Ryen swiftly dealt with the last remaining Phantom.
Then, he lifted his gaze toward the sky.
The night had passed in the blink of an eye, and now, dawn was near.
A faint glow was beginning to spread across the horizon, signaling the end of the Phantom spawns.
Unknowingly, they had talked for an entire night. Meanwhile, Chang Yi had already gathered and delivered all the Phantom Membranes they had collected.
Despite not using any Looting-enchanted weapons, they had still managed to accumulate more than two full stacks of Phantom Membranes.
That was understandable. After all, with five of them present, every time Phantoms spawned, there were at least seven or eight, sometimes even twenty at once.
If anything, this haul was on the lower end.
Without hesitation, Ryen shattered the glass house and led the group toward the edge of the base.
…
"How many times have we been attacked now?"
Xiao responded in a low voice,
"This is the final wave."
"This time, over a hundred Pillagers have arrived, along with more than a dozen Vindicators and Witches—and even seven Ravagers."
"The Evokers are at the very back of the formation, still outside the range of the Redstone Cannons."
"However, since we're not sure whether an Evoker killed by TNT explosions will still drop a Totem of Undying, we haven't fired the cannons yet."
Ryen nodded.
"Normally, it shouldn't be a problem. But given the circumstances, it's best to hold off on using the Redstone Cannons for now."
"Can we clear out this many enemies just by shooting from the watchtower?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryen caught sight of the defensive wall.
Standing shoulder to shoulder on top were dozens of Millelith soldiers and hundreds of miners, packed in tight formation.
Some held shields, forming a defensive front. Others drew their bows, ready to fire.
Below them, two Iron Golems stood guard at the gate, blocking the Pillagers' advance entirely.
Compared to the chaotic, disorganized attacks of the raiders, the Millelith were highly disciplined.
One group drew their bows while another used shields to block incoming arrows.
And when they fired—
A literal storm of arrows rained down upon the enemy.
The Millelith weren't just skilled archers—but with the enemy so densely packed together, even randomly firing into the air would have landed hits.
Everything was progressing perfectly.
Ryen casually stacked a few glass blocks as cover against incoming arrows, then led the others up onto the wall to observe the battle.
Pillagers. Vindicators. Witches. Ravagers.
The ground was littered with Emeralds and loot, but no one paid any attention to them.
From the very start, their focus was fixed on two particular figures.
The Evokers.
At first glance, they didn't look much different from the Vindicators—except every once in a while, they would summon a few Vexes.
But the moment those Vexes took flight, they were immediately shot down by the elite snipers who had been waiting for them.
It wasn't exactly a one-sided slaughter, but the Millelith were clearly dominating the fight.
"Should we fire the Redstone Cannons?"
Ningguang asked softly.
Ryen, however, shook his head.
"There's no need. At this pace, the battle will be over in about ten minutes."
"We still have plenty of TNT, but we should save it when we can."
"Besides…" Ryen smirked.
"In a bit, we're going to go down there and personally deal with the Evokers—using Looting-enchanted weapons."
At those words, he paused slightly before adding:
"You all still remember the Evoker's attack patterns, right?"
Ganyu nodded seriously.
"Mm-hmm! Spiked ground attacks and Vex summons!"
"Exactly!"
Ryen chuckled and reached out to rub Ganyu's horns.
"The spike attack is the most dangerous move, but Evokers take a long time to charge it, and it only moves in a straight line."
"As long as you keep an eye out, it's easy to dodge. As for the Vexes… they're not much of a threat."
"We'll head down to deal with them once most of the Pillagers and Ravagers have been cleared out."
At this moment, the battle unfolding before them looked almost like a tower defense game.
It was actually quite fun to watch.
Of course, that was only because the Millelith side was taking virtually no casualties.
From Ningguang's perspective, Ryen clearly respected the monsters of this world for their raw power.
But when it came to intelligence, these creatures were completely lacking.
If this were Teyvat, even the dumbest Hilichurl would at least try to dodge when faced with an arrow barrage.
But these Pillagers?
They just charged straight in.
Of course, they all understood—what truly gave them the strength to stand their ground was the portion of Ryen's physique that he had shared with them.
Without it, these enemies would have been far more troublesome to deal with.
In normal circumstances, even the arrows from Teyvat's archers might not have been effective against them.
After observing the battle for some time, Ryen noted that with the Millelith and miners handling ranged attacks from the walls and the Iron Golems holding the frontline in melee combat, the final wave of the assault was essentially over.
Now, the only ones left were the two Evokers that had kept their distance and a few Ravagers with absurdly high health pools.
But with the Iron Golems tanking the Ravagers, they were hardly a threat anymore.
Ryen retrieved his enchanted diamond sword imbued with the Looting effect and turned to Zhongli.
Zhongli, understanding Ryen's intentions, activated his Jade Shield and pulled out another Looting-enchanted sword of his own.
"Ryen, let's do this together."
Ganyu tugged at Ryen's sleeve, her face filled with concern.
Ryen chuckled softly, pinching her cheek in reassurance.
"There's no need. The Evokers may seem formidable, but as long as we stay alert, they aren't much of a threat. If anything, bringing too many people might make it easier for their attacks to hit someone."
"Just sit back and watch, okay?"
With that, Ryen exchanged a glance with Zhongli. In unison, they spread their Wind Gliders and leaped off the city walls.
Almost instantly, one of the Ravagers turned its massive frame to charge at them.
"Loose!"
From atop the wall, Ningguang's crisp command rang out.
