Guizhong studied the Cryo Archon with vivid curiosity.
According to Zhongli, this was the second ruler of Snezhnaya…
yet the divine power flowing through her did not pale before Barbatos, a first-generation Archon.
He was only slightly weaker than Ei.
Was that even reasonable?
Among those seated at the table, Zhongli needed no introduction, his reputation as the God of War spoke for itself.
Barbatos was a first-generation Archon, and Ei and Makoto, as twin gods, were essentially primordial as well.
But the Cryo Archon…
Guizhong blinked, intrigued.
"So… what happened to Snezhnaya's first ruler?"
The Cryo Archon offered a strained smile before answering softly:
"Many things.
The first Archon… passed away."
Seeing that she did not wish to elaborate further, Guizhong politely let the matter drop and gave her a gentle, apologetic glance.
Zhongli moved on, his gaze drifting toward the small figure quietly curled in Ryen's lap, Nahida.
Before he could speak, Guizhong vanished from her seat and reappeared crouched beside the two little girls, eyes sparkling.
"What adorable little ones! May I hold them?"
Ryen laughed and ruffled their hair before handing both Nahida and Klee into her arms.
Guizhong beamed, hugging them tightly and rubbing her cheek against theirs.
"So soft! So sweet! Too cute! Come now, call me Big Sister Guizhong and I'll give you candy."
Nahida stared at her, half bewildered, half flustered.
For someone who once bore the mantle of an Archon, being treated as an actual child felt… complicated.
Though in fairness, compared to Guizhong's ancient age, she was a very small girl indeed.
Holding one little girl in each arm, Guizhong radiated unrestrained delight, so much warmth that Ryen could not resist laughing.
It seemed everyone in this world, no matter how mighty, was helpless before adorable children.
Which only made the Great Sage's past cruelty feel even more unforgivable.
After a long moment of bliss, Guizhong returned to her seat with the two girls still in her arms.
She looked back at Zhongli with curiosity.
"You were saying?"
Zhongli sipped his tea and replied quietly:
"The child you are holding, Nahida, is the second Archon of Sumeru.
The Little Lord Kusanali, Nahida."
Guizhong froze, then her eyes sparkled even more brightly.
She rubbed her cheek against Nahida again.
"Really? So cute, and a God of Wisdom, no less!"
Nahida lifted her chin with shy pride.
But Guizhong's gaze deepened.
A glimmer of insight flashed across her eyes.
She gently set Nahida and Klee down.
The two little girls, already well fed, immediately ran outside hand-in-hand to play on the swing.
Watching them leave, Guizhong's expression softened, then gradually hardened into sobriety.
"Buer… I recall the original Buer was the one tied to the World Tree…"
Zhongli nodded, and the rest of the group grew attentive.
Guizhong murmured:
"A reincarnation…? Or a parallel self?
It seems Nahida remembers nothing of Buer's former identity."
Zhongli sighed.
"To understand, we must return to events five hundred years ago.
The Heavenly Principles summoned the Seven to suppress Khaenri'ah.
Buer, the Great Lord Rukkhadevata, was the only one who did not join the battle.
Her duty was to guard the World Tree.
I do not know what occurred in full.
Only that Buer eventually perished…
and Nahida was found at the site of her sacrifice.
At first, I believed the Heavenly Principles had chosen a successor for Sumeru.
But upon meeting her myself, I understood the truth.
Buer used an unknown means to manifest her essence anew,
thus Nahida was born.
Perhaps through the World Tree… but the details lie in Sumeru."
Ryen had heard this story before and was unsurprised.
Nor was he surprised that Guizhong knew of Buer, she, too, was a god from ancient times.
The existence called Buer, an embodiment of the World Tree, was born not long after Morax himself.
In those years, Guizhong had heard plenty of the wise god who ruled Sumeru alongside the Scarlet King and the Goddess of Flowers.
"I remember… Buer was a gentle deity," Guizhong murmured.
"To have died protecting the World Tree…"
She exhaled faintly.
"It was more than that.
She died protecting all of Teyvat."
The table fell quiet in shared respect.
After a moment, Guizhong turned toward Ryen.
"If I can be revived… then can Buer be revived as well?
I can tell Nahida admires her deeply.
If Buer returns, she would be overjoyed."
Ryen nodded.
"It should be possible.
As an incarnation of the World Tree, Buer cannot vanish so easily."
"But I've also been wondering," Ryen continued, "if Buer and Nahida are essentially the same being… would reviving Buer affect Nahida somehow?"
Guizhong pressed her lips together in a smile and shook her head.
"No two Glaze Lilies in the world are truly identical. There's no harm in trying. Besides, "
She blinked mischievously, teasing more openly now.
"You really dote on Nahida, don't you? Even if I said nothing, you'd still fulfill her every wish."
Ryen clicked his tongue.
"We've barely known each other. Don't act like you already understand me inside out."
