93: The First Rule of the Nether—No Selling Coffins!

Just as Ryen had expected, the moment the Nether portal was completed, Hu Tao could barely contain her excitement and was already eager to rush forward for a closer look.

Even though he had repeatedly warned her about the dangers and cautioned against stepping inside recklessly, Ryen wasn't entirely sure that Hu Tao wouldn't just say, "I'll only take a peek," and then dive right in.

So, without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed her.

"Ryen! You don't trust me?"

Hu Tao pouted in protest, puffing out her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

Ryen could only chuckle as he ruffled her hair, speaking softly, "Of course, I trust you. But the Nether portal was just built—it's still unstable. Better to be cautious."

Hmm…

Technically speaking, that wasn't a lie.

A well-intentioned lie doesn't count as deception, right?

Hearing Ryen's reasoning, Hu Tao finally settled down and obediently stood to the side. However, the flickering light in her eyes still revealed her boundless anticipation.

"So, this is the gateway to the Nether… It certainly has an eerie aura to it."

Zhongli furrowed his brows slightly, a faint golden light shimmering in his eyes.

Clearly, he was once again channeling his divine power to investigate.

However, after staring at it for a long while, he failed to discern anything beyond the obvious—that this portal indeed led to an unknown world.

"Be careful, my lord…"

Xiao stepped forward slightly, lowering his voice as he positioned himself in a stance that would allow him to react instantly.

"My instincts tell me… this place is extremely dangerous."

"…"

Zhongli fell silent.

The Nether portal before them exuded an inexplicable and eerie presence—it would be harder not to sense the danger.

"Ryen…"

Ganyu gently tugged on Ryen's sleeve, her expression serious.

"This thing looks incredibly ominous… Should we block it off with some extra layers of protection?"

Ryen shook his head. "No need. It's fine. The creatures from the Nether won't randomly enter the Overworld—this place isn't suitable for them."

"Besides, we're on a floating island. Even if something did come through, it wouldn't pose much of a threat. Don't forget, we have a whole squad of Iron Golems down below."

Hearing that, everyone visibly relaxed.

The first Iron Golem had been born overnight after the miners built their settlement.

Ryen had even taken them to witness its emergence.

Even Zhongli had to admit that, in this world—where his divine power was greatly suppressed—he wouldn't be able to take on an Iron Golem head-on in a direct fight.

The thing had absurdly high attack and defense.

They had all seen it firsthand—four zombies had ganged up on a single Iron Golem, and the golem had remained completely unscathed, effortlessly punching the zombies dozens of meters away.

Ningguang had even asked Ryen to bring an Iron Golem to Teyvat for an experiment in the mountains.

So far, the only creatures that could withstand a single punch from an Iron Golem were the juvenile Geovishap and the Rock Shield Mitachurl.

As for anything that could survive two punches…

Ningguang hadn't found any.

Ryen, however, had an idea—if Zhongli activated his shield, an Iron Golem would have a hard time breaking through.

But Zhongli was Zhongli. Other creatures were other creatures.

A god's power and the laws of Geo had to come with their exclusive perks, after all.

The Iron Golem Ningguang had taken to Teyvat had required Xiao to chip away at it for half a day before it finally fell.

That thing was built for defense.

In Liyue, hardly anyone even knew what an Iron Golem was.

If someone casually walked up and punched it out of curiosity…

That would be a very bad joke.

For now, Iron Golems weren't suited for public deployment in Liyue.

They were more terrifying than high-level boss monsters.

"Alright, let's assign the team for tomorrow's Nether expedition."

Ryen clapped his hands, signaling the start of preparations.

The next second, Hu Tao's eager gaze locked onto him.

"Don't worry."

Ryen smirked as he pinched her cheek playfully.

"You're definitely included."

Hu Tao grinned ear to ear, satisfied.

Ryen continued listing names.

"Keqing is still over at Guili Plains handling the land transfers, so she won't make it back in time. She's out."

"The Qianyan Army and the miners need someone to oversee things, so… Xiao, I'll need you to stay behind."

Xiao opened his mouth as if to object, but after receiving a glance from Zhongli, he ultimately nodded.

"Understood."

