91: With Materials Ready, the Nether Expedition Begins!

Hearing those words, Ryen raised an eyebrow and spoke softly,

"Sky Island… I thought you didn't want to deal with Celestia…"

"Celestia is Celestia. Sky Island is Sky Island."

Zhongli shook his head.

"During the Khaenri'ah catastrophe five hundred years ago, the Seven were gravely wounded, and Celestia fell into slumber."

"But as for Sky Island alone, I still hold some influence. Don't forget—those who ascended to Sky Island as Primordial Gods were once my people."

He spoke casually, but to Ryen, those words carried an undeniable sense of dominance.

No matter how powerful Celestia might be, no matter how it controlled Sky Island, the so-called gods under its banner… they had once come from Liyue, under Zhongli's watch.

Many of those who ascended as Primordial Gods were personally sent to Sky Island by him.

Once upon a time, they had fought alongside him.

If not for Celestia's interference, who could say whom those gods would truly serve?

This was the prestige of the oldest Archon.

Longevity, after all, came with its own incomprehensible privileges.

Ryen shrugged and said casually,

"Then I'll be counting on you. The power of elements really is convenient. If possible, I'd like to have all seven elements."

Zhongli fell silent. After a moment, he glanced at Ryen with an unreadable expression.

"I know a person can normally only have one element, don't look at me like that."

Ryen chuckled.

"But think about it—Keqing's flame-infused strikes, do they count as a second element? Ganyu's flaming arrows, don't they trigger elemental reactions?"

"We've already broken the rules, so why care about breaking them further?"

"Besides, you already know my constitution. And as for that nonsense about a strong desire drawing a god's attention…"

Ryen raised his fist and waved it.

"Does my fist look tough to you?"

Zhongli stared at it for a long while before replying solemnly,

"Very tough."

"Then that settles it."

Ryen spread his hands.

"If my fist is tough enough, then my desire is strong enough. By their own rules, they'll have to grant me a Vision."

"Otherwise, I'll go knocking on doors and have a friendly chat with each god."

Zhongli could only offer a bitter smile at Ryen's arrogant proclamation.

If it were anyone else, Zhongli would have dismissed it as a joke.

But this was Ryen.

He wielded a blade infused with immense spatial power—this was already remarkable enough.

More importantly, not long ago, Zhongli had accompanied Ryen on a journey beyond the Dark Sea.

There, Ryen threw a single punch.

Zhongli had no idea how much strength he had used.

But…

The space before them simply vanished.

No tremors. No explosions. Just… obliteration, as though the very concept of existence had been erased.

That was the absolute force of destruction.

Two god-tier entities had been caught in the blast. They resisted for only a moment before turning to dust.

No one understood Ryen's terrifying power better than Zhongli.

If Celestia didn't resort to its strange divine authority, it might not even withstand a gust of Ryen's fist.

This was why Zhongli constantly reminded him—do not casually unleash your power in Teyvat.

He wasn't sure if Teyvat could handle it.

But Liyue? Definitely not.

"…I'll do my best to help, but don't get your hopes up."

Zhongli continued fishing as he offered a word of caution.

"The Vision system is deeply mysterious. Sky Island holds the authority to distribute them, and the Seven serve as conduits for that power. However…"

"Matters concerning the fundamental laws of this world remain firmly in Celestia's grasp."

"I might be able to exploit a loophole while Celestia slumbers, but… seven Visions?"

Zhongli shook his head and fell silent.

Yet, in his mind, a ridiculous image suddenly appeared—

Ryen, draped in seven dangling Visions.

A Vision necklace? Or a Vision kebab?

Absolutely absurd.

"If I hadn't already signed a contract with the Tsaritsa, I would've considered giving you my Gnosis."

"You want me to be the Geo Archon? No, thanks. I have no grand ambitions. But maybe you should ask Ningguang—she wouldn't mind taking up the role."

Ryen lazily gazed at the river, his tone indifferent. Even Xiao, standing nearby, showed no reaction.

These past few days had been some of the happiest in his life.

He could see Zhongli every day. He could fight alongside him every day.

To Xiao, this was the most beautiful way to live.

If this continued even after Zhongli's retirement, Xiao would be more than happy to see him step down as soon as possible.

But Zhongli rejected Ryen's suggestion.

"Liyue will no longer need a Geo Archon."

He paused, then continued,

"Liyue will become a nation truly ruled by humans, with adepti standing alongside them as equals, protecting the land together."

"From now on, I will serve only as a guardian in name, a deterrent, much like the concept of nuclear armament—there to keep threats at bay."

Hearing this, Ryen let out a knowing chuckle.

"So, you've finally figured it out. Liyue might not need a Geo Archon, but it will always need Morax."

"You're not just Liyue's faith—you're its father. Have you thought about how you'll handle the Rite of Parting?"

Zhongli pondered, about to speak—

But before he could, hurried footsteps approached from behind.

Ganyu and Hu Tao came running over, faces alight with excitement.

"Ryen! Ryen! Come quickly!"

"The last emeralds are in! We can finally exchange them for the last enchantment book!"

Whatever deep discussion they might have had was immediately thrown out the window.

