Sensing the sharpness in everyone's gaze, Scaramouche couldn't help but reflect that the Doctor and the Jester really had made a lot of enemies.
But deep down, he wasn't particularly nervous.
Just as Lumine and the others had said, Scaramouche had always been a lone wolf.
Even after joining the Fatui and becoming a Harbinger, he had always acted independently, never treating the other Harbingers as colleagues.
He had never felt any real sense of belonging toward the Fatui or Snezhnaya either.
So when it came to his relationship with the Doctor, he could answer with a clear conscience.
After organizing his thoughts, Scaramouche spoke calmly:
"Some time ago, I went to Inazuma on a mission to collect a Gnosis…"
The Cryo Archon frowned slightly and said in a low voice:
"The Inazuma Gnosis mission was assigned to Rosalyne. You went there on your own initiative."
"After I came to this world, I suspended all Gnosis-collection plans."
"You also disappeared without a trace. Arlecchino said you never returned to Snezhnaya."
Scaramouche nodded.
"I went to Inazuma only for the Gnosis, not to retrieve it for you, but for myself."
He glanced at Ei, his emotions somewhat complicated.
"I am a prototype Electro Archon puppet. I was created to become a god."
"Only an Electro Gnosis is compatible with me. That is why I had to obtain it."
Makoto immediately looked displeased and shot Ei a glare.
"But when I arrived in Inazuma, I found that the war between the Resistance and the Shogunate had already ended, and Inazuma was flourishing again."
"I couldn't find any opportunity to act. Even the Fatui stationed in Inazuma refused to obey me."
"Relying on myself alone, I couldn't obtain the Gnosis, so I had no choice but to withdraw temporarily."
"That was when the Doctor approached me."
"He told me that the Dendro Archon's Gnosis was in his possession, and that he wanted to conduct a transgressive experiment, a god-creation project."
"I agreed immediately. One week ago, I arrived in Sumeru, and from then on, I cooperated with the Doctor and Azar in the experiment."
"However, the Dendro Gnosis was ultimately incompatible with me. Controlling a divine body still caused severe backlash."
"Beyond that, I know nothing else."
After finishing, Scaramouche lowered his head slightly. After a brief silence, he added:
"That day, I overheard the Doctor contacting the Jester. I didn't catch the details, only vaguely heard them mention the Abyss."
"I'm not close with any of the other Harbingers. I don't know their specific plans."
The Cryo Archon nodded thoughtfully.
"So you went there a week ago, didn't even have time to do anything, and got beaten by Lumine?"
Scaramouche's face darkened. He remained silent.
The Cryo Archon turned to Ryen.
"What do you think?"
"Same as before, do whatever you want. But he drained my Nahida's Gnosis of elemental power, so he has to compensate her."
Hearing this, the Cryo Archon nodded slightly.
"We're short on manpower right now. Among the Fatui directly under your command, how many are unrelated to the Doctor?"
Scaramouche shook his head.
"I don't know."
The Cryo Archon smiled bitterly to herself, realizing the question had been poorly chosen.
Scaramouche was a lone wolf through and through, he'd gladly abandon any faction if it meant chasing the Electro Gnosis on his own.
Naturally, he wouldn't care much about subordinates.
After thinking for a moment, the Cryo Archon said calmly:
"Have all Fatui under your banner transferred here when you have the chance. After screening them, deploy them into this world."
Scaramouche's eyes lit up as he looked at her expectantly.
"And me?"
"As for you…"
The Cryo Archon considered briefly, then said softly:
"You'll come along as well. Until Ryen decides how to punish you, you'll stay in this world and do some basic labor."
Manual labor…
Scaramouche sighed internally but could only agree for now.
As long as he could stay here, that was enough.
Those staves and other things, if he stayed, there would always be opportunities.
Wasn't that far better than chasing an illusory Gnosis?
Seeing that Scaramouche would remain, Makoto let out a quiet sigh.
Faced with this suddenly-appearing nephew, she felt a headache coming on, unsure how to interact with him.
And this was only Scaramouche, thinking about the Shogun still trapped elsewhere gave her an even bigger headache.
As a result, Ei, who had been trying her best to minimize her presence, received yet another glare from Makoto.
These past few days were undoubtedly the most miserable Ei had ever experienced.
Before long, Ningguang and the others finished their discussion as well.
The four nations planned to each build a furniture mall within their own territories, with prices standardized across all four.
As for whether all four selling the same goods would cause issues,
Ningguang had already considered it. It wouldn't.
Furniture was something ordinary citizens would need in every household.
As long as there were people, the furniture market would never decline.
This was a steady, long-term business with guaranteed profits.
Night had already fallen. With the new furniture mod available and the kitchen now fully equipped, Ryen decided not to eat out.
When he announced that they'd cook and eat at home, the entire house erupted in excitement.
Although top-tier chef Xiangling wasn't present, everyone knew at least the basics of cooking.
After bringing in some ingredients, Ningguang and the other women gathered in the kitchen to get to work.
