The Tsaritsa's visit to Liyue this time was not only for sending seven hundred men into that other world.
There was also another matter—something more personal, meant to maintain relations.
She had brought Ryen seven Delusions.
All seven elements included.
And to make them easier to carry, the Tsaritsa had even crafted them into a belt for him herself.
Rosalyne had previously mentioned that Ryen was always unhappy because he had no Vision and thus couldn't use elemental power.
Even now, with four inactive Vision shells hanging uselessly on him, Ryen almost every other day would start shouting about going to Celestia to deliver an "I Have a Dream" speech.
Of course, what Rosalyne had told the Tsaritsa was:
"It's best to use Delusions to strengthen ties with him—think of it as appeasing him. After all, if Ryen really smashes Celestia…"
Then Heavenly Principles would definitely appear.
And even though Ryen would probably beat her black and blue, the fact was, they still didn't yet have the power to oppose Celestia.
If such chaos broke out, it would shake all seven nations and plunge the world into disorder.
So the Tsaritsa rushed personally to deliver the Delusions.
It also gave her the chance to show her face and build a good relationship.
Even so, the Tsaritsa couldn't help but complain inwardly.
Why was someone so terrifying—someone who could casually cause an earthquake with one strike—so obsessed with wielding elemental power?
Just because it looked cool?
If she could, the Tsaritsa would gladly hand over her own elemental power to Ryen in exchange for his sheer brute strength.
She didn't care about appearances or elegance. She only knew that, with that kind of strength,
she could storm Celestia outright, drag out the slumbering Heavenly Principles, and beat her into submission.
And then Celestia would probably even have to praise her for doing well.
The Tsaritsa simply couldn't understand Ryen's way of thinking.
But Delusions weren't really a problem.
They could be produced as needed, and their side effects, though severe for ordinary people, meant almost nothing for Ryen's body.
No matter how "evil" a Delusion was, it was still just the remnant of a fallen Archon's power.
And Ryen had already proven he could beat living Archons into submission—so what was there to fear from dead ones?
What's more, the Tsaritsa had heard from Rosalyne that Albedo had already begun experimenting with fusing Naga Scales and Delusions.
His plan seemed to be the creation of an external organ for elemental magic—
using the scales to forge a pure source of magical energy.
This would eliminate the side effects of Delusions and greatly boost strength.
Sending over more Delusions, then, could be seen as offering Snezhnaya's technical support, while also strengthening ties with the other two nations.
Ordinarily, most people looked down on Delusions, but if they became sources of pure elemental power…
no one would complain about gaining an extra element.
Sitting atop the Jade Chamber, the Tsaritsa chatted with Ningguang for a while about settlement matters and resource exchange.
They also discussed Tartaglia's debt after wasting a Totem of Undying.
Considering their alliance, Ningguang didn't push too hard.
She only asked for some unique resources from Snezhnaya.
After that, their talk drifted to lighter topics.
The Tsaritsa asked about Liyue's current development, and after hearing an overview of its growing strength,
she couldn't help but sigh repeatedly in open envy.
Before long, Ryen's hurried arrival interrupted the two women's idle chatter.
His eyes were bright, brimming with delight, the corners of his mouth raised in an irrepressible smile.
"I'm here! Quick, where's my belt?"
The Cryo Archon was momentarily stunned. This was the first time she had ever met Ryen.
At first glance, he looked ordinary—handsome, yes, but nothing more.
He didn't look at all like a ruler of worlds.
Yet the power hidden within his body made the Archon truly feel the presence of death.
It was a force capable of sundering heaven and earth.
She rose to her feet and looked at him, speaking softly:
"Mr. Ryen, there was no need for you to come personally. I was planning to visit you with Miss Ningguang later."
"I couldn't wait!"
Ryen spread his hands, flipping open his coat to reveal four Vision shells hanging from him.
But at the moment, all of them were dull and grey, clearly inactive.
"Every day I hang these four things on me, and yet I can't use elemental power at all. Now that I finally have Delusions, of course I had to come check them out first!"
The Cryo Archon gave a helpless smile, drawing out a rather ornate belt from her storage and handing it to him.
Seven gemstones of different colors were set along the belt's surface, faintly shimmering with a flowing radiance.
"So cool…"
Ryen clicked his tongue in admiration, examining it with great fondness before strapping it onto himself.
After a moment of silence, he asked curiously:
"So… how do I use this thing?"
Rosalyne answered:
"As long as you focus on the thought of controlling elemental power, you can resonate with the Delusions."
"However, under normal circumstances, no one can simultaneously control seven elements."
"A Delusion allows ordinary people to wield elemental power, but the price is burning their life away. Activating multiple Delusions at once would cause instant death."
"Because at their core, Delusions are made from the filth left behind by dead gods, so—"
Before she could finish, Ryen snapped his fingers.
The next moment, everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
In his palm, the seven elements condensed into spheres, spinning at his command.
At times they transformed into seven elemental blades that circled around him.
At times they became seven enormous serpents.
Ryen chuckled as he examined them, nodding in satisfaction:
"Pretty convenient to use. Not that powerful, but definitely cool."
He hadn't expected elemental power to be so dependent on imagination.
It seemed this ability merely linked a person with the elemental energy around them.
How it was wielded… depended entirely on one's imagination.
Ryen wasn't too sure about the principles, but he could easily manifest attack patterns straight from his mind.
And as for imagination…
Ryen had witnessed countless fighting styles.
He could open with a Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus, casually follow up with an Ice Seal for ten thousand miles, or beckon down Divine Judgment itself…
Ryen could play around with Delusions however he pleased.
But before he could indulge in his fantasies for long, the elemental power quietly dissipated.
The Delusions dulled, their glow fading.
Ryen froze for a moment, staring at Rosalyne in surprise.