The moment Ryen and the Minecraft world were mentioned, Cloud Retainer and Pingzi had far too much to say.
"Ryen arrived in Liyue a little over a year ago, or more precisely, he arrived in Teyvat."
"For the first six months, he lived deep within The Chasm. Now that we think about it, he was likely securing full control over his world."
Pingzi set out her teaware from the Cleansing Bell.
A resurrected demon god and two adepti hardly required sleep.
Assigning Guizhong a room was more symbolic than practical, she needed a place to settle, even temporarily.
After all, she had died thousands of years ago.
Now she had awakened to find Guili Assembly long gone, Liyue transformed beyond recognition, and only these old friends still at her side.
If left alone, even someone as lively and bright as Guizhong would sink into the loneliness of a stranger with no place in the world.
Tonight…
Tonight was simply for reunion, an evening of long-lost friends sharing all the things time had stolen.
Pingzi poured tea and continued with a smile.
"It was during those six months that Ganyu and Keqing met Ryen."
"To be honest, we should thank them, if they hadn't discovered him, Liyue might not have been the first nation to enter his world."
Guizhong leaned forward eagerly.
"And then? And then? You can skip the early setup!"
Cloud Retainer gave a helpless laugh.
"After Ryen fully mastered his world, the first thing he thought of was collaborating with Liyue."
"And that was the beginning… of Liyue's evolution."
"An endless supply of resources, that was step one.
With it, Liyue seized and dominated the largest marketplace in all of Teyvat."
"The nation's Mora income multiplied several times over."
Guizhong blinked.
"Mora? What's that supposed to be?"
"It is the currency of Teyvat," Cloud Retainer explained patiently.
"When the Seven ascended to governance, the Emperor convened the first council of gods and established Mora as the standard currency."
"People say it was formed from the Emperor's flesh and blood. In truth, it is condensed divine power, authority granted by Celestia."
Guizhong curled her lip.
"So it's called Mora, is it? Why not Ba'al-ra? Or Barbatos-ra?"
"Honestly, that guy is unbearably conceited. I can just imagine him, leaning on his spear, glaring at the other gods, "
"'The currency will be named Mora. Any objections?'"
Pingzi and Cloud Retainer exchanged a glance, fighting laughter.
The truth… wasn't too far off.
After all, Mora was decided only after Morax defeated the other gods in combat,
and being the God of Contracts meant everyone quietly accepted it.
But hearing it phrased by Guizhong somehow made the story much funnier.
"Celestia," Guizhong continued, "is that where Heavenly Principles live?"
She was like a child holding a toy, questions spilling out endlessly.
"Celestia isn't only the domain of the Heavenly Principles," Cloud Retainer answered.
"It is also where future generations of ascended archons dwell."
"Archons? What's that?"
"…Do you want to hear about Ryen's world or about this?"
"Hehe… fine, fine, I'll stop! Save those for tomorrow night, tonight, tell me about that world!"
Pingzi resigned herself with a sigh.
"Back to the main topic. Once Liyue gained access to Ryen's world…"
"Resources were only the beginning.
Next came alchemical potions, potions so potent they seemed to contain fragments of fundamental laws."
"With them, ordinary mortals could gain strength comparable to archons."
Cloud Retainer paused as Guizhong puffed up, clearly about to ask another question.
Pingzi shot her a look and clarified first:
"Think of it as giving ordinary humans the power to slay high-tier monsters."
Understanding dawned, and Guizhong nodded vigorously.
"With potions secured, Liyue also gained access to enchanted equipment,
as well as breeds of wolves and warhorses unaffected by monsters, creatures whose combat prowess rivaled magical beasts."
"That is when Liyue formed its first restructured armies:
the Qianyan Heavy Cavalry and Qianyan Light Cavalry."
"At first, there were only five hundred of each.
But even that mere thousand could sweep clean every monster in all of Liyue in minutes."
"Later, Mondstadt arrived. A formal alliance was signed, and they stationed forces here as well."
"The Nether, the End, Wither storms, Totems of Undying, beacons…"
"Then the Liyue Dragon Knights…"
Pingzi walked her through it, step by step, the monumental changes of the past five months.
And when she reached the part about the Rite of Parting,
Zhongli's abdication,
and the unsealing of Osial…
Only for Osial to be utterly crushed by Liyue's citizens alone, without a single adeptus lifting a hand,
Only then did Guizhong truly understand.
The people she once sheltered…
the mortals who once needed the protection of gods and adepti…
had become a force mighty enough to stand against threats that had once shaken the world.
The limitless potential she had always envisioned for humanity,
it had finally become reality.
By the time Pingzi finished summarizing the changes, her throat was dry.
What she described was barely a fifth of all that had happened.
To recount everything would take more than an entire day.
But even this glimpse was enough to shock her anew.
Without anyone noticing, Liyue had grown into a nation even the adepti must now look up to.
For them, it was like watching their child grow up, and finally gain the strength to protect them.
Silence fell across the courtyard.
Guizhong stared down at her cooled tea.
A long breath escaped her.
"No wonder Morax chose to abdicate…
Liyue truly no longer needs us."