With nothing pressing to do, Ryen went to the crafting table and built several trampolines and inflatable castles.
They were originally meant for Klee, Nahida, and Paimon.
But Venti, being a born troublemaker, kept pestering him. Left with no choice, Ryen taught him how to make one so he could build his own and go play elsewhere.
Ryen also called on others to help craft more furniture and renovate the manor estate.
By the time Ningguang and the others finished cooking, the interior renovation of the manor was complete.
Compared to the faintly rustic feel it had before, the interior now looked completely modern.
Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, ceiling lights lined the corridors.
Candles were placed along the spiral staircase leading upstairs.
Bright white lighting illuminated the entire interior, making it spotless and radiant.
Every room had decorations like televisions and air conditioners.
In the largest living room, a large round dining table had been set up.
Standing at the entrance, Ryen surveyed everything and nodded in satisfaction.
The manor estate finally had a distinctly modern character.
Turning around, he called out:
"Dinner's ready! Klee! Nahida! Paimon! Come back!"
As soon as his voice fell, a crisp "Heave-ho!" rang out.
In the next instant, Ryen felt a weight in his arms as Klee and Nahida bounced off the trampoline and landed straight into them.
He affectionately kissed the three little cuties and carried them back to the table.
Venti, who entered right after, scratched his head gloomily.
"You won't even call me once? That's really cruel…"
After all the commotion, everyone finally took their seats.
Ryen looked around at the mix of familiar and new faces at the table, feeling a surge of emotion.
Without realizing it, so many companions had gathered around him.
Back then, even collecting a hundred blocks of wood could take half a year.
Now, whenever any mineral or item was needed, all it took was a word, and by the next day, or even that same afternoon, a whole crate would be delivered.
From being forced into total self-reliance, mining everything himself, to becoming someone who only needed to issue plans and commands…
Time really did pass quickly.
Ryen reached out and took Ganyu's hand, looking at her gently.
"Ryen?"
Caught off guard by his sudden tenderness, Ganyu blushed slightly and quietly tightened her grip on his hand.
She didn't know what he was thinking to look at her so softly,
But she liked this look very much.
As long as Ryen kept looking at her like that, she felt she couldn't refuse any request he made.
With a soft chuckle, Ryen secretly traced a character into Ganyu's palm and continued:
"The next period of time will be very busy for all of us."
"The mods don't need to be rushed. Tomorrow, find some people to copy down the furniture mod's crafting recipes, then begin mass production."
"The production materials for the furniture mod are simple, and our mineral reserves are more than sufficient."
"For Inazuma especially, this should be extremely important. Once a furniture market appears, it will help revive civilian vitality much faster."
Makoto had clearly thought of this as well and smiled happily.
"Exactly. I plan to inform Kamisato Ayato tonight and have him set aside all other work to arrange the furniture mall."
"Inazuma's basic livelihood issues are already resolved, people have food and shelter."
"But because of past events, many have lost trust in the Shogunate."
"Once the furniture mall opens, I hope the people will see that the current Shogunate can bring them a better life, and is worth trusting again."
Seeing Makoto's gentle smile, Scaramouche was momentarily dazed.
Recovering himself, he cast a subtle look of disdain toward Ei.
The elder sister was an angel in gentleness; the younger sister was as cold as a demon.
Aside from their similar appearance, how were these two even twins?
If Makoto had been there back then, would he really have suffered so much?
"As for the Slash Blade mod…"
Ryen paused. When he sensed everyone's attention sharpen, he continued calmly:
"Slash Blade is extremely important and very difficult. We'll study it ourselves first, then select trustworthy, skilled blacksmiths."
"Teach them how to craft Slash blades, and later move on to mass production."
"After all, unlocking the next batch of mods is tied to Slash Blades, and the required quantity will be large."
Everyone nodded. Makoto sighed regretfully.
"It's a pity… if the Raiden Gokaden still existed, they would've been the most suitable group to research Slash Blade."
Hearing this, both Ei and Scaramouche felt uneasy.
Scaramouche was the direct culprit behind the fall of the Raiden Gokaden, while Ei was the root cause that led him down that path.
Neither of them could escape that guilt.
Makoto shot Ei a cold glance, causing her to almost stop breathing.
Scaramouche, who hadn't even dared to sit down to eat due to his prisoner status, felt his legs weaken and quietly retreated toward the doorway.
Fortunately, Ryen soon changed the subject.
"We'll talk about Battojutsu once we've arranged personnel. Tomorrow, I'll show you the basics of upgrading and forging Slash blades."
"Lastly, Witchery."
Ryen paused, his tone turning serious.
"Witchery is too important to entrust to others."
"So all research into Witchery must be done personally by us. The military can at most provide sufficient resources."
"Tonight, I'll have Ningguang copy my book. After that, you'll take turns copying it."
"Don't lose it, and don't spread it."
"Witchery is too destructive and too strange. Be careful, don't accidentally cause a disaster."