Mondstadt's Base No. 1 had been initially leveled by Ningguang and her group, and it was finally starting to take shape.
This was good news for Jean and the others.
When the Knights of Favonius eventually moved in, they'd naturally need some time to adapt.
MC was no longer what it used to be—raiders and mutants could appear at any moment, so caution was essential.
The knights had just begun settling in and still needed a long period of learning and adaptation.
Though they could temporarily stay at the Liyue base, they would ultimately need to return to their own base to rest.
Now that the land was flattened, building homes would be much easier.
Even if the knights were unfamiliar with the process, within one morning, they could still divide up the work and build their own homes.
This had been part of Ryen's plan all along, even while he was off slaying the Ender Dragon.
There needed to be a transit base to serve as a foothold.
The surroundings were completely undeveloped. Not far off, several Lucky Blocks were visible.
At a time like this, naturally, Klee had to step in.
As for the outcome—it did not disappoint.
Klee's luck was probably on par with Ganyu's.
She opened just three Lucky Blocks, and what did she get?
Iron block
Gold block
Diamond block
Ender Pearls
Eye of Ender
Totem of Undying
Venti was rendered speechless by this kind of luck.
But for Jean and Lisa, it was undoubtedly amazing news.
Klee was proving to be a secret weapon that could help Mondstadt rapidly catch up to Liyue's progress in a short time.
Klee gave the Totem of Undying to Albedo.
He was the only one among them who didn't carry a totem.
After understanding the item's effect, Albedo also fell into stunned silence—completely mentally defeated.
It was more than just "not dying"; it was basically being forcefully granted a second life.
No matter what, he couldn't refuse this gift.
His body had certain issues, which was also why Albedo didn't want to stay in Mondstadt City.
He knew the extent of his own strength.
Once he lost control, he wouldn't just destroy Mondstadt—he might end up hurting others, too.
But now, with the Totem of Undying, at worst, he could "die" once and use that as an opportunity to purge the problematic parts of his body.
The development and growth of the Minecraft world during this time had also been mostly grasped by Jean and the others.
The progress had been fast, but truthfully, there wasn't anything too novel anymore.
This made it much easier for them to accept and integrate.
Just like that, the morning passed quickly.
In the afternoon, since they had nothing else to do, Ryen and the others helped Jean and Lisa fix up a few things at their base.
He also guided them in building some tech-related setups, like an iron farm.
During their absence, the villagers had bred sufficiently.
All kinds of villager tech could now be implemented on-site.
The only remaining construction was the Knights of Favonius' residential area, which hadn't yet started.
But it wouldn't make sense to have Jean and Lisa build that themselves.
Once the knights moved in, they'd need something to keep them busy, so they could get familiar with the world faster.
By dusk, everyone left the Minecraft world.
Ningguang and the others were still very busy and didn't have time to invite them up to the Jade Chamber for dinner.
So Baiwen was sent to deliver food instead.
By 7 PM, Klee was already sleepy.
The little troublemaker had run wild today—blowing up a lake, then the sea, and finally having the Ice Dragon fly her high up into the sky so she could throw grenades down like flower petals.
Klee had never been so carefree and happy throwing bombs.
To her, it felt like going on vacation with her mom—pure joy.
Ryen arranged for her to stay at his small courtyard with Nahida. It was a way to let them have each other as playmates.
Though Nahida had lived for 500 years, at heart she still had the temperament of a child.
After some casual chatting, they said goodbye to Jean and Lisa.
Albedo's alchemy workshop wasn't completed yet, so he was still staying at Liyue's guest accommodations.
But since it was related to Ryen's plans, his workshop was being built rapidly.
It should be at least partially complete by tomorrow afternoon. Whatever it lacked by then, Albedo could manage himself.
As for whether Albedo would be able to come up with results...
Even Liyue's Forging Department had managed to use lapis lazuli to expand their research into elemental power laws.
There was no reason why Albedo, a master alchemist, couldn't.
The only question was how much he would gain.
Ryen didn't stay in his courtyard tonight.
He went to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor with Hu Tao.
Hu Tao's pitiful, resentful little gaze made Ryen uncomfortable all over.
Best to take advantage of Ganyu being away tonight and let Hu Tao settle down a bit.
Sitting at the parlor for the first time in a while, Ryen looked around curiously.
Clearly, business had been good lately.
Many areas had been renovated, and some new furniture had been brought in.
It seemed the large-scale funeral for the wolves earlier had made them quite a profit.
Of course, the main reason was:
Zhongli had been spending all day in the Minecraft world recently and hadn't been going to Liyue Harbor to rack up expenses.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor hadn't received Zhongli's lavish bills for a while.
Sometimes, Ryen found it shocking—Zhongli's personal spending alone could financially strain the entire Funeral Parlor, the company that monopolized all of Liyue's funeral business.
In a way, Zhongli was even more outrageous than Venti.
But this wasn't something Ryen needed to worry about.
He lay in Hu Tao's room as she went to wash up. Before she left, she had happily told him to wait for her.
She wasn't shy at all.
