Because he now had a 1:1 Zhongli replica Geo elemental shield,
Jack's Wither hunting was incredibly efficient.
Every time a Wither just came out of its invincibility phase and its health bar officially appeared,
Jack would activate his Jade Shield, charge forward, and relentlessly smash with his Netherite Greatsword.
He managed to wield a double-edged greatsword like a spiked club, and not a single Wither survived more than two minutes.
After about ten minutes.
Including the time spent collecting materials, Jack had killed a total of 7 Withers.
He obtained 7 Nether Stars, 7 Wither Eyes, 14 Evil Essences, and a number of enchanted books.
It's worth mentioning that the quality of the enchanted books that dropped this time was quite good.
An Alchemy Grace IV appeared.
Enchanted Book: Alchemy Grace IV
Attacking hostile targets or mining blocks will grant you potion effects.
Simply put, after enchanting a weapon with Alchemy Grace, you can randomly gain various buffs like speed, strength, and resistance during combat. If a player's attack speed is fast enough, it's equivalent to having all potion effects permanently active without needing to drink potions.
It's a very convenient enchantment.
After collecting the good items, Jack picked out some useless enchantments, preparing to put them into the recycling bin at home to sell.
He then had only 1 Nether Star left, giving the other 6 to Lisa.
"Here, Miss Witch, what you wanted."
Lisa took the Nether Star, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, my dear. Now I'm one step closer to the Archmage's Book."
"That's all your hard work. It's only been a few weeks, and you're already close to discovering Level 3 magic runes. If it were me, I might not figure it out in half a year."
Lisa was very pleased with Jack's compliment, and she leaned in, showering him with affection: "Everyone has their specialty, dear. It's normal not to be good at dry magic theory."
Because Ningguang was still watching with a scrutinizing gaze from the side.
So the two of them didn't stick together for too long; they just had a quick, playful exchange and then returned to normal.
"Come, hold me tight. I'll take you up."
Beneath the window leading to the sky, Jack held his two beautiful companions and soared into the clouds.
...
As soon as they got home,
Lisa abandoned her husband, whom she had just been reluctant to leave, and went back to her laboratory to tinker with her Archmage's Book and create Level 3 runes from mythical clay.
Although Jack was also very curious about what Lisa would create,
for now, it was best not to disturb her, so as not to limit the Miss Witch's ideas.
"What are you planning to do next? Go back to Liyue?"
"I do plan to go back for a visit. The Fatui invited me to a dinner, and I want to see what they're up to. Besides, MC monsters are getting a bit out of control in Liyue, and it's not right for Xiao to be working 007 every day. I need to go help that silly boy."
Jack had basically figured out the system's quirks by now.
In Teyvat's Seven Nations of the World,
if he turned a god into a subordinate, he would gain a portion of their authority. This was a one-time transaction with generous first-clear rewards.
Another part of the authority was scattered across the "lands" and required him to conquer small bosses in those areas, like he did in Dragonspine Mountain, to reclaim it. This was the system's "daily" quest for him.
The purpose of daily quests was to allow Jack to gradually seize authority when he couldn't quickly subdue gods, so that he could grow strong enough to challenge the gods and bring them under his command.
However, this step became easier because Jack exploited a favorability bug, coupled with Teyvat's unique circumstances where the Seven Archons were eager for a new leader, allowing him to gain an advantage easily.
When four of Teyvat's Seven Nations were under his control, possessing over half of the authority, he would be able to become the true Heavenly Principles without the current Heavenly Principles ever knowing.
The Heavenly Principles that Jack would become was not a Descender who merely seized the authority of the original Seven Dragon Sovereigns, possessing power but no authority.
Instead, he would be the common master of Nibelungen and the World Tree, the true master of Teyvat.
Back to the present.
Ningguang's delicate brows furrowed slightly after hearing Jack's words.
"The Fatui… indeed, many documents about them have been on my desk recently. I neglected them because of the Entara matter. My dear husband, why don't you come with me to Qunyu Pavilion? We can also assess the strength of my intelligence team while we're there, how does that sound?"
"That would be excellent, my dear wife. You are thoughtful."
Ningguang's cheeks flushed for a moment.
It was fine when she called him "my dear husband" herself.
But once Jack called her "my dear wife," she felt a little cat scratching at her heart, making even her, the Tianquan who was so skilled at maintaining composure, feel uneasy.
"My dear wife, why are you still standing there? Aren't we going to Liyue?"
Jack walked a short distance and noticed Ningguang still pressing her hand to her chest like Xizi in pain, so he called out to her.
Ningguang looked up at him.
That trace of shy and coquettish charm was certainly no less captivating than any enchantress in the courts of ancient emperors.
...
Liyue.
Northland Bank.
Inside a luxurious office,
Teyvat's notorious Fatui Harbingers were gathered.
Aside from the Eleventh Harbinger, Tartaglia,
there were three other Harbingers present.
The Second Harbinger, Dottore, was represented by a bio-mechanical mouth with an external speaker.
The Fourth Harbinger, Arlecchino, had come directly from Fontaine in person.
The Seventh Harbinger, Sandrone, was connected remotely through Katheryne.
"Hey, hey! I've already arranged to meet the Traveler. Just ask what you need to ask directly; there's no need for unnecessary probing, right?"
Tartaglia spoke first, appearing very straightforward.
Dottore's external speaker said, "That Traveler has changed greatly since their return. The current world changes also seem inseparable from them. For our plans, we need to ensure this person has no inclination to cooperate with the Abyss."
Arlecchino looked at Dottore in surprise: "It's rare for you to mention Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's plan. But are you truly thinking about the Traveler, or are you… secretly plotting something?"
Dottore's tone rose: "Heh heh, you're not the only one with private agendas, Arlecchino, the Fool who attempts to defy prophecy."
"Hmph! I'm merely getting what I need. Unlike a scientist like you, who has lost all humanity, making you understand what conviction means is probably harder than making the Abyss mend its ways!"
"I don't care what you want to do to the Traveler. If you want me to provide intelligence support, fine, but I need priority trading rights for his special creations."
Sandrone, speaking through Katheryne as a relay, spoke.
What she wanted were MC items, like building blocks. These small tools, which defied basic common sense, made her, a master of mechanisms, feel like she had discovered a New Continent, completely enthralled.
The three of them spoke one after another,
each extremely self-centered, focused on their own interests.
Dottore craved knowledge, Arlecchino wanted helpers, and Sandrone needed materials.
Only Tartaglia didn't want his dear friend to fall into danger.
The treacherous trap set by these three working together made even him a little apprehensive.
"Alright, then it's settled. I have experiments to do, so let's adjourn."
As Dottore's voice fell, the bio-mechanical construct of his external vocal organ self-destructed directly, leaving not a single trace.
After him,
Katheryne, who had "woken" up, also looked around in confusion, then bowed respectfully and exited the hall.
Only Arlecchino looked thoughtfully at Tartaglia.
"Tell me, if we, as positive characters, help the Traveler thwart Dottore and Sandrone's schemes, given his character, would he grant us a small request?"
Tartaglia's mouth widened, and he slowly formed a question mark.
So, you called these two here to plot against the Traveler, but you're actually setting them up?
-------------------------
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