Aether waved his hand, saying no more.
Endis and the others nodded heavily. "We shall bring glory back to Khaenri'ah!"
Nearby, Lumine curled her lip. "I'm joining next year too. I won't hit anyone else; I'll just target you!"
Aether rolled his eyes and ignored her.
Kamisato Ayato and his two companions, who had just arrived, were taking deep breaths to steady their nerves. After a while, Yoimiya said worriedly: "They're fighting like this, and people are 'dying' left and right... is that really necessary?"
Yae Miko turned around with a playful smile. "It seems the little one doesn't understand the nature of this match yet. We all have Totems of Undying; even if they die, they can be revived. And even if they truly 'die,' there are Resurrection Totems to bring them back. Life and death in this world is just a game. Don't worry; just watch and enjoy the show."
Kazuha opened his mouth, his voice full of complex emotions. "Such precious treasures... can they really be wasted like this? Immortality..."
"It's fine. We produce over a thousand Totems of Undying every day. We produce more than we could ever waste here," Keqing said, shaking her head. She then turned to Yoimiya. "Regarding the Lantern Rite fireworks, let's talk after the match is over."
"...Alright."
Barbara watched Jean with eyes full of concern. Though she knew Jean wouldn't be in real danger, she still felt a pang of worry every time her sister was attacked.
As the battle remained paused, Ryen took the opportunity to re-explain the finer details of Bed Wars to the audience.
Liyue Sky Island
Beidou led her team back from the sub-island and walked up to Zhongli. "My Lord, sub-island resources have been harvested. We left plenty of traps behind. Everyone is equipped with Iaito and full iron armor. We have thirty sets ready. Should we attack Sumeru and seize their resources?"
Zhongli remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the Snezhnaya base.
"Attack Snezhnaya!"
"Huh?" Beidou was confused.
Zhongli spoke softly: "Snezhnaya has lost quite a few men. They can't afford to fight us or Mondstadt directly. To close the resource gap, they will inevitably turn their eyes toward Sumeru. Inazuma and Sumeru don't play Bed Wars often and aren't major threats to us. Our true rivals are Mondstadt and Snezhnaya."
"Currently, Snezhnaya's strategy is flawed. We have the advantage. If we take them out first and seize their resources, we eliminate a major competitor. We shall play the part of the oriole: let the mantis stalk the cicada. Snezhnaya will attack Sumeru shortly. Once they are engaged and unable to retreat, we will sever their bridge. We'll march directly onto the Snezhnaya Sky Island!"
"Cloud Retainer, you will bridge from below to launch a sneak attack on the Mondstadt island. I'll give you a casualty quota of fifteen men. I don't expect you to eliminate Mondstadt: just keep them busy so they can't interfere with us."
Beidou and Cloud Retainer exchanged a glance and nodded. When it came to being underhanded, no one beat their Lord. Six thousand years of warfare wasn't for show.
"Xiao, keep a tight watch on the center island. Anyone who steps up gets an arrow volley. Indiscriminate strikes. Our advantage lies in ranged power. Whenever you have a free moment, fire at the Mondstadt base. Kill whoever you can; if you can't kill them, harass them. Also... keep rolling for Flame enchantments. I want nothing but Flame!"