"It's a good thing that the people live securely and happily…
but somehow, I still feel… lost."
"With light cavalry, heavy cavalry, firearms, naval forces, dragon riders…"
"These armies combined could have suppressed every rampaging god in the Archon War."
"If the world no longer needs us…
then what am I supposed to do now?"
Cloud Retainer understood Guizhong's melancholy.
To witness Liyue's prosperity was their greatest wish.
But now… Liyue had become too strong.
Liyue had grown so powerful that even the adepti felt they could no longer contribute meaningfully.
Somewhere deep in their hearts, even Zhongli and the immortal sect had experienced that same moment of displacement,
a sense that the children they had raised no longer needed them.
It was a blessing.
And yet, like all parents, they could not escape the faint ache of becoming unnecessary.
Guizhong was struggling with all of this much more sharply.
Everything had changed while she slept in death.
Liyue had leapt forward beyond imagination.
Her role seemed erased before she had even had the chance to rediscover it.
"Does my revival… even mean anything?"
That silent doubt clung to her.
But to Cloud Retainer and Pingzi, the answer was obvious.
Pingzi placed a gentle hand on Guizhong's shoulder.
"Do not sink into such thoughts. Liyue still needs you."
Guizhong lifted her head slightly, her expression a tangle of confusion and longing.
"Truly…?
But I am not skilled in battle. I cannot aid Liyue against the Heavenly Principles.
From any angle you look at it, I am the one who requires protection."
"My return… might even be a burden."
Pingzi's expression tightened at once.
This was the one conclusion they feared she might reach.
Her tone sharpened.
"So, what you're saying is that you regret returning?
That you never wished to see us again?"
Guizhong waved her hands wildly.
"Of course not! Even though it felt like only a blink to me, I've missed you and Cloud Retainer very much."
"But a god's duty is to bring prosperity to their people. And now I…"
Cloud Retainer shook her head.
"Liyue still needs you."
Guizhong's eyes flickered with hesitant hope.
Cloud Retainer continued patiently:
"Remember what Ryen told you earlier?"
Guizhong nodded quickly.
"Redstone technology. You were all talking about it so much, it sounds even more powerful than traditional mechanism arts."
"More than powerful," Cloud Retainer corrected softly.
"Redstone has no upper limit. When we were researching in the End, we recreated the Orbital Dragon-Slaying Cannon."
"It has already been reproduced here in Liyue. The Emperor himself said that even if Teyvat prepared the perfect defense,
if he stood before that cannon, he would still be grievously wounded."
Guizhong's eyes widened.
"He really said that? That guy's shell is the toughest I've ever seen!"
"He did. And we have all witnessed that weapon's might."
Pingzi added gently:
"The Dragon-Slaying Cannon is only one pinnacle of redstone technology. Only one.
There exist creations far more extreme."
"Redstone is a magic without cap or ceiling. Its limits lie only in imagination."
"Automated farms, hidden strongholds, redstone artillery, these are merely the simplest, most elementary applications."
"Ryen once said: if redstone is mastered fully, all of Teyvat will undergo a revolution unlike anything in history."
"And unlike conventional machinery, redstone requires no fuel. It is a perpetual engine."
She leaned forward, voice steady and warm:
"Guizhong, you are a master of mechanism arts, you should understand more than anyone how terrifying and miraculous such a system can be."
"Redstone isn't a mod… but it surpasses most modded systems in versatility."
"In destructive potential, in utility, in convenience, in complexity, redstone covers every field."
Seeing Guizhong deep in thought, Pingzi continued:
"But we have encountered a major obstacle."
"Ryen's knowledge focuses primarily on redstone weapons and specialized structures unique to his world.
Beyond that, we have no direction."
"We have mountains of redstone materials piling up unused.
What we lack is someone who can truly research it, someone with both talent and imagination."
"Someone who can expand the horizon of what redstone can become."
She smiled.
"And you are the best possible candidate."
"I believe in you. Everyone believes in you.
If even you cannot push redstone to its limits, then no one in Liyue can."
At these words, a quiet brightness returned to Guizhong's eyes.
In the field of mechanisms, Guizhong stood unrivaled.
Even Cloud Retainer, reluctant as she was to admit it, knew this in her heart.
Guizhong's mind was agile, bold, endlessly inventive.
Letting her explore redstone was like giving Albedo infinite rare materials and asking him to redefine alchemy.
Guizhong was, by nature, the perfect researcher for this new system.
"Do you really think… I can do it?"
Her gaze drifted upward toward the night sky.
Far in the distance, faint lights shimmered around a floating platform near Mt. Tianheng,
the platform carrying the Orbital Dragon-Slaying Cannon.
"I've never created anything with that kind of destructive potential."
"If you can't, none of us can," Pingzi replied with a gentle laugh.
"Everyone has faith in you."
"That's right," Cloud Retainer added proudly. "And I will assist you. With the two of us, you will certainly go far in redstone technology."
At last, Guizhong's spirit revived.
She folded her arms with a haughty little hum.
"Hmph! Then we'll see the day you create something better than my Guizhong Ballista!"
"You little-! Don't scold away good intentions!" Cloud Retainer sputtered.
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