"What do you mean?"
Lisa felt there was some hidden meaning in Ryen's words and looked at him curiously.
Ryen shrugged and said softly:
"In my original world, the scientific community confirmed that the world is an irregular ellipsoid sphere."
"The official term was planet."
"Now look at Teyvat. When ships sail far into the sea, they vanish beneath the horizon. That suggests Teyvat must also be a planet."
This statement genuinely piqued Lisa's interest.
"The Akademiya once had a scholar who proposed something similar," she remarked. "He claimed Teyvat was round, and that some unseen force holds all of us to the ground."
Ryen raised an eyebrow, chuckling:
"What, was that scholar named Newton or Pythagoras?"
Lisa rolled her eyes at him, not bothering to think too much on the matter.
Whether Teyvat was round or flat really made no difference.
The skies above were false, the stars a painted dome. Round or flat, the earth beneath their feet was equally confining—either way, no one could leave.
"What shall we do next?"
The Alcor had already disappeared from view, and Ningguang asked quietly.
Ryen thought for a moment, then clapped his hands.
"First, let's get that battery beast properly arranged. After that, Rosalyne, see if you and the others can produce more Delusions, and work with Albedo on some modifications."
"Even if we can't reforge them with Naga scales, we still have plenty of other magical materials to test—Blaze Rods, Ghast Tears, and so on."
"If it works, maybe everyone will be able to carry a Delusion without side effects."
At these words, a flicker of anticipation appeared on everyone's faces.
Delusions didn't grow stronger with use, nor were they normally something to put much stock in.
But combined with the mechanics of that other world, the possibilities could be endless.
They didn't need Delusions to rival the gods of Celestia—just having another reliable source of elemental power was already a tremendous boost.
"The process of crafting Delusions isn't complicated," said the Tsaritsa. "As it happens, I brought the schematics for their manufacture."
Naturally, she wouldn't miss this opportunity to strengthen Snezhnaya's standing within the alliance and deepen ties with the other two nations.
She was frank:
"As for manpower, I don't have enough people ready on hand. Since we're in Liyue, I'll entrust these blueprints to you. Find people here to handle the production yourselves."
"Rosalyne has overseen Delusion factories before. With her supervising, there should be no issue."
The Tsaritsa's gesture of goodwill wasn't something Ningguang would turn away. She smiled and nodded.
"In that case, many thanks, Your Majesty."
"There's no need for thanks," the Tsaritsa replied with a shake of her head.
"We are allies. Naturally, we must move forward hand in hand."
Ningguang paused, then turned to Ryen.
"Ryen, are we taking a few more days to rest? The remaining monsters in the Dusk Forest should be dealt with soon, shouldn't they?"
Ryen caught the hint. Ningguang wanted to return the goodwill the Tsaritsa had shown.
After all, courtesy mattered not only between individuals, but even more so between nations.
If the Tsaritsa had already laid out the schematics for Delusion production, offering a gift in return was the least they could do.
What's more, Ryen himself had already received the Tsaritsa's carefully crafted Seven-Delusion Belt.
After a moment's thought, Ryen turned to her.
"We've rested enough. Let's prepare these next few days and then set out. You're not in a hurry to return, are you?"
The Tsaritsa's eyes brightened slightly, and she nodded.
"Snezhnaya cannot spare more manpower for the moment, and the situation won't change overnight. Staying longer is no problem."
Ryen clapped his hands.
"Good! Tomorrow we'll go fight the Snow Queen, then push straight through—see how far we get!"
"Also, there's another important matter. We need to locate the Arcane Workbench."
"All those spellbooks we've looted so far are just piling up in storage—that's no way to use them."
"Since even the Druids came with so many staffs, the Arcane Workbench must be hidden somewhere in the Twilight Forest."
At this, everyone nodded seriously.
What Ryen pointed out was indeed something urgent that needed solving.
From the Twilight Forest, the group hadn't yet collected every spellbook from the Witchcraft package,
but they were close.
And reusable spellbooks were useless without an Arcane Workbench.
With one, every staff in their possession could be perfectly fitted with enchantments.
Drawing a grand vision was meaningless if no one could partake of it.
But placing that vision right before everyone, only for them to be unable to reach it due to some missing piece—
that was the cruelest torment imaginable.
So when Ryen said they were going to search for the Arcane Workbench, everyone felt a surge of excitement from the bottom of their hearts.