On the open ground outside the villa, two hundred Dragon Knights stood in perfect formation, orderly and imposing, filling the space with an overwhelming sense of power.
Jean, Eula, and the others stood facing Ryen.
Diluc, meanwhile, was quietly refining his plans.
A blood feud that had weighed on him for years was finally about to be repaid, at least in part, and that alone was enough to set his blood racing.
But what excited him even more was something else.
This would be the first true combat deployment of the Dragon Knights.
The previous trip to Inazuma hardly counted at all.
They hadn't even unleashed dragon breath, just high-altitude flight at best. At most, it could be called an aerial patrol.
This time was different.
This would be the Dragon Knights' first real battle.
And it would be him, Diluc, leading them.
Just thinking about it made his heart pound.
In the future, when people looked back on history, this would be an honor worthy of being written into the family records.
He, Diluc,
would be remembered as the first commander to lead the Dragon Knights into battle after their full formation.
That was a legacy.
Compared to Diluc's excitement, Venti looked noticeably dejected.
He propped his cheek up with one hand, glancing at Ryen now and then, letting out a quiet hmph before turning his head away,
like a sulking little girl.
Ever since Ryen had refused to tell him about the three new mods, Venti had been stuck in this mood.
But Ryen had no intention of backing down.
Setting aside the fact that all three mods were extremely complex, so complex that Ryen himself hadn't fully figured out how to use them yet,
if he told Venti even their names, Venti would immediately start asking how they worked.
And once he understood even a little, given how extraordinary those mods were, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance Venti would try to stay behind to study them.
Ryen never overestimated Venti's self-discipline.
If Doctor Dottore weren't involved, even the Fatui, Scaramouche included, plus another Harbinger ranked below the top three,
would be no match for Jean and the others.
But Dottore was different.
He was dangerous enough that Venti had to be there, watching him closely. Otherwise, things could easily go wrong.
Besides, letting Mondstadt's Wind God personally take revenge for Mondstadt was only fitting.
Lost in thought, Venti let out another disgruntled hmph.
Ryen's face darkened.
"If you keep acting like a sulking little girl," he snapped,
"I'll ban you from entering my world for a whole month."
Instantly, Venti went quiet, muttering under his breath,
"Stingy…"
Ryen ignored him and turned his attention to Jean, who stood tall and resolute before him.
"Even though Venti will handle Dottore and you'll only need to deal with the Fatui," Ryen said calmly,
"and even though the Dragon Knights' strength means you shouldn't be in real danger, still, be careful."
"There's a chance the Abyss Order is cooperating with Pierro and the others. Keep an eye out for them as well."
Jean nodded seriously.
"Don't worry. I've prepared a comprehensive plan. I've also accounted for several possible contingencies."
"I can't say it's absolutely flawless," she added,
"but there shouldn't be any major problems."
"If everything goes smoothly, we'll be back by tomorrow at the latest."
Ryen nodded with a light smile.
"I trust your arrangements. That timing works perfectly, I'll be spending this period sorting out the new mods."
"When you return, it should be just about right."
"Then I'll give you all a surprise."
He paused, then added more seriously,
"We'll all be staying in Teyvat from now on. If anything goes wrong, if things become untenable, have Venti lead a retreat."
"We can discuss the next steps once you're back."
A warmth spread through Jean's chest.
In that moment, she finally understood what Lisa had once told her.
Knowing that someone is thinking of you while you're out there, it really does make a difference.
Her gaze softened as it lingered on Ryen, tinged with quiet affection.
"You brought the spell scrolls, right?" Ryen asked casually.
Jean nodded.
"I brought all the Master-tier spell scrolls from the Twilight Forest bundle. Though I don't think we'll need them."
"Whether we need them or not, it's better to have them," Ryen replied with a smile.
"Preparation never hurts."
He glanced at the sky and spoke gently.
"It's getting late. I won't keep you any longer."
"Safe travels. Come back soon."
Jean nodded solemnly, then turned and vaulted onto her dragon.
Eula and the others were already in position.
Jean looked back at Ryen one last time and spoke firmly:
"Move out! Blood debts will be repaid in blood!"
In the next instant, the dragons roared.
A vast swarm surged through the portal, blotting out the sky as they departed.
After days of absence, the Dragon Knights once again appeared above Liyue,
streaking across the heavens, casting enormous shadows over the land.
This was true sky-covering might.
The people of Liyue, though no strangers to seeing dragon riders lately, were still stunned.
Such a massive deployment was rare.
Unconsciously, countless gazes followed them with awe and envy.
Two hundred Dragon Knights drew more attention than two thousand Millelith soldiers.
This time, however, Jean and her forces did not linger.
In the blink of an eye, they vanished toward Sumeru.
With their departure, the grounds outside Ryen's estate fell quiet once more.
Rubbing his temples, Ryen spoke softly:
"All right. That's everything for now."
"Everyone's free to do as they please."
"Integrating the new mods will take some time. While I'm working on that, Ningguang, you should take this opportunity to review the accumulated work from the past few days."
At those words, Ningguang felt an instant headache coming on.
Rule by the people was something she had always wanted, but…
Once it actually began, Liyue somehow became even busier.
Now that she had a man in her life, Ningguang truly wanted to become a hands-off overseer.
Still, after a moment of silence, she sighed.
She told Ryen to inform her once the mod integration was complete, then left the MC world together with Keqing and Ganyu.
Hu Tao, brimming with excitement, dragged Yae Miko and the others off to test her new staff.
