"If Liyue truly is this powerful and continues to grow at such a pace in the future…
Then without a doubt, compared to collecting the Gnoses, cooperating with Liyue offers a much higher chance of success."
"I've already tested the waters—Morax did not deny that Liyue intends to resist Celestia."
"That, to us, is good news."
"So I will suggest to Her Majesty that we form an alliance with Liyue."
"And Morax didn't show any objection to cooperating with Her Majesty either—he even expressed this in front of Ryen."
"This means there's still a chance for an alliance between Her Majesty and Liyue."
After speaking, Rosalyne took a sip of water to moisten her throat, then continued:
"But the Fatui—absolutely cannot form an alliance with Liyue. Just as Morax said, between Liyue and the Fatui, resentment has long been deeply rooted, whether officially or among the people."
"Add to that the blood feud with Mondstadt, and such a cooperation becomes even more impossible."
"But just because the Fatui can't… doesn't mean Her Majesty can't."
The more Tartaglia listened, the more confused he became. He basically didn't understand a word of what Rosalyne was saying.
Seeing that she intended to keep going, Tartaglia raised his hand with a headache and said:
"Just tell me directly what we're supposed to do."
Rosalyne paused and calmly looked at Tartaglia.
"There's nothing you need to do. This is something Her Majesty must decide on—it doesn't concern the Fatui directly."
"If Her Majesty truly intends to change course and ally with Liyue against Celestia…"
"Then the Fatui might be split. Those who have antagonized Liyue and Mondstadt, or those with their own agendas, will need to be separated from us."
"Liyue does not need a partner full of disunity."
This time, Tartaglia understood and said with realization:
"So, we might abandon our roles as Harbingers and instead act purely as official representatives of Snezhnaya to cooperate?"
"And the Fatui… will be abandoned?"
Rosalyne frowned slightly. She didn't like the word "abandoned."
At most, it was more like a restructuring—some things would still require the Fatui's involvement.
However, if things did go the way she envisioned, she would absolutely follow the Tsaritsa's orders.
When that time came, she herself might have to leave the Fatui.
But that wasn't her concern right now. Whether or not the alliance would happen depended on what the Tsaritsa wanted—and whether Morax and Ryen would accept it.
That step was still far off. Talking about it now served little purpose.
At most, it was to plant the idea in Tartaglia's mind.
Although Rosalyne didn't like Tartaglia's brainless, battle-obsessed attitude…
He was still one of the few who remained absolutely loyal to the Tsaritsa.
And the Tsaritsa needed strength—Rosalyne had to ease her burden.
She stood up and headed for the door.
"In any case, I will report today's events to Her Majesty truthfully. It's up to her to decide."
"Until we receive her exact response, continue with your plans and keep your subordinates in check."
"Don't worsen relations with Liyue."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the mission to collect the next Gnosis will fall to other agents—Morax's is already in our hands."
"Heh… forget it, even if I explain, you won't understand."
With her usual contemptuous remark, Rosalyne pushed open the door and left to rest.
Tartaglia pouted in annoyance and stretched his limbs.
He hadn't really understood much, but he knew what he needed to do.
First, continue the Osial operation.
Second, keep the Fatui under control.
Then…
Just wait for the Tsaritsa's orders.
That was fine with him anyway.
He never liked the Jester much and didn't enjoy following his lead.
Left alone in thought, Tartaglia sat thinking about how to get in touch with Lumine again, and things at the Northland Bank settled down.
…
The Next Morning.
Hu Tao woke up in Ryen's arms. She stretched lazily, and her hand brushed against his face.
Memories from last night flooded back, and her cheeks flushed red.
She never thought she could be so bold—nor did she expect that kind of thing to be so… delightful.
They got a little too carried away, and now the cost was her whole body aching.
"You're up this early?"
Ryen opened his eyes slightly and gazed at her gently.
After all, they hadn't slept until around three or four in the morning.
It wasn't even 9 AM yet.
Hu Tao's eyes twinkled mischievously and she grinned:
"This head of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor doesn't sleep in! Come with me to Bubu Pharmacy later—we need to check if I'm pregnant!"
"The next generation of the Wangsheng Parlor needs to be nurtured from the very beginning!"
Ryen couldn't help but laugh and pinched her nose.
"I've been with Ganyu for so long, and there's still been no sign. You think a few times with you will outpace her?"
"Tch…"
Hu Tao's confidence wavered, but she still stubbornly said:
"What if?"
"There is no what if!"
Ryen gave her a light slap, got up, stretched his stiff arms, then moved closer to Hu Tao.
He gestured, then nodded in satisfaction.
"It's working. Better results than the past few days."
Hu Tao looked down at herself, a bit suspicious.
"Really? It doesn't feel any different to me…"
"That's because I know them the best."
Ryen chuckled teasingly, scooped her up, and walked toward the bathroom.
"Let's freshen up. We'll head back to the courtyard afterward. I remember the Rite of Descension begins in a day or two. We should finish building those big toys—we'll need them then."
