The banquet did not dwell much on other matters.
When Nahida asked Lumine to help search for traces of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's existence, Lumine agreed without hesitation.
Nilou and Dehya were somewhat shocked, but deep down they already knew that resurrection was possible.
After all, sitting not far from Ryen at the banquet was Guizhong herself, a god who had only just been revived.
If Guizhong could be brought back, there was no reason the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata could not.
Although Nilou and Dehya had never personally met the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, they had grown up hearing her name.
In the hearts of all Sumeru's people, she was the image of a perfect god.
The only question that remained after such a revival was,
If Nahida and the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata coexisted… who would be in charge?
The two of them did not dwell on it.
Nothing was set in stone yet. It was better to solve Sumeru's current problems first before worrying about such complicated matters.
Everyone enjoyed the farewell banquet.
The only thing was that Lumine repeatedly reminded Ryen that if a new mod opened, he must notify her.
No matter what she was doing at the time, she would rush back immediately.
Ryen agreed.
As the group chatted casually, the confusion in Nilou's and Dehya's hearts only grew stronger.
The topics being discussed all seemed to revolve around the dramatic changes Liyue had undergone recently.
Their curiosity was itching unbearably, yet they felt it would be inappropriate to ask directly.
For a moment, they found it difficult to sit still.
Ryen noticed their hesitation. At the same time, Nahida tugged at his sleeve, looking at him expectantly.
Ryen smiled slightly and leaned down to whisper into Nahida's ear.
"Don't worry. Once you take charge of Sumeru, I'll make sure Sumeru joins us too."
Then he raised his head and looked at Dehya and Nilou. After a moment of thought, he spoke calmly.
"I know you both have many questions."
"During your time in Liyue Harbor, you've surely seen many remarkable things and learned a great deal about Liyue's changes."
Nilou startled and hurriedly waved her hands.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ryen! We didn't mean to pry into Liyue's secrets!"
Ryen waved his hand reassuringly.
"It's fine. You are Nahida's people. In the future, you're meant to know these things anyway."
"And the rumors circulating in Liyue Harbor aren't exactly secrets that must be hidden."
He paused briefly, then continued as he met their puzzled gazes with a meaningful look.
"However, Sumeru hasn't stabilized yet, so for now, you can't join us."
"In short, once Sumeru is fully settled, you'll understand."
"With Nahida here, Sumeru will definitely join the Four-Nation Alliance."
"And when that time comes, you'll know exactly what kind of 'secret' this is."
Dehya and Nilou were still confused, but Ryen said nothing more.
He glanced at the sky, then stood up while holding Klee and Nahida.
"It's getting late. I'll take Nahida and Klee back to sleep."
As he spoke, Ryen turned and winked at Ganyu.
Ganyu's face flushed slightly, but she immediately stood up in tacit understanding.
Each of them carried a little girl as they headed downstairs.
Yesterday had been Hu Tao's turn. Ganyu hadn't even managed to steal a kiss from Ryen.
For someone deeply in love, that had been torture.
Although they had spent some time together that afternoon, it had been rushed, and Ningguang had been present.
Ganyu refused to count it.
Tonight, no matter what, she would make up for it.
Ryen would be paying his dues properly.
"It looks like tonight belongs to Sister Ganyu."
Yae Miko teased with a wink, then sighed dramatically.
"Such a pity. I'm clearly a beauty too, but someone only ever likes playing with my tail. How utterly unromantic."
Makoto rubbed her forehead helplessly and casually stuffed a piece of fried tofu into Yae Miko's mouth.
"Eat this. I made it specially before coming."
Yae Miko pouted and took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"It's the same taste as before. As expected… you really do dote on me."
With homemade fried tofu involved, Yae Miko's attention was instantly diverted.
After exchanging a few words with Ningguang and the others, Ryen and Ganyu left.
The two hurriedly sent Klee and Nahida back to sleep, clearly eager for what came next.
Neither of them noticed a tiny, almost imperceptible grain of dust slipping into the courtyard along with Ryen's footsteps.
Guizhong, sitting leisurely atop the Jade Chamber, let a mischievous glint flash through her eyes.
Realizing that Ryen hadn't noticed her little trick, she grew even more excited.
"That infuriating man! He actually made me massage his legs in front of so many people this afternoon!"
"If I don't scare the life out of you tonight, I'll give up my title as the invincible youthful maiden!"
"Thinking of doing naughty things with little Ganyu? Not in this lifetime!"
Ningguang and the others chatted a while longer.
Once the lights of Liyue Harbor finally dimmed completely, everyone gradually dispersed.
Guizhong skipped ahead cheerfully, while Cloud Retainer and Pingzi lagged a few steps behind, discussing plans for rebuilding the ancient Guili Assembly in the MC world.
After reconstructing Mt. Aocang, Cloud Retainer had found herself with too much free time.
Now that Guizhong had been revived, she and Pingzi immediately hit it off.
In Teyvat, the original Guili Assembly was long gone.
It had become Guili Plains and was already fully cultivated by Keqing into a massive agricultural and livestock region.
Keqing even planned to build a new city there in the future.
That place was no longer an option.
So instead, they decided to recreate Guili Assembly in the MC world, as something to remember Guizhong by.