Makoto took Ei and the others back to the Inazuma base.
They had rushed off to the Twilight Forest before, and she hadn't properly checked on how Inazuma's base was developing.
As for Zhongli,
He went to deal with Cloud Retainer and the others… to catch Li Shui.
Li Shui had sworn, hand on chest, that he would guard the house properly.
Yet the moment they left, he had immediately dragged the Millelith soldiers off to play in Entertainment Mode.
If Zhongli didn't make Li Shui suffer a round of "Planet Befall" today, then where would the dignity of the God of Contracts even go?
Before long, only Ryen, Nahida, and Klee were left in the manor villa.
He rubbed the heads of the two little cuties and told them to go play in the garden for a while.
Nahida knew very well that Ryen was about to begin researching the new mods, so she didn't disturb him.
She obediently took Klee by the hand and left.
Stretching lazily, Ryen headed down to the second underground level of the villa, the research lab.
These three new mods were far too complex.
Calling them a hundred times more complicated than the Twilight Forest wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Fortunately, Ryen had detailed system explanations. With a full day, he could roughly figure them out.
Just as he was about to start, faint footsteps sounded behind him.
The corner of Ryen's mouth lifted slightly.
In the next moment, familiar darkness covered his eyes.
"Guess who I am?"
"…You'll never get tired of this in your whole life, will you?"
Ryen chuckled, reached back, pulled Guizhong in front of him, and without a word pressed his lips to hers.
Guizhong smacked him in annoyance, but before long, she wrapped her arms around him as well.
The atmosphere steadily heated up.
Just as Ryen was about to postpone mod research and handle more pressing matters first,
Guizhong panicked and shoved him away, speaking urgently:
"No, no! My first time can't be here, I'm not ready yet!"
Ryen clicked his tongue and let go.
Guizhong tidied her clothes on her own. She wasn't particularly shy, this kind of thing had already become routine.
"Honestly, didn't I say I'd give it to you after we go back to Teyvat and rest for a while? Are you really that impatient?"
"Yeah, yeah," Ryen replied halfheartedly.
"You're just too charming. If I don't get a taste for even one day, my whole body feels uncomfortable."
"You're saying that way too honestly!"
Guizhong laughed and tapped his head, then buried herself in his arms, taking a deep breath. Her gaze was filled with infatuation.
"Ryen…"
"Hm?"
"I like you…"
Ryen laughed softly.
"I know…"
"No! You're supposed to say you like me too!"
Guizhong puffed her cheeks, staring at him unhappily.
Ryen pinched her cheek.
"I like you too. There, satisfied? Now be good, either go play with Klee and the others, or sit quietly. I still have work to do."
"Tch…"
Guizhong turned her head away in displeasure.
"What could possibly be more important than cuddling with me?"
"Honestly? Nothing is more important than cuddling with you," Ryen replied bluntly.
"But you're not letting me eat the meat, just teasing me until I can't focus on work."
He shot her an annoyed look.
"Why did you even come over? To dangle food I can't eat, stir me up, and ruin my concentration?"
"Hehe…"
Guizhong blinked playfully and said softly:
"Don't be so stingy~ I just wanted to kiss you a little!"
"Be good," Ryen said, patting her head with a smile.
"Let me study the new mods first. This is serious business."
"Mm-hmm! I won't bother you!"
Guizhong nodded earnestly.
That said, she immediately clung to him like an octopus, showing no intention of letting go.
Ryen felt helpless.
"If you do this, how am I supposed to work?"
"Tch, can't you be a little more romantic?"
Ryen rolled his eyes.
"I want to be romantic, but the way you're hugging me right now is making me very indecent…"
Guizhong froze, then suddenly realized something.
She yelped softly and hurriedly let go, darting off to the side.
Ryen shook his head and stopped paying attention to her.
Mod information, visible only to him, appeared before his eyes.
He muttered quietly:
"Seven iron ingots, one chest, and a furnace? The material requirements aren't high…"
"And this one? Seven quartz blocks, one glass pane, one furnace… Tch."
"Scientific, but not fully scientific."
"There are toys too… just right to make some for Klee and the others."
"Let me see, three blue wool, one string, four stone blocks…"
"Really simple. Looks like this is the easiest mod to mass-produce."
"Not bad, not bad. Living standards will improve a lot from now on. Ningguang and the others might even be able to create more revenue streams."
Fully absorbed in his work, Ryen no longer showed his usual mix of cautious meticulousness or carefree looseness.
His focused, serious expression made Guizhong watch him in quiet fascination.
Propping her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkled.
"So handsome when he's serious… truly worthy of being the man of this eternally youthful beauty…"
"What are you muttering about?"
Ryen didn't even look up.
Guizhong giggled and leaned closer.
"I'm saying you look delicious, and I really want to take a bite."
"A bite?"
Ryen paused.
"That's not impossible… but do you know how?"
"…!"
Guizhong immediately understood what he meant.
She glared at him indignantly.
"Seriously, how do you connect everything to that?!"
"Why wouldn't I?" Ryen replied calmly, spreading his hands.
"Seems perfectly natural to me."
"I really lose to you…"
Guizhong sighed in defeat.
She ignored the topic Ryen had brought up.
She hadn't even properly become a woman yet, how could she possibly do something that embarrassing?
At the very least, she'd need to evolve first.
She leaned closer, peering curiously at his work.
"What are you making?"
"Me?"
Ryen smiled lightly and pointed at the white block that had just emerged from the crafting table.
"I'm starting by making… a refrigerator."
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20