"I'll keep it simple,"
Ryen said softly, as a Slash Blade Codex, visible only to him, unfolded before his eyes.
"Chizuru Muramasa, Black Fox, White Fox, Yaksha, Sanka, Tsukimusubi Tsukumogami, Yamato, Withered Stone Tachi…"
"Divine Blade Itadorimaru, Divine Blade Ukka, Famous Blade Kongō Terrace, Cursed Blade Red Sakura, Hellblade Samehada.."
"Dragon Tachi Westwind, Dragon Tachi Wind-Devourer, Chizuru Murasame…"
"All the Slash Blades I just listed are difficult to craft and extremely powerful. Even the weakest among them comes with its own active skill."
Everyone hurriedly lowered their heads to take notes.
Only Guizhong, counting on her fingers, looked delighted.
"These names sound really nice! I want to make all of them!"
Ryen's mouth twitched.
"Calm down. These Slash Blades are already hard enough to make, and you've picked some of the most difficult ones."
"You don't even know what a Proud Soul is yet, and you already want to forge blades?"
Guizhong blinked and looked at him with moist, pitiful eyes.
"You'll help me, right?"
Ryen fell silent.
After a long moment, he sighed softly and nodded.
"Then I also want Black Fox and White Fox! And Tsukimusubi Tsukumogami sounds great too, "
Ryen immediately cut her off.
If he let her imagination keep running, then for the foreseeable future, he, the so-called ruler of the world, would become Guizhong's personal swordsmith.
Raising his hand, he stopped everyone from continuing to write.
"These names are just for recognition. You don't need to memorize them in detail. You'll understand them later."
"Right now, I'm going to explain the simplest way to craft a Slash Blade."
"This is what you really need to remember."
Seeing everyone refocus, Ryen stood up and walked to the crafting table. In just a few quick motions, he crafted a crude wooden Slash Blade.
"Unnamed Blade: Puppet."
He spoke calmly.
"Among all Slash Blades, this one has the lowest damage. No active skills, no passives, it's just a sword."
"But don't underestimate it. Almost all Slash Blades start from this."
"No matter what Slash Blade you want to make, it's best to start with a Puppet."
"It also helps you get familiar with the crafting and upgrading process."
Realization dawned on everyone. Ningguang asked softly,
"So this Slash Blade has the simplest crafting process?"
"That's right,"
Ryen nodded.
"This Puppet requires a wooden sword that has lost at least one point of durability, plus two wooden planks."
"Pay attention, it must have lost durability. Just hit a mob once. Don't mine blocks."
"The Puppet can technically upgrade into Wood Blade Ironwood by killing a thousand enemies, but that's not the standard path."
"Normally, it's just the foundation."
"First, upgrade it into Unnamed Blade: Bamboo Light, using two bamboo stalks and the Puppet."
"Then Bamboo Light upgrades into Famous Blade: Silver-Edged Bamboo Light."
"This blade still isn't strong, but remember, it's extremely important."
"When Silver-Edged Bamboo Light breaks, it turns into a sheath."
"And the sheath is what we truly need."
He looked around the room.
"Terrace-series blades, Red Jade-series blades, Ōdachi, Chizuru blades…"
"If you trace them all back, their origin is essentially the Puppet."
"So you must remember how to craft the Puppet. Every detail matters."
Hearing this, Venti scratched his head and muttered while staring at his densely packed notes:
"Isn't this another nesting-doll mod? This feels even worse than the firearms mod."
Ryen spread his hands helplessly.
"That's exactly what it is. In the end, theory alone won't get you far."
"When you have time, come experiment with Slash Blades yourselves."
"Tonight, I'll write a full Slash Blade codex for you. You can follow it to craft your own blades."
"My suggestion is: don't all make the same blade."
"The variety and quantity of Slash Blades directly affect whether we can unlock the next mod."
Ningguang's eyes lit up.
"We need a lot?"
"A lot…"
Ryen sighed.
"One hundred of each Slash Blade."
He rubbed his temples, but Ningguang chuckled softly.
"That works perfectly for me. Slash Blades are so powerful, it makes sense to equip the army."
"One hundred of each can be absorbed by the military without issue."
"This was something we were going to do anyway. It's just a matter of sooner or later."
Hearing that, Ryen finally relaxed.
"Thank goodness for you all. Otherwise, I'd have no idea how to handle making that many Slash Blades."
"I'll just bring in veteran smiths from Liyue's forging department. Let them learn the process and handle production."
Ningguang noted it down, then looked up again.
"There are still two mods left, one combat-oriented, one lifestyle."
"Let's hear about the second combat mod."
Ryen shrugged.
