"Actually, the four elemental dragons might be the most important for all of you."
Ryen shook his head slightly and looked at Ganyu, speaking gently:
"For example, Ganyu—if she has a bow enchanted with flaming arrows, she can trigger a melt reaction by herself."
"Ganyu can also hatch a water dragon. The breath of a water dragon carries Hydro, which, when combined with her Cryo abilities, allows for constant freeze reactions."
"Moreover, while the hatched dragons may be significantly weaker than the Ender Dragon, they're still a formidable combat force in Teyvat."
"Add to that the fact that your dragons can communicate with you telepathically and move at your command, it's easy to gain aerial superiority."
"So, owning a dragon doesn't just mean gaining a powerful and loyal ally."
"It also gives you the ability for high-altitude strikes and superior aerial maneuverability. Combined with elemental reactions..."
Ryen clicked his tongue, once again feeling envious of everyone's Vision powers.
Pairing a dragon with one's own elemental powers basically meant becoming a living sonic fighter jet...
Sure, there were only four types of elemental dragons, but just look at which elements they were:
Pyro, Hydro, Dendro, Cryo...
These four elements were arguably the most important ones in Teyvat's elemental reaction system.
Thinking that way, whether or not there were Electro, Geo, or Anemo dragons wasn't such a big deal.
Ningguang and Jean clearly realized this too and began making notes in their notebooks.
Dragons like those "Aether Dragons" might sound elegant and classy on the surface.
But in terms of practicality, elemental dragons were far more valuable to them.
"Each dragon's incubation method is different, but I remember them all, so there's no issue."
"Of course, the hatched dragons still need to be tamed and trained repeatedly. We'll talk about that once we actually get our hands on some dragon eggs."
As he spoke, Ryen stretched and snapped his fingers, summoning the double-portal again.
"Let's stop here for today. Tomorrow, we head for The End..."
"To slay the Ender Dragon, right?"
Ningguang put down her pen and looked at Ryen with a smile. He shrugged.
"My original plan was to take it step by step, cautiously laying a foundation for others to settle in that area later, but now..."
Ryen chuckled and raised his hands.
"Since we've got the Dragon Rider mod already, of course we have to slay a dragon!"
"Take care of your tasks over the next few days. Unless something unexpected happens, we'll be searching for The End and slaying dragons."
"Once we each have a dragon, we'll return to Teyvat."
Instantly, everyone became excited.
They nodded eagerly in agreement and returned to Teyvat.
If no new mods appeared, Ningguang wouldn't have minded gathering everyone at the Jade Chamber for a good meal and some conversation.
But...
Right now, everyone was clearly focused on the Dragon Knight preparations.
Ningguang and the others also had to organize their affairs in advance to ensure Liyue remained stable during their extended trip.
Dragon riding...
Among everyone present, only Venti had experience with that.
Even for someone like Zhongli, riding a dragon might be an extraordinary experience.
They said goodbye to Ryen and went home—some to make preparations, others to rest and recover.
It was only 9 p.m., and Ryen had already coaxed Nahida to sleep.
Then, he went back to find Ganyu.
His time was very tight.
Though dragons were his top priority...
Ryen still wanted to explore the "Vick's Modern Warfare" mod a little.
Firstly, to familiarize himself and be better prepared to teach Ningguang and the others in the future.
Secondly...
Now that they had Vick's Modern Warfare, and had even opened up several mining caves, it was time to start achieving his personal goals early!
Energy weapons weren't on Ryen's radar just yet.
But wielding a shotgun in his left hand, a light machine gun in his right, a Desert Eagle on his hip, grenades strapped to his vest...
Now that was a man's romance, wasn't it?
"If I remember right, wasn't there a grenade launcher called... Fatty?"
Ryen mumbled to himself as he worked.
Thankfully, Ganyu had her head buried in the pillow and didn't hear a word.
"It fires tiny peace bombs, I think... Tsk..."
He shook his head. While Ryen was quite fond of the name "Fatty" for a mini peace-bomb launcher, he had no plans to use it anytime soon.
Otherwise...
Wouldn't he be destroying the world or becoming some kind of ultimate super-villain?
This wasn't that experimental island from his past life.
But for now, his priority wasn't to fulfill his action-hero dreams—it was to settle Ganyu first.
With that thought, Ryen picked up the pace again.
…
Xinyue Kiosk.
This was the third night since Jean and the others had arrived in Liyue.
Reflecting on the past three days, Jean couldn't help but feel that everything had changed so quickly, she hadn't been mentally prepared at all.
They had originally come to discuss trade with Liyue, hoping to include alchemical potions.
But unexpectedly, they ended up forming a life-and-death alliance with Liyue and joined Ryen's pioneering efforts in the other world.
At first, that world just seemed rich in resources—an excellent backup option.
In a blink, they had discovered alchemical potions, enchantments, and even outrageous things like beacons.
Before the shock of those discoveries had even faded, a new mod was activated.
