This night was destined to be sleepless for many.
In Sumeru, Cyno stood watch over Azar, forced to witness as yet another death-row prisoner was escorted into Azar's office.
This time, Cyno faintly heard the condemned man's screams.
Cyno desperately wanted to storm inside and deal with Azar once and for all.
No matter how guilty a prisoner might be, it was never a justification for Azar to consume them.
Yet Cyno could only watch, powerless.
Any reckless move on his part would endanger Alhaitham and the others.
Meanwhile, Alhaitham had already reached Port Ormos, beginning his search for the Divine Knowledge Capsules.
What he hadn't expected was the undercurrent of danger lurking beneath the port's surface, progress was slow, and the investigation was proving far more difficult than anticipated.
Tighnari remained stationed at Gandharva Ville, having gone three consecutive days without sleep, monitoring the movements of the Fatui.
This was Sumeru.
In Inazuma, Makoto worked through the night alongside Sangonomiya Kokomi and Kamisato Ayato, tying up the final loose ends.
Gorou traveled through the night, suppressing the remaining high-level monsters on Narukami Island.
And in Liyue…
Leaving aside Dehya and Nilou's confusion, and Ei and Yae Miko's arguments,
Ryen and Hu Tao fought on without rest.
Lisa and Jean spoke privately through the night.
Guizhong, Pingzi, and the others familiarized themselves with Liyue's recent transformations.
As for Venti…
He had been dragged off by Zhongli for drinks.
Whether it was truly drinking, or another round of the Punishment, was anyone's guess.
Honestly, Venti had only himself to blame.
Ever since staying in Liyue, his mischievous nature had earned Zhongli's ire again and again.
This month alone, he had already suffered the Planet Befall three times.
Anyone unaware of the details might have assumed he enjoyed the abuse.
When the morning sun rose, Liyue Harbor returned to its usual bustle.
Kujou Sara and the others went to reorganize their troops.
Dehya and Nilou quietly set out to locate the newly arrived Inazuman forces.
Ryen and Hu Tao's "war" had finally come to an end.
As for the outcome,
Hu Tao suffered a crushing defeat.
That said, it wasn't exactly tragic.
Even collapsed from exhaustion, Hu Tao was still mumbling:
"Too comfortable… next time again…"
Judging from her feedback,
while she was utterly drained, she absolutely wanted a rematch.
With no one else around, Ryen's full attention had been on her alone.
That made it harder… but the joy multiplied far beyond comparison.
After tidying her up a little, Ryen finished washing and went to sit in the courtyard, waiting.
There was nothing especially urgent to do in the Minecraft world today.
At most, he needed to help settle the Inazuman new troops.
As for exploring the Twilight Forest,
Yes, it had updated, but after three straight days of nonstop chaos, there was no need to rush.
Taking a break was sensible.
Besides, Ei and her group weren't even fully familiar with the Overworld yet.
And Guizhong had just been revived.
If nothing unexpected happened, Ryen planned to take Ei and Guizhong on a tour of the Overworld today,
and, incidentally, explain the functions of various redstone components to Guizhong.
He was confident.
With Guizhong's ingenuity, she could help him achieve his long-held goal:
A fully automated redstone city.
He had planned this for a long time.
He had already named it: Cyberpunk City.
The city would be built along the coastline, some districts even constructed directly atop the sea.
Every structure made of concrete, recreating the modern neon-lit metropolis of his previous world.
Skyscrapers.
Green spaces.
A separate villa district, after which the current manor would be retired.
After all, who plays Minecraft without dreaming of building their own grand city?
But Ryen's ambitions ran deeper.
He wanted elevators.
Urban rail transit.
All manner of technological buildings.
All of it required massive redstone engineering.
He couldn't do it alone.
His understanding of redstone leaned heavily toward redstone weaponry,
frankly speaking, he was specialized to a fault.
But as the master of the Minecraft world, he didn't need to do everything himself.
Otherwise, what was the point of cooperating with the other nations?
As he pondered this, faint grains of dust began to gather in his courtyard.
Ryen raised an eyebrow, amused.
With his strength in Teyvat, how could he possibly miss such movement?
The moment that sneaky figure crept behind him, he sensed it clearly.
"Guess who I am~?"
His vision darkened as a deliberately lowered voice sounded.
Ryen reclined lazily in his rocking chair.
"Some troublemaking little brat, perhaps?"
The darkness vanished instantly.
Guizhong stood before him, hands on her hips, cheeks puffed in anger.
"You're the brat! I'm old enough to be your ancestor! Show some respect!"
Pingzi and Cloud Retainer stood to the side, helpless.
Guizhong's revival was wonderful, but she really loved causing trouble…
At the very least, no one else would dare pull something like this.
Ryen took a sip of tea and replied calmly:
"So… a several-thousand-year-old loli?"
"Absolutely not!"
Guizhong retorted instantly.
"I'll be eighteen forever!"
Ryen laughed.
It seemed that even gods cared about their age.
Ei, on the other hand, never avoided the topic.
Truly a matter of personality.
"Men and women shouldn't touch casually. If Zhongli sees this, he'll think I'm cuckolding him."
