123: What If Bennett Opened a Lucky Block…

Five minutes ago.

The Qianyan Army soldiers and the miners were still bewildered.

They couldn't understand why Ryen kept calling these blocks—capable of spawning lit TNT—"Lucky Blocks."

But now, they understood.

For them, these were Unlucky Blocks.

And Lucky Blocks? Only when Ganyu was the one opening them.

Three Lucky Blocks had just been opened, yielding a pile of diamonds, emeralds, and two enchanted iron tools.

Compared to Ganyu, it wasn't just that they were unlucky—they were downright cursed.

The enchanted iron tools were left behind at the base since, with these Lucky Blocks around, such items wouldn't be hard to come by anymore.

The miners would also need better tools for future expeditions.

As for the diamonds? Those went straight into Ganyu's inventory.

Once all the Qianyan Army and miners had gathered, Ryen gave them some critical guidelines about dealing with Lucky Blocks.

Never open them up close, especially not alone.

Always have a group present.

Use ranged attacks like arrows to break them open.

This way, they could avoid sudden explosions and also have backup ready in case anything dangerous appeared.

That said, for now, they didn't have to worry.

At least in their immediate vicinity, there weren't any more Lucky Blocks.

Not yet.

But in the long run, they would eventually need more people to open Lucky Blocks—Ganyu alone couldn't do it all.

Before leaving, they also collected the resources gathered after yesterday's raid. Then, the miners went back underground.

In two days, when Ryen's team set out to explore, this group of miners would return to Liyue and swap out with a fresh team.

That meant they had to make the most of these next two days.

Since they had been dealing with raids and attacks, they had gathered fewer resources than the previous rotation.

With everything at the base settled, the team returned to the manor.

After a thorough search, they found two more Lucky Blocks floating on the sky island.

This time, Hu Tao insisted on testing her luck.

Since they were heading out in a few days and there would be plenty of Lucky Blocks to open, Ryen didn't have Ganyu do it.

Instead, he let Hu Tao and Zhongli each have a turn.

The results were… predictable.

Lucky Blocks did not favor them.

Zhongli opened a pile of rotten flesh.

Hu Tao's was even worse—she unleashed six zombies.

Fortunately, the sun hadn't set yet.

The daylight, plus a few well-placed arrows, took care of them quickly.

Still, Hu Tao was not happy.

Back at the manor, while Ryen was busy repairing some redstone machines, she was still pouting.

After fixing up the automatic iron smelter, Ryen walked over and saw her sulking.

He grinned and pinched her cheek.

"Alright, alright, don't be mad. This is how Lucky Blocks normally work. There's both good and bad luck."

"Ganyu's luck? That's not normal at all."

"Besides, Lucky Blocks can drop Luck Potions. Once Ganyu gets one, you guys can drink it and open some for yourselves."

"Honestly, you weren't even that unlucky. At least you didn't trigger a trap or spawn some overpowered monster."

Rotten flesh and zombies were nothing.

Opening an actual trap would've been a disaster.

Unbidden, a thought crossed Ryen's mind…

What if Bennett opened a Lucky Block?

Now that would be a sight to behold.

Hu Tao's expression softened a little, but she still stuck out her tongue.

"Fine, fine! I get it. There's no competing with Ganyu's luck."

"But still! My luck isn't that bad, right? I should've at least gotten some food or something!"

Ryen chuckled and shook his head.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll plan out the manor layout. In the afternoon, we'll search around the base and the manor for more Lucky Blocks."

"Before we leave for our trip, we'll open them all."

"Also, I need to craft some fireworks. Since we're opening Lucky Blocks, and with Ganyu's luck, we're bound to get Elytra soon."

"I mentioned Elytra before, right?"

Seeing the group's puzzled expressions, Ryen spread his hands.

"…Guess I forgot."

"Elytra is like the Wind Glider, but different. If you use a firework while wearing Elytra, it propels you forward, letting you fly."

"In short…"

Ryen stretched lazily, looking up at the darkening sky.

"That's enough for today. Tomorrow, we finish up here and then—spring vacation, here we come!"

The group exchanged knowing smiles.

If it weren't for the Lucky Blocks, this trip would've been all about raiding Illager outposts.

But now…

With Lucky Blocks? And Ganyu?

Even Totems of Undying didn't require farming anymore.

This trip was now more about sightseeing, exploring the world, and scouting a new resource-rich area for the miners.

Ryen didn't linger any longer.

If he stayed out too late, Phantoms would start spawning.

Maybe the others had gotten enough sleep recently, but Ryen and Ganyu had been busy all day.

If Phantoms showed up now, it would be a mess.

Opening the portal, the group stepped back into Teyvat.

Ningguang and the others didn't all stay behind. Since they were soon heading out on a long journey, matters in Liyue still needed to be arranged as quickly as possible.

Besides, Keqing had just returned, and tonight, Ningguang had to explain to her how things had developed in the MC world.

Before long, one by one, the group took their leave.

Nahida, however, pouted, casting a glance at Ryen before looking at Ganyu. With a little huff, as if sulking, she stomped off to her room, clearly unhappy.

Ryen stretched lazily, then said with deliberate exaggeration,

"Oh no… my room still hasn't been repaired yet. Does that mean I'll have to sleep on the streets tonight?"

