82: Hu Tao Wants to Build the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in MC!

Standing atop a three-block-high stone platform, Ganyu carefully fastened the Wind Glider onto Ryen's back. At the same time, she softly explained how to summon the Wind Glider and glide properly.

Beside them, both Ningguang and Keqing watched with a hint of nervousness in their eyes.

Apart from Zhongli and Xiao, who were still busy guiding the miners, the only ones completely indifferent to this experiment were Cloud Retainer and Hu Tao.

Cloud Retainer could fly on her own, so a Wind Glider was of little significance to her.

As for Hu Tao…

She simply could not comprehend why such a trivial thing required so much fuss.

Wasn't this just a matter of having hands?

Compared to the glider test, Hu Tao was far more intrigued by her surroundings.

Blocky animals, endless flowing water sources, torches that never burned out…

Everything here challenged her understanding of the world.

However, she did not let it show. Or rather…

As someone who had long walked the boundary between life and death, Hu Tao had witnessed her fair share of the strange and bizarre. Her ability to accept the abnormal was quite high.

But right now, there was only one thing that truly captured her attention—

She turned her gaze toward the floating island in the sky.

Ryen had told her that up there, there was a monster farm.

And inside that farm…

An endless horde of zombies and skeletons!

A blatant violation of the natural cycle of life and death.

It seemed that the yin-yang balance of this world required none other than Hu Tao, the 77th Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, to set things right!

A sense of pride welled up in her heart.

The past generations of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Masters—her grandfather, her grandfather's grandfather, and so on—had always upheld the balance of life and death in Liyue.

But Hu Tao?

She was a visionary among them.

Her original ambition was to expand Wangsheng Funeral Parlor beyond Liyue, to spread it across all of Teyvat, and to make it flourish!

…

Though, admittedly, that did sound like something a terrorist would say.

After all, who in their right mind would be enthusiastic about growing the funeral industry?

But Hu Tao had always been serious about her mission.

She had launched customized burial packages, promoted advertising campaigns, and even introduced the famous "Second Tombstone Half Price" and "Family Coffin Discount" events.

Though most Liyue citizens avoided her like the plague, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had undeniably become a household name.

And now—

She had an even greater ambition.

Gazing up at the floating island, flames of determination burned in Hu Tao's eyes.

"I'm going to expand Wangsheng Funeral Parlor… into another world!"

"That way, I'll be the most accomplished Master in Wangsheng history!"

Hu Tao clenched her fists in excitement.

Last night, she had pestered Ryen with countless questions.

And what she had learned astounded her.

This world was filled with blatant violations of the natural order!

Zombies, skeletons, drowned corpses—those were already bad enough.

But then there were Wither Skeletons, spreading calamity! Ghasts and Phantoms, disrupting the peace of the living!

It was as if someone had designed this entire world to step all over her bottom line!

The moment she heard this, Hu Tao had been itching to come and restore balance.

"Hmm… and while I'm at it, I can introduce the Second Tombstone Half Price deal to the Piglins!"

Resting her chin on her hand, Hu Tao grinned mischievously and muttered to herself.

"Ryen said the Piglins are all super rich, right? In that case… a single coffin should be priced at five million Mora!"

"Wait… they probably don't use Mora here, huh? Then let's charge them in gold!"

She nodded, pleased with her own business sense.

"Ah, but I shouldn't get too ahead of myself."

Shaking her head, she gave herself a quiet pep talk.

"Grandpa always said, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.'"

"My top priority should be getting Ryen to help me build the first branch of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in this world!"

"Only then can we start offering our services!"

Hands on her hips, Hu Tao nodded in satisfaction at her own brilliance.

"Ryen! I've got—"

Just as she was about to excitedly rush over to him, she noticed something—

Ryen, with a serious expression, had just jumped off the platform.

And as he descended, he spread open his Wind Glider, landing lightly on the ground.