Guizhong giggled proudly.
"I am the clever, incomparable, ever-youthful Lady Guizhong. How could your flimsy thoughts possibly fool me?"
With hands on her hips, she radiated triumph; finally, she had paid Ryen back for all his earlier teasing.
Ryen cast a slow glance toward Zhongli.
"If I hang her up and give her a good beating, will you stop me?"
Zhongli sipped his tea without hesitation.
"By all means."
Guizhong froze.
Seeing Ryen rise with a dark grin, she panicked instantly.
"You villain! You spread malicious rumors about me and I didn't even retaliate, and now you want to hit me just for joking?!"
"You and Morax both have no heart!"
"I'm a girl! You wouldn't dare lay hands on me!"
Ryen paused… then swapped his rope for a pink one.
"This is preferential treatment for girls. Even if you challenge me to a fair warrior's duel, I will remain a gentleman."
Guizhong's eyes darted, and in the next heartbeat she bolted.
Ryen chased her, though it was clear he never truly intended to catch and punish her.
This ancient little goddess moved with the liveliness of a rabbit, unaging in spirit.
Still, as the leader of his strange world, he had to maintain at least some dignity.
There were simply things she could not say unchecked.
After a brief round of chaos, both finally settled.
Guizhong slunk back beside Pingzi, hugging her tightly and glaring at Ryen with puffed cheeks.
Ryen ignored her, reclining lazily in Ganyu's arms and closing his eyes, worldly concerns forgotten.
Guizhong watched them and sighed softly.
"A little girl who once needed Cloud Retainer to look after her… and now she's grown, has a family, and is taking care of her own man. I really did miss a great deal, didn't I?"
Ganyu flushed, but did not deny it.
Ryen's temperament constantly shifted.
In the Minecraft world he carried tremendous responsibility, guiding them, protecting them, planning ahead.
Only when they returned to Teyvat could he relax and let Ganyu and the others care for him.
And that, Ganyu felt, was when her heart swelled most.
If Ryen were always the one supporting them from above, the imbalance would make the girls uneasy.
But if he occasionally behaved childishly, allowing them to support him instead, then the bond resembled that of true partners, mutual, interwoven, and deeply comforting.
None of the girls wished to change who he was.
Whether he chased elemental power or wanted flashy combat effects, they gladly helped however they could.
Despite their growing familiarity with the Minecraft world, exploring without Ryen remained unthinkable.
The incident in the Twilight Forest had proven it.
With Ryen present, even Lich Kings and their invincible mechanisms became manageable.
Without him, a group of goblins had nearly overwhelmed them, costing two totems of undying.
Had they not insisted on analyzing that goblin staff's final spell, a single Time Stop could have wiped them out entirely.
Information remained the cornerstone of exploration.
Now, resting in Ganyu's lap, Ryen absently petted Paimon with one hand and, with the other, freely stroked Yae Miko's tail.
This privilege had been earned after days of coaxing; Miko had nearly grown accustomed to it.
But Ryen had grander ambitions.
One day, Miko would surely return to her fox form and curl up in his lap, a pink-furred fox goddess, soft and warm.
That was the true end goal.
"Tonight," Ryen murmured, eyes half-closed, "talk with Cloud Retainer and Pingzi."
"Learn everything about Liyue today, what happened in the past, why Zhongli stepped down…
the Four-Nation Alliance, opposing the Heavenly Principles, Khaenri'ah… all of it."
"At the very least, understand what we're trying to achieve."
"As for the other world…"
He paused.
"Come with us tomorrow. Some things you must see firsthand. Hearing about them isn't enough."
"You're gifted in mechanisms. Study redstone with Cloud Retainer. Redstone has countless applications, we've barely tapped one percent of its potential."
"I don't fully understand redstone myself. So it's up to you to open a new path. If you need materials, ask Ningguang."
Ningguang nodded readily.
Guizhong's mechanical skill was extraordinary, but Liyue's future now leaned toward the advancements of the Minecraft world.
Traditional mechanisms had limits; redstone did not.
Yet redstone mechanics were more difficult than any single mod.
Thus far, no one had produced true breakthroughs, just cannons and simple contraptions.
Redstone tanks, aircraft, automated systems… none yet existed.
But with Guizhong's genius, she would manage.
Guizhong blinked, grin returning.
"If this is the age of human governance, then surely I must obey its rules. Do I get paid?"
Ryen lifted a brow.
"Reviving you wasn't enough?"
"That's completely different! You stingy man, I'll be working for you!"
Ryen sighed, then rummaged in his storage space and produced a staff.
"Advanced-tier staff: Wanderer.
Enhances Earth-aligned abilities by forty-five percent.
Satisfied?"
Guizhong's eyes sparkled instantly.
She snatched the staff without shame and beamed.
"More than enough, boss. I'll get it done!"
~~----------------------
Patreon Advance Chapters:
[email protected] / Dreamer20