The discussions and cooperation atop the Jade Chamber—
Ryen didn't know anything about them.
He was busy roaming the lands of Sumeru with Nahida and the others.
Riding on a dragon, they soared over jungles, swept past towering mountains, and dove into the desert.
It truly felt like they were just out for a leisurely trip.
The noise of the mortal world couldn't reach them—it had no place in their little world.
They were genuinely ignoring worldly matters, simply enjoying their time in Sumeru for two or three days.
Nahida hadn't had enough of it yet.
This was her homeland—these were her people.
Even if she spent five hundred years just looking at it all, she would never grow tired.
Still, after a few days, she had gotten a good sense of things.
Meanwhile, unrest was beginning to stir across Sumeru.
A storm was brewing in Sumeru City, and search parties from the Matra could be seen everywhere, moving in squads of thirty.
After meeting Ryen and the others that day, Tighnari and his companions had gone their separate ways.
Cyno took charge of investigating the inner workings of the Akademiya,
while Alhaitham headed to Port Ormos to dig into divine knowledge.
Tighnari remained stationed in Gandharva Ville.
At least for now, that place was beyond the Akademiya's control.
Ryen wasn't aware of their plans, but he didn't mind either.
If, by chance, everything in Sumeru was resolved before Lumine even arrived—well, that'd be great too.
Three days later.
Ryen flew back to Liyue with Nahida and the others, riding the dragon.
The moment they landed at the foot of Mt. Tianheng, Ningguang stepped out the door and hurried over to embrace Ryen tightly.
Taking a deep breath, she said softly:
"You finally decided to come back, huh? Have you forgotten that there's still someone at home waiting for you?"
Ryen chuckled helplessly and ruffled Ningguang's hair.
"How could I forget? If I did, I'd have stayed out playing with Nahida and the others for a few more days."
Ningguang rolled her eyes and smiled as she dragged Ryen into the courtyard.
Not just Ningguang—Jean, Keqing, and the others were also there.
And aside from them, there was one person who surprised Ryen—
Though not too much.
Rosalyne.
Ryen raised an eyebrow and asked curiously:
"You guys ended up cooperating with the Fatui?"
Before Ningguang could reply, Rosalyne quickly explained:
"Not with the Fatui. The Tsaritsa herself came to Liyue three days ago. She signed an alliance agreement with both Liyue and Mondstadt."
"The Fatui have already been split up. Tartaglia and I have withdrawn and joined a new organization directly under Her Majesty."
"We will personally represent the Tsaritsa in all matters of collaboration."
Ryen nodded thoughtfully, not asking further.
In any case, the more people he had on board, the better for him.
As long as they didn't cause trouble in the MC world, he had nothing to worry about.
And honestly, there was little reason to worry—Rosalyne and Tartaglia weren't fools.
They knew what to do and what not to do.
In Teyvat, no one could harm Ryen. In the Minecraft world, even less so.
They could only operate normally under the protection of Ryen's power.
If they ever harbored ill will toward him, the shared constitution would immediately be revoked.
Ryen hadn't tested that theory in practice,
but since it was what the System had told him—he believed it.
"Diluc should be back by now, right?"
Ryen casually took off his coat and handed it to Ganyu. She patiently folded it and set it aside.
It had become one of Ganyu's new hobbies.
She liked tidying up Ryen's things with her own hands—
She said it made her feel like a proper lady of the house.
"Senior Diluc has already stationed five hundred members of the Knights of Favonius near Mt. Tianheng," Jean explained.
"They've been undergoing training these past few days. Now that you're back, we can bring them into the world, and they'll be able to get started much faster."
She paused for a moment, then added,
"Also, Albedo has completed a batch of alchemical potions designed to enhance elemental power."
"However, the current version shows a big difference in effectiveness—strong for lower-tier Vision holders, but with limited effects on top-tier ones."
"Albedo plans to rework a more potent version."
"As for the current batch, we plan to sell them off gradually."
Ryen nodded slightly. He trusted Albedo's research skills.
Still, since he didn't have any elemental energy himself, he wasn't really concerned about it.
"Anything else? Also, let them know—we're heading out to slay the dragon soon."
Ningguang nodded and activated the gemstone to send a message to Zhongli and the others.
"Liyue is also preparing to send a new development team—one thousand people this time."
"We came here today mainly to talk to you about that."
"The original base and mine tunnels should've already been fully explored. It's time for the Qianyan Army to move out and start exploring the world."
"With the adepti accompanying them, there's no need to worry too much."
"Besides, we also wanted to see if you were back. Recently, Liyue has launched many construction projects, and demand for stone and timber has soared."
"Even the lava supply is starting to run low."
Hearing that, Ryen raised an eyebrow and looked at Keqing in surprise.
"You're planning to stay in Liyue Harbor to personally oversee construction?"
Keqing sighed, a little helpless.
"There's no other way. We're still short on manpower. Now that the era of human governance has just begun, it wouldn't be right for both Ningguang and me to leave our posts right away."
"But the Ministry of Civil Affairs has expanded again recently. In about a week, things should stabilize. Then we'll go into that world."
Ryen shook his head, amused.
"Being too responsible isn't always a good thing... What about you two, Miss Rosalyne?"
Rosalyne looked a little embarrassed.
Compared to Mondstadt and Liyue, who were either sending five hundred people or preparing a thousand more…
Snezhnaya had declared its cooperation, but now only she and Tartaglia were able to participate.
Looking down slightly, she replied in a quiet voice:
"The new organization is still recruiting, and Her Majesty needs time to purge the Fatui ranks.
For now, only Tartaglia and I are available…"
Ryen wasn't disappointed.
The two of them were powerful enough and could serve as strong combat forces.
While having more people was helpful for world exploration,
in the end, elite combat strength was essential for venturing into the deeper, more mysterious regions.
~~----------------------
To read 60 future chapters head over to patreon:
patreon.com/Dreamer20