192: Hatching the Dragon Egg, Soaring Through the Skies

The End.

Staring up at the dragon exploding into a dazzling pillar of light above, Ryen murmured softly:

"This should be the last one, right?"

Beside him, Ganyu shook her head in a daze, her expression a little weary.

Everyone else looked the same.

A full night of high-intensity, mechanical combat had worn down everyone's enthusiasm for slaying dragons.

No matter how exciting a fight may be, when it drags on for too long, it just becomes dull.

If it weren't for the lure of dragon eggs, they would've retreated after killing the seventh dragon.

Keqing still seemed relatively energetic. Staying up late wasn't unusual for her.

After thinking for a moment and recalling their progress, she nodded.

"Yes, this is the last one. So, what's the plan after this? Are we heading to the End Stronghold?"

Looking at Keqing, who despite her fatigue still had a strange energy about her, Ryen smiled wryly and shook his head.

"Forget it. Everyone's already exhausted—though you somehow still have energy."

Keqing tapped her head and smiled:

"I used to work non-stop. I'm used to it. Technically, Ganyu should be as well..."

She glanced regretfully at Ganyu.

Back then, she and Ganyu were kindred spirits when it came to overtime.

When it came to working late, nobody could outdo them.

Unfortunately, after Ganyu got together with Ryen, her lifestyle gradually returned to a more normal rhythm.

And now, she was even affected by just one night of staying up and fighting...

Love really is a terrifying elixir!

Keqing sighed in her heart and turned to look at Venti, pointing toward the dragon egg atop the End Fountain.

"Why haven't you gone to collect the dragon egg? Weren't you super excited about it earlier?"

Venti's face stiffened. With a mournful look, he replied:

"Spare me! I've been fighting all night and already gathered over a dozen dragon eggs. I'm exhausted too!"

"Damn it! Even during the Archon War, I wasn't this worn out! Ryen really doesn't know how to respect the elderly!"

Hearing this, Ryen casually glanced at him.

"An elderly person wearing white stockings? Aren't you worried about cold legs?"

Venti looked a little embarrassed, then began muttering things the others couldn't understand.

"You don't get it… this is fashion!"

"A bard doesn't get cold legs…"

Ryen wasn't in the mood to drag things out. He stepped forward and quickly collected the last dragon egg.

Only then did he turn back to the others.

"The last dragon egg is secured. Let's head back."

Ningguang perked up and asked softly:

"Back to Teyvat?"

Ryen shook his head, then turned to pick up Nahida and Paimon.

The two little ones were thoroughly exhausted. Sleeping in the End was impossible—beds explode—so they had spent the night wide-eyed in a room of obsidian, dazed and sleepless.

They really had it tough.

"We'll head to Base One first. It was attacked by raiders last night."

"Attacked?!"

Immediately, Zhongli and the others' expressions changed. Keqing asked anxiously:

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Ryen smiled bitterly:

"You were all busy enthusiastically slaying dragons. We couldn't exactly leave."

Seeing that Ningguang and the others were still worried, Ryen gently reassured them:

"Don't worry, Cloud Retainer was there. I guided her remotely to make some thermal weapons. She hasn't contacted me since—"

"So I assume things are under control."

Upon hearing that, everyone finally relaxed a little.

Still, Ningguang sounded a bit anxious:

"Then let's quickly teleport back to the overworld and check on Base One. Also, what about Base Two?"

"Base Two is fine. Only Base One was attacked."

Ryen replied, then jumped into the End Fountain first.

The others followed closely behind.

Back in the overworld, they immediately teleported to Base One without delay.

As they opened their eyes and looked around, everything seemed more or less normal.

Although the walls had been repaired, there were still noticeable signs of patchwork.

The air in the base was thick with the smell of gunpowder. The Qianyan Army and miners were all present.

Many of them had bloodshot eyes, and blood stains were visible on their clothes.

It was clear a major battle had taken place.

Cloud Retainer was stationed not far away, her gaze fixed on a box in front of her.

Ryen quickly stepped forward and called out:

"Cloud Retainer, we're back. What's the situation?"

Cloud Retainer turned around. Seeing that Ryen and the others were fine, albeit exhausted, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're finally back. How did the mission go?"

Ryen nodded and said with some helplessness:

"It went okay, but is now really the time to discuss that?"

Cloud Retainer pointed to the box in front of her.

"The Qianyan Army and the miners didn't suffer any major losses. The wounded recovered quickly."

"But… they were ambushed on the way. To protect them, the wolf pack was nearly wiped out. Only twenty-three wolves remain."

Hearing this, Ningguang breathed a sigh of relief but shook her head:

"At least the people are safe. We owe the wolves a great debt…"

Cloud Retainer sighed softly.

"Yes... those wolves were truly loyal guardians. It's such a shame…"

Then she looked at Ningguang and said gently:

"These wolves gave their lives for the safety of others. They're heroes."

