The days in Mondstadt continued their idyllic, adventure-filled rhythm. Ren was a happy, busy chronicler, his photo album now filled with beautiful, triumphant, and slightly chaotic, pictures of his time in the wild, untamed lands of the nation of wind.
He also found time for quiet, productive conversations. He sought out Jean in her office one afternoon and, after a brief, and very cheerful, interruption from Klee, he was able to have a more serious, diplomatic discussion.
Jean, her weary face now holding a new, hopeful light, confirmed what he had suspected. "I have been in correspondence with Lady Keqing," she said, her voice full of a professional, and slightly awestruck, respect. "She has sent me the preliminary drafts of Liyue's 'Azure Edict'. The system of registration and accountability is… remarkably thorough. We are already beginning to adapt it for our own, Mondstadt-specific laws."
She then gave Ren a small, hopeful smile. "And yes," she admitted, "I did also inquire about the… flying machines. The idea of a personal, flying vehicle is, as you can imagine, a concept that is very popular in the city of the Anemo Archon. Though I understand," she added with a sigh, "that the logistics of that particular trade will be a much more… long-term project."
The seeds of his technological revolution were being planted, their roots slowly but surely taking hold in the fertile, freedom-loving soil of Mondstadt.
His most significant, and ultimately, most world-altering, conversation, however, took place in the quiet, sunlit, and book-filled, sanctuary of the Knights of Favonius Library.
He was talking with Lisa, the two of them seated in their now-familiar, comfortable corner, a pot of fragrant, flower-scented tea between them. They were discussing the finer points of elemental energy conversion, a topic they both found endlessly fascinating.
"Your inventions are truly remarkable, cutie," Lisa said, her emerald eyes sparkling with a genuine, intellectual admiration. "The man-made Visions, and of course, that delightful little flying board of yours that Klee has been so enthusiastically describing to me." She took a slow, thoughtful sip of her tea. "It does make one wonder, though. Have you considered patenting any of your technologies?"
Ren paused, the teacup halfway to his lips. That was the second time. First Yanfei, and now Lisa. Two of the most brilliant, and legally-minded, women he knew, from two different nations, had now asked him the exact same, very pointed, question.
"Yanfei, a lawyer friend of mine in Liyue, mentioned something similar," he admitted, his voice a little more serious now.
"Ah, the little half-adeptus with the fiery spirit," Lisa purred with a knowing smile. "I've read some of her legal treatises. Her mind is as sharp as a shard of glass. If she is advising you to consider it, then you should most certainly listen." She leaned forward, her playful, teasing demeanor gone, replaced by the sharp, serious focus of a Sumeru Akademiya scholar, the most brilliant in two hundred years.
"I was just thinking of Sumeru, you see," she said, her voice a low, confidential murmur. "I have been… planning a trip there myself, for some personal research. The Akademiya is the only institution in all of Teyvat that has a truly comprehensive, and legally binding, international patenting process."
She looked at him, her gaze direct and full of a serious, friendly advice. "I know you are not interested in the monetary side of things, cutie. But a patent is not just about profit. It is, as I am sure Yanfei explained, a matter of technological safety. It is a way to create a permanent, legal, and internationally recognized, record that says 'this technology, this idea, belongs to this person, and it is governed by these rules'. It is a shield, not just a piggy bank."
She leaned back, a thoughtful, far-off look in her eyes. "The process, I will admit, is a little… time-consuming. And the scholars of the Akademiya can be a notoriously dry and pedantic lot. But it is worth it. For the peace of mind. And for the safety of your own, brilliant, and valuable, ideas."
She had not just given him advice; she had given him a new, and very tangible, reason to consider a journey to the land of wisdom. The seeds that Yanfei had planted in his mind, the seeds of a new, and very interesting, journey, were now being watered, and were beginning to sprout. Sumeru was no longer just a distant, abstract idea. It was becoming a destination. A necessity.