Zhongli let out a bitter smile and shook his head.
"You certainly have your style."
"But… for now, maintaining the status quo is the best choice. The Khaenri'ah incident—once it's done, even if forced, it's done."
Ningguang spoke softly:
"So, we and the Abyss Order are still enemies, right?"
"Not just the Abyss Order," Zhongli murmured mysteriously, almost like speaking in riddles. "The entire Abyss is Teyvat's enemy. This is a law rooted in Irminsul itself."
The group had already received more than enough information for one day and didn't feel like delving into riddles further.
Looking at Venti's upside-down statue, Ryen asked curiously:
"What do we do with this thing?"
Venti sighed helplessly.
"Put it away for now. I'll return it when I have the time."
Today had been truly humiliating for Venti.
He had failed to watch over his own statue, and Aether and the others had messed with it.
He couldn't even face his own statue properly.
He summoned the Thousand Winds and stored the statue in his space. Nothing inside was particularly worth worrying about.
Though the so-called "Sinner's power source" was gone, it still left a lingering discomfort.
Besides, there were three corpses nearby.
"What's the plan for this ruin?" Ryen asked softly.
Ningguang replied:
"Destroy it. We can't be certain it won't pose a danger in the future."
"And the three corpses?"
Ryen pointed toward the grim remains, and Ningguang smirked.
"You really expect us to bury the Treasure Hoarders?"
"…Fair enough."
Ryen nodded and followed the group out of the ruin.
Soon, they exited. The surrounding monsters had dispersed, and the ley lines' accumulation was gradually recovering, though Zhongli would still need to tidy the disrupted energies.
The sky had fully darkened.
This expedition had taken quite some time.
What was originally just a test of the staff unexpectedly brought some additional findings—though no one really considered it a "gain."
"Do you want to do it, or should I?"
Ryen glanced at Zhongli, who shook his head.
"You go ahead. I'll sort the ley line energies."
Ryen shrugged.
He didn't have any sealing abilities, so if he was going to destroy this ruin, there was only one way:
He raised his hand and swung his fist.
A roaring gale burst forth from the punch.
Everyone watched in cold sweat at the destruction.
This wasn't merely destroying a ruin!
This single punch obliterated the mountain peak itself.
Ningguang rubbed her forehead in resignation.
"Could you not be so rough? There are still plenty of herbs on this mountain… including Qingxin that Ganyu needs."
Ryen's eyes widened in alarm as he looked at Ganyu.
Few things could shock him—but Qingxin was one of the most important.
Because… Ganyu's special constitution required sufficient Qingxin for her unique "morning milk."
And that was Ryen's favorite food.
If the source of Qingxin were cut off… it would be a serious problem.
Ganyu blushed slightly and, seeing Ryen's anxious gaze, nodded:
"There's plenty, but I don't usually come here to gather it.
Besides, Qingxin can also be planted in the courtyard, so it's not a problem."
Ryen finally relaxed and gestured grandly.
"When we get back, we'll find a large patch of land, replace the soil with that from my world, and dedicate it to planting Qingxin!
No one goes hungry if Ganyu goes hungry!"
Ganyu pressed her lips together, looking at Ryen helplessly.
It wasn't that he feared she'd go hungry.
Ryen was afraid he wouldn't get his breakfast!
Handling the ruin was just a single punch for Ryen, but Zhongli's work with the ley lines was meticulous and painstaking.
Glancing at Zhongli channeling his divine power into the earth, Ryen chuckled:
"How much longer will you be?"
"Just an hour or two earlier," Zhongli replied, his gaze drifting as he looked at Ryen, tinged with a slight melancholy.
"Earlier?" Ryen scratched his head, curious. "Then now?"
Zhongli sighed and gestured to the mountain peak that Ryen had obliterated.
"Now… it will take a whole night."
"…"
Ryen felt a bit embarrassed and laughed awkwardly.
"The capable work harder! Since that's the case, we won't wait for you to eat."
Zhongli shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. I had planned to search for the remaining souls of the Celestials anyway."
"Don't worry about us," Xiao and the others nodded.
Meals could be had at any time, but the revival of old friends had to be prioritized.
"Alright, then you focus on that."
Ryen waved and was about to lead everyone away when Liuyun suddenly spoke:
"Tonight we'll return to Minghai's (Sea Gazer's) cave residence to search for his remnants, and along the way, we'll bring back the Sunset Vermillionite.
If Minghai is revived, there will always be someone to maintain the supply of Vermillionite."
Hearing this, Ningguang's expression brightened slightly, and she nodded:
"Then we are grateful to all of you Celestials."
"No need, it's just a small favor," Cloud Retainer replied, waving his hand. He exchanged glances with the other Celestials, and each transformed into streams of light and dispersed.
Finding the remnants of Celestials, as promised, wasn't particularly easy, yet it wasn't so difficult either. It only required careful attention.
They remembered exactly where each Celestial had fallen.
With Venti's blessing of the winds aiding them, the group quickly rushed back to Liyue.
After a hurried dinner, they received notice from Albedo, saying he had already synthesized a batch of new potions.
Without resting, they immediately set off for Albedo's location.
~~----------------------
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