Ryen and Zhongli exchanged a glance—then both burst into laughter, fully understanding each other without a word.

The leisurely time had come to an end. Next up…

It was time to head to the Nether!

Zhongli stood up, carefully putting away his fishing rod. At the same time, in a spot where Ryen couldn't see, he discreetly disposed of all the trash he had fished up.

Hmm…

He and Ryen had been competing in fishing. As for the results?

Not important anymore!

After all, he, Zhongli, had already destroyed all the evidence. Ryen wouldn't see it!

Since the competition had been interrupted, the outcome remained undecided!

Thus, he—Morax—had not lost!

Of course, what Zhongli thought Ryen didn't know… Ryen simply couldn't be bothered to point out.

This guy had been sitting here all this time and managed to fish up thirteen pieces of rotten flesh—what suspense could there possibly be?

A dragon, and yet, not a shred of luck to speak of!

Putting away his fishing rod, Ryen stood up and spread his arms with a grin.

Without hesitation, Ganyu dove into his embrace.

Apart from his recent accomplishments in expanding the world, the most significant development in this time had been the rapid progress of his relationship with Ganyu.

Though they hadn't explicitly declared it, everyone understood—the two were already together.

Hu Tao had even caught them sneaking kisses more than once.

However, she hadn't exposed them. After all, it seemed like there was something going on with Ningguang as well…

Hu Tao was a clever girl. If she spilled the secret, she might just end up offending both Ningguang and Ganyu at once.

Ryen held Ganyu close, his eyes full of affection.

For days, he had been trying to find the right moment to finally taste that sweet coconut milk, but unfortunately, they kept getting interrupted.

Once they returned from the Nether and settled matters here, Ryen planned to take Ganyu on a 'tour' of Liyue.

And by tour, he meant making sure this little qilin was completely his.

Ryen never denied it—he was a predator.

And Ganyu knew it too. After all, when they were alone, they already indulged in certain little… interactions.

To put it simply…

Ryen was now more familiar with Ganyu's figure than even she was.

"Ryen! Come back with us already!"

Seeing Ganyu nestled in Ryen's arms, making no move to discuss the real matter, Hu Tao couldn't take it anymore.

She urged, "The miners just brought back three emeralds! We have enough to trade for the last Fire Protection enchantment!"

"Hurry up, hurry up! This grand hall master can't wait to go to hell!"

That ridiculous statement left everyone momentarily at a loss.

"It's the Nether," Ryen corrected, sighing helplessly.

But Hu Tao simply put her hands on her hips, grinning. "Same thing! Come on, come on! I really want to see how Wither Skeletons compare to the ones in the Overworld!"

"I even rushed to make several iron coffins just for this trip! Those Piglins are gonna love them!"

Ignoring how she kept calling it 'hell,' Ryen suddenly had a bad feeling.

Would Hu Tao's coffin-selling business provoke the Piglins and get them all hunted down?

Almost dragged along by Hu Tao, Ryen and the others returned to the estate.

Just in time, they ran into Dashí, who had come to deliver minerals.

Ryen waved and smiled. "Dashí, is it your squad's turn for duty this week?"

Seeing Ryen, Dashí immediately broke into a broad grin. They all knew that this world belonged to Ryen.

And this world had given them the chance to become extraordinary, so naturally, they deeply respected him.

Nodding eagerly, Dashí replied, "Yes, Lord Ryen! We just switched shifts today. The Qianyan Army brothers and the miners have been looking forward to this for a while now."

Though they hadn't spent much time together, Dashí and his group understood that Ryen was an easygoing person.

Unlike Ningguang and the others, he lacked that imposing air of authority, making conversations feel more natural.

Scratching his head, Dashí continued, "Lord Ryen, uh… The squad wanted me to ask—when do you plan to open up a new region and mine?"

"They're all eager to come explore and dig in your world."

Hearing that, Ryen laughed and playfully scolded, "You guys… I told you to take some time to rest and relax, and yet you're still so eager?"

"Hehe…"

Dashí chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Rest? What for? Working here isn't tiring at all! It's actually a lot of fun!"

"Besides, ever since Liyue started working with you, we've all seen the changes. We just want to contribute more and repay your generosity."

"We're still young! No need for so much downtime!"

Ryen shook his head, amused, and said lightly, "You guys just want an excuse to fight monsters and experience extraordinary power. Don't think I don't know."

"Alright, alright. In a while, I'll expand operations. Once we increase the workforce, you'll all have plenty to do."

Hearing that, Dashí beamed.

"No problem! We Liyue citizens never fear hard work!"

After chatting for a while, Ryen also made sure there were no strange conflicts between the worlds—such as Liyue's people mistakenly treating Teyvat's laws like Minecraft mechanics.

As long as everything remained stable, it was fine.

Satisfied, he then asked, "So, I heard you guys had quite the haul from this mining trip?"

At the mention of serious business, Dashí immediately straightened up and nodded solemnly.

"Yes! We've fully explored Mine No. 4 and gathered seven emeralds, six diamonds, four gold ingots, and a good amount of redstone and lapis lazuli."

"All of it has been handed over to Lady Ningguang. She's currently waiting for you to return and check the inventory."

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