In the end, Ryen didn't fish for very long.
Perhaps it was because Ganyu, resting in his arms, kept shifting around uneasily, making it hard for him to stay calm.
Before long, Ryen picked Ganyu up and called Ningguang, heading back home together.
As for what they did after getting home…
Ningguang stated that it was something that absolutely could not be spoken aloud, yet was an extremely blissful story.
Of course, it would have been even better if Ganyu hadn't been there.
After all the commotion, by the afternoon the three of them tidied themselves up and returned to the MC world.
The moment they stepped inside, they ran into Guizhong again. She gave Ryen a long, meaningful look before clasping her hands behind her back and walking out of the villa.
"Strange girl…"
Muttering to himself, Ryen was just about to assign Ganyu and the others some work, planning to go find Venti and join another round of Bed Wars.
Suddenly, Yae Miko hurried over.
"Finally found you, come with me, quick!"
Completely baffled, Ryen was dragged toward the portal before he could react.
"Hey, what's the rush? I just got back!"
Yae Miko rolled her eyes and said softly,
"Makoto is coming. I'm going to pick her up."
Ryen froze for a moment, then asked in surprise,
"Inazuma's situation is already sorted out? And how did you know?"
Pulling Ryen through the portal, Yae Miko smiled and tapped her temple lightly.
"When it comes to consciousness, I'm a professional."
"So Makoto told you, but didn't tell Ei?"
Ryen looked thoughtfully at the smiling Yae Miko. She relaxed her grip and chuckled.
"Maybe she's planning a surprise inspection for Ei."
"Anyway, hurry up and come with me. Makoto only brought that little girl, Sangonomiya Kokomi, with her this time."
"What if something happens?"
Ryen rolled his eyes and complained,
"In Liyue? Something happens to her? What, did the Heavenly Principles personally revive and strike?"
Yae Miko blinked, smiling sweetly.
"What if? It's not impossible, you know."
Ryen shook his head and didn't continue discussing such absurd possibilities.
Makoto and Kokomi seemed to have already arrived at the foot of Mt. Tianheng and were being stopped by the Millelith outside.
Judging by the situation, this really did look like a surprise inspection.
Yae Miko walked briskly beside Ryen, suddenly leaning closer and sniffing him, her eyes flashing with displeasure.
"You really can't behave yourself even in broad daylight?"
Ryen spread his hands.
"Who said these things have to be done at night?"
Yae Miko pursed her lips but didn't say anything else.
The distance to Mt. Tianheng wasn't far. With their speed, they arrived quickly.
From afar, they could see Makoto and Kokomi standing opposite the Millelith, occasionally glancing in their direction.
The Millelith hadn't taken any aggressive action, probably because Makoto looked exactly like Ei.
When Makoto spotted Ryen and Yae Miko, her face lit up, and she waved enthusiastically.
"Ryen! Miko! Over here, hurry!"
Ryen smiled and teased Yae Miko beside him.
"Looks like after Inazuma stabilized, Makoto became much livelier."
Yae Miko didn't deny it.
Seeing Ryen and Yae Miko arrive, the Millelith stopped blocking Makoto and Kokomi, dispersing back to their posts.
Looking at Makoto, who seemed no different from before, Ryen asked curiously,
"Why were you stopped by the Millelith? You've been here before."
Kokomi glanced at Makoto apologetically and spoke softly,
"They were actually stopping me…"
"I haven't signed a contract with Liyue, nor do I have any official authorization. After I was stopped, Lady Makoto had no choice but to stay with me."
Makoto shook her head gently and said,
"It's my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming for a surprise inspection without any preparations, you wouldn't have been stopped."
Ryen raised an eyebrow.
"Surprise inspection?"
Makoto nodded lightly, smiling.
"Yes. During this time, Ei has written to me often. In her letters, she talked about the progress of Inazuma's new forces in your world."
"She said that bases, resources, construction, everything has entered a stable phase."
"But I was still a bit worried. Ei has always been the type to report good news but hide the bad."
"I was afraid she might be deliberately sending me vague or overly optimistic reports just to put my mind at ease."
"Or that she might be forcing the troops to work day and night to accelerate Inazuma's progress…"
Ryen looked at her with a hint of amusement and said lightly,
" Seems like Ei's past actions in Inazuma really left you uneasy."
"If Ei knew this, she'd be pretty hurt."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yae Miko nodded emphatically.
"Exactly! Forget Ei, even I'd be hurt. I came here together with her, you know. If you don't trust Ei, doesn't that mean you don't trust me either?"
Makoto fell silent for a moment, then gave Yae Miko a long, meaningful look.
"Given your usual behavior… it's hard for me to trust you too."
"…Tch!"
Yae Miko huffed unhappily, clinging to Ryen's arm and turning her head away in a pout.
Makoto covered her mouth and chuckled. After a moment, she spoke gently,
"Actually, it's also because Inazuma has mostly stabilized. There isn't much left for Kokomi and me to handle."
