129: Bonfire Night on the MC Plains

The people in the MC world were unaware of what was happening in Liyue.

Even if they knew, Ningguang and the others would probably just pat the heads of the wolves guarding the gates and tell them not to eat just any filth they came across.

As for Madame Ping, whom Zhongli had arranged to stand guard, Ryen was well aware of the situation. He had even met Madame Ping and invited her to join them in the MC world.

However, she had politely declined. The small courtyard in Liyue still needed someone to watch over it, preventing unauthorized exploration. Besides, she wasn't particularly keen on moving around much.

That said, she did mention that once everything stabilized, she would come to the MC world to enjoy her retirement—just like Zhongli. She planned to build a treehouse, grow flowers, and cultivate her own land.

With that, Ryen's idea of using Madame Ping's adeptal arts to bring in extra materials was scrapped.

He had forgotten that adeptal arts were heavily suppressed in this world.

Anything brought in through adeptal space would immediately lose all its effects.

It was a shame, but not a huge loss. If necessary, he could always make a trip to the End and get some Ender Chests.

The group had spent the entire day exploring the world—hunting, opening Lucky Blocks, and searching for caves. It had been a fulfilling journey.

However, they had yet to find a suitable place to establish a new base.

There were caves in the Plains, but they were small, and the resources within them…

To be honest, with Lucky Blocks around, Ningguang and the others weren't particularly interested in cave mining anymore.

Just moments ago, Zhongli had an incredible stroke of luck, obtaining thirteen blocks of iron, nine blocks of emerald, and nine blocks of diamond—all in block form, not just ingots.

With gains like that, who needed caves? If resources ran low, they could simply send someone out to break a few Lucky Blocks, and they'd collect more than an entire week's worth of mining.

That said, mining wouldn't be entirely abandoned, but its importance had significantly decreased.

Lapis Lazuli could resonate with elemental energy, and diamonds—renowned for their hardness—were perfect for crafting weapons.

As for monster drops, they were even more fascinating.

These materials needed to be systematically gathered in the future. A small team stationed at the caves would be enough, while the rest would focus on large-scale construction.

Monster farms, iron farms, and slime farms—all essential for Liyue—had to be built.

However, the existing settlement wouldn't be enough. They needed to build a city right here on the Plains.

Today's expedition was essentially for scouting and planning the site.

And Ningguang had no intention of building something small.

Teyvat had no anti-monopoly laws. Or rather, for someone like Ningguang and for Liyue, such laws were nonexistent.

Since that was the case, she planned to establish a city that would dominate resource trade.

Liyue would monopolize Teyvat's entire mining industry, control the supply of wool, dyes, and wood, and corner the market for high-end clothing and furniture.

Premium food ingredients? Liyue would dominate Teyvat's culinary sector as well.

Ningguang's goal was to make Liyue Harbor the heart of Teyvat's economy—a trade empire where every aspect of daily life, from clothing to food, depended on Liyue.

Weapon crafting had also been prioritized. The finest blacksmiths had been assembled, and with Zhongli's lingering divine power, they were upgrading raw materials.

By fusing Lapis Lazuli and other rare Teyvat minerals with the highest-quality iron ore or diamonds, they would create a new line of superior weapons.

Liyue was also preparing to launch a custom weapon service.

Once everything stabilized and Liyue gained absolute dominance, they would start offering enchantment services.

Just the "Fire Aspect" enchantment alone would drive countless people to spend fortunes acquiring these weapons.

Never underestimate the common people's thirst for power.

In addition to resources, horse breeding and training had also begun on the Plains.

Half of the Millelith would transition into cavalry, and once that was complete, they could consider selling warhorses.

Horses did exist in Teyvat—after all, the Knights of Favonius wouldn't be "knights" otherwise.

However, Teyvat's horses lacked the MC world's traits. When faced with powerful monsters, they were prone to fear, which disrupted battle strategies.

This was why cavalry was rarely deployed in monster-hunting missions.

In Teyvat, horses were primarily used for travel, nothing more.

But MC horses were different. They were fast, easy to control, and most importantly, fearless against monsters.

These were true battle companions.

Beyond all of this, alchemy potions were perhaps the most crucial.

There was no need to explain how powerful alchemy potions were.

Without Ryen's guidance, without crafting tables or brewing stands, the people of Teyvat wouldn't be able to produce these potions even if given a hundred years.

Yet their power was undeniable, and they were consumables—ensuring a continuous market demand.

This would be Liyue's pillar industry in the future.

Additionally, they would accept high-end custom orders from friendly individuals and allied forces—such as fully enchanted armor sets and teleportation pearls.

Ningguang had calculated everything.

From the top-tier custom orders catering to the elite of Teyvat to the everyday essentials for the common folk, Liyue's exports would cover it all.

At that point…

Mora would be the least of their concerns.

Liyue would become a true titan—so influential that a mere shift in its stance would send tremors across all of Teyvat.

With the solidification of economic ties, if anything happened to Liyue, the other nations would suffer as well.

By then, Liyue wouldn't even need to act against threats—other nations would handle them on its behalf.

