"Ryen, we just dealt with the Wither, and now we're heading to explore the End already?"
Keqing looked at Ryen curiously.
In her impression, Ryen usually left some breathing room between such major milestones. Now they were jumping straight into the next one?
That wasn't like Ryen at all.
But Ryen only smiled and shook his head.
"Things are different now... We're all equipped with full enchanted diamond gear, and our combat power is more than enough."
"There's really no need to fear the Ender Dragon anymore."
"Even with all those Endermen in the End, you guys can handle them, right?"
At his words, everyone nodded in agreement.
To be honest, Endermen were no longer a threat worth worrying about.
Just a few days ago, Ningguang and the others had even asked Ryen if they could build an Enderman mob farm.
Although the Lucky Blocks had yielded a good number of Ender Pearls, for large-scale collection, a mob farm would be much better.
"Also..."
Ryen paused and smiled lightly:
"We're not diving into the End just yet. We're just going to locate the End Portal for now."
"Another main reason is that we haven't traveled to that world in a long time."
"This time, I also plan to help Jean and the others pick a suitable base site for Mondstadt over there. In a few days, the Rite of Descension will begin preparations, and you'll all be busy."
"So while you still have some free time, let's deal with these small matters first."
Ryen's timing was spot on.
There was only one month left until the Rite of Descension.
No matter what, such a major annual event needed to be done well.
What's more, Ningguang and the others planned to use this Rite to show off Liyue's true strength in front of all of Teyvat.
It would serve as both a formal answer sheet to the Geo Archon and a clear statement to the other six nations of just how powerful Liyue had become.
As a result, the original plan for this year's Rite of Descension had been completely overhauled—Ningguang would redesign everything from scratch.
Just as Ryen predicted, Ningguang's workload had doubled.
Before long, she might not even have time to visit the MC world anymore.
"You've really put a lot of thought into this, Ryen..."
Jean nodded apologetically at him.
"It's no trouble. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Ryen waved his hand dismissively and added:
"Before we head back later, borrow Keqing's notebook. It has information on most of the monsters, as well as a lot of crafting recipes."
"As for the more technical stuff, it might be a bit tough for you all to learn now—but you can start picking it up gradually."
"You can study that world's tech after we get there. Having something to reference will help a lot."
Upon hearing this, Jean and the others nodded seriously.
Once they were full and satisfied, they didn't talk about serious matters anymore.
After some idle chatter about the features of that other world, the topic shifted to the situations in the other nations.
Liyue's intelligence division, led by Yelan, had easier access to information than most underground networks.
Ryen had heard Ningguang mention Yelan many times.
She was a very capable woman.
Though she was officially Ningguang's subordinate, in reality, their relationship was more like a partnership.
It was said that Yelan was currently clashing with a Fatui Harbinger in another nation.
Ryen guessed it was probably the "Regrator."
But with Liyue backing her, and the overwhelming influence brought by their recent resource exports, the Regrator's side was struggling.
After all, Yelan never played by the rules.
Through this conversation, Jean and the others also got a clearer picture of the state of the other nations in Teyvat.
To be honest...
Mondstadt was one of the better-off regions.
Snezhnaya, home base of the Fatui, didn't offer much benefit to ordinary people.
The Cryo Archon was entirely focused on rebelling against Celestia. While the Fatui were full of ambition, the everyday life of Snezhnaya's people was far from easy.
Inazuma was even worse—war, exploitation, and misery everywhere.
Plus, being close to the dark outer seas meant the monsters there weren't comparable to the Hilichurls of Liyue and Mondstadt.
Though Orobashi was dead, the lingering remains of his divine power still tainted the land.
Despite the seemingly numerous islands, the only truly habitable ones were Watatsumi Island and Narukami Island.
The rest...
Either monsters or warzones.
If any place had the right to complain, it was Inazuma.
As for Raiden Shogun's inaction, Ningguang and the others scoffed at it.
But Venti and Zhongli understood the deeper issues and could only sigh quietly.
Was Ei wrong?
From the perspective of a younger sister, her elder sister had died, her closest friends had passed, and of all her old companions, only Yae Miko remained.
Anyone would become reclusive after that.
But as a god, she was still at fault.
No matter how much pain she had suffered, she still had a duty to her people. A god's role is to ensure the prosperity of their nation—not let it fall into an apocalyptic state.
Even if she was suddenly forced to take over, transitioning from a combat-oriented shadow warrior to the role of Archon...
She was the Raiden Shogun. That was an undeniable fact.
Venti admitted his own past negligence. Ei had no excuse either.
Even if her personal reasons were emotionally understandable...
Ruling a nation is not a game.
Just like ancient emperors in Ryen's world—once you ascend that throne, you're alone, bearing the lives of countless citizens.
An emperor can't kill thousands and then say, "Oh, I was just a child, I didn't know better. Please understand my feelings."
Really now? "She's just a kid, don't hold it against her?"
Why should the people be asked to understand the emperor—when the emperor failed to understand the people who died?
It was a cruel reality for Ei personally, but as one of the Seven Archons, she had to be rational.
Every decision they made could shake the world.
Still, this wasn't something Zhongli and the others could intervene in—they could only sigh in frustration.
As for Sumeru, there wasn't much to say. At the mere mention of the Akademiya, the immortals, Ningguang, and even Venti all wore expressions of disgust.
That said a lot—Sumeru was far from peaceful.
