"Judging by the timing… Her Majesty should already be close to Liyue's borders."
Zhongli more or less understood the Tsaritsa's intentions—it was likely that the letter Rosalyne and the others had sent back had caught her attention.
But if the Tsaritsa was already on her way to Liyue, then judging by the distance, she should be seeing the might of the Jade Chamber by now.
To be honest, Zhongli thought this was actually a good thing.
He had long found the Fatui—so full of shady characters and murky agendas—an eyesore.
After all, if they were to stand together on a unified front against Celestia, then there should be no underhanded tricks.
And yet, the likes of the Doctor and the Regrator harbored ulterior motives they couldn't speak of openly.
This was troubling. If unity faltered and internal conflict arose, how could they possibly challenge Celestia?
Just look at now—Tartaglia and Rosalyne clearly despised the Doctor. If given the chance, they might very well stab him in the back.
By contrast, Mondstadt and Liyue had worked together in harmony, marching side by side.
Both sides supported each other, maintaining perfect synchronization in the fight against Celestia.
This kind of alliance was what Zhongli hoped to see.
If the Fatui joined in and brought all their grudges with them, trouble would surely follow.
If the Tsaritsa had truly come to discuss cooperation, Zhongli would ask her to sever ties with the Fatui as a prerequisite.
But that was a matter to be discussed only between gods and Ryen—there was no need to tell others.
Zhongli gave a slight nod and said softly:
"Keep a low profile for now. Restrain your people. We'll speak again after I've had my conversation with her."
The two nodded in agreement. Only after watching Zhongli leave did they return to the Northland Bank.
Tartaglia summoned the Debt Collector captain and the head of the Liyue branch, ordering them to suspend all additional operations for the time being.
When dealing with the General Affairs Office and the Qianyan Army's inspections, cooperation was the top priority.
This time, no one objected.
In fact, the Fatui agents were relieved that Tartaglia had said to lay low.
Liyue had just blasted a god to pieces—what could a few Fatui agents possibly hope to accomplish against that?
The Tsaritsa's plans were important, yes—but staying alive was the first rule of survival.
The Jade Chamber had returned to its place above Mt. Tianheng…
Suspended high in the sky, it gave the people of Liyue a new sense of confidence and security.
With today's resounding victory, Ningguang and the others had no pressing matters left to attend to—the entire day was to be a celebration.
Official duties? Those could wait until tomorrow.
If anyone would be busy, it would be Ningguang and Keqing. Ganyu, on the other hand, was finally able to relax.
Her role had always been to record the meetings of the Liyue Qixing and offer timely corrections to their actions.
In essence, she was the overseer Zhongli had placed among them.
But Ganyu was far too diligent—she tried to do everything herself.
Now that Ryen was here, Ganyu had finally let go of some of those responsibilities.
Starting today, she would stay quietly by his side. All she had to do was review and process some documents later.
Lisa leaned lazily against a table, smiling playfully.
"What a magnificent performance… My heart's still racing from the spectacle. Liyue's depth of power is simply overwhelming."
Ningguang was in an excellent mood and replied right away:
"It's only because we got a two-month head start. Once you're more familiar, you'll reach the same level."
Jean firmly believed that.
Liyue's strength today had left a deep impression on her.
Even without Zhongli's direct guidance, Liyue would continue to stand strong and awe the rest of Teyvat.
A land ruled without gods could still surpass those ruled by them.
Jean firmly believed that as long as she kept working hard, Mondstadt would one day become just as strong as Liyue.
Ningguang turned to Ryen and asked softly:
"Ryen, Liyue's current matters are about to wrap up. Once the Rite of Parting is completed and human governance officially begins, the nation will transition into stability."
"After that, do you have any plans for the other world?"
Hearing this, Ryen smiled.
"I do have a few ideas. I stopped everyone from continuing the dragon hunts earlier because, after slaying fifty Ender Dragons, we'll reach the progress point that unlocks the new module."
"Zhongli and I talked about it back then. Since he was planning something big this time, I figured it'd be better to wait until everything was settled."
"But now, there's no need to wait anymore. We've already gained some control over the thermal weapon module—what's left is just polishing it over time."
"According to my plan…"
Ryen paused for a moment, then said quietly:
"Next, we resume dragon slaying. Unlock the new module first, then increase the number of dragons to a hundred."
"What do you all think?"
As soon as he finished, Venti slammed the table in excitement.
"You're finally going dragon hunting again?!"
"That's amazing! I've been waiting forever! This time, I want eight dragons—one of each element—for Version 4.0!"
"When do we depart?"
Ryen chuckled and shook his head.
"No rush. This is a big operation. We have to wait until everything in Liyue is fully settled first. Plus, your people are arriving soon—we need to prepare for their arrival and housing."
"Ningguang and the others also need time to deploy personnel and explore the world."
"Also…"
Ryen looked down at Nahida and said gently:
"These next few days, I'd like to take Nahida back to Sumeru for a visit."
At that, Nahida's eyes sparkled with joy. She looked up at him with wide, shining eyes and said excitedly:
"Really?!"
"Of course," Ryen said with a smile, pinching her nose affectionately.
"We've been away so long—you must miss home, right? I'll take you back to have a look around. After that, we'll get started on researching the new module."
"That's wonderful! Thank you, Ryen…"
Nahida threw her arms around him, touched and delighted. If it weren't for the number of people around, she would've given him a kiss on the cheek.
Ryen simply ruffled her hair and smiled without saying anything.
Indeed…
He would take Nahida home—but not just for that reason.
If his hunch was correct, the curse brought by the zombies had already begun to stir.
He wanted to see firsthand the suffering that had been inflicted by the Grand Sage.
And see whether that land… had truly repented to Nahida.
~~----------------------
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