This time, Ryen and the others had reaped quite a harvest in the Twilight Forest.
There was no need to mention the various materials they gathered one by one.
The most important prizes were the tools and treasures of all kinds—
the Worm Queen, the Moon Dial, the Crumble Horn, the Peacock Feather Fan, the Transformation Powder, and the Charm of Keeping…
Some of them seemed rather useless at first glance.
But in Albedo's eyes, every one of these items carried great significance.
Who knew? If researched through Teyvat's methods, they might reveal entirely new uses—or even be refined into something better.
Apart from these, there were also two advanced-class staves:
the Frostbearer and the Flame Dancer.
Two spellbooks, and three spell scrolls.
Altogether, the spoils were already quite substantial.
Compared with simply gaining ores and resources, these mysterious artifacts were far more exciting to everyone.
After a brief tally, Ryen called on the group to start chopping wood and building houses.
He decided it was best not to cut down trees inside the forest itself.
After all, this was meant to be a scenic place for Klee and the others to enjoy, so he wanted to preserve the natural beauty as much as possible.
One group stayed behind to clear out a patch of land, leveling the uneven ground.
Another group Ryen led to the forest's edge to cut timber.
It really did feel a bit like camping.
Of course…
Ryen himself couldn't be bothered to lift a hand.
With a grin, he leaned against a tree, arms crossed.
"Come on, Tartaglia, put some muscle into it! Diluc and the others have already chopped nearly a full stack of wood. Your pace is way too slow!"
With a final swing, Tartaglia felled the last block and shot Ryen a resentful glance.
He could understand leaving the women to clear the land and smooth out the ground.
But why was it that when Ryen said "let's go chop wood", what he really meant was making them chop while he didn't move a finger?
Suppressing a sigh, Tartaglia lifted his axe again and went back to work.
"We've been inside for two and a half days now."
Suddenly, Zhongli stepped up beside Ryen and spoke softly.
Ryen raised an eyebrow, curious.
"Have you contacted Madam Ping and the others?"
Zhongli gave a small nod.
"Everything is normal there. Ping spends her days farming and fishing. Skybracer and Tongque have been going out to the plains daily to observe city construction.
As for the Millelith and Knights who recently joined, they've already gotten used to traveling to the Nether and coordinating with the stationed troops there.
The original garrison has been redeployed to other regions for exploration."
Ryen thought for a moment, then nodded.
"That's good. What about the End's progress?"
"All is proceeding smoothly," Zhongli replied quietly.
"The Ender Dragon subjugation plan is unfolding step by step. As of now, nearly a hundred unhatched dragon eggs have been collected."
"And what do you intend to do with those dragon eggs?"
Ryen was silent for a moment before shaking his head.
"I haven't decided yet. A Dragon Knight Legion will definitely be formed, but overall, we should still keep some dragon eggs in reserve."
"Here's the plan: let the Qianyan Army store away one-third of the dragon eggs, just in case."
"The rest of the eggs can start hatching."
"Those Qianyan troops haven't returned yet, but we can inform them through long-distance communication."
"Ningguang's plan is five hundred elemental dragons and five hundred other dragons."
"The elemental dragons will handle elemental reactions, while the other dragons will work with the firearms units for aerial strikes."
"In short, I'll tell Ningguang later, and she'll come up with the detailed arrangements herself."
Zhongli naturally wouldn't meddle too much in these affairs.
He had already retired, and with Ningguang and the others running Liyue in full swing, what more did he need?
After working for three thousand seven hundred years, Zhongli truly didn't want to deal with serious business anymore.
Otherwise, when the ley lines in Mt. Aocang were stirred up by Aether, he wouldn't have been forced to step in to fix them, leaving him in such a foul mood that he still bore a grudge.
Besides, he had no reason to criticize Ningguang's arrangements.
The elemental dragons were tasked with elemental reactions.
As for the others…
Don't think that without elemental power, they're weaker just because they can't trigger elemental reactions.
Whether it's the Ender Dragon or the Aether Dragon—
though their power was about the same as elemental dragons, their lack of elemental reactions meant that in Teyvat, they weren't as destructive.
However…
power without attributes meant their attacks could pierce the defenses of any elemental creature.
For top-tier battles, such dragon flocks might actually be even more effective.
Take Hu Tao's skeletal dragon, for example.
Ugly to look at, just a giant pile of bones—
but being a bone dragon made it the easiest to modify.
That bone dragon was currently in Albedo's lab.
Ryen had asked him to mount some firearms onto the dragon's frame.
Since its body was entirely skeletal, this was far easier than modifying other dragons.
A brand-new war machine was about to be born.
Watching the lively group chopping down trees, Ryen chuckled softly.
"Do you remember what I told you the first time you came here?"
The corners of Zhongli's lips lifted slightly, his gaze warm with relief.
"Forever etched in my heart…"
"Liyue will grow to a point where even I must look up to it. The future Liyue will not need my protection—on the contrary, it will become the shield for me and the adepti."
Ryen gave a small nod.
"And now?"
"Now…"
A faint smile flashed in Zhongli's eyes.
"It has already become so…"
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