Hearing what Lumine said, Ryen suddenly understood.
No wonder Paimon had looked so unhappy earlier when she was whispering with Lumine.
If they were discussing a trip to Sumeru, then that reaction made perfect sense.
That little companion absolutely did not want to leave Ryen's side right now.
That said, Ryen actually supported Lumine setting off sooner rather than later. The earlier Lumine departed, the faster Sumeru's problems would be resolved, and the sooner Nahida could truly be happy again.
Although Nahida seemed cheerful every day now, playing with Klee and pestering Ryen to join their mischief, whenever she thought about Sumeru, there was always a fleeting trace of loneliness in her eyes.
As a full-fledged doting guardian, Ryen naturally couldn't allow Nahida to remain like that.
As for why he wasn't going himself…
Ryen was worried he wouldn't be able to control himself and would just smash Sumeru flat with a single punch.
Just as he was about to say a few words to Lumine about her upcoming journey, a sudden burst of noise erupted outside the door.
No one had entered yet, but Venti's loud voice, and Tartaglia's along with it, could already be heard.
"Tartaglia is a despicable villain! While I was leading people in an attack with Diluc, he secretly placed blocks and destroyed my bed! Shameless!"
"Huh? Give me a break! That's how Bed Wars is supposed to be played! This was straight out of Mr. Ryen's strategy guide!"
"Ryen is exactly the kind of guy who specializes in underhanded tricks! He's shameless too!"
"If you're bad at the game, then you're bad at the game. Getting angry like this just proves you're panicking."
"Master Diluc is absolutely right. Since it's called Bed Wars, tactics are naturally part of it!"
"You were the one who dragged everyone out for a full assault and left no one to defend your base. Not stealing your bed would've been a crime against common sense!"
"Despicable scoundrel! Devious villain!"
The door was flung open, and Venti stormed inside in a huff.
But the moment he saw everyone calmly seated on the sofas, he froze.
When he noticed Ryen smiling warmly at him, a sense of unprecedented dread washed over him.
After a moment of silence, Venti forced a dry laugh.
"Ehe… um, everyone's here, huh? Ryen, you're here too…"
"This is my house. If I'm not here, where else would I be?"
Ryen replied flatly.
Meanwhile, Ganyu, Lisa, and the others glared at Venti with clear displeasure.
They had heard every word earlier, Venti calling Ryen a "despicable villain" behind his back.
As Ryen's women, they were very good at holding grudges.
Tartaglia and Diluc followed Venti inside shortly afterward.
After taking in the atmosphere of the villa, Tartaglia's expression grew oddly solemn. He patted Venti on the shoulder with a trace of sympathy.
"Hang in there."
Venti let out another awkward laugh.
"If I said Tartaglia led me into saying that just now, would you believe me?"
"Really?"
Ryen looked surprised, then slowly shook his head.
"I don't."
Venti's heart skipped a beat. He slowly backed away, stiffly smiling.
"Ryen, come on, we're comrades who've been through life and death together. You wouldn't take a few drunk words seriously, right?"
"No, I would."
Ryen replied leisurely.
"After all, I am a despicable villain."
"It was just a slip of the tongue! Isn't this a bit too petty?!"
"Pettiness is a trademark of despicable villains."
"You're way too narrow-minded!"
"Narrow-mindedness is also a trait of despicable villains."
"..."
After a long bout of bickering, Ryen finally agreed, along with Ganyu and the others, to play Bed Wars together next time, and the matter was settled.
Venti, however, looked troubled.
Next time, he'd probably be targeted by Ryen and Ganyu together.
Still, his mood shifted quickly.
He turned to Makoto with a bright grin.
"Looks like Inazuma's situation has been resolved. Now the four nations are finally gathered properly."
"Say, Makoto, want to join us for a round of Bed Wars? We'll wager national honor on it!"
Venti raised a hand solemnly.
"This will be a four-nation battle of honor!"
Jean rubbed her temples with a sigh.
"Why are you always so enthusiastic about these kinds of recreational activities?"
"If you put even half that energy into base construction and mining, our progress would be much faster."
Venti chuckled and shrugged.
"Work-life balance! What do you think, Makoto? Want to join? I've wanted to organize a four-nation Bed Wars match for ages."
Makoto still looked a little confused. After a moment of silence, she asked curiously:
"Bed Wars… is that a new mod in this world?"
"It's not a mod."
Ryen shook his head gently.
"I noticed everyone's progress has been pretty fast lately. Staying immersed in work nonstop can build up pressure."
"So I built several recreational areas near the Mondstadt base."
"Bed Wars is currently the most popular game in this world."
He then glanced at Venti and continued calmly:
"Bed Wars is a multi-faction competitive game. The battlefield is set in the sky."
"Most maps are built using wool. Participants are not allowed to bring offensive weapons or wear any armor."
"Each faction has a main island and a secondary island. The secondary island provides resources."
"The main island holds the bed, the key to victory."
