Ningguang took a seat beside Ryen, her expression filled with concern.
"What happened? Did someone offend you? If so, Liyue will handle it for you."
The others were also watching Ryen intently.
Ever since their collaboration had taken off, Liyue's development had skyrocketed.
A constant stream of Mora flowed into the Golden House.
The processing of imported materials at the harbor had created countless job opportunities, significantly improving the lives of Liyue's citizens.
Just last night, another trade deal had been sealed, giving Ningguang the leverage she needed to begin curbing the Fatui's movements.
The Millelith had been outfitted with newly forged armor and weapons time and time again, and with the assistance of the wolf packs, their combat strength had surged, making them stronger and safer than ever.
Even Xiao's karmic debt had improved considerably.
Everything was progressing in the right direction—toward a future that everyone eagerly anticipated.
Ryen's importance to Liyue was undeniable.
If someone had truly provoked him, even Zhongli wouldn't hesitate to step in and settle the matter for his friend.
The group waited in silence, ready for Ryen to name the culprit. The moment he did, they would take action immediately.
However, Ryen merely shook his head.
His voice was chillingly cold.
"The collaboration with the Sumeru Akademiya—have you finalized the negotiations?"
Ningguang's eyes narrowed slightly as she began to piece things together. She shook her head.
"We only have a verbal agreement. No official contracts have been signed yet."
"Good."
Ryen's response was calm and measured, yet the weight behind it was unmistakable.
"Raise the price of all resource purchases from my world for the Sumeru Akademiya—double the original rate."
At those words, everyone was momentarily stunned.
For the Fatui, the price had only been increased by five percent.
What exactly had the Akademiya done to warrant such a drastic penalty?
It was no secret that, as of late, the Akademiya had been consuming external resources at an unprecedented rate, nearly tenfold compared to before.
And in particular—refined iron ores.
The specific type of iron they required could only be obtained from Liyue.
Or rather, from Ryen's world.
No matter how much was supplied, the Akademiya would buy it all without hesitation.
A sudden price hike of this magnitude would be a devastating blow.
It wouldn't necessarily bring them to their knees, but it would certainly shake their foundations.
However, Ningguang didn't seem concerned about the impact. Instead, she furrowed her brows slightly before speaking in a measured tone.
"So it's the Akademiya, then? I understand."
"Effective immediately, the cost of all resource purchases made by the Akademiya within Liyue will be doubled."
"This includes, but is not limited to, the resources from your world. Any merchants affiliated with the Akademiya will be subjected to strict investigations by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Millelith."
"If any violations are found, they will be arrested and judged on the spot."
"I'll have Yanfei handle this personally."
By bringing in the top legal authority of Liyue Harbor, Ningguang made her stance abundantly clear.
She intended to make the Akademiya pay dearly.
To force them to swallow their pride and send their Mora without complaint.
As for potential diplomatic consequences…
Ningguang highly doubted that all of Sumeru would blindly follow the Akademiya's lead.
If they truly held absolute control over their nation, then it would simply mean the Akademiya had been exploiting their people unchecked.
Liyue had no reason to fear retaliation from the Akademiya unless the Dendro Archon herself stepped in to negotiate.
With the Geo Archon still present, and with Ryen having a contract with Zhongli of such significance—
Not to mention Xiao and Cloud Retainer having firmly taken Liyue's side—
There was little to be concerned about.
When it came to overall strength, Liyue was undoubtedly the most powerful nation in Teyvat.
Its raw military force might be slightly behind that of Snezhnaya, but in terms of comprehensive national power, it stood at the very top.
Sumeru?
A divided land, split between rainforest and desert.
At the moment, even war-torn Inazuma had a more formidable military presence than Sumeru.
Only Mondstadt, with its forces scattered on an extended expedition, was in a more vulnerable state.
"I can go to Sumeru myself."
Xiao's voice was calm, but his words carried a sharp edge.
Liyue had never been one to seek war.
But that didn't mean it would sit idly by while others caused trouble.
As a Yaksha, Xiao was a warrior through and through—he had never shied away from battle.
Ryen had helped him ease his karmic debt, granting him the ability to remain in Liyue for much longer than he ever expected.
To Xiao, this was a great debt of gratitude.
Besides, Zhongli had made it clear from the start—Ryen would never be mistreated in Liyue.
If someone in Sumeru had dared to act against him, Xiao would personally make sure they paid the price.
And to be clear—he wasn't going to target the nation itself.
Just the individuals responsible.
Now that his karmic burden was mostly lifted, combined with the enchanted weaponry he had obtained, Xiao's strength had skyrocketed.
He wasn't as strong as the Seven Archons, but he was more than capable of taking down weaker gods.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be known as the strongest warrior among Liyue's adepti.
"This one may not fully understand why someone from the Akademiya would provoke you," Cloud Retainer mused as she calmly preened her feathers, "but if necessary, I too can pay them a visit."
Her tone was light, almost casual, but there was unmistakable confidence in her words.
The adepti might seem detached from mortal affairs, but in reality—
They were immensely proud beings.
They had fought in the most brutal battles of the Archon War, standing alongside Zhongli, the most formidable of all gods.
With the strongest Archon as their leader, it was only natural that the adepti carried themselves with a certain level of arrogance.
Simply put—
They had no interest in stirring up trouble, but if someone pushed too far—
They wouldn't hesitate to put them in their place.
Seeing the collective indignation in everyone's expressions, Ryen felt a rare flicker of warmth.
He was genuinely touched by their unwavering support.
However, he shook his head.
"There's no need. A commercial countermeasure will suffice."
Since Ryen had already made his decision, the others had no objections.
With a brief nod, Ningguang rose to her feet and moved toward her desk, beginning to draft official orders.