Ganyu found it amusing and blushed slightly before offering,

"Then… why don't you come rest in my room, Ryen?"

She quickly added, "This is an invitation from me personally!"

Ryen chuckled, grasping Ganyu's soft hand and leaning in suggestively.

"It's still a little early to sleep, isn't it? How about we do something a bit more… interesting?"

Ganyu lowered her head, silent.

But silence was the best kind of answer.

With that, Ryen scooped her up into his arms and strode toward her room.

After all, having only recently gotten a taste of something new, these two weren't about to settle down so easily anytime soon.

…

Mondstadt

Angel's Share Tavern

At this hour, just after sunset, Angel's Share should have been packed with customers.

But tonight, the doors were shut early.

Outside, hidden in the shadows, numerous underground intelligence agents stood guard.

This was undoubtedly the handiwork of the ever-dutiful, ever-justice-minded Diluc.

Inside, a certain green-clad bard was guzzling expensive wine without a care in the world.

In stark contrast, Jean and the other members of the Knights of Favonius wore expressions of deep concern.

Diluc, in particular, looked so grim that it seemed like his face alone could darken the entire room.

After a long silence, the ever-impatient Paimon finally broke the tension, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at the bard.

"Hey! You, the one who sings for a living! Something this serious just happened, and you're sitting there drinking like nothing's wrong?!"

"Hehe?"

Venti, slightly tipsy, turned his head with a carefree grin, raising the bottle in his hand as if making a toast.

"The sky could fall, but life goes on all the same."

"The wind of freedom never stops blowing, even in the face of hardship."

"Just look outside—despite the dragon crisis, the people of Mondstadt still find joy in their daily lives, don't they?"

Paimon huffed. "Hmph! Paimon still doesn't get all that 'freedom' talk! And besides—"

She narrowed her eyes at Diluc, then muttered under her breath,

"You're just taking advantage of the fact that Master Diluc feels bad about what happened, aren't you?"

"Now, now," Venti smirked, lowering his voice mischievously. "If Diluc is willing to let me drink to my heart's content out of guilt, wouldn't wasting such a rare opportunity be a crime against the heavens?"

Diluc shot him a cold glance.

"You can say whatever you like. This was, ultimately, my mistake. I don't need anyone to tiptoe around my feelings as if I were fragile."

"Hehe~"

Venti chuckled, then turned back to the bar, raising his voice.

"Charles! Did you hear that? Your boss just said it himself—go grab me a few more bottles of the finest dandelion wine! The ones that cost ten million Mora each!"

Charles visibly twitched but still bowed politely before heading upstairs.

Jean, however, let out a weary sigh.

"In truth, this wasn't entirely Diluc's fault."

She shook her head, voice heavy with regret.

"This all happened so suddenly… None of us expected that a Fatui Abyss Mage would be lurking in the shadows behind Stormterror."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say 'lurking'…"

Venti put down his glass, then, as if unintentionally, glanced toward the ever-silent Lumine before casually continuing,

"That Abyss Mage didn't just 'happen' to be there. It came through an Abyssal portal. They've set their sights on Stormterror, so even if you stop one, there will always be a second… and a third."

"But that doesn't mean the Skyward Harp's destruction had nothing to do with us," Diluc said grimly.

Venti blinked.

"I don't mind if Master Diluc wants to take responsibility for breaking the harp, really!"

"…"

"Anyway," Diluc reined in his emotions and spoke calmly,

"My intelligence network has already begun investigating. Soon, we'll have more detailed information."

"And when we do—"

His Vision flickered, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

The atmosphere grew tense again. After a moment, Jean changed the topic.

"We can't stay in Mondstadt any longer. The Fatui have already noticed us, and that Harbinger is still stationed at the Goth Grand Hotel."

"Most of our actions are being watched, so at dawn, we'll slip out of the city when the guards change shifts. Our destination is Dawn Winery."

At the mention of this, Diluc's expression darkened further.

With a cold laugh, he scoffed,

"This just proves how ridiculous this all is! In our own city, in our own nation, we have to sneak around like criminals just to avoid the Fatui?"

"How absurd…"

His voice carried unmistakable sarcasm. But beneath that, there was also something else—a quiet but profound disillusionment.

Jean pursed her lips. She, too, felt disheartened, but she still tried to salvage the dignity of the Knights of Favonius.

"The Knights are doing their best. Lisa has been holding the line these past few days, keeping that Harbinger occupied."

"Hmph."

Diluc scoffed again, but this time, it lacked the bite from earlier.

Lisa…

He had nothing against that woman.

Even though she always seemed lazy and unmotivated, in his eyes, she was more reliable than the entire Knights of Favonius combined.

Even more so than the Grand Master and his so-called adopted brother.

That being said, both Diluc and Jean were fully aware of Lisa's condition.

She wasn't in good health.

They couldn't expect her to keep pushing herself forever just to stall a Fatui Harbinger.

"In the end, it's still just Lisa holding the line alone. I haven't seen the Knights take any real action to push back the Fatui."

Diluc's tone carried a clear warning.

"Look at Liyue."

"They, too, have a Harbinger stationed in their city, along with plenty of Fatui agents."

"But Liyue's Qixing and Ningguang have been cracking down on them hard."

"The Northland Bank gets audited every three days by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The Fatui can't even breathe, let alone move freely."

"That," he finished coldly, "is what the Knights should be doing."

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

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