Zhongli sighed in relief.

The Nether was nothing like the Overworld. Ryen had repeatedly mentioned that nearly everything there was hostile.

Zhongli was still concerned about Xiao's residual karmic burdens—it was best if he stayed away from unknown dangers.

"As for the rest… Zhongli has to go. We'll need his Jade Shield."

"Cloud Retainer is still busy studying architectural designs, so she's unavailable."

"Ganyu's incredible luck is something we can't do without."

"And Ningguang—"

Before Ryen could finish, Ningguang smiled knowingly and tapped the enchanted iron armor she was already wearing.

"You've already enchanted this with Fire Protection for me. I see no reason why I wouldn't go."

"Besides, don't underestimate me. I can fight."

Ryen blinked in surprise, then chuckled.

"As long as you're confident, I won't object. But what about your administrative work?"

"Baizhu and the others can handle it. Uncle Tian will also be keeping an eye on things."

At that, Ryen nodded.

"Alright then. That settles it. The expedition team for tomorrow: Me, Zhongli, Ningguang, Ganyu, and Hu Tao."

"One last time—when we enter the Nether, everyone follows my lead. No wandering off. No provoking the Piglins."

"And most importantly—"

Ryen turned to Hu Tao.

"Absolutely no trying to sell coffins to the Piglins."

"…Tch."

Hu Tao clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction but ultimately nodded in reluctant agreement.

With that settled, Ryen led everyone down from the floating island, calling over Cloud Retainer, who was still engrossed in her blueprints.

They left the MC world and returned to Teyvat.

In the past, when Ryen and his group left, the settlement would become eerily quiet.

But now…

The Qianyan Army's base camp remained brightly lit in the distance, and miners returning from the caverns were still lively.

At that moment, some of them were even competing with the Qianyan soldiers—seeing who could build houses and stack blocks faster.

With the Iron Golems and wolf packs standing guard, the place was as safe as could be.

Upon returning to his home in Teyvat, Ryen found Ganyu naturally taking on the role of a hostess, retrieving pieces of chicken to feed the wolves guarding the entrance.

This scene made Ningguang's eyes flicker, as if she were brewing some thoughts of her own.

Still, she maintained her usual poised smile and said, "If we check the time, it should be about when someone arrives to deliver dinner. Once we're done eating, Ryen, would you like to accompany me to the Jade Chamber to enjoy the view?"

As soon as Ningguang's words fell, Ganyu, who had been outside feeding the wolves, rushed back inside in a hurry.

She didn't say a word, simply standing next to Ryen while staring at Ningguang.

She absolutely would not let Ningguang get ahead of her.

After all, she had painstakingly reached the stage where she could occasionally exchange kisses with Ryen.

If Ningguang managed to steal the opportunity before she did, Ganyu wouldn't even know where to cry.

The atmosphere turned somewhat tense, while Zhongli and the others cast gossipy glances toward Ryen, eagerly awaiting his response.

"Uh…"

Ryen's mouth twitched slightly. No matter what he said, it felt like he'd be stepping into a trap.

Just as he was racking his brain for a way out, the door swung open, and a figure strode in with light footsteps.

"Good evening, Dalang, Erlang!"

Baiwen's voice rang out, immediately followed by the happy barks of the two wolves.

"Such good boys…"

She chuckled, rubbing the wolves' heads once more before stepping inside.

Unlike the others, Baiwen didn't seem to notice the strange tension in the room. Instead, upon spotting Ningguang, she smiled brightly.

"Ningguang, Ryen, you're both back."

With Baiwen's arrival, the silent clash between Ningguang and Ganyu naturally came to an end.

Zhongli and the others let out a collective sigh of regret.

It was such a rare occasion to see Ryen struggling like this…

…

As everyone gathered around the table, Ningguang quickly adjusted her expression and asked, "Why are you the one delivering dinner today?"

While setting out steaming dishes from her storage pouch, which had been enhanced with adeptal magic, Baiwen responded softly, "There's an urgent matter I need to report to Lady Ningguang."

Ningguang gave a slight nod, allowing her to continue.

"Today's returning batch of Millelith and miners brought back a total of—"

"Just get to the final figures."

