Guizhong stared at Ryen in disbelief and pointed at herself.
"Me?! I just got resurrected!"
"How can you bear to make me start doing such exhausting, brain-burning work right away?!"
"Didn't you just say, again and again, that I'm your like-minded soulmate?"
"And now you're immediately making me work for you?"
"Scumbag!"
Ryen raised an eyebrow and looked at Guizhong with a cheerful smile.
"I'm doing this for your own good."
"???"
Ryen put on a serious expression and began smoothly talking Guizhong into it.
"Think about it, you've been gone from Liyue for several thousand years. The people of Liyue barely remember you anymore."
"Now that you've just revived, don't you need to let the name of the eternally youthful, invincible beauty Guizhong spread across Liyue once more?"
"This is the perfect opportunity!"
With complete sincerity, Ryen continued,
"Think about it, just revived, yet immediately shouldering the weight of everyone's beautiful future and moving forward."
"How touching! What a noble and moving deed!"
"You're a master of mechanisms, brilliant beyond measure. Redstone technology is practically effortless for you."
"You'll easily master redstone tech and create flawless modern cities."
"When people, every citizen, even people from all across Teyvat, come to this world and enjoy the convenience brought by redstone technology…"
"The very first thing they'll think of is the contribution made by Lady Guizhong herself."
"In future historical records, it will be written that Guizhong, freshly resurrected, threw herself tirelessly into work for the sake of her people."
"Under your wisdom and guidance, this world's construction entered the proper path."
"You'll be remembered as a great benefactor of both world and civilization!"
"Statues of you will be erected in every city."
"People will worship you daily, witnessing the eternal youth and beauty of Lady Guizhong!"
"Your fans will spread across all of Teyvat!"
"You'll stand like an unshakable mountain atop the rankings of the most popular Archons!"
"Forever number one, "
"The eternally youthful, invincible beauty girl Guizhong, reigning supreme for a thousand years!"
Ryen's honeyed words made Guizhong's eyes grow brighter and brighter.
He secretly laughed inside, but his expression suddenly turned regretful.
"But you're right too. You've just been resurrected."
"You haven't even fully understood the current situation yet."
"I can't possibly force you into such heavy work."
"Sigh… that was my oversight."
"What a pity. If I had a mind like yours, I'd absolutely devote twenty-four hours a day to redstone research."
"Such a shame…"
"But it's fine. It doesn't matter."
"For now, you should just rest properly."
The moment he finished speaking, Guizhong immediately snapped back:
"Rest?! How could I possibly rest?!"
"Bringing a better life to the people is my duty!"
"Redstone technology? Working hard?"
"To me, that's child's play!"
"I'm starting work immediately!"
"I'll dedicate myself to redstone technology and let it shine!"
Ryen put on a troubled look.
"Is that really okay? You've just revived, I'm worried about your condition."
"Shouldn't you rest a bit longer?"
"No!"
Guizhong radiated righteous resolve as she said seriously,
"Can the people's happiness wait?"
"How can I delay their better future just for my own comfort?"
"Rest can wait, anytime!"
Ryen laughed inwardly but outwardly looked deeply moved.
"As expected of my soulmate. Such a level of conviction, I'm truly ashamed by comparison."
"Of course!"
Guizhong huffed proudly.
"That's because I'm number one on the Most Popular Archon rankings!"
"..."
Zhongli and the others sighed quietly, feeling something was… off.
Guizhong had always been sharp and perceptive.
How had she been so easily sweet-talked into this?
Cloud Retainer wanted to warn Guizhong, but after sensing Ryen's deep gaze, she chose to stay silent.
Ryen withdrew his gaze and extended his hand toward Zhongli.
Zhongli looked helpless but still handed over a contract.
Ryen immediately passed it to Guizhong.
"Even though I personally trust you, matters like this still require a written contract in the end."
Guizhong froze, her eyes flickering as if she sensed something was wrong.
Seeing this, Ryen immediately pressed a hand on her shoulder and whispered persuasively,
"Lady Guizhong, the most beloved Archon…"
"What are you hesitating for?"
"The people are all waiting for you to bring them a better life."
That close, low murmur made Guizhong stiffen completely.
Before she could even think, her hand lifted on its own and stiffly signed her name.
Watching Ryen effortlessly trick Guizhong into becoming a loyal worker, Zhongli sighed helplessly, but still fulfilled his duty.
"The contract is sealed."
"Those who violate it shall suffer Planet Befall."
Only then did Guizhong finally realize what had happened.
That talk about popularity rankings, about being the people's white moonlight,
Even if it were true, it would only happen decades or centuries later.
But before that,
She would be forced to work for Ryen nonstop!
"Damn it! You tricked me!"
Guizhong bared her little fangs and glared angrily at Ryen.
He leisurely tucked the contract into his clothes.
"How could you say that?"
"You… you rotten devil who oozes evil!"
"A heartless scumbag who toys with emotions!"
Ryen raised an eyebrow and spread his hands innocently.
"Don't say it like that. I never toyed with your feelings."
With the contract already put away, Guizhong had no way to snatch it back.
She could only glare at Ryen angrily before turning her head away in a huff.