Natlan was too far away, and no one had clear information. However...
The Crimson Sea of Silence lay within Natlan, and its Archon was known for a hot temper and love of battle.
Rumor had it that there was war there too, though this couldn't be confirmed.
The only thing they could guess was that of all Teyvat's regions, Natlan was the quietest—and the least active in trade.
That didn't mean it was peaceful.
And Fontaine...
Apparently, the current Hydro Archon was embroiled in a conflict with her predecessor. The people had even split into two opposing factions because of it.
As for the Hydro Archon…
She was also one of the most steadfast supporters of Celestia.
Thinking carefully, among the seven nations of Teyvat, it seemed that only Liyue remained peaceful now.
That made Ningguang and the others quite happy.
But Ryen figured that before long, Ningguang would have something to worry about.
Liyue might be calm and peaceful for now, but…
That wouldn't last once Zhongli decided to make his big move.
When the Geo Archon fakes his death and the archons of old return to stir chaos, there would definitely be some unrest.
Still, Ryen didn't think it would be too chaotic—after all, Liyue's foundation was strong.
On the side of the adepti, Xiao and Cloud Retainer had already agreed to help stage the performance, and would also guide those among the adepti who didn't know the full plan.
So all in all…
It should be fine, right?
As he thought, Ryen glanced at Cloud Retainer.
At the moment, she sat beside Lumine with a stern expression, but in her eyes shone an indescribable light.
Ryen's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no. He was done for.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have let Lumine and Cloud Retainer be grouped together this afternoon.
Looks like the yandere true form of the Adeptus was about to emerge early.
Having made up his mind, Ryen decided he'd make time to visit Wangshu Inn—just in case Cloud Retainer made any more shocking remarks, he could intervene and minimize the damage.
"Um…"
Suddenly, Lumine weakly raised her hand and looked toward Ningguang:
"Sister Ningguang, earlier Ryen mentioned that the Jade Chamber had been fitted with a lot of redstone cannons…"
Ningguang raised an eyebrow and smiled, nodding.
"That's right. I'm in the process of converting the Jade Chamber into an aerial war fortress."
"In the future, even if the Geo Archon is not present, the Jade Chamber should still be capable of suppressing a god."
This idea was also one Ryen had shared with Ningguang.
Having such a high-altitude mobile fortress and only using it as a symbolic structure?
That was such a waste!
If experts from Ryen's previous life saw how Ningguang originally planned the Jade Chamber, they would surely berate her for extravagance and waste.
The fact that its strongest attack mode was self-destruction?
What a joke!
Thankfully, Ningguang now re-evaluated the Jade Chamber.
A high-altitude fortress capable of wide-area bombardment truly did have immense strategic value.
Recently, she had even asked Ryen multiple times about the "Heaven-based Dragon Slayer Cannon"—
Apparently considering installing one on the Jade Chamber.
Flying above Osial and firing it off…
Not entirely impossible!
Lumine's eyes sparkled with mischief, and she grinned playfully.
"Sister Ningguang~"
Her sweet, syrupy tone made Ryen cringe a little.
If Ningguang ever learned that the one calling her "Sister Ningguang" every day was actually an ageless girl over a thousand years old…
Would she go into shock?
"I already saw through your little scheme. The moment you boarded the Jade Chamber, you wouldn't stop staring at the redstone cannons."
Ningguang shook her head with an amused smile and waved her hand:
"Alright then, I'll let you witness the power of redstone technology with your own eyes."
"But the redstone cannons on the Jade Chamber are far too powerful—this isn't a suitable place to test them."
She glanced around at the surroundings.
On one side was the sea—blasting there might work, but what if the TNT triggered a tsunami and harmed the fishermen?
Tianheng Mountain next door was out of the question—Ryen lived there!
The Guili Plains seemed like a decent choice, but Keqing had painstakingly renovated the area, so they couldn't destroy it again.
"How about the Chasm?"
Keqing suggested softly and explained:
"The miners have already evacuated that area, and there's no Qixing garrison. Blasting a deep tunnel there shouldn't be an issue."
Before Ningguang could respond, Zhongli already looked troubled.
The Chasm…
He couldn't believe Keqing actually said that!
That area had the thinnest leyline structure in all of Liyue. Not to mention, it housed some things that should never be seen, along with the black sludge from five hundred years ago.
Zhongli had assigned two adepti to guard that location long-term.
Forget whether the TNT might blow something out of hiding—
Even if it didn't, the adepti were following orders and maintaining a secluded vigil, and they'd be hit with a few cannon blasts out of nowhere?
Wouldn't they be furious?
He quickly shot Ryen a look, and the latter barely suppressed a laugh.
"We can't bomb the Chasm—the leylines are too fragile there. Besides, the Seven Stars' seal was just reinforced recently. Let's pick another spot."
Keqing scratched her cheek awkwardly, realizing her oversight.
But to be honest, she really wanted to witness the redstone cannon too.
Due to the danger, it had been deployed but never fired.
No one knew how powerful it really was.
This was the perfect chance to record some data.
After thinking for a moment, Ryen suddenly spoke:
"I actually have a good place in mind…"
Immediately, everyone's gaze turned toward him.
Ryen looked at Zhongli with a meaningful smile.
"Let's go… blow up Nantianmen!"
"???"
~~----------------------
To read 30 future chapters head over to patreon:
patreon.com/Dreamer20