At first, Xiao had thought—if he could gain pure power like Ryen, then going bald might not be such a bad trade-off.
Besides, that level of training? It was child's play for everyone present.
But seeing Ryen's broad smile, Xiao realized he was just joking around.
He dropped the idea altogether.
Lisa, ever charming, rolled her eyes playfully and teased:
"A lady's image is everything, you know. If I went bald, how would I ever seduce you again?"
Ryen just shrugged, ending the teasing there.
Stretching lazily, he said with a calm smile:
"Come on. Let's head out. The changes over the past few days—only by seeing them with your own eyes will you truly understand."
"Dragons!"
Venti instantly raised his hand excitedly, looking at Ryen with sparkling eyes.
"I heard you've raised several more dragons! Hehe! Ryen, we're best friends, right?"
Seeing that greedy look on Venti's face, Ryen sighed and replied helplessly:
"You really are the ultimate playboy. You just got an Ender Dragon, and now you want more?"
"Lisa already told me—you brought the Ender Dragon back to Mondstadt and got chased around by Dvalin for quite a while."
Venti's expression stiffened. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and muttered:
"Chased sounds so... aggressive."
"It was just a friendly game between old pals! Dvalin and I are super close."
"It's just... Dvalin's a little possessive, that's all."
Ryen smirked but said nothing.
Venti, that scoundrel... First, he tells Dvalin, "You're free now." Then immediately goes off flying through the skies with another dragon.
Classic two-faced behavior.
"We broke up so you could be free. I'm with her now because she needs me."
What a guy. Ryen silently crowned Venti as Teyvat's Ultimate Heartbreaker.
As they stepped out of the villa, the first thing that greeted them was the fully rebuilt Jueyun Karst, now behind the mountain estate.
Several towering peaks rose into the sky, connected by wooden bridges. At the center stood a quaint, ancient-style floating city, suspended in mid-air like a mystical mirage.
Immortal energy lingered in the air.
All across the mountaintops, workers were still building statues—not of Zhongli or Cloud Retainer, but of long-gone immortal friends:
Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, Skybracer, Stormbreaker, Doomguard, Earthshatter...
All immortal allies from the past, their likenesses vividly carved onto the mountain faces.
Zhongli stood still for a moment.
No wonder Cloud Retainer had told him to stay out for a few days—said she had a surprise for him.
A surprise...
It truly was a monumental one.
The newly constructed, artificial Jueyun Karst stood tall, resembling the days of the Archon War—immortals gathered once again, just like the old days when they snuck moments of peace during endless battles.
It felt like...
They had never left.
Despite being made from Minecraft blocks, the statues were astonishingly lifelike. Each immortal's expression was perfectly captured—some smiling, some solemn, some in mid-laughter.
It was the work of Liyue's top design team, who came in and meticulously crafted everything. Cloud Retainer participated too, but kept her input to a minimum.
She quietly followed instructions, placing blocks like an ordinary Qixing craftsman.
This was the final thing she could do for her old friends—ensuring that they were remembered exactly as they were.
Zhongli's eyes shimmered. A faint mist blurred his vision.
"You've all done so much…"
As his gaze passed over each statue, memories surged back.
A thousand years later, he never thought he'd see this day.
Ryen patted Zhongli's shoulder gently, saying nothing.
Not far away, Base One had undergone major reconstruction. It was now a massive stone fortress built from cobblestone, filled with advanced tech and mob farms, bustling with activity.
Across the plains, a vast Liyue-style city was nearly complete—fine-tuning the details was all that remained.
Even Jean and Lisa couldn't help but marvel at Liyue's efficiency and scale.
The original villa had nearly doubled in size since their last visit.
Now it had three levels:
The first level was purely aesthetic—no redstone contraptions, just farms, gardens, lakes, and a refined residence. This was where Ryen usually relaxed, farming or breeding animals during his downtime.
The second level was packed with all sorts of tech—villager trade halls, automated farms, and more. Some sections had been rearranged for better optimization.
The third level...
This was home to nearly twenty dragons—some lazily wandering about, others napping sprawled on the ground.
Beyond the third level stood the private homes built by the others: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Yuehai Pavilion, Jade Chamber, and more—some hovering in the sky, others grounded.
Although everyone had their personal homes, they still preferred gathering in Ryen's villa.
Even Ganyu, when resting in this world, stayed with Ryen.
"Such a wondrous world... Every corner echoes with rules and logic. It's an alchemist's paradise."
Albedo sighed in awe, itching to dive straight into research.
Ryen, sensing his thoughts, shook his head.
"This world has strict laws. Everything functions under tight control—you can't just break the rules."
"Your research should focus on bringing materials from here back to Teyvat. Combine them with our laws to make new breakthroughs."
"Of course, you're welcome to visit and explore anytime."
Albedo nodded. For him, it made no real difference.
As long as he could study alchemy, the location didn't matter. He wasn't overly curious about the unknowns of this world.