Ryen chuckled softly and gently rubbed Guizhong's head.
"Don't be so mad."
"Redstone technology should be easy for you anyway, "
"And it's something you're genuinely interested in."
"Besides," Ryen added casually, "it's not like I'm forbidding you from resting. I'm just giving you something to do, helping everyone along the way."
Guizhong snorted and slapped his hand away.
Ryen didn't mind. He stretched lazily, stood up, and said,
"Alright, let's go. We've more or less covered the next phase of planning."
"How things are arranged from here on, you can all discuss among yourselves."
"There's no rush anyway, we still need Guizhong to study redstone technology first."
The moment redstone technology was mentioned, the anger Guizhong had just managed to suppress surged up again.
She strode quickly over to Ryen, lifted her chin, and elbowed him from behind,
Only for Ryen to block it effortlessly.
"Scumbag!"
Guizhong shot him an annoyed glare, then walked over to Pingzi and began whispering furiously to her.
Ryen laughed lightly.
"Come on, sitting around won't help you understand the world."
"There are several key traits of the Overworld that you need to grasp quickly, especially you, Ei."
"So first…"
Ryen paused and raised his head, gazing at the floating island in the sky.
"Let's start from there."
Ryen led everyone on a tour of the MC world, the real purpose being to help Ei, Guizhong, and the others quickly familiarize themselves with it.
Meanwhile, back in Teyvat,
Nilou and Dehya, who had just left the foot of Mt. Tianheng, stood at the entrance to Liyue Harbor.
Only after the distant feeling of surveillance vanished did they exchange glances and sigh in relief.
"Today was the most surreal experience of my entire life,"
Dehya said helplessly, shaking her head as she and Nilou wandered aimlessly through the harbor.
"Thinking back on it now… it was actually pretty thrilling."
Nilou shook her head, unable to understand Dehya's mindset.
She looked at the Liyue citizens passing by, every face carried a genuine smile.
That sense of happiness and pride made both Dehya and Nilou feel quietly envious.
They had never seen such expressions on the faces of Sumeru's people,
Neither among the desert folk, nor the rainforest dwellers.
They didn't discuss what they had just witnessed, instead behaving like ordinary travelers, quietly listening to conversations around them.
The Liyue Scholars' Association was about to begin a symposium on ancient Archon-era research concerning Guili Plains and Bishui Plain.
Xinyan's rock concert was underway near the docks.
At dusk, Yun Jin's new opera at Yun-Han Opera House was set to premiere…
Liyue Harbor was a convergence of countless ideas and stories, a clash of thoughts like a hundred schools of philosophy contending at once.
Open. Inclusive. Confident.
It preserved the solemn dignity of an ancient nation while embracing the diversity of human thought.
Embracing all things.
Nilou felt genuine admiration well up from the bottom of her heart.
In Sumeru, everyone's lifelong pursuit had been decided by the Akademiya from the very beginning.
Scholarship. Rationality.
Anything deemed irrational was considered wrong.
Nilou pressed her lips together, feeling faintly melancholy.
"So… this is Liyue," she murmured.
Dehya sighed softly.
"I've heard that in ancient times, countless gods fought across Liyue's land."
"In the end, only Morax remained, uniting the peoples of all gods and forging them into Liyue."
"Equality. Inclusiveness."
"If Liyue were the one handling the divide between rainforest and desert…"
"Maybe the desert people wouldn't be living in such hardship now."
Nilou lowered her head, her expression dim.
"From what we can see, Liyue's allies aren't just Mondstadt."
"There's also Inazuma and Snezhnaya."
"A four-nation alliance… that's the strongest force in all of Teyvat."
"I don't know what they ultimately intend to do, but my instincts tell me, "
"If we can't resolve Sumeru's situation quickly and form an alliance with Liyue…"
"Sumeru will fall completely into chaos."
Dehya fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and steadied herself.
"Don't overthink it."
"From what we saw today, Lesser Lord Kusanali and the other four Archons are all very close with Mr. Ryen."
"Maybe… when it comes to fixing Sumeru, we'll be able to join the alliance too."
"And besides," she added with a small smile,
"didn't Lumine agree to go to Sumeru after some time?"
"I think we can resolve Sumeru's problems before the Sabzeruz Festival."
Hearing this, Nilou finally let out a breath of relief.
Indeed, this was at least some good news.
No matter what, their Little Lucky Grass King clearly seemed very cherished.
If the Akademiya were thoroughly cleansed and Nahida regained authority,
Perhaps all these problems would be resolved one by one.
Maybe even,
Zubayr Theater would never face the risk of demolition again.
The ban on art would be lifted completely.
Nilou's eyes flickered with anticipation for that day.
"But there's still one thing that worries me,"
Dehya said, rubbing her brow tiredly.
"The young lady's Eleazar has always been an issue. We need to solve it somehow."
"If we drag it out until the day of the Sabzeruz Festival…"
Nilou's briefly lifted spirits sank again.
"Yes… Dunyarzad…"
Just then, a gentle voice sounded beside them.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Nilou from Sumeru's Zubayr Theater?"
~~----------------------
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