Dragon Riders and modern firearms...
Although Jean and the others didn't fully understand what "modern firearms" were—they only pictured the muskets used by the Fatui...
Seeing how serious and tense Ningguang and the others looked, they could vaguely tell: these "firearms" must be incredibly powerful—and dangerous.
However, for Jean and the others, what concerned them most was still the Dragon Knight...
"Have we... really only been here for three days?"
Lumine looked at Jean in a daze and mumbled:
"Why does it feel like these three days have been more fulfilling than all my years of traveling the world..."
Lisa leaned lazily on her hand, eyes half-closed as she dozed off.
Her curse had been lifted, so technically she no longer needed to sleep to slow the pace of her life force's decay.
But...
It had already become a habit of hers.
Or rather, it could be said that Lisa simply enjoyed sleeping.
What was different now was that when Lisa's rest was disturbed, she no longer summoned Thunderbolts in a rage.
With the curse gone, her morning temper had mellowed out too.
"Seems like our little cutie never encountered such a wondrous world even throughout her long travels."
"But we really have only been here for three days."
Lisa stretched out her fair hand and gazed at it, her eyes tinged with emotion.
"Three days... to be exact, two days were enough to resolve the curse that had plagued me for decades..."
"Honestly, it's hard to wrap my head around, but isn't it a good thing for us?"
"At the very least, we managed to join this round of mod development before Liyue pushes that world into the late stages."
"For Mondstadt, this was the best decision. That contract we signed a few days ago was totally worth it."
Jean nodded in agreement.
She no longer felt the anxiety she had when the contract was signed—only anticipation for a bright future ahead.
Only by witnessing that bizarre and fantastical world firsthand could one understand what kind of brilliance it might bring.
Even if she didn't yet have great power, Jean now had the confidence to face any mighty force head-on.
"Ehehe! All thanks to my brilliant idea!"
Venti lifted his chin proudly and said smugly:
"I noticed long ago that Ryen is very capable, but he's just too... ahem, cautious and overly steady."
"Even though he's already strong, he insists on moving at a slow, step-by-step pace."
"If I hadn't suddenly jumped down to the Nether this afternoon to try opening a new mod, who knows how long it would've taken?"
At this, everyone who had nearly forgotten about Venti's reckless move earlier was reminded—and Jean's expression turned stern again.
"Venti! You were far too reckless this afternoon!"
Even though he was a god, Jean still reprimanded him seriously:
"The Nether is so dangerous, and you went in alone, dragging everyone with you to fight the Wither! We're lucky Ryen didn't take offense—what would Liyue think of us otherwise?"
Venti scratched his head and shrugged:
"How can you scold me like that! I told you—if not for my sudden inspiration, how would we have caught this mod launch window so quickly?"
"You're still trying to justify yourself! You just wanted to ride a dragon, didn't you?"
Lumine rolled her eyes and called him out without mercy.
"Ehehe!"
Venti gave an innocent shrug.
Paimon was livid.
"What's with the 'ehehe'! You little rascal!"
Diluc, standing nearby, shook his head with a helpless sigh.
"Though he was impulsive, the results turned out well."
"We may not have mastered that world's unique systems like Ningguang and the others, but at least we're now familiar with the basics, like simple crafting and synthesis."
"We do need to pick up the pace and strengthen Mondstadt as soon as possible. For instance—take the beacon. We have one now, sure, but how do we build it?"
"We don't exactly have that many materials..."
Venti nodded enthusiastically.
"See, see! Lord Diluc understands me—he's truly my soulmate!"
Diluc's face darkened.
"I don't understand you. Rushing off to the Nether may have accelerated the mod development, but it was still over the line. That world belongs to Ryen, after all."
"So... when are you paying back the wine debt you owe me?"
Almost as soon as Diluc finished speaking, Venti turned into a breeze and vanished from sight.
When it came to skipping out on a tab, he had experience.
Diluc might seem cold on the outside, but he was warm-hearted. He probably wouldn't bring it up again tomorrow.
But the bigger issue was...
Venti had drunk over ten bottles of Diluc's finest wine—worth tens of millions of Mora!
Where could he possibly get that much money?
Borrow from Zhongli?
He might end up getting handed his own mountain of unpaid debt instead.
Diluc snorted but, just as Venti had expected, didn't dwell on the matter.
Instead, he turned toward Lumine.
"Traveler, I've received word that the Fatui seem to be targeting you. Be careful over the next few days. Try not to act alone."
"If you're heading out, join up with us or someone from Liyue."
This made Jean and the others instantly serious.
Paimon, on the other hand, immediately protested.
"Those stinking Fatui dare target us? Unforgivable! I'm gonna find Ryen and have him teach them a lesson!"
As she spoke, she waved her tiny fists, muttering a string of complaints filled with righteous indignation.
Paimon was no longer the same as before—she had a powerful backer now.
"But… why would they target Lumine?"
Jean asked, confused.
~~----------------------
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