Is Mondstadt weak?
Perhaps.
Compared to today's Liyue and Snezhnaya, it is indeed quite weak.
The main forces are still out on the expedition and unable to return—but that doesn't mean Mondstadt has no powerful protectors.
Lisa, freed from her curse, can influence the tide of a battle on her own.
Klee has always been cared for by Jean like her own child.
And little Klee's strength is nothing to scoff at.
Not to mention—Klee's mother, Alice, possesses the raw power of an actual archon-level being.
If Jean were to seize power, Klee would surely stand behind her, and wouldn't that mean Alice might support Jean as well?
Even if Alice doesn't intervene—
What about Albedo?
As the perfect creation of gold, Albedo's strength is unfathomable.
And as Klee's older brother, standing on the same side as her, lending Jean a hand would be a simple matter, wouldn't it?
Kaeya, Rosaria, Amber, and the others.
Maybe not all are extremely powerful, but each one is still a formidable Vision wielder.
Lisa is confident—if she were to ask them whether they support Grand Master Varka or Jean, they'd pick Jean without hesitation.
Jean also has a sister—Barbara. That means the Church would naturally side with Jean as well.
It's true that the current stationed members of the Knights of Favonius aren't particularly strong.
But that's the present.
Once they officially cooperate with Liyue and start drinking the alchemical enhancement potions, it's a whole different story.
The people of Mondstadt also overwhelmingly support Jean over Grand Master Varka.
And on top of all that, Venti clearly favors Jean, the Lion of the South Wind.
With legitimacy and strength both secured—and with support from Liyue—
Plus the righteous cause of settling past grievances—
It can be said: so long as Jean agrees, seizing power would succeed in mere minutes.
Even Varka himself might be hoping Jean takes control during the expedition.
After all, he's never liked the duties of a Grand Master. Being an adventurer suits him much better.
The foundation for a successful power shift has never been the issue.
The only real obstacle is Jean herself—she's too upright.
A knight who strictly upholds chivalry, Jean would find it hard to accept such a move.
In the past, Lisa believed Jean would eventually take over naturally, so there was no need to rush.
But now things have changed.
Mondstadt has caught up to Liyue's rapid pace—it must act swiftly.
Lisa knows all too well the faces of Mondstadt's upper council.
If Jean doesn't become Grand Master, they'll find a way to interfere.
By then, Liyue won't entertain any excuses.
Their army might just march in instantly.
And there's no guarantee that Ryen won't get angry when he sees those people's faces.
If it ends up like the Sages of Sumeru, and he throws a punch…
Will Mondstadt even survive?
So, even though Lisa knows it puts Jean in a difficult spot—she has no choice.
Mondstadt is out of time.
The meeting ended somewhat on a sour note.
That night, none of the Mondstadt group could sleep.
At dawn the next day, everyone gathered again and headed to Ryen's courtyard.
No one brought up the previous night's topic.
A single push is enough—too much pressure, and the effect could backfire.
At the very least, from the way Jean looked, Lisa was sure she had begun thinking seriously about it.
That was enough. The rest could come gradually.
The expeditionary force wouldn't be returning for a while.
In the meantime, Diluc and Lisa would begin preparations.
More and more Knights of Favonius members would enter that world, and their fates would increasingly tie to Jean's.
Jean would be eager to improve the lives of Mondstadt's people—and in doing so, she'd gain enough public support.
At that point, even if Jean still didn't want the position—
All of Mondstadt would forcefully place her on that seat.
Mondstadt may value freedom, but its people aren't fools.
They know who can lead them toward a better life.
The group chatted and laughed as they walked, completely casting aside last night's tensions.
Before long, they arrived once more at Ryen's courtyard.
Next door, wooden blockhouses were already being constructed—it looked like they'd be done in a few days.
They didn't pay it much attention, and Jean and the others quickly stepped into the small courtyard.
It seemed Ningguang and the rest had already arrived and had been waiting for quite some time.
Even Venti, who didn't return yesterday, had shown up early. Upon seeing everyone, he grinned and waved cheerfully.
"Good morning, Ryen."
Jean gave a nod to Ryen, then turned to Ningguang and the others.
"Do we have any plans today?"
Ningguang leisurely sipped her tea.
"That depends on Ryen. Everything in that world follows his schedule. We just need to follow along with his arrangements."
At that, Ryen, who was currently feeding Nahida, rolled his eyes.
"Can't you at least help me think of something? You are the Tianquan Star, after all."
Ningguang chuckled softly and blinked.
"So what? I still don't understand much about your world."
"Besides, with the Rite of Descension coming up, I'll be busy soon. Can't I sneak in a little break?"
Ryen shook his head with a smile, then asked quietly:
"How long until the Rite of Descension?"
"From today—exactly one month."
Hearing that, Ryen nodded thoughtfully.
One more month…
By then, Zhongli will be doing a high-altitude bungee jump—without a rope.
In just one more month, Ningguang and the others would be using the Jade Chamber to bomb Osial from afar.
At that time, Liyue would likely display its full might.
Teyvat might once again be shocked to its core.
Don't underestimate a single month.
