"Little Ayaka's getting anxious."
Miko teased with a smile, then added softly:
"From beginning to end, Inazuma's Raiden is only one person, Makoto. Even Lumine accepts that, so you needn't worry too much. Even though Makoto just resurrected, she is still your general."
Hearing that, Ayaka visibly relaxed.
"Thank you, Miko…"
Makoto shook her head and didn't say more, instead turning to Ryen:
"Ryen, I will definitely push forward on cooperation and arrange people to come as soon as possible. Whether for Inazuma or to repay you for reviving me, joining the Alliance brings us nothing but benefit. Since everyone wants to resist Celestia, I won't oppose it."
"Celestia… has indeed gone too far."
"But I want to know — what are your chances of success?" Makoto asked, worry knitting her brow.
"Celestia is not just one being. The gods on Sky Island, though they may heed us out of past ties to their peoples, are controlled by Celestia; they likely cannot resist her commands…"
"Celestia's power is massive; her strength surpasses ours…"
Ryen raised a hand and waved it off casually:
"Power isn't the issue. Once the hot-weapon units and the dragon-rider legions form up, they'll be able to face many archons one-on-one."
"With the revival of the Celestials, once Guizhong and the others are resurrected, and once we find a way to fix Azhdaha's erosion tomorrow, we won't be lacking top-tier forces."
"Resisting Celestia is your decision; if it cannot be done, I will step in."
"As for strength…" Ryen chuckled and, in an almost blasé tone, said something brazen:
"Put it this way — I don't pick friends based on how strong they are."
"Because none of them are stronger than me!"
"Celestia is the same. If I want to kill her, it wouldn't be that difficult."
"But the problem is Celestia's ties to Teyvat are inscrutable. I might be able to kill her, but I can't guarantee what disaster that would bring to Teyvat."
"The best plan would be to seal Celestia."
"But for me to seal her…" Ryen shrugged.
"I don't have that means. I can kill, but I cannot seal. So dealing with Celestia is ultimately your responsibility."
"I'm just here to help you reduce the threat as much as possible."
Ryen's words were arrogant, but looking at Zhongli and the others' expressions of trust, it was clear they did not think he was boasting. He genuinely possessed that kind of power.
Since that was the case, Makoto let out a breath and felt a little reassured.
Ningguang murmured,
"We have many options. If we resist Celestia, we hold the initiative. Don't even count how long it'll take her to truly awaken—there's enough time for us to build up power in this world to face her. Even if it turns out impossible…"
Ningguang smiled and pointed toward the distant plains.
"Right now Liyue has already begun building cities in this world. In the worst case, we lead our people there and keep developing. Every so often we go out and challenge Celestia; if it fails, we keep developing. One day it will succeed."
A textbook run-and-hide strategy — pragmatic, even. The key was that this world gave them the confidence to do it, and Makoto understood that quickly. She frowned slightly.
"It seems this world is extremely important. If we can operate like this, it would be an excellent solution."
"If that's so, Inazuma needs to recover quickly, sign the pact, join the Alliance, and start developing this world."
Zhongli sipped his tea and said quietly,
"Inazuma's problems are hard for others to handle, but for you… once you step forward, everything falls into place. As for the long-term economic and civil issues caused by war, with the support of this world, recovery could take on the order of a month. No need to rush."
After setting down his cup and thinking for a moment, he continued,
"Tomorrow I will deal with the Azhdaha problem. You can stay and watch, get a feel for Liyue's current changes and see how this world operates. That way you can choose your course of action more directly."
Hearing that, Makoto brightened. Inazuma's problems would indeed be easy for her to settle—once she showed up, Ei would undoubtedly step down. The real point was this new world…
She considered for a moment and said softly,
"I'd actually like to stay and see more. The more I understand this world, the better I can make arrangements. But I don't want to slow down your progress. I don't know much yet."
Ryen waved his hand casually.
"It doesn't matter. The more you look around, the more you'll understand."
"Tonight when you return you can borrow Ningguang's notes—no need to read everything, just get a general idea."
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