Once she recognized someone, she would devote her entire passion to them—very much in line with her personality.
Just as Ryen was wondering how to "help Hu Tao explore" later, he suddenly sensed a strange divine power near the Funeral Parlor.
It wasn't Zhongli's.
That divine aura was chilling—like ancient, unmeltable ice.
The Cryo Archon?
Ryen raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Was the Cryo Archon really this bold?
Daring to release divine power in Liyue, and so close to Zhongli's position?
Even Venti wouldn't dare mess around like this.
If Zhongli caught him, he'd get hit with a full dose of the Planet Befall.
Ryen started to look forward to the fun that might follow.
He scribbled a note to Hu Tao saying he'd step out for a bit, then got dressed and left.
Just as he expected—Zhongli was already standing in the courtyard, face as black as the night, clearly in a foul mood.
"An old friend come to visit?"
Ryen teased with a smile, but Zhongli shook his head slightly.
"Just a little rat showing off with borrowed power. I'll take care of it."
He had only taken a few steps when he noticed Ryen looking on with a gleeful, expectant expression. Zhongli sighed.
"Want to come along?"
"I was waiting for you to say that!"
Ryen stepped forward cheerfully and clapped Zhongli on the shoulder.
"Let's go! Give me a teleport!"
Zhongli smiled bitterly in his heart but still tapped into the ley lines, teleporting them both away.
They arrived just outside Liyue Harbor, near the base of Tianheng Mountain — an area not yet covered by Ningguang's Tianyan system.
As soon as they landed, Ryen spotted the visitor clearly.
It wasn't the Cryo Archon.
It was Rosalyne, the Fatui Harbinger known as "La Signora."
She was radiating an intense power imbued with the Cryo Archon's divine aura, which she only began to suppress once she saw Zhongli.
Clearly, she had released that aura deliberately to draw him out.
Zhongli's expression turned cold as he fixed his eyes on Rosalyne.
"Recklessly releasing divine power on Liyue's land is a violation of contract law — you shall face the Planet Befall."
Rosalyne gave a bitter smile in her heart.
She couldn't get near Wangsheng Funeral Parlor or the base of Tianheng Mountain — this was her only way to contact Zhongli.
Before she'd even released her divine power, she had anticipated she would face the Planet Befall punishment.
But compared to what she needed to do, that punishment was worth it.
She had to contact Zhongli before the Rite of Descension began — no matter the cost.
She bowed slightly.
"Forgive me, Lord Morax, for using such a method to call upon you."
In the past, Rosalyne might have thought she could slap even the Anemo Archon around — so Zhongli couldn't be that scary either.
But the moment he arrived and released just a wisp of pressure, it was as if she faced an unfathomable sky.
She realized — the God of War was not someone she could challenge. Best to humble herself.
Especially since she wasn't here to provoke, but to discuss something serious.
"I've come to Liyue to carry out the contract between Her Majesty the Tsaritsa and yourself. But it's been hard to make contact through normal means — I had no choice. I will not resist the punishment."
Zhongli's expression finally eased a bit.
Truthfully, he felt slightly embarrassed.
He had been so relaxed in the Minecraft world lately, he had nearly forgotten about the contract to end all contracts — one that still tied him to the Cryo Archon.
"Even with just cause, a contract's fairness must never be defied."
He raised his hand, and a beam of golden light burst from Rosalyne's body.
Her face instantly went pale, and she staggered but managed to stay on her feet.
Still, she was shaken.
She had absolutely no resistance. The power she prided herself on was like a drop of water in the ocean compared to Zhongli's — she couldn't even think of resisting.
A cold chill passed through her heart. That ancient, original Archon strength awakened her anxiety.
She even started questioning — if Zhongli, as an original Archon, was this strong…
Then how could Venti, who was also an original Archon, seem so weak?
Was he just pretending?
…Had he deliberately taken her slap back then?
Out of guilt for what happened in the past?
Rosalyne felt conflicted. But now was not the time to think about that — she calmed her power to stabilize herself.
The injuries weren't serious, just painful — a healing potion would fix it later.
"Why did you seek me?"
Zhongli calmly withdrew his divine energy and looked at her silently.
Rosalyne pursed her lips and shifted her gaze to Ryen.
Ryen smiled and nodded.
"Don't mind me, I'm just here for the drama."
His boldness surprised Rosalyne.
Recalling the intelligence gathered by the Fatui, she immediately realized — this was Ryen, the man living at the foot of Tianheng Mountain.
She was pleasantly surprised — she hadn't expected to gain such a bonus encounter.
If she could form a cooperation directly with Ryen, that would be…
"Speak plainly. Ryen is not a party to our contract — he won't interfere with its execution."
Zhongli narrowed his eyes slightly, as if giving a warning.
Rosalyne pouted a little, sighing regretfully in her heart.
But she composed herself and softly asked:
"With the Rite of Descension approaching, I came only to ask one question — must the contract to end all contracts still be carried out?"
Zhongli replied firmly:
"The contract is established. Even if the heavens fall, the contract must be fulfilled."
"Proceed as agreed."
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