A gift to celebrate her revival.
They had already planned a great deal, and if nothing went wrong, construction would begin in about half a month.
However, too much time had passed, and many details were hard to recall.
For instance, the original layout of Guili Assembly's residential areas.
After several thousand years, who could possibly remember that clearly?
Rubbing her temples, Pingzi looked at Guizhong hopping ahead and sighed helplessly.
"We're making this as a memorial gift for you. At least give us some input."
Guizhong paused, then turned around with a grin, hands clasped behind her back.
"Don't take it so seriously! It's been so long, who remembers the details anyway?"
"For us, it's been thousands of years. For you, it was just a blink of an eye, wasn't it?"
Cloud Retainer rolled her eyes.
"Give us something already! We need your memories for the details, or we'll just slap it together carelessly!"
Guizhong was just about to say something when her eyes suddenly flickered.
In the next instant, she turned into a swirl of sand and vanished.
"This kind of thing can wait until tomorrow. I've got something much more important to take care of right now, gotta run! Don't forget to leave the door open for me!"
"Wait, !"
Cloud Retainer reached out to stop her, but in the blink of an eye, Guizhong's presence had completely disappeared.
Cloud Retainer could not help but sigh helplessly.
"That Guizhong… she's already grown up, yet she's still bouncing around like a child."
Pingzi smiled and shook her head.
"Is this your first day knowing Guizhong?"
"…Fair point."
Cloud Retainer adjusted her glasses lightly and spoke in a calm tone.
"Let's put the Guili Assembly matter aside for now. Once we finish clearing the Twilight Forest, we'll grab Guizhong and make her draw up a rough blueprint."
"By the way… where did she rush off to in such a hurry?"
Pingzi's smile became a little meaningful.
"Perhaps… to find Ryen?"
"Find Ryen?!"
Cloud Retainer was startled, worry flashing across her face.
"Ryen is a good person, sure, but… Guizhong wouldn't actually be interested in him, would she?"
"Besides, Ryen should be busy with little Ganyu right now. If Guizhong goes to stir up trouble, won't Ryen just roll her into a ball and toss her into the Dark Sea?"
Pingzi shook her head and said nothing.
Cloud Retainer looked helpless.
"You're not worried at all? Guizhong cares about Ryen that much, what if, "
"Guizhong's affairs are Guizhong's to handle."
Pingzi turned around, smiling lightly.
"We're not her parents."
"Besides," she added with a teasing pause,
"I think Ryen doesn't feel that way about Guizhong at all. Just like he said…"
Pingzi chuckled.
"They're comrades."
"What?! You actually believe that nonsense?"
Cloud Retainer curled her lips, but didn't bother arguing. She turned and headed toward her own room.
"Forget it. It's none of my business what she does. I still need to prepare things for Lumine's trip to Sumeru."
"Who knows how long she'll be gone this time, and the enemies she'll face are so strong… If she gets hurt, that would be terrible…"
Cloud Retainer muttered to herself as she walked away, making Pingzi's mouth twitch slightly.
Watching Cloud Retainer disappear into her room, Pingzi sighed.
These two close friends of hers…
One was unreliable, playing dangerously close with Ryen, with a relationship so blurry it was impossible to define.
The other had directly set her sights on Lumine.
Sure, Liyue didn't have any laws saying girls couldn't,
But it still felt strange.
Pingzi couldn't help but wonder if she should keep some distance from Cloud Retainer.
After all, she herself was the Streetward Rambler, and after regaining her youth, she was also a first-rate, invincible youthful beauty!
Feeling rather proud of herself, Pingzi returned to her room.
At the foot of Mt. Tianheng.
After finally coaxing Nahida and Klee to sleep, Ryen and Ganyu hurried back to their room.
The moment he entered, Ryen pulled Ganyu into his arms, burying his face against her neck and taking a deep breath.
"That familiar Qingxin scent… My Ganyu smells wonderful every day."
Ganyu sighed helplessly.
"That's an exaggeration, Ryen…"
"Would I ever lie to you about something like this?"
Ryen smiled softly.
"Every day you help me put the kids to sleep, then rest with me… It always makes me feel like we're already a family of four."
Ganyu's eyes flickered. She lowered her voice.
"If possible… I want to give Ryen a child…"
Hearing that, Ryen didn't hesitate at all.
When it came to Ganyu, he knew he would never grow tired of her.
He sealed her lips with his own, and the two slowly moved toward the bed.
Before long, the once-quiet room grew heated.
The shoes Ryen had kicked to the doorway earlier lay there,
and beneath them, a scattering of fine sand had quietly appeared.
Ryen paused, then rolled his eyes and turned toward the door.
Ganyu was slightly dazed, caught up in the moment. When she noticed Ryen stopping, she clung to him in mild protest.
"What's wrong, Ryen?"
Ryen patted her gently.
"A troublemaker has arrived. Wait a moment, I'll go deal with her."
Ganyu's eyes cleared slightly. Blushing, she pulled a blanket over herself and nodded.
Seeing Ryen about to head out like that, she sighed helplessly.
"Put some clothes on, Ryen!"
Ryen waved his hand.
"It's fine. I'll be back quickly."
With that, Ryen pushed the door open and walked out.