"Alright. Since Klee and Albedo just arrived, let's start with a gift."
Ryen led them toward the dragon stables on the third level.
"We currently have eight dragon types. The ones with saddles are already tamed. The rest—you're welcome to pick and raise as your own."
"They're powerful and can fly freely through the skies."
Ryen scooped Klee into his arms with a cheerful smile and said:
"Albedo is Geo-aligned, so elemental reactions aren't much of a concern for him—you can decide for yourself. But little Klee's different."
"I recommend she raise an Ice Dragon. It'll help her trigger elemental reactions more easily."
Klee looked at him with her usual sparkly, curious eyes.
"Ice Dragon?"
Ryen pointed toward a nearby pure white dragon lying lazily and dozing under the sun.
"Do you like it?"
Klee's eyes lit up the moment she saw it, love overflowing from her expression.
"I love it! Klee wants the icy dragon! Is big bro Ryen really giving it to Klee?"
Ryen chuckled, took out a saddle, and walked over to the Ice Dragon with her in his arms.
"From now on, this dragon is yours, little Klee. You can ride it and drop your bombs from above—it'll be loads of fun."
"This dragon can also protect you. So you must take good care of it, alright?"
Klee nodded seriously, trying to put on a stern face, but only ended up looking even cuter.
"Klee will take very, very good care of her dragon!"
With a little "heave-ho," she jumped down and gently patted the Ice Dragon's head.
The chilly, frosty touch made her giggle with glee.
She threw her arms around the Ice Dragon and shouted joyfully.
The dragon had already been tamed by Ryen beforehand and was incredibly docile. It affectionately nuzzled against Klee, recognizing her as its new master.
The sight made Ryen's fatherly instincts flare up warmly.
"Ryen really does like kids, huh…" Hu Tao leaned on his arm and glanced at Klee, then whispered,
"Ryen, let's have a kid together someday. Then they can inherit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor!"
Ryen rolled his eyes and grumbled,
"Way too early. Maybe later!"
"Hmph…" Hu Tao pouted but didn't push further.
Ryen hadn't really considered having a child of his own yet, and even if he did, it would definitely be Ganyu who'd have to be the first.
Otherwise, she'd probably sulk for weeks.
"Ryen, are you sure it's okay to give Klee a dragon?" Jean asked, a bit uneasy as she watched Klee already flying through the air, joyfully riding the Ice Dragon through the skies.
Klee's destructive potential was already off the charts.
Now with a dragon, even without talking about elemental reactions…
Just the image of Klee dropping bombs from high altitude was enough to worry Jean.
The memory of Klee bombing the skies around the Jade Chamber during the Celestia Gate incident was still fresh.
"It's no problem," Ryen waved it off with a pampering smile as he watched Klee loop and dive joyfully in the air.
"Don't let her size fool you. Klee knows her limits. Besides, in this world, she can explode things freely—as long as she doesn't hurt anyone, it's totally fine."
"Honestly, her Jumpty Dumpties have probably had their power heavily nerfed by the local world laws."
Jean opened her mouth to argue but gave up.
Ryen had a point.
All of their elemental powers had been suppressed in this world—Klee's were no exception.
Realistically, unless it was a particularly strong explosion, one bomb might only blow up a couple of blocks.
In Ryen's eyes, as long as no one got hurt, even if Klee blew up half the manor, he could fix it in minutes.
This world was Klee's playground.
Turning back to his own dragon, Ryen said:
"Let's go. I'll take you all to the base. We've started mass production of firearms. Your MP5s are outdated now and way too weak."
"Time to give you an upgrade."
Jean naturally nodded in full agreement.
For now, firearms were still the most reliable tools in this world.
As for resources…
The base near the End, which now belonged to Mondstadt, had tons of Lucky Blocks and rich mine networks.
Now that Klee was here, resource acquisition would be effortless.
The dragons beat their wings and soared low over the plains, and within moments, they reached Base One.
This base had undergone a dramatic transformation. The entire structure now resembled a castle.
Given that it was primarily manned by the Millelith, the term "fortress" would be more accurate.
A vast landing zone, walled with stone, stretched out from the fortress—clearly built to accommodate Ryen and the others' dragons.
Ryen landed first, and the rest followed. Even Albedo and Klee, both new to dragon riding, managed to land gracefully.
Riding a dragon was relatively simple—in flight, your intentions synced with the dragon's mind.
Whatever action you wanted, you only needed to think it.
This was why everyone agreed—owning a dragon greatly boosted one's combat potential.
After landing, Nahida and Klee each clung to one of Ryen's hands, happily following by his side.
Hu Tao, meanwhile, looked slightly jealous.
Ryen chuckled and waited until everyone had secured their dragons, then pushed open the fenced gate and led them into Base One.
The moment they stepped in, Jean froze in shock.
From the air, it hadn't looked like much.
But now that she saw it from ground level…
The scale of development was staggering.
This wasn't a base anymore—
It was a full-blown military-industrial complex!
~~----------------------
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