Even if Celestia intervened, the Seven Nations would be forced to stand together against it because of their economic ties with Liyue.

Ningguang recalled something Ryen had mentioned about his world.

There was a certain country that controlled global finances in such a way that even with hundreds of opposing nations, it still acted with impunity.

Of course, Ningguang wasn't fond of terms like "manipulation" or "control."

The Seven Nations weren't entirely hostile toward one another.

Even when dealing with the Fatui, Liyue wouldn't target all of Snezhnaya.

She preferred to call this strategy an "economic interdependence network."

But that level of control would take at least a decade to achieve.

Why settle for just earning Mora from Liyue Harbor or even all of Teyvat?

Ningguang wanted Liyue to surpass even that rogue nation from Ryen's world.

Without a single battle, she would ensure that all of Teyvat remained loyal to Liyue.

Liyue's enemies would be the enemies of the entire Seven Nations.

By then, Liyue's voice would carry across the world, and no one would dare ignore it.

Playing financial games with the Northland Bank was no longer interesting.

Ningguang's vision had long surpassed such petty tactics.

However, at this moment, none of that mattered.

This was a time for relaxation and travel.

The horses, clad in diamond armor, were tethered to fences.

As the sun began to set, the group stood in the golden Plains, gazing at the distant snow-capped mountains.

Under the sunset, the green grass shimmered like a golden ocean, rippling with the wind.

Everyone stood in silent appreciation of the beauty of this world.

Just then, Cloud Retainer sent a transmission, reporting on the state of their base and mansion.

She had accidentally fired the Redstone Cannon again, blowing up an entire day's worth of repair work.

Her tone carried a hint of grievance.

Ryen figured that it probably wasn't an accident.

She was definitely trying to study and make one herself but didn't control the power properly.

Well, as long as she was fine.

"What a beautiful grassland. I almost feel reluctant to build a city here and ruin the scenery," Ningguang murmured softly.

Beside her, Ryen reached out and wrapped his arm around Ganyu's waist, speaking gently:

"This world is vast and boundless. There will always be a second, even a third grassland."

"Besides, this one is big enough that building a city won't really affect much."

Ningguang glanced sideways at Ganyu, who was snuggling in Ryen's embrace, her face filled with bliss.

She sighed softly in her heart.

Everything had been going smoothly lately, and there was much less for her to worry about.

Coupled with the fact that she and Ryen had been chatting every day about his original world's fascinating stories, her initial admiration had now…

She really wished she could be the one in Ganyu's place.

For over twenty years, she had been strong and independent, but even she had a soft spot in her heart.

If she could curl up in that embrace, quietly listening to Ryen's heartbeat, hearing him tell her stories…

Feeling the warmth of being cared for by her own man…

That would be unimaginably wonderful.

But unfortunately…

She was one step too late.

Ganyu and Ryen had already gone all the way. At least for now, there was nothing Ningguang could do.

"Teyvat has its charms, and this world has its own," Zhongli said softly, his expression filled with a rare sense of ease.

The entire day had been spent galloping across the Plains with everyone.

Even though the view was nothing but endless Plains, it never felt boring.

This was the kind of life he had always longed for.

If only there were more old friends here, it would be even better.

"When traveling, there's no need to be overly pragmatic. Simply experiencing the true essence of the world's gifts is the greatest reward."

"I think… a certain old friend would definitely love a place as free and unfettered as this..."

He was talking about Venti.

Although Zhongli was still somewhat annoyed that Venti had tampered with his contract, he wasn't completely heartless.

He actually wished Venti was here. With that carefree troublemaker around, things would certainly be more entertaining.

Besides, Zhongli held some lingering grievances.

If Venti had just let him uphold his dignity as the God of Contracts, Zhongli wouldn't have restricted his movements afterward!

"Alright, let's start building," Ryen said, withdrawing his gaze from the distant horizon.

"We're spending the night here. I assume no one's planning to head back?"

Everyone naturally nodded.

Even though monsters would spawn at night, camping in the vast Plains was an adventure in itself.

"First, set up a perimeter fence, place torches to prevent monsters from spawning, then just build a few simple shelters to rest in."

Hearing this, Hu Tao grinned and spread her hands.

"Oh please, we've been here for a while now! We don't need your reminders!"

Ryen raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? No reminders? Then why do I recall a certain Hall Master planning four Wangsheng Funeral Parlor branches, only for zombies to spawn in all of them?"

"And in the end, you ran to me, all pitiful, complaining about it?"

Hu Tao's expression stiffened. Then, with some irritation, she snapped:

"That was ages ago! Ryen, why are you still bringing it up?!"

"I'd remember it clearly even after a hundred years."

Hu Tao huffed, rolled her eyes at Ryen, and then turned to start helping with the fence construction.

Ryen chuckled and shook his head.

"Make the fenced area a bit larger. We're having a bonfire party tonight!"

"Got it!"

Hu Tao's voice rang out from afar as she dove into the work.

The first day of their spring outing was about to conclude perfectly.

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

To read 30 future chapters head over to patreon:

patreon.com/Dreamer20