Hu Tao barely batted an eye—this was just the most basic way to use a Wind Glider.

But…

To her surprise, Ningguang and the others suddenly burst into joy.

"Fantastic! It actually worked!"

"But… if I'm not mistaken, didn't Ryen just summon the Wind Glider while holding an iron pickaxe?"

"Has the Wind Glider's function been enhanced? Or… could it be that this world contains a mechanism similar to its principle, allowing it to integrate into its laws?"

"Hmm… that's a reasonable theory. But regardless, the fact that the Wind Glider functions normally is already the best news possible."

The three of them chatted excitedly, clearly in high spirits.

Hu Tao, on the other hand, was completely lost.

She glanced at Ryen, who was still looking quite pleased, then back at the others.

Scratching her cheek in confusion, she muttered to herself,

"Why are you all so happy? Did Cloud Retainer secretly modify the Wind Glider?"

Nearby, Cloud Retainer—who was grooming her feathers—briefly glanced at Hu Tao but said nothing, continuing to preen herself.

Fortunately, Ganyu, still caught up in the excitement, was more than happy to explain.

"Master Hu, you've already noticed it, haven't you? This world's laws suppress our elemental powers. And for the Adepti, our abilities are even more restricted."

Hu Tao blinked, momentarily stunned.

Then, realization dawned upon her.

"Wait… you mean it's actually true?!"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Whoa! It really is suppressing us!"

Ganyu pursed her lips, glancing at Hu Tao with a somewhat complicated expression.

This lively, mischievous girl… in some ways, she truly had a remarkably carefree heart.

After a brief pause, Ganyu patiently explained:

"In short, our powers have been forcibly suppressed. Even the Vigilant Yaksha tested it—he can't fly here."

"As of now, the only one capable of flight is Cloud Retainer."

"Also, Ryen should have told you last night: in this world, if you fall from a great height and don't land in water or use some sort of emergency measure… it's almost certain death."

"Doesn't matter if you're an Adeptus or a Vision-bearer."

Hearing this, Hu Tao's expression changed slightly.

Now that Ganyu mentioned it, she did recall hearing about this.

But last night, she had been far more focused on the idea of bringing Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to a whole new world, so she hadn't paid much attention.

That said, while Hu Tao might seem carefree, she wasn't careless when it mattered.

Now that she understood the risk, she immediately etched this fact into her memory.

Seeing that Hu Tao seemed to have grasped the importance of the issue, Ganyu smiled slightly and continued:

"As for the Wind Glider… it may have looked like a simple, effortless glide, but before the actual test, none of us believed it would work."

"Because Ryen is carrying… several thousand tons of materials. Even the pickaxe in his hand weighs a few tons on its own."

Hu Tao turned to look at Ryen in astonishment.

Down below, he was cheerfully waving at them.

Her fingers curled into a light fist, but then, after a moment of thought, her surprise faded.

Crossing her arms, she grinned, speaking in a matter-of-fact tone:

"Well, considering even a quarter of his constitution is already that strong, it's not surprising that he can carry all that weight around."

"Hmm… so the Wind Glider really does work here. That's some pretty good news."

Upon hearing this, Ganyu, Ningguang, and the others nodded in satisfaction, visibly pleased.

Exchanging glances, they all took a leap from the platform, spreading their Wind Gliders.

Gracefully, they descended, landing lightly beside Ryen.

"Ryen, how does it feel?"

Ningguang smiled as she looked at him.

Their Wind Gliders were just like Ryen's—golden, majestic, and adorned with intricate designs, the signature look of the Wings of Golden Flight.

Large and ancient in style, they carried an air of dignified elegance.

Ryen took a moment to assess his experience.

"Well… it's not quite free flight, but it does give a certain sense of drifting with the wind."

He felt around his back, confirming that nothing extra was attached there. But when he summoned the Wind Glider earlier, it had responded instantly, as if it had always been a part of him.