"W-Wait! Washing up is fine, but what are you doing?!"
"Gotta clean you inside and out!"
"You scoundrel! You're just… mm… Ryen, you're amazing!"
Hu Tao's sass didn't last long—she softened quickly, her tone turning sweet as she clung to him once again.
It wasn't until around 10 AM that Ryen finally carried Hu Tao back to the courtyard.
It wasn't just that they were madly in love—Hu Tao could barely walk on her own.
She still felt quite uncomfortable now.
As they pushed open the door, they saw Jean and the others had been waiting for a long time.
Ningguang and the rest hadn't come again, understandably—after all, the Rite of Descension was the day after tomorrow, and this was a very busy time.
Even Albedo wasn't around—it seemed he had already buried himself in research.
Klee was bouncing around the courtyard, happily chasing a wolf, while Nahida rested her chin in her hands, staring unhappily at the doorway.
Ryen had been out all night, and now he was returning with Hu Tao, who looked positively radiant. Even with her toes, Nahida could guess what he had been up to.
But she swallowed her frustration.
Lisa leisurely sipped her coffee to refresh herself, casting a teasing glance at Ryen.
"Ryen, you're really full of energy, aren't you?"
Ryen laughed it off without responding to Lisa's teasing.
He casually opened a portal and spoke softly, "It's a matter of constitution. Let's head out. Today we'll be making more firearms."
"Oh, right—Jean, you all need to learn the process of making modern firearms too. Everyone here is capable of producing them on their own now."
"But there aren't any crafting recipes. You'll have to memorize everything."
"Also, once your Knights of Favonius are stationed here, it'd be best to follow Liyue's example—assign specific people."
"Have different groups learn different aspects of the process. One person should only master a single synthesis, whether it's materials or weapon assembly."
"The widespread distribution of firearm crafting techniques still comes with risks."
Jean nodded in understanding.
"I get it. Lisa and I discussed this last night. We're planning to follow Liyue's model for a while."
"Once the Knights are familiar with everything, we'll think about how to adapt it to Mondstadt's style."
Crossing the dual teleportation gate and breathing in the familiar air, everyone naturally felt their spirits lift.
Ryen was about to ask Jean more about the Knights, when Klee came running over, dragging Nahida behind her with hopeful eyes.
"Brother Ryen! Klee wants to ride a dragon and go fish-blasting with Nahida!"
Ryen chuckled and handed her a few bundles of grenades, speaking gently, "Be careful."
"Got it! Brother Ryen is the best!"
Klee jumped up and gave him a kiss on the cheek before dragging the reluctant Nahida off with her at full speed.
Nahida looked thoroughly annoyed—she had planned to cling to Ryen all day and keep Hu Tao from monopolizing him.
But once she was flying on a dragon with Klee, those thoughts quickly melted away.
In the end, she was just a kid.
Watching the two of them take off, Ryen noticed that they were staying within a four- or five-mile radius around the estate. That reassured him.
Turning back, he asked Jean, "How long until the Knights arrive?"
Jean thought for a moment and answered softly:
"I received a letter last night from Senior Diluc. He said they've already set off. It should take just over a month."
Ryen nodded, not finding that too slow.
The distance between Mondstadt and Liyue was quite long. Honestly, a month was already lightning-fast for a military march.
After all, not everyone had the luxury of flying in personally carried by Venti.
"A month sounds just right."
Ryen nodded again.
The Rite of Descension was about to begin, and Liyue was about to get busy.
With the Knights arriving during that period, he wouldn't be able to coordinate them anyway.
He had his eyes set on enjoying the spectacle.
"Today, let's head down to the mines. There's not much we have to make—just a few firearms and some bullets."
"If we have time in the afternoon, we can do a bit of light renovation at the Mondstadt base."
"The Rite of Descension is happening in the next few days. No need to stir up any big operations."
The group was naturally pleased to hear this.
They still weren't fully used to the fact that in just one outing, the Minecraft world had become saturated with modern firearms.
It was a perfect chance over the next few days to learn the basics of firearm crafting from Ryen.
"Once the Knights are settled in and the Rite is over, we can start dealing with the next mod."
Lisa perked up immediately and asked curiously, "The next mod? It's already open? Ryen, your progress is ridiculously fast."
Ryen shook his head with a smile.
"Not yet, but it's ready to go whenever. With everything going on lately, I didn't think it was a good time to dive in."
The Ender Dragon-hunting mission had already progressed to twenty-five dragons.
Half the goal was complete.
If he really wanted to, Ryen could take Hu Tao and the others to finish off the rest in the coming days.
But…
Given that complicated mods like Vic's Modern Warfare were now appearing—
He thought it better to prepare thoroughly first, especially by stockpiling high-damage modern weaponry.
Lisa followed up, "So, do you know what kind of mod the next one is?"
Ryen shrugged.
"Heaven knows…"
~~----------------------
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