"So I promised them their remains won't be reused as bone meal or materials for breeding new wolves."

"I'll entrust them to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for a proper burial."

Ningguang nodded firmly.

"No problem. These wolves deserve a hero's burial. They protected hundreds of Liyue citizens. The General Affairs Office will cover the funeral costs."

Cloud Retainer nodded and said softly:

"Then, Master Hu, I'll leave the wolves' remains in your care."

For once, Hu Tao, usually so lively and cheerful, sighed and solemnly nodded.

"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will give them the hero's farewell they deserve."

Hu Tao indeed walked the line between life and death and had a rather open view of it.

But that didn't mean she was completely indifferent to death.

What's more, just the lingering scent of gunpowder was enough to reveal how intense the battle had been.

That the Qianyan Army and the miners could return safely to the base and await Cloud Retainer's reinforcement—

These wolves were definitely the greatest contributors.

Burying heroes was perhaps the most heart-wrenching kind of funeral.

"After this, gather everyone from Base One and let them return to Liyue for a bit of rest," Ryen said softly.

"They went through such a brutal fight and lost their beloved wolf companions—some time to unwind would do them good."

Ryen had seen how Dashi and the others treated those wolves—like their own sons.

Wolves who were truly cared for, who gave their lives to protect their masters—it was a moving story.

But for those who experienced it firsthand, it was an unbearable pain.

No wonder the whole base was shrouded in such a heavy atmosphere of sorrow.

Cloud Retainer then pointed toward a few large crates on the side.

"These are the resources they mined while you were away these past few days," she said.

"And the spoils from killing those bandits last night, plus the firearms and bullets you taught me to make—they're all here."

Ryen nodded slightly and said quietly:

"This raid has definitely served as a wake-up call."

"All the firearms dropped by the bandits last night, combined with the MP5s you made—distribute them all."

"Arm three full teams. That way, we'll be prepared for future enemies from the firearm mod."

"However, gun circulation must be strictly regulated. Every user must be bound to their firearm."

"And no one is allowed to privately bring firearms into Teyvat."

As he spoke, Ryen looked at Ningguang and said softly:

"You're the expert—arrange this matter."

"Also, transfer a few reliable members from the Forging Department. Let them handle future firearm production."

Ningguang nodded.

She didn't think Ryen was overreacting at all.

Everyone had seen the power of firearms with their own eyes.

Don't be fooled by the fact there were only a little over two hundred weapons—brought into Teyvat, that number could easily trigger a massive upheaval.

A disturbance even the Adepti and Zhongli might not be able to resolve.

Firearms were not something to be taken lightly.

In fact, if last night hadn't happened, Ningguang and the others had planned to learn how to make guns themselves and keep the knowledge from spreading.

Weapons that could overturn Teyvat's entire power structure weren't to be taken lightly.

Ryen opened the crates and glanced through last night's spoils.

Mostly shotguns, submachine guns, and rifles—not a single sniper or light machine gun.

He didn't feel like checking further and simply asked Ningguang and the others to document everything properly.

Then Ryen gathered the Qianyan soldiers and miners, asked them to take the wolves' remains, and returned to Teyvat.

He gave them a week's vacation to relax and recover.

At the same time, he had the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor choose a site for the burial of the wolves' bones.

Hu Tao, always prepared for anything, had even planned to build a dedicated wolf graveyard in advance.

In the future, should any loyal, master-protecting wolves perish, they would be buried there—giving the Qianyan soldiers and miners a place to remember them by.

Base One was now emptied.

Ryen and the others transported the supplies back to the manor in batches and headed to Base Two to distribute firearms to the stationed Qianyan soldiers.

He showed them how to use the weapons and made sure they each signed and registered before returning to the villa.

By the time they finished all this, it was already noon.

Everyone was exhausted, but knowing what needed to be discussed next, they forced themselves to stay awake.

Ryen looked around at the group and said gently:

"From our End exploration, we collected a total of fifteen dragon eggs—enough for each of us to have one."

"So our next task is to hatch them?" Venti asked, a little too eagerly.

Ryen nodded.

"That's right. Do you all want to start now, or rest up and come back later? Hatching them takes some time."

Everyone had stayed up last night—Ryen and the others had fought dragons in the End all night long.

Cloud Retainer had spent the night crafting firearms.

So energy levels weren't exactly high.

But Ryen clearly underestimated everyone's enthusiasm for riding dragons.

"If we can start hatching now, there's no reason to wait. If it takes a while, we can just begin and rest later," Ningguang said softly. Then she added, curious:

"Ryen, is the dragon egg hatching process complicated? What do we need to prepare?"

Ryen stretched and forced himself to focus.

"It's not too complicated, but each dragon requires a different environment. Let's start by figuring out which dragons you all want."

"Then we'll start the hatching process together."

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