Ryen joked lightly.
Guizhong exploded.
"I've told you eight hundred times! I have nothing to do with that guy!"
"Damn it, this rumor really is your fault, isn't it?!"
Ryen shrugged lightly and said with a soft chuckle,
"Rumors don't rise without cause. By the way, you're all here pretty early today?"
Pingzi glanced at Guizhong, who looked like she was about to retort again, and shook her head, cutting her off.
"Guizhong didn't sleep at all last night. She dragged us along, talking nonstop about your world."
"By the time she finally finished, it was already morning, so we just came over early."
"By the way, why are you up so early today? That's not your usual style, is it?"
Pingzi smiled teasingly at Ryen.
"Normally you'd sleep until after nine. It's only seven now."
Ryen laughed quietly and replied jokingly,
"Looks like Pingzi's grown younger at heart after regaining her youth. You never used to say things like that."
"What do you mean 'regaining youth'? I was young to begin with."
Pingzi shook her head helplessly.
Ryen didn't bother dodging the topic. He pointed toward the room behind him.
"Coincidentally, I didn't sleep last night either."
Guizhong's expression immediately turned suggestive as she assumed a worldly tone.
"Young people really do have endless energy… Was it that child Hu Tao?"
Ryen shrugged.
"Only Hu Tao would have the stamina to keep going all night…"
He stretched lazily and continued,
"Let's wait a bit longer. Once everyone arrives, including the Inazuman troops, we'll head to my world together."
"We won't be going to the Twilight Forest today. There are some things I want to show you first, Guizhong."
Guizhong stiffened, then snapped irritably,
"I just got revived and you're already assigning me work? I'm not going to squat in a workshop all day like Sea Gazer!"
Ryen cast her a sidelong glance and replied mildly,
"I already paid your salary in advance. Want to return the staff, then?"
"…!"
Guizhong's gaze drifted away.
"What staff? What are you even talking about? You always say things people can't understand."
Ryen rolled his eyes.
Despite being a god whose age no one could calculate, Guizhong's personality was even more mischievous than Hu Tao's.
Life was going to be very lively from now on.
Guizhong giggled and took out a dazzling crystal from her robes.
The entire crystal glowed earthen-yellow, pulsing with dense divine power.
"This is for you, my thanks for reviving me."
Ryen's interest was piqued. He took the crystal and examined it carefully.
"Your divine power crystal?"
Guizhong nodded, muttering,
"I don't have a Gnosis, only divine power crystals. This one contains my Memory of Dust. It should be enough for you to use ten or so times."
"When it runs out, I can recharge it for you again."
She then looked at Ryen expectantly.
"I heard from Pingzi and the others that you like flashy attack effects?"
Ryen immediately perked up, lifting his chin proudly.
"Then you've asked the right person. When it comes to visual effects, if I say I'm second, who dares claim first?"
"The Sacred Tribunal, Frostmourne, Three Thousand Thunder Steps…"
"These techniques are unprecedented in sheer coolness! Don't you agree, Pingzi? Cloud Retainer?"
The two women twitched at the corners of their mouths.
Pingzi rubbed her forehead helplessly and sighed.
"They are flashy, yes, but out of ten units of elemental energy, you waste nine on visual rendering."
"They look earth-shattering, but can't even kill a high-tier monster."
"I truly don't understand why you pursue this."
Before Ryen could retort, Guizhong immediately cut in,
"Of course it's useful! It looks good!"
"Pingzi, as a peerless youthful beauty, we absolutely cannot use ugly elemental attacks like Morax and the others."
"Beauty is something we must pursue for life!"
"Just listen to those names, Frostmourne, Three Thousand Thunder Steps! Aren't they amazing?"
"Strength is temporary, but whether something looks good lasts a lifetime!"
Hearing this, Ryen was overjoyed. He grabbed Guizhong's hands tightly, eyes shining with emotion.
"Finally… finally someone understands my noble pursuit!"
"A true kindred spirit! Guizhong, you're the one who truly understands art! I misjudged you before!"
"With your devotion to beauty and aesthetics, how could you ever be paired with someone as unromantic as Zhongli?"
"Out of everyone here, you alone understand my artistic ideals!"
At that moment, Ryen felt as if someone else was climbing the same artistic summit as him.
A profound sense of my path is not lonely welled up in his heart.
Guizhong lifted her chin proudly.
"Of course! Don't be fooled by the dirty gray nature of my Memory of Dust, I've always pursued aesthetically pleasing techniques!"
"I am the peerless youthful beauty, the most beautiful blossom among the gods!"
Watching the two of them reach this bizarre consensus, Pingzi and Cloud Retainer exchanged a glance and smiled wryly.
"In this regard… you two really are kindred spirits."
Ryen gazed deeply at Guizhong, making her blush slightly.
After a long moment, he sighed with feeling,
"If I'd known this earlier, I should've revived you sooner, my dear friend…"
"Don't worry. I'll help you pursue the ultimate pinnacle of visual effects."
"They don't understand, but you do."
"What we seek is the ultimate expression of combat!"
"That… is the final sanctuary of art."
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