Given the pace of development in this world, Ryen estimated that within a month, Liyue could completely upgrade all the Millelith's equipment.
Once the beacons are activated, the Millelith drinks their alchemy potions, and the enchanted gear is equipped…
Tsk.
Anyone who knows the truth will say Osial attacked Liyue.
But those who don't might think Liyue was simply on an overseas expedition, encountered a demon god, and casually wiped it out along the way.
Ryen never doubted whether Liyue could crush Osial.
Take Xiao, for example.
Wearing full enchanted diamond gear, boosted by alchemy potions—
That's solidly a demon-god-level combat power.
He could solo Osial without issue.
Besides, Ryen still had five Wither Skeletons left to farm in a month, didn't he?
Once the new mod was activated, who knew what ridiculous stuff might appear next?
This is the Minecraft world, after all…
Ryen sighed with a touch of sentiment.
Once the MC world started going full force, everyone had to ride a rocket to keep up.
He picked up a napkin and gently wiped Nahida's mouth, then softly said:
"After we finish eating, we'll go take a look at the Nether. I'll also introduce it to Jean and the others—none of them went yesterday."
"Then we'll set up the beacons and check their status."
Seeing Ryen still not mention the End, Venti couldn't hold back anymore. He scratched his cheek and asked:
"What about the End portal? Didn't you say we'd go looking for it today?"
For some reason, Venti was quite interested in the Ender Dragon, even though they hadn't met.
He just had a feeling… that there was some sort of unique connection between them.
Maybe…
Raising a dragon could help him reclaim the pride that Zhongli had squashed?
"I said we'd look for it in the next couple of days," Ryen shook his head.
"The End portal's easy enough to deal with, but we don't know how long we'll be gone. It's best to prepare ahead of time."
Noticing Ningguang about to say something, Ryen reassured her:
"Don't worry, we'll head out within these few days, before you get too busy."
"Even if you do get swamped, we can always bring you back instantly."
He snapped his fingers and summoned the bidirectional gate.
Then casually took out a bucket of milk.
It was breakfast, after all!
Nutrition had to be balanced!
Milk in the MC world didn't just remove all negative effects—it was excellent for nutrition too.
At the very least, Nahida was still growing, so she definitely needed it.
Watching Ryen casually lift a massive iron bucket weighing several tons and pour everyone a cup with ease,
Lisa couldn't help but click her tongue.
"I feel like Ryen's strength is a bit too over-the-top."
As she spoke, she cast a thoughtful glance at Ganyu, who was positively glowing with happiness.
Now aware of Ryen and Ganyu's relationship, Lisa understood—Ganyu had clearly been very pleased yesterday.
Though Lisa hadn't eaten pork herself,
as the head of Mondstadt's restricted library archives, she'd read plenty of such books.
Those books indeed said this kind of thing was a natural beauty treatment for women.
However…
With Ryen's sheer strength, was Ganyu really okay?
Lisa had always kept that doubt in her heart.
Until much later, when she personally experienced Ryen herself, she finally understood Ganyu's suffering.
Ryen's strength was just too much…
It really wasn't something a person could casually withstand!
No wonder Ganyu chose to turn a blind eye—having Ryen all to herself could actually be dangerous.
…
Seeing the bidirectional gate materialize,
everyone downed their milk and stood up to follow Ryen through.
Only this time, compared to yesterday's bewilderment, Jean and the others now walked with anticipation and excitement.
Lisa didn't close her eyes either. She carefully observed the moment of spatial shift.
Aside from the instant suppression of elemental power, she did indeed feel an unfamiliar law settle upon her body.
Lisa now had a faint understanding.
The reason elemental power was widely suppressed in this world came down to one thing: the world itself had no elemental energy.
In Teyvat, Vision holders channel elemental power from the world via the Vision, which is an external magical organ.
But in this world, they could only use the elemental energy stored inside the Vision.
Lisa suspected this was also why Venti and the others couldn't use their godly powers—
The laws of this world simply didn't listen to them.
Still, it wasn't a major discovery, so Lisa kept it to herself.
After a moment of thought, Ryen's body-sharing ability activated again.
This delighted Diluc and the others, who clenched their fists with satisfaction.
Although in this world, that power only allowed them to wield tools and till the land,
Being able to experience that surging strength still felt great.
"Let's first check the villager trading center, then restock materials for the alchemy potion production line,"
Ryen chuckled, hands on his hips as he looked up at the floating island above.
"After that, we'll take a walk up there before heading to the Nether."
Just then, a member of the Millelith appeared, seemingly right on schedule.
It was Captain Dashi of Squad One, currently overseeing the three stationed teams in this world.
Though typically, he still acted alongside Squad One.
Spotting Ryen and the others from afar, Dashi's face lit up with joy and he rushed over.
"My lords, I was just about to report the progress of the three squads this past week."
Hearing this, Keqing was surprised.
"A whole week already? Feels like no time passed at all."
So the group settled at the table in the courtyard, awaiting Dashi's report.
~~----------------------
To read 30 future chapters head over to patreon:
patreon.com/Dreamer20