Guizhong immediately punched Cloud Retainer in retaliation.
The sudden blow jolted Cloud Retainer back to reality—
Oh right, Guizhong built all this.
She'd forgotten.
Damn it!
This was all Jiang Chen's fault!
Guizhong glared at her.
"Oh? Then enlighten me—what's wrong with it?"
Oh, you want to nitpick?
Go ahead. Explain.
Cloud Retainer shut up instantly.
"This one… may have spoken too soon!"
She hadn't meant to offend.
"Hmph!"
"You were absolutely doing it on purpose."
"Ohhh, so my designs are trash now?"
"I'll remember this."
Guizhong wasn't accepting excuses.
Mark her words—this grudge was now official.
Amid the bickering, the group finally arrived home.
Havria had prepared dinner—
No overly salty dishes this time.
Mostly light, steamed fare.
But no one minded.
As everyone settled in to eat, Jiang Chen couldn't help but marvel at how normal this felt.
An Archon, an adeptus, a salt goddess, and a human—all sharing a meal.
After dinner, they dispersed to their rooms.
Jiang Chen's house was spacious—
Plenty of guest rooms for long-term stays.
Had he subconsciously planned for this?
Who knew.
But it worked out perfectly.
The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Chen sought out Albedo Less.
The alchemist had already organized the materials.
"The ley line network research is compiled."
"But it's incomplete—just preliminary theories."
"Far from actual communication tech."
He handed over the documents.
Jiang Chen nodded.
"I figured."
"Feel free to study it further if you're interested."
"I'm sending this to Albedo for deeper analysis."
Albedo Less agreed.
Albedo's expertise far surpassed his.
With these notes, progress would accelerate.
Not that he wouldn't research it himself, of course.
Armed with the files, Jiang Chen set off for Dragonspine.
Hopefully, Albedo was still there.
Otherwise, he'd have to detour to Mondstadt.
En route, he noted the absence of Fatui.
Previously, they'd been crawling all over the mountain.
Now? Gone.
The realization struck him—
Both Liyue and Mondstadt had expelled them.
Staying would've been political suicide.
Better to withdraw entirely.
Even if Dragonspine held secrets worth studying—
Now wasn't the time.
Lingering would've given both nations casus belli.
Technically, the mountain was shared territory.
Neither side had formally claimed it.
But the Fatui weren't taking chances.
Good.
The frigid peaks hid valuable mineral deposits.
Future mining operations would be lucrative.
And establishing clear sovereignty?
That'd come later.
Arriving at Albedo's camp, Jiang Chen spotted smoke from the chimney.
He was home.
As if sensing his presence, Albedo emerged.
"You're here."
Jiang Chen grinned.
"Yep. How's the research?"
He strode into the tent without ceremony.
"Prototype completed."
"But it's just a two-way radio for now."
"Limited range—untested maximum."
Jiang Chen blinked.
A walkie-talkie?!
He'd asked for a phone, and Albedo made a walkie-talkie?!
"Let's test it."
"Show me the sample."
"Oh, and I brought goodies."
"Khaenri'ah's ley line communication research."
He produced the documents.
Albedo's expression twitched at "Khaenri'ah."
"Where did you get this?"
The fallen nation's archives were supposedly lost.
Jiang Chen smirked.
"The Abyss."
...
Albedo paused.
Ah.
That made sense.
The Abyss Order was Khaenri'ah's remnants.
He dropped the subject.
"Understood. I'll analyze it."
"But a warning—avoid the Abyss."
They were universally reviled.
"Obviously."
"This was just a trade."
Jiang Chen conveniently omitted that the Abyss Prince was his brother-in-law.
Albedo nodded, retrieving the prototype—
A palm-sized device with multiple buttons.
Yep. A walkie-talkie.
Jiang Chen grasped the controls instantly.
Each button represented a channel.
Typical Albedo brilliance.
Not a phone, but damn close.
Albedo handed it over, launching into a technical breakdown.
Jiang Chen's head ached.
"Stop. No theory."
"Just tell me how to use it."
He didn't need the how—just the what.
Let the experts handle the rest.
Albedo obliged, switching to a user-friendly tutorial.