Time resumed the moment Su Xuan left with Ying and Paimon.
The forest returned to its natural pace, breeze drifting, insects humming.
To everyone present, nothing strange had happened—except one person.
Tighnari blinked in surprise when he noticed Amber standing there.
Though unexpected, he wasn't alarmed. As a Knight of Favonius and Mondstadt's Outrider, her appearance wasn't impossible—especially considering he'd heard of her through Cyno and Collei more than once.
Collei had spoken of Amber many times—
With admiration.
With gratitude.
With warmth she didn't show to anyone else.
So instead of questioning, Tighnari smiled and politely greeted Amber, pretending he understood how she got here.
After a short exchange, he gently pushed the situation forward:
"Collei should rest a bit longer. Amber, why don't you take her back toward Gandharva Ville?
You two must have a lot to talk about."
He wasn't wrong—Collei's eyes were shining.
Amber, being Amber, immediately offered help with patrols and dead zones.
But Tighnari politely declined—someone inexperienced in Sumeru's environmental hazards, especially the Withering, shouldn't take unnecessary risks.
So, under his blessing, Amber and Collei left together toward Gandharva Ville.
And the moment they turned their backs—
Two familiar notebooks materialized in mid-air.
Two glowing screens unfolded before their eyes.
Collei froze.
Amber murmured:
"Another diary update?"
Collei pointed, voice trembling with excitement:
"Amber—look! L-Look!"
Amber turned to the screen—and her eyes widened.
A gigantic machine, embedded in a canyon like a sleeping metal god.
Amber's voice trembled, half-awe, half-fear:
"So that…
That's the giant Ruin Guard Su Xuan mentioned…?"
Meanwhile — Inside That Giant Machine
Instantaneous movement carried Su Xuan, Ying, and Paimon directly to a Seven Statue.
Ying resonated with Dendro—emerald light sinking into her hand like warm water.
Without pause, Su Xuan teleported them again—straight to the site Amber and Collei saw.
A massive metal sphere lodged between mountains—taller than city walls, thicker than fortresses.
Paimon floated upward a little, staring blankly.
"Bossss…
That's not a Ruin Guard.
That's—THAT'S A WHOLE BUILDING WITH LEGS!"
Even Ying had to take a breath.
The rusty giant felt ancient—not dead, but waiting.
Su Xuan's lips curled.
"Mm. This is the 'Giant Ruin Automaton.' A walking steel fortress."
Paimon continued gawking.
"One slap from that thing and—
—goodbye mountain."
They eventually entered through the massive arm, following tunnel-like internal plating into the central command chamber.
Inside wasn't gears and pipes—
It was a room, large and hollow, with a suspended steel cockpit sphere hanging from support rails.
A command seat.
A pilot's chamber.
A throne.
Paimon tapped a blackened rectangle.
"Boss, what's this dark window thing?"
"A display.
Once activated, it shows everything outside."
As he explained, Su Xuan casually set a time-space teleport gateway to the Jade Chamber—linking this colossal relic directly into the network shared by Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma.
Then he recorded the entry.
[Blueprint acquired. Will deliver to Ningguang for mass-production research.]
[A backup copy goes to the joint research division.]
[Anyone curious may visit via the teleport gate.]
[Use this unit as a physical study model before dismantling.]
Ying tilted her head.
"So after this…
We go to the Red King's ruins?"
Su Xuan stretched lazily.
"Mm. The annihilation matrix design is next."
Then he smiled—not smug, but inevitable.
"And after that, we visit my daughter."
Paimon: "…"
Ying rolled her eyes.
"You haven't even MET Nahida yet."
Su Xuan answered proudly:
"Details."
Ying snorted.
"What if she refuses? What if she says no?"
Paimon perked up, delighted at the potential chaos.
Su Xuan paused—dramatically thoughtful.
"…Good point."
He tapped his chin.
"Then I'll simply build another giant Ruin Automaton inside the Sanctuary of Surasthana and test how hard her head truly is."
Both girls stared at him like he was insane.
He just shrugged.
"Proper parenting requires discipline."
Sanctuary of Surasthana — At That Exact Moment
Nahida sat cross-legged, reading the diary update with the posture of a scholar but the expression of a scolded child.
Her small brows wrinkled.
"…He already assumes I'll call him father?"
She puffed her cheeks.
"…Yellow-haired auntie must have said something misleading."
Then, quieter—barely audible:
"But… even so…
How could I possibly refuse?
He's already thinking about our future."
She hugged her legs.
"…Of course I won't say no."
She paused—then indignantly whispered to no one:
"And my head is NOT iron."
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