Ningguang wasn't interested in a detailed report on the types of minerals; she only cared about how much mora they were worth.

Baiwen paused for a moment before promptly replying, "Originally, the estimated revenue was about 28 billion mora…"

"Originally?"

"Yes, Lady Ningguang. Coincidentally, Captain Beidou's Crux returned today. Upon hearing that we had a shipment of top-quality iron ore, Captain Beidou negotiated with the Administrative Bureau."

"She intends to slightly raise the price and sell some of it to the Inazuman resistance."

Hearing this, Ningguang let out a light chuckle, elegantly taking a bite of her food before speaking softly.

"The Inazuman resistance is on a steady decline. If I remember correctly, they've already retreated to Yashiori Island. Does Sangonomiya really still have the funds to afford this?"

"Captain Beidou believes that they are willing to pay in a combination of mora, ley line materials, and elemental ores. From what we've assessed, Sangonomiya's side should be able to offer a generous payment."

"The resistance is currently in desperate need of weapons and resources."

Ningguang nodded slightly before adding, "That's acceptable. We can increase the price, but not by too much. Despite Inazuma's policy of isolationism, its relationship with Liyue is not that poor."

Baiwen quickly noted it down before continuing.

"Additionally, for some reason, Sumeru has placed an exceptionally large order. Their requested quantity nearly surpasses the total of our previous shipments combined, and they've even offered a 20% price increase…"

"Fontaine and Snezhnaya are also looking to purchase massive amounts of coal and iron ore. Meanwhile, across Liyue, the demand for lumber and fuel is steadily rising…"

"Even Mondstadt has placed an order for food supplies…"

"The Administrative Bureau estimates that this transaction alone will generate around 34 billion mora in revenue."

Thirty-four billion…

That was nearly a third of Liyue Harbor's recent profits from their ventures into the MC world.

And more importantly—

Aside from the costs associated with the miners and the Millelith, almost all of it was pure profit.

Ningguang even had to consider whether it was time to expand the Golden House…

Thankfully, after dealing with so many astronomical numbers, everyone had grown numb. Thirty-four billion no longer felt as shocking as it once might have.

"Approve the deals," Ningguang decided. "If possible, secure long-term procurement contracts."

She then added, "As for Snezhnaya—civilian purchases should remain at normal prices. However, any transactions involving the Fatui will have their prices increased by 50%."

"Additionally, deposits should cover at least 50% of the total cost."

"If they want to barter with other resources, that's fine, but from now on, all trade with the Fatui will follow these terms."

Baiwen inwardly marveled at the bold pricing but still nodded in agreement.

After all, the Fatui were notoriously unpopular across Teyvat.

"Has Liyue's sudden surge in resource exports drawn any attention?"

Ganyu suddenly posed the question.

Baiwen pondered for a moment before shaking her head.

"For now, Mondstadt is still struggling with the dragon disaster. Inazuma remains embroiled in war, and there seem to be some major events unfolding in Sumeru as well."

"Fontaine and Natlan have yet to react. However…"

Baiwen hesitated before adding, "Recently, the Fatui stationed in Liyue Harbor have resumed investigating both this area and the Chasm. It's possible they're beginning to suspect the true source of our resources."

A sharp glint flashed through Ningguang's eyes.

"The Fatui… It seems the lesson we taught them last time wasn't enough."

"Relay a message to the Administrative Bureau—continue the thorough financial audit of the Northland Bank. Make sure those meddlesome pests learn to behave."

Baiwen nodded firmly before quickly taking her leave.

None of this particularly affected the group.

For Ryen, it was merely an opportunity to confirm the current state of affairs in Teyvat.

With that settled, they all enjoyed a hearty meal. Once dinner was over, Ryen saw everyone off before heading back to his room for some well-earned rest.

As he lay in bed, he quietly reviewed tomorrow's plans in his mind before slowly drifting into sleep.

…

As the night deepened and all of Liyue Harbor fell into silence…

In his half-asleep state, Ryen seemed to hear a soft, childlike voice.

"At last… the connection is complete…"

~~----------------------

Get 25+ additional chapters on patreon:

patreon.com/dreamer20