"Whichever team loses their bed first, or has all members knocked off the floating islands, is considered defeated."
Makoto rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
"It sounds like a competition that heavily emphasizes teamwork."
At that moment, Zhongli's voice came from outside.
The last of the group had returned.
"Indeed, as you surmise, Bed Wars is not merely entertainment."
"It is also a test of individual skill, teamwork, and strategic foresight."
"At the start of the match, some must guard against enemy raids, while others gather resources from secondary islands to construct equipment and weapons."
"You also need people to build traps and protective blocks around the bed."
"This is a battle of both wits and courage, so, "
Zhongli calmly sat down on the sofa and glanced at Venti.
"Abandoning all defense and charging forward with everyone the moment the battle begins, like Venti does… that style is called reckless."
Venti crossed his arms unhappily.
"Even if it's reckless charging, I still beat you a few times, didn't I?"
Zhongli nodded slightly.
"That is true. We fought more than ten matches in total, and you won twice."
"This is a war that tests comprehensive capability. Clearly, you lack the overall strategic vision required to command a war."
Venti snorted and muttered under his breath,
"Who plays a game like you do, turning it into a full-blown Archon War reenactment?"
When Venti had played against Zhongli before, Zhongli had adopted an extremely cautious strategy.
He arranged the adepti and the Millelith with meticulous precision, even recreating battle formations from the ancient Archon War.
There was no way Venti could beat him head-on.
Those two victories had only come from secretly dismantling the wool on Zhongli's main island, building bridges in midair, and sneaking in to destroy the bed.
That was also why Zhongli had been quietly holding a grudge ever since.
It wasn't that Zhongli thought Venti had done anything wrong.
After all, if it's called a war, then any means necessary are valid.
But the fact that Venti won by a sneak attack made Zhongli question his own ability to command large-scale battles.
As a result, Zhongli had dragged the adepti into late-night meetings for three consecutive nights to review the reasons behind those defeats.
Taking games that seriously was, admittedly, very much in character for him.
By now, Makoto had more or less grasped what Bed Wars was about.
As Ryen and the others had said, it wasn't just a form of stress relief or entertainment.
It was also a test of one's understanding of this world, and of a leader's ability to plan and coordinate strategy.
After some thought, Makoto voiced her concern.
"But isn't this kind of game dangerous? If someone gets knocked off a floating island, they'd die from the fall. And with people attacking each other, injuries, or even deaths, could happen, couldn't they?"
Ryen smiled and waved his hand dismissively.
"That's why everyone participating in Bed Wars must carry a Totem of Undying."
"The moment the totem triggers, it counts as death, and that person is no longer allowed to continue fighting."
"And the floating islands are built over the ocean. Even if someone falls, they won't die."
Makoto's eyes widened slightly.
"Totems of Undying… you have so many that you can afford to use them like this?"
Ningguang smiled and nodded.
"A short while ago, Mondstadt discovered a Pillager Outpost and built a Totem of Undying farm."
"Combined with drops from Lucky Blocks…"
"We've accumulated several thousand Totems of Undying so far. Each day, the two farms alone produce several hundred."
"That's more than enough."
"Considering that Bed Wars not only trains soldiers' combat awareness but also lets them practically apply their understanding of Ryen's world…"
"We believe consuming some Totems is acceptable."
"Even so, the soldiers are quite restrained. Bed Wars and other activities like parkour have been running for nearly a week now…"
"And the total number of Totems used so far is only fifty-six."
"After weighing the pros and cons, we concluded that games like Bed Wars are more beneficial than harmful, so we've kept them, and we even plan to build more maps in the future."
Hearing this, Makoto let out a quiet sigh of amazement.
"So things have already developed this far… That really exceeds my expectations."
"That's the charm of Ryen's world!"
Venti grinned and spread his hands.
"So, what do you say? A four-nation tournament!"
"Jean leads Mondstadt, the old man leads Liyue, Tsaritsa leads Snezhnaya, and you lead Inazuma."
"Let's do a four-hundred-player Bed Wars match, an unprecedented epic showdown!"
Before Makoto could answer, Ryen couldn't help but interject,
"Why is Jean leading Mondstadt? What about you?"
Venti replied with absolute sincerity,
"If I led the team, it'd just be reckless charging! Since it's a four-nation war, we obviously need someone who actually understands warfare!"
"…So you are self-aware, huh."
The others shook their heads helplessly.
Makoto smiled softly.
"As for me, I'm still not familiar with the characteristics of Ryen's world. Letting me lead wouldn't be appropriate."
"But I do think this competition is necessary."
"It can relieve the soldiers' work-related stress, and it can also test how well they understand this world."
"How about letting Ei lead instead?"
Venti rolled his eyes.
"Ei's completely clueless about this kind of thing! She's never led a Bed Wars match even once!"
Makoto froze and turned to look at Ei in confusion.
"Ei?"
~~----------------------
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