Feeling Makoto's gaze on her, Ei lowered her head slightly and said in a quiet voice:
"Inazuma has only just settled into this world. The base is still in a state of disarray, and many things haven't been properly organized yet. The soldiers' understanding of Ryen's world is also still insufficient."
"If they participate in Bed Wars now, it wouldn't yield much benefit. Besides, Inazuma still needs to keep exporting resources."
Makoto's expression grew complicated. After a moment of silence, she sighed softly and gently rubbed Ei's head.
"You've really worked hard, Ei…"
Feeling Makoto's warmth, all of Ei's exhaustion from this period suddenly felt worthwhile.
Even if she were asked to work nonstop for another month, Ei felt she would still be full of motivation.
This kind of life, where Makoto managed Inazuma so Ei didn't have to worry, felt incredibly reassuring.
Makoto cared for her just as gently as she had five hundred years ago, letting Ei once again feel the comfort of an elder sister's concern.
And on top of that, Ei could work hard in this world and genuinely help Makoto.
This was the kind of life Ei had always dreamed of.
She pressed her lips together and said softly,
"As long as I can help you, Makoto… this is what I should be doing."
Makoto smiled warmly, then reminded her,
"Your current progress is indeed important for Inazuma, but this world has many dangers."
"Working without rest will only increase everyone's stress. Proper adjustment is still necessary, these games can be played in moderation."
"But what you said does make sense…"
Makoto pinched her chin and pondered for a moment.
"Inazuma's base still lacks many essential facilities, and everyone hasn't been here very long. Participating in a competition right now may not be appropriate."
Venti immediately perked up, brimming with excitement.
"So! You approve of my four-nation Bed Wars tournament?"
Makoto smiled and nodded.
"It's both entertaining and challenging. Why would I refuse?"
"That's amazing!"
Venti clapped his hands excitedly.
"Since you've agreed, the start date doesn't really matter anymore!"
Keqing's eyes lit up slightly, and she said softly,
"Then… how about we hold it during the Lantern Rite?"
"The Lantern Rite?"
Ryen froze for a moment, surprised.
"Is the Lantern Rite already that close?"
Keqing glanced at him helplessly.
"You're either glued to Ningguang all day or squatting in this world, you don't even go check on Liyue Harbor."
"The Lantern Rite is next month! Liyue Harbor has already started preparing."
Her expression then turned serious.
"This year's Lantern Rite is the most special one in Liyue's history."
"The first Lantern Rite since the beginning of human governance."
"This year, we've made far too many important breakthroughs."
"We relied on ourselves to crush gods, our economy is flourishing, Liyue grows wealthier by the day, and the people are no longer plagued by poverty."
"The four-nation alliance has been established, and our strength has surged."
"Alchemy potions, enchanted weapons, the six major legions…"
"All of these are achievements worth recording in history."
"And also…"
Keqing looked toward the others standing beside Zhongli.
During this period, Zhongli had revived several more adepti.
Menogias. Bosacius…
Aside from Bosacius, the Five Yakshas had now reunited.
This was also why Xiao had been unconsciously smiling more and more these days.
It could be said that nearly half of the fallen adepti had returned.
Keqing didn't continue, but Zhongli understood her meaning.
He smiled lightly, filled with emotion.
"The Lantern Rite was originally a festival to commemorate those who fell for Liyue."
"Now, many old friends who once departed have returned."
"This year's Lantern Rite truly deserves a grand celebration."
He then glanced around the room and nodded.
"The Lantern Rite's main venue is Liyue, in Teyvat. I will not interfere with the detailed planning, Liyue now belongs to you."
"However, the Millelith stationed in Ryen's world cannot all return to Liyue Harbor, even during the Lantern Rite."
"That would be rather cruel."
"Why not also hold a Lantern Rite celebration in this world?"
"And on that very day, host the four-nation Bed Wars tournament. What do you think?"
Venti's face immediately lit up with joy as he happily patted Zhongli on the shoulder.
"Old man, it's rare to see you still handling serious matters after retirement!"
"I'm in, but since we have so much preparation time, we can't just play Bed Wars once."
"Parkour, exploration, building contests, everything should be included!"
Zhongli did not object and nodded calmly.
"There is still plenty of time. We can design things gradually."
"I trust Ryen will also help, won't he?"
Ryen, who had been lying around doing nothing, froze.
After a moment, he came back to his senses and complained,
"Why drag me into this out of nowhere?"
Zhongli pursed his lips slightly.
"By general principles, "
"First, this is your world. Our plans require your approval."
"Second, no one understands these things better than you."
"Third… whichever side you join will have a much higher chance of winning."
Ryen raised an eyebrow and laughed.
"I didn't expect someone as dignified as Zhongli to flatter people too! Fine, since you're being so reasonable, I'm in!"
"Once we clear Twilight Forest, we'll start designing everything."
"I still have plenty of games I haven't brought out yet, The Walls, Survival Games, Faction, Mob Maze, Capture the Flag."
"I guarantee there'll be plenty of variety, enough to keep you all entertained!"
In the past, Ryen would never have even considered such things.
