The operation of Albedo's walkie-talkie was exactly as Jiang Chen had imagined.
Each button corresponded to a channel—
Press it, and you could communicate with others on the same frequency.
"What's the tested range?"
Albedo must have done preliminary trials.
Only the maximum distance remained unconfirmed.
"50 kilometers."
"It can reach Mondstadt from here."
"But Dragonspine's ley lines are chaotic—signal interference is common."
"Sometimes, transmissions cut out entirely."
Jiang Chen nodded.
Fifty kilometers was already insane.
"That's more than enough."
He'd expected maybe two or three kilometers.
Turns out, he'd underestimated alchemy.
"For now, yes."
"But this is just a prototype."
"I'll add more channels later."
"Eventually, as you suggested—"
"—inputting numbers to access specific frequencies."
The current version only had six preset channels.
Albedo planned to expand this.
Not difficult, given his ley line discoveries.
Once adjusted, further upgrades would follow.
This was merely Generation One.
The research notes Jiang Chen brought would drastically accelerate progress.
"Let's test it now."
"Fifty kilometers, right? Let's push the limits."
Albedo agreed.
"Channel Six is linked to Sucrose's device."
"If you return to Liyue, try connecting with her."
Might as well test cross-nation communication.
Sucrose?
Ah, the adorable animal-eared alchemist.
This'll be fun.
Jiang Chen vanished, reappearing sixty kilometers away.
Activating the walkie-talkie, he spoke:
"Can you hear me?"
Albedo's response was staticky.
"Barely."
Ley line interference?
Annoying, but expected.
"Continuing."
Jiang Chen teleported again.
They repeated the test at ten-kilometer intervals—
Until one hundred kilometers, where the signal finally died.
More than sufficient.
Returning to Albedo, Jiang Chen confirmed:
"Hundred-kilometer range."
"Keep refining it."
Albedo studied the data.
"To build the network you envision—"
"—we'd need a central data hub."
"And it must be ley line-integrated."
"That's… problematic."
Treading forbidden territory.
"A server?"
"No need to build one—Teyvat already has one."
Albedo froze.
What?
"Irminsul."
The name made Albedo pale.
"That's taboo."
The ultimate forbidden knowledge.
"I won't touch it."
"But someone else can."
Jiang Chen grinned.
Summoning Greater Lord Rukkhadevata using Nahida as a catalyst?
Perfectly reasonable.
"The Dendro Archon?"
Albedo immediately thought of Sumeru's god.
"Yes."
"For a true Teyvat-wide network—"
"—Irminsul is inescapable."
"The world itself is the server."
Sumeru's Akasha Terminal was proof.
An AR network capable of full-dive VR—
Yet those scholars wasted it on studying.
What a shame.
Games with exit buttons?
I don't play those.
"Then why research further?"
"Just ask Sumeru."
If Jiang Chen could enlist the Dendro Archon—
Why reinvent the wheel?
Jiang Chen almost agreed.
But—
"The theory's sound, but implementation is uncertain."
"We don't know if Irminsul's reach extends beyond Sumeru."
"Keep researching."
"I'll visit Sumeru later to investigate."
Albedo relented.
Fair enough.
Handing Jiang Chen upgrade blueprints, he said:
"Give these to Albedo Less."
"Mass production should be feasible."
The technical schematics were comprehensive.
Homework for his "brother."
Jiang Chen skimmed the notes—
Alchemy jargon might as well be hieroglyphics.
"Got it."
"Keep up the good work."
"Once Liyue's stabilized, I'll head to Sumeru."
Time to collect the Dendro element—
And maybe "remove" a few sages.
The bell tolls—your time has come.
Teyvat's top assassin makes his debut.
So much to do.
A trip to Inazuma was inevitable too.
Helping Lumine duel the Raiden Shogun—
And "borrowing" the Electro Gnosis.
If that sly fox Yae hands it over, it'll be too late.
Alternatively—
Summon an army of Heroic Spirits to "negotiate" with the Tsaritsa.
What kind of negotiations?
That's another story.
Departing with a pair of walkie-talkies, Jiang Chen teleported back.
Time for Albedo Less to start mass production.
Communication was about to get a lot easier.
Too bad it wasn't a smartphone yet.
For now, a glorified brick phone would have to do.