The next second, a storm of arrows rained down, striking the Ravager with pinpoint accuracy.
The beast, already injured from previous battles, let out a final guttural roar before collapsing into a puff of smoke.
Ryen paid it no mind. The moment his feet touched the ground, he sprinted toward the Evokers.
Even from a distance, he could see them already beginning their incantations.
"Dodge!"
Shouting the warning, Ryen immediately dove to the side.
Almost simultaneously, jagged stone spikes erupted from the ground where they had just been standing.
The sharp-edged formations shot up violently, their deadly intent unmistakable. If they had been a second too slow, they might have been skewered like candied hawthorns on a stick.
Fortunately, they had evaded in time.
The Evokers continued their eerie chanting as they slowly advanced toward Ryen and Zhongli.
This was exactly why hunting brainless magical creatures was so convenient—they had no sense of self-preservation.
Ryen lunged forward, swinging his sword in a sweeping arc. The Evoker stumbled backward several meters from the force of the blow.
At that moment, the creature seemed to realize that it couldn't afford to waste time chanting.
Letting out a shrill, otherworldly screech, it conjured two Vexes—ghostly creatures that instantly shot toward Ryen.
Ryen prepared to strike them down with his sword, but that would mean he had to momentarily lower his guard against the Evoker's potential next attack.
Before he could make a decision—
Two flaming arrows streaked through the air, finding their targets in an instant.
The Vexes disintegrated before they could reach him.
Ryen didn't even need to turn around to know who had fired the shots.
Ganyu.
Right now, only she possessed such impeccable archery skills. Zhongli could have done it as well, but he was still engaged with the other Evoker.
There was no time to dwell on it. Ryen closed the distance, slashing at the Evoker, interrupting its attempt to summon another wave of stone spikes.
The creature was on its last legs now.
Without hesitation, Ryen leaped high into the air, bringing his sword down in a powerful finishing strike.
The Evoker let out a final wail before collapsing into the void.
The moment it perished, two items clattered onto the ground—a gleaming green emerald and an odd golden totem.
Almost at the same time, on the other side of the battlefield, Zhongli landed the finishing blow on his own opponent.
Another golden totem fell to the ground.
From the city walls, a thunderous cheer erupted.
The raid progress bar had disappeared.
Ryen smiled, motioning for Zhongli to return to base with him.
Ningguang looked like she wanted to immediately question him about the golden totem, but when she met Ryen's gaze, she chose to hold back—for now.
Chang Yi rushed forward excitedly, practically bouncing on his feet.
"Lord Ryen! My personal status screen just updated—I have a buff called 'Hero of the Village'!"
Ryen chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder.
"That's good. The Hero of the Village effect lasts for a while. It gives you a significant discount when trading with villagers—emerald prices are slashed in half."
"For now, help clear the battlefield and take stock of our spoils. That's enough for today—get some rest, or else more Phantoms will spawn again tonight."
"This afternoon, I'll have you visit the villagers to start trading."
Chang Yi straightened his posture, nodding firmly.
They had worked through the entire night. While no one was physically exhausted, fatigue was still creeping in.
A poor state of mind could be dangerous, especially when they had plans to go mining later.
Before long, teams of miners set out to clean up the battlefield.
Their work wasn't just about collecting loot—it was also about fixing the landscape.
The constant use of the Redstone Cannons had left the terrain in a horrific state. The ground for hundreds of meters in every direction was cratered beyond recognition.
If the next shift of miners returned and fell into one of these pits, injuries would be inevitable.
Before resting, they had to make sure the area was safe.
Meanwhile, Ryen gave a subtle nod to Ningguang and the others, and the group swiftly retreated to the grand estate.
By now, the sun had fully risen.
Standing in the golden morning light, Ryen and Zhongli each held up their respective Totems of Undying.
The items resembled small, blocky golden figures, their emerald-like eyes glowing faintly.
Aside from their peculiar appearance, there was nothing outwardly remarkable about them.
But everyone present knew better.
Ryen wouldn't exaggerate.
These were, without a doubt, artifacts capable of preventing death itself.
A single use, a consumable item—but even as a one-time effect, the power to defy death was beyond extraordinary.
"This is the Totem of Undying… a relic that grants immunity to fatal damage," Ningguang murmured, furiously scribbling notes into her journal.
Ryen studied the totem in his hand.
"For it to take effect, you likely need to be holding it. But I wonder… if we crafted them into accessories, would they still count as 'carried'?"
"When the Totem of Undying activates, it doesn't just save you—it restores you to peak condition. That means its effect extends beyond survival—it creates an opportunity to turn the tide of battle completely."
Ryen's gaze darkened slightly.
"The only problem is… we need more of them."
"So we're going to the Woodland Mansion?" Ningguang asked eagerly.
Ryen shook his head, his expression unreadable.
"The Woodland Mansion does have Evokers, but one mansion alone won't be enough."
"No matter how many Evokers spawn there, they won't meet our growing demand."
"What I want… is a way to farm Totems of Undying in mass production. Just like how we built a Slime Farm."
"In simple terms—" Ryen's lips curled into a smirk.
"We can build a Totem of Undying farm."
Silence fell over the group.
Their expressions ranged from shock to sheer disbelief.
An endless supply of Totems of Undying?
Wouldn't that mean… they were turning death itself into a mere inconvenience?
Would Hu Tao even be okay with this?
Ganyu turned to look at Hu Tao.
To her surprise, the latter seemed completely unfazed, as if none of this concerned her in the slightest.
~~----------------------
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