"The second mod is also one you're very familiar with."
Before he even finished, Lisa spoke decisively:
"Witchery?"
"Correct."
Ryen smiled.
"This time, it's the complete Witchery mod. What that means… I don't need to explain, do I?"
Everyone smiled knowingly.
They remembered Witchery's power all too well.
Just Ryen's Eternal Frost Staff, capable of freezing time itself, and Hu Tao's Infernal Karmafire Staff, bordering on invincibility,
Both were beyond overpowered.
Time control. Absolute destruction.
Those abilities were unforgettable.
And right now, everyone was still using mid-tier staves and Twilight Forest–bound spells.
Frankly speaking, things were getting monotonous.
They had been longing for Witchery for a long time.
They knew its details well.
But not everyone did.
For example, Scaramouche.
Now that staves were being discussed, he finally had a chance to understand the staff Lumine used to utterly torment him.
Yet Ryen and the others only exchanged knowing smiles, clearly intending to gloss over it.
That was unacceptable.
In his anxiety, Scaramouche spoke up:
"Could you… explain it in more detail?"
"…?"
Ryen paused and looked at him in confusion.
"Aren't you a prisoner? Since when do prisoners start making requests?"
Scaramouche's expression grew complicated.
If Ryen weren't so strong… if he weren't completely dependent on others right now…
He'd,
at least,
offer to massage Ryen's legs.
As for fighting?
Forget it. He wasn't stupid.
His future glory, transcendent power, surpassing Ei, achieving his dreams,
all of it depended on this uncle-in-law.
Makoto looked at Scaramouche's stifled expression and sighed helplessly.
"Ryen… I don't really understand either. Could you explain it again?"
At that moment, Makoto became an angel in Scaramouche's eyes, the embodiment of truth, kindness, and beauty.
Looking at her with mixed emotions, Scaramouche sighed inwardly.
They were twins, so why was the elder sister so gentle, while the younger one was so cold and ruthless?
This aunt…
he would acknowledge her.
"Tsk… Auntie really dotes on her nephew,"
Ryen teased, then said calmly:
"Even if you hadn't asked, I would've explained it."
"Before, you only knew about staves and spells."
"But there's much more you don't know."
"Witchery isn't just about spells."
"First, materials."
Noticing everyone resume taking notes, Ryen continued:
"The new materials introduced by Witchery are extremely important, especially on a national level."
"They're new materials, filled with magic power."
"Magic Crystals, Enchanted Fabric, Spirit Dust…"
"Lisa, didn't you want to make magic scrolls? Now you can try combining scroll magic with Vision-based magic."
"Beyond pure magic crystals, there are also ones with special attributes."
"Flame Crystals, Frost Crystals, Storm Crystals, Radiant Crystals, and so on."
"These aren't just essential for crafting staves."
"Magic-infused ores, do you understand what that means?"
Ningguang nodded solemnly.
"Yes. These resources could overturn Teyvat's entire elemental mineral system."
"Not just that,"
Ryen shook his head.
"These crystals don't contain elemental energy, they contain magic."
"Didn't Albedo's experiments with using magic to modify Delusions show promise?"
"Now that we have magic crystals, who knows what breakthroughs are possible?"
"Sumeru will soon join us as well. Akademiya scholars can participate in the research."
"We'll just wait for the results."
"For individuals, these are crafting materials."
"But for nations, this is immeasurable wealth."
"Simply put, "
Ryen grinned.
"Your people can go back to mining."
Ningguang pondered for a moment, then said softly:
"I'll arrange for all Millelith operations to pause."
"First, we'll re-exploit all previously explored mines."
"Then, we'll prepare to cross the sea and mine another continent."
Ryen didn't interfere. He hadn't gone mining in a long time.
Ningguang would handle it.
"Besides materials, there's the Arcane Worktable."
"That's simple, it's the foundation for Witchery tools. We already have it."
"As for Runestones, Altars, and so on, we'll talk once we actually obtain them."
"They're important, but their real applications should be left to Albedo."
Jean covered her mouth and laughed.
"Albedo just got a break, and you're already piling on more work. He'll be troubled, won't he?"
"He won't,"
Ryen said casually.
"He loves having endless research."
"And Sumeru's problems are basically resolved."
"Once the Akademiya is reorganized, we'll have scholars sent over to help."
"I've found Albedo plenty of assistants."
Lumine glared at Ryen angrily.
"Nonsense! I was the one who found them! What did you do the whole time?"
"Of course I contributed!"
Ryen said proudly.
"My remote guidance is the reason you solved Sumeru's problems."
"Liar! You, "
"Want your staff back?"
"…You guided extremely well!"