Curious, he opened his personal menu to check his equipped items—

But the Wind Glider wasn't listed anywhere.

It seemed that, unlike the Elytra, the Wind Glider wasn't treated as an equipable item.

At the moment, Ryen felt that its performance was almost identical to the Elytra.

The next thing he needed to test was whether he could use fireworks propulsion to enhance the Wind Glider's flight.

If that worked, he could delay his expedition to the End in search of an Elytra.

If it didn't work…

Then he would still have to make the trip.

Regardless, having the Wind Glider meant that Shulkers were now far less of a threat to him.

At the very least, if he got hit with their Levitation effect, he wouldn't have to worry about falling to his death afterward.

With that thought, Ryen's lips curled into a satisfied smile as he nodded to Ningguang.

"Thanks, Ningguang. This gift is exactly what I needed."

Hearing this, Ningguang's eyes brightened subtly, a flicker of delight crossing her usually composed expression.

"As long as it's useful to you, that's what matters. You've helped us so much, yet in such a short time, we have no real way to repay you. It would feel unfair if we kept taking without giving something in return."

Ryen waved a hand dismissively.

"We're friends, aren't we?"

Then, after a brief pause, he added:

"But this whole Wind Glider situation does make me think of something else… It's not just that the materials and resources from this world can be extremely useful in Teyvat."

"Likewise, many items from Teyvat might also prove to be incredibly valuable in this world."

"But since I'm an outsider, I don't know Teyvat's items as well as you all do."

He shrugged.

"So, if you ever think of something interesting or useful, feel free to bring it over and test it out."

Naturally, no one had any objections. They nodded in agreement, already considering what items might be worth experimenting with.

As for why the Wind Glider worked here with effects comparable to the Elytra…

Ryen figured Ganyu and the others probably had the right theory.

The principle behind the Wind Glider could likely be explained through common natural laws.

And since those laws were recognized by this world, the Wind Glider was allowed to function here.

To put it simply—

It was like how Pokémon could be transferred between games using the Pokémon Home system.

The Wind Glider had, in a way… a legal visa!

But all of this…

Wasn't something Ryen needed to overanalyze.

He wasn't an alchemist like Albedo, obsessed with uncovering the fundamental truths behind everything.

At that moment—

"Ryen! Ryen!"

Hu Tao, now finished with her own thoughts, hopped over to him, her large, bright eyes sparkling with excitement.

"This Hall Master wants to bring Wangsheng Funeral Parlor over!"

"This world, with all its chaotic life-and-death imbalances, needs Wangsheng to restore order!"

Ryen raised an eyebrow, amused.

"So?"

"Heehee… Give me some land, Ryen!"

Hu Tao clung to his arm, swaying it back and forth like a child begging for candy.

Ryen chuckled, shaking his head. Then, with a casual flick, he tapped Hu Tao's forehead.

"How many times do I have to tell you? In this world, if you want to build something, just build it. You don't need anyone's approval."

Hu Tao stuck out her tongue playfully.

"Hehe, this Hall Master hasn't forgotten. But no matter what, I figured it'd be proper etiquette to inform you, the Lord of this World!"

Ryen paused, then couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation for Hu Tao's thoughtfulness.

"If you want to build Wangsheng Funeral Parlor here, just find a good spot and do it. No need to ask me."

"But… you're still new to construction, so you might struggle a bit."

After thinking for a moment, Ryen turned to Ningguang and the others, his eyes lighting up with an idea.

"How about this? Sooner or later, you'll all have to build your own structures. Why not practice now by helping Hu Tao with hers?"

"This way, you can turn what you've learned into actual experience."

Naturally, no one objected.

Taking only their tools and weapons from their storage chests, they set off with cheerful chatter to begin their work.

With the lively atmosphere suddenly quieting down, Ryen exhaled, then turned toward the third floor of his base.

Everyone was busy today.

And he was no exception.

After all…

It was time to build an Enchanting Table.

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