"As for what Ei wrote, I wasn't truly doubting it. After all, the first batch of resources has already been delivered to Ritou."
Ryen suddenly understood and teased,
"So basically, you were bored staying in Inazuma and wanted to come see your sister."
Makoto's face flushed slightly, but she didn't deny it.
After a brief silence, she said softly,
"Inazuma is now largely settled internally. The Tri-Commission has been reinstated, the political overhaul cleaned things up significantly, and affairs are no longer so cumbersome."
"The entire nation feels revitalized. Kamisato Ayato can handle internal matters, and Gorou can lead the army."
"So Kokomi and I discussed it and decided to come take a look ourselves."
"Ei emphasized multiple times in her letters that we're short on manpower."
"But how many people we actually need to mobilize, I want to confirm that personally."
"In short… I'll probably be staying here for quite a long time. Ryen, you wouldn't not welcome me, would you?"
As she spoke, Makoto blinked at Ryen playfully. He smiled and replied,
"Suit yourself. Ei's new house is already built anyway. You can live with her, she'll probably be very happy."
Makoto thought for a moment, then asked curiously,
"Wasn't it possible to replicate a building? Why didn't you build a Tenshukaku?"
"Do you really think Ei, that battle-only specialist, would build something like that?"
Yae Miko chuckled as she teased. Makoto nodded in full agreement.
"Let's go take a look first."
They passed through the portal and arrived back in the MC world.
Makoto was relatively calm. After all, she had been here before, only that she had been gone for a long time and was now struggling to understand how much the place had changed.
As for Kokomi, she was completely stunned.
No matter how vividly she had imagined this world's strangeness, seeing it in person left her speechless.
A blocky, square world, yet the scenery was exceptionally beautiful.
Behind them stood a tall, magnificent villa. Not far ahead, a small stream flowed gently.
Looking up, it seemed as if something had taken root in the air.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a floating island.
That much, Kokomi could barely wrap her head around, but…
Why was there such a huge fenced area near the villa, housing hundreds of giant dragons?!
So this was how Liyue's Dragon Rider Corps was raised?
Involuntarily, Kokomi recalled the awe-inspiring sight of those dragon riders soaring toward Watatsumi Island.
Truly an invincible army.
"This is Mr. Ryen's miraculous world? And my power…"
Kokomi had countless questions she wanted to ask Makoto, but Makoto only smiled and shook her head.
"I know you're confused right now. I'll explain everything to you tonight."
"For now, let's go see how Ei's side is progressing."
Makoto then turned to Ryen. He shrugged lightly and said,
"Let's go, direct teleport. Inazuma's base was just completed. Right now, Kujou Sara and Ayaka are probably still figuring out survival tech."
As his words fell, Ryen snapped his fingers, and everyone was instantly teleported to Inazuma's newly constructed base.
The base was built at the foot of a mountain near the sea.
One side leaned against the mountains, the other faced the ocean, resources were plentiful.
In the future, if they headed toward the new continent discovered by Beidou, this place could even serve as a port outpost.
The scenery itself was quite beautiful.
The surroundings had already been enclosed with cobblestone walls, and some personnel stood guard with basic firearms.
These were generously sponsored by Liyue, Inazuma currently didn't have the capacity to manufacture such weapons in large numbers.
In Ryen's world, due to the many mods involved, the danger level was still quite high.
Without firearms, casualties could easily occur.
So not only Inazuma, but even Snezhnaya had to borrow firearms from Liyue until they gained the ability to produce them independently.
The base was bustling with activity.
Many soldiers moved in an orderly fashion between nearby mines, transporting all kinds of resources.
Others were busy constructing and improving housing.
Overall, Makoto was very satisfied.
The smiles on the soldiers' faces were genuine, they truly enjoyed this kind of life.
Which meant…
Ei hadn't forced them to work day and night just to rush progress.
The base was fairly large, but since many buildings were still unfinished, it had a raw, early-development feel.
Yet because of that, Makoto immediately spotted Ei, Kujou Sara, and the others in the distance, directing soldiers as they placed blocks.
Makoto exchanged a glance with Ryen and walked over slowly.
The soldiers who passed by widened their eyes in disbelief.
"G-General…? The General is here!"
Having been exposed to such secrets, these soldiers naturally knew the truth, that Inazuma had two Electro Archons.
Makoto smiled and nodded gently.
"You've all worked hard. Inazuma's future will depend on your continued efforts."
This gentleness, so different from Ei, instantly energized the soldiers as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.
"For Inazuma! For the Shogun!"
"We'll keep working hard and make Inazuma even stronger!"
This heartfelt admiration differed from the awe they felt toward Ei's sheer martial power.
Makoto won them over with pure personal charisma.
Their cheers also caught Ei and the others' attention. Turning around and seeing Makoto, Ei was instantly overjoyed.
She put down her construction work and hurried over.
"Makoto! You're here."
~~----------------------
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