But now, things were different.
Most of the MC world's planning had already been implemented.
The four nations had sent over more than ten thousand people.
As Ryen had said, if the MC world was to develop into a world that nurtured civilization, entertainment was indispensable.
These activities would serve as perfect embellishments for the MC world.
And once the major cities were fully built, these games could naturally become classic, long-term forms of entertainment.
The world would undoubtedly flourish, vibrant and full of life.
As Venti listened to Ryen listing off all those entertainment games, his entire demeanor grew increasingly animated.
"I knew it! You must have been hiding a ton of good ideas!"
"Hurry up and help build them already! Bed Wars is fun, sure, but if you play it nonstop, you'll get bored eventually!"
Ryen rolled his eyes and complained,
"You play four or five rounds of Bed Wars every single day, and I've never seen you get tired of it."
"Ehe~!"
Venti spread his hands and grinned.
"It's only been around for a short time, how could I possibly be bored already?"
Ryen didn't bother responding further.
Thus, the plan for the Lantern Rite mega game event was tentatively finalized.
To be honest, although Ryen had technically experienced a Lantern Rite since coming to this world, that one hardly counted.
At the time, he had been squatting in the Chasm the entire time, during the day, Ganyu and Keqing would squeeze time out of their schedules to bring him some food, and at night, he'd be back in the MC world chopping trees.
Strictly speaking, this upcoming Lantern Rite would be the first one Ryen truly participated in.
Experiencing Liyue's customs properly sounded rather enjoyable.
He casually rolled over, lying sideways on Lisa's legs, then nudged Guizhong with his foot and said lazily,
"Good partner, my legs are sore, help massage them."
"Go die!"
Guizhong puffed up angrily and shot Ryen a glare. Ryen raised an eyebrow and sighed theatrically.
"Not willing? Then forget it. I was just thinking I came up with a really gorgeous new skill combo. Since you're not interested…"
Before he could finish, Guizhong immediately raised her little fist and, clearly unwilling, started pounding his leg.
Ryen secretly laughed to himself, but his gaze shifted toward Lumine as he spoke more seriously.
"Let's talk business. Lumine, you're planning to head to Sumeru?"
Lumine propped her cheek up with one hand, looking a little depressed, and nodded.
"I was planning to go. After all, I promised Dehya and Nilou, they've been waiting for me."
"But then you suddenly say you're going to clear the Twilight Forest and open a new mod, and then you talk about designing more games and preparing for the Lantern Rite."
"If I leave now, it feels like I'll miss out on a lot of interesting stuff again!"
Paimon blinked and looked at Lumine expectantly.
"Then maybe we, "
"No!"
Lumine shot Paimon a glare.
"If you promise something, you have to keep it! Dehya and Nilou are still waiting for us!"
"And besides, traveling to Sumeru was part of our plan from the beginning!"
Paimon puffed out her cheeks resentfully and fell silent.
Ryen smiled and shook his head, speaking gently.
"My suggestion is that you go. They've been waiting for you for a long time."
"There's nothing you really need to do for the Twilight Forest anyway, you already have plenty of staves."
"And Nahida is still eagerly waiting for you to help sort out Sumeru's situation. Can you really bear to see her looking at you so pitifully?"
"Besides, even if we already know how to clear the Twilight Forest, it'll still take over a week just to travel."
"As for the Lantern Rite, that's still more than a month away. There's no rush, you'll definitely make it back in time."
Lumine pouted and muttered,
"Then what about the new mod? If I miss its launch, I'll have to spend ages catching up again."
Ryen waved his hand dismissively.
"A new mod doesn't become fully usable the moment it opens anyway. Everyone has to start from scratch and spend time researching."
"Besides, Sumeru isn't like Inazuma, you can teleport back using waypoints."
"You can come back every night to take a look. It won't really interfere with anything."
Lumine rolled her eyes.
"Easy for you to say. Once things get busy, who has time to come back and check in?"
"Back in Inazuma, you said the same thing, yet you all still dove straight into clearing the Twilight Forest!"
Ryen found it amusing and looked at her teasingly.
"So… you're saying you don't want to go after all?"
"Of course I'm going!"
Lumine pouted and complained,
"I promised Dehya and Nilou, how could I not go?"
"Seriously… I'm about to go on a long journey, can't you at least let me complain a little?"
Ryen shrugged lightly.
"When are you planning to leave, then?"
Lumine thought for a moment and answered softly,
"I remember the Sabzeruz Festival is at the end of the month, right? It's already mid-month now."
"I was originally planning to leave tomorrow. Riding a dragon to Sumeru shouldn't take too long."
"Counting the time needed to solve everything… about half a month should be enough, right?"
Ryen nodded slightly.
"That sounds about right."
"Then we'll see you off tomorrow, and after that, we'll head to the Twilight Forest."
"You really don't need to keep reminding me about the Twilight Forest!"
Lumine glared at Ryen angrily, then sighed with a troubled expression.
"But half a month is just my ideal estimate. I can't be sure I'll be able to resolve everything that quickly…"
~~----------------------
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