Before leaving, she intended to relay these directives to the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Once the message was sent, the General Affairs Bureau would know exactly how to proceed.
They would certainly be pleased to have such a plump lamb suddenly ready for the slaughter.
With that matter settled, the others gradually dispersed, shifting their focus back to discussions regarding plans in the Minecraft world.
No one disturbed Ryen.
His mood was clearly foul, and it was best to leave him alone for now.
…
Before long, the last of them finally arrived—Zhongli, fashionably late as always.
The moment he stepped through the door, his brows furrowed.
Fixing his gaze on Ryen, he strode forward, his footsteps quick and purposeful.
A faint golden glow flickered between them before vanishing without a trace.
"You have traces of the Dendro Archon's power on you," Zhongli observed. "You met her?"
Ryen gave a slight nod. He had expected Zhongli to notice.
"She entered my dreams last night."
"I see…"
Zhongli gave a small nod, his voice thoughtful.
"The one I was familiar with was the first Dendro Archon—the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. I do not know much about the current Little Lord Kusanali."
"However, it seems she does indeed wield authority over dreams."
"She emerged five hundred years ago, in the aftermath of the Cataclysm. But in truth, the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata never appeared during that war."
"It is said that she was summoned by Celestia to safeguard the Irminsul, but as for what exactly transpired… and how the Little Lord Kusanali came to be… I do not know."
"Initially, I assumed the Little Lord Kusanali was merely the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata reborn. But now, sensing the divine energy on you—though similar, there is an undeniable difference."
"That being said, I am certain of one thing: the Little Lord Kusanali is not an unworthy god. I trust the judgment of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata."
Ryen gave a slight nod.
It was evident that Zhongli held the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata in high regard.
After a brief silence, Zhongli seemed to recall something—likely from what he had heard from the others just moments before.
A hint of surprise crossed his face.
"You ordered Ningguang to suppress the Akademiya?"
"What have they done?"
"Would you like me to contact the Little Lord Kusanali?"
"If this is indeed the fault of the Akademiya, I believe she would show me due respect… and hand over the culprits for you to deal with."
Ryen let out a quiet sigh.
"Zhongli… do you know the current state of the Little Lord Kusanali?"
Zhongli shook his head.
"I do not. Five hundred years ago, I myself was wounded. It took me centuries to recover… I had my hands full with Liyue, let alone Sumeru."
"No wonder…"
Ryen nodded slightly, then spoke in a low voice:
"The Little Lord Kusanali has been imprisoned by the sages of the Akademiya."
"…What?"
"And for five centuries, the Akademiya has systematically erased her presence. Now, the majority of Sumeru's people only revere the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—they don't even acknowledge the Little Lord Kusanali."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Zhongli's expression darkened.
A slow-burning fury flickered in his amber eyes.
"This is treason. Utter madness."
"The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was a god of unparalleled wisdom and knowledge. She would not have chosen an unworthy successor."
"If she entrusted Sumeru to the Little Lord Kusanali, then she was meant to lead.**"
"For the very people she sheltered to betray her successor in such a manner—what greater insult could there be?"
"This is not just a crime against the Little Lord Kusanali. This is a betrayal of the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata herself!"
"The Akademiya… they deserve the wrath of stone."
Ryen watched as Zhongli's restrained fury simmered beneath his composed exterior.
He could understand it.
To Zhongli, this was no different from betrayal.
Just as with the betrayal of the God of Salt, Havria…
And back then, Zhongli had delivered divine judgment upon the traitors.
Had it been the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Zhongli would have personally intervened without hesitation.
He respected her deeply, not only for her wisdom but also for her dedication to protecting the Irminsul, the very heart of Teyvat's knowledge.
But the Little Lord Kusanali?
Zhongli didn't know her.
And that alone made it difficult for him to act directly.
Which only fueled his silent, smoldering rage.
His eyes gleamed with cold fire as he muttered:
"No wonder… For five centuries, her name has barely been whispered. Now I understand why."
"What a bold pack of heretics."
Ryen let out a low chuckle—mocking, bitter.
"You think this is bold?"
"If you knew the reason they imprisoned her… if you knew their true plan… you'd be absolutely livid."
A sense of foreboding settled over Zhongli.
Something about the way Ryen spoke sent a chill down his spine.
He steeled himself.
"What is their plan?"
Ryen sighed.
He recalled the image of Nahida's bright, innocent smile in the dream.
A girl who had suffered in silence for five hundred years.
A child who had been made to believe she was unworthy.
His voice, when he finally spoke, was laced with contempt.
"The Akademiya's sages—because the Little Lord Kusanali was too young, too inexperienced, unable to bestow divine knowledge as the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata had…"
"They lost their minds."
"Those fools, those eternal beggars who know nothing but how to plead for knowledge, those insatiable leeches—they went mad."
"So they imprisoned her, erased her name, weakened her presence."
"For five centuries, she has been trapped in eternal darkness, suffering alone."
"She convinced herself she was unworthy, and so, she willingly allowed herself to be imprisoned."
"But even that wasn't enough for those parasites."
"They grew desperate. Mad."
"They took away her Gnosis. They used their Void Terminal to steal the dreams of the people of Sumeru—leeching off the wisdom of the Irminsul itself."
"They exploited her. They exploited their own people."
Zhongli's hands curled into fists.
And then, Ryen delivered the final blow.
His golden eyes locked onto Zhongli's, his voice unwavering.
"Tell me, Zhongli… can you guess what they're trying to do?"
A realization dawned upon Zhongli.
A horrific thought—one he dared not speak.
Ryen smirked.
"They're trying to create a new god."
~~----------------------
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