"Bring doors? Is that some sort of magic novel key required to enter the temple?" Hu Tao blinked, her curiosity piqued.
Ningguang and the others, however, had already realized the purpose. The sudden energy Ryen had felt while being prompted by Rosalyne vanished, and he gave a resigned shake of his head. "Rosalyne, explain it to them."
A flicker of pride flashed in Rosalyne's eyes. This was the first time Ryen had truly praised her.
"Back when we were learning about the world's characteristics, Ryen mentioned repeatedly that some mundane objects possess effects far beyond our imagination."
"I know! Like boats!" Guizhong raised her hand excitedly, a joyful light in her eyes. "I used a boat to land without taking any damage during a parkour race."
"Right! When we first explored this world and encountered Endermen, we used boats to trap them, too," Keqing added.
Rosalyne continued, "Boats are indeed artifacts, but doors are no less useful. Don't you remember? If we run out of oxygen underwater, a door is the solution. Placing a door on the seabed creates an immediate air pocket large enough for a person to breathe. It displaces the water. Since we're going into an Ocean Monument, it's bound to be filled with water. Bringing doors will help everyone clear out that space. It's a shame we didn't bring sponges, as those would make clearing the water even easier."
Listening to Rosalyne's explanation, the group finally understood. Ryen had indeed mentioned the properties of doors before, but it had been so long, and their recent days had been so leisurely, that they had largely forgotten. Ningguang and the others felt a momentary flush of embarrassment. As Ryen's partners, their memory of his teachings was currently falling short of Rosalyne's.
The Tsaritsa watched Rosalyne with a look of quiet approval. The woman had clearly been studying hard; she would make an excellent commander-in-chief for Snezhnaya's development in this world. This feat had certainly brought some prestige to their nation.
"Not having sponges doesn't matter," Ryen said with a wave of his hand. "Sponges are everywhere in the Ocean Monument. We can gather them on-site. You'll just need to process the wet ones."
He looked at Lumine with a playful glint in his eye. "If you don't know how to process wet sponges, then I really won't let you go."
"Of course I know! Don't underestimate me!" Lumine glared at him, puffing out her cheeks. "You just put them in a furnace to dry them out. When Liyue Harbor was expanding toward the sea, we needed a ton of dry sponges, and I helped with that back then."
Ryen nodded, satisfied. "That covers it. Take your Channeling diamond pickaxes and go. Gold doesn't matter, we have plenty of it. Dig it if you want, or leave it. But try to mine the Sea Lanterns and Prismarine; those are quite useful. Once you're inside, seal off the area immediately. Then, use the sponges to absorb the water. It'll make dealing with the Guardians much easier. Underwater, the Guardians are no less dangerous than witches."
The team nodded. Fortunately, they all carried plenty of the supplies Ryen mentioned. They finished their preparations, drank their Night Vision and Water Breathing potions, gripped their Channeling tridents, and after a quick goodbye, plunged into the sea.
Those remaining on the surface also drank their Night Vision potions to watch the descent. Xiao and the others remained ready to provide support should any danger arise. For this group, the Ocean Monument posed little real threat.
Zhongli went back to his fishing rod, seeking to cultivate his state of mind. For once, his long-quiet rod finally gave a tug. Zhongli arched a brow and pulled with a firm, practiced motion, dragging a green figure out of the water.
"Ehe! Grandpa, your aim is quite accurate." Wenti looked up sheepishly after being yanked from the depths. He had genuinely thought he'd finally caught something today.
The crowd looked at Wenti with strange expressions, having watched him get hooked the moment he entered the water. A moment later, Zhongli inhaled deeply and kicked Wenti right back into the sea. He resettled himself and continued fishing.
The small incident left everyone struggling to contain their laughter. After a moment, Ningguang whispered, "Do you think there will be treasures in the Ocean Monument?"
Ryen shrugged. "Probably. It doesn't really matter. The main point is the novelty of exploring the unknown. If they want to go, let them have their fun. There's still plenty of time; playing for a while is fine."
Ningguang nodded slightly and said no more.
Those who had dived into the sea could not communicate as freely as they did on land. The group found it difficult to complain about the logic of the world, it always enjoyed playing this game. It was already completely illogical in its existence, yet it remained obsessed with these tiny, rigid details. Fortunately, they still had their remote communication tools, so they simply opened a small group chat to talk without being hindered.
Although the monument was in the deep sea zone, the structure itself was quite tall. After swimming for a short while, they were already hovering directly above it.
Baizhu was busy marveling at the magnificent architecture of the seabed when a sudden current rushed past him. He turned to see Diluc, trident in hand, having swiftly eliminated a Drowned that had been creeping up on him. Baizhu nodded in quick thanks.
Diluc's voice came through the comms. "Don't just admire the scenery. There are many Drowned down here. Be careful."
The group tightened their focus and continued their descent. Before long, they reached the front entrance. The Ocean Monument was far better constructed than the Desert Temple. Structurally, it resembled a desert pyramid, neatly planned and perfectly joined.
They stood at the entrance for a moment, looked up to nod at Ryen and the others above, and entered the temple in an orderly fashion. Soon after, Endis and the others behind them used the doors they had brought to seal the entrance, blocking the view of the interior.
Ryen stretched, scooped up Nahida, and lay back in his boat, closing his eyes for a nap. "They'll be at least half an hour. Let's rest. Rowing for so long is a bit boring."
The group nodded and scattered, some to fish, others to chat. Ningguang and the others pulled their boats together around Ryen's, sharing updates. They had also forgotten about the doors' properties that Rosalyne had mentioned, and they took the opportunity to catch up on any other mechanics they might have overlooked.
Suddenly, Klee, who had been趴 on the prow of Lisa's boat, cheered in delight. "Wow! Dolphins! Dolphins! Yay!"
Excited, Klee stood up, and Lisa quickly reached out to hold her. "Lisa! Ryen! Look! Dolphins! So many little dolphins!"
Klee's cheers made everyone turn to look forward. Under the effect of the Night Vision potions, everyone could clearly see a massive family of dolphins swimming beneath the surface. There had to be dozens of them.
They swam in a neat, orderly line toward the boats. While they had the slightly unconventional appearance typical of MC world creatures, they were undeniably cute. When they reached the boats, the dolphins seemed to reach a silent agreement. They accelerated in unison, breached the surface, and leaped high into the air, tracing perfect arcs over the boats. The spray they kicked up caught the sunlight, turning into a rainbow. It was as if a bridge of color had been erected over their heads.
"So beautiful..." Barbara covered her mouth in surprise, whispering so as not to startle them.
The dolphins seemed to sense the group's goodwill and showed no sign of leaving. They swirled around the boats, repeatedly breaching and diving as if performing specifically for them.
"Yay! Little dolphins are so cute!" Klee clapped in Lisa's arms, which only made the dolphins more energetic.
The group watched in quiet appreciation. Even Zhongli had a faint smile on his face, momentarily ignoring the state of his fishing rod.
"The world is constantly putting on beautiful surprises for us. With such a wonderful world, how could one ever feel bored?" Zhongli mused softly. "I suspect I could watch this for a thousand or ten thousand years and never feel tired of it."
Zhongli nodded, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction. Erosion, the weight he had carried for so long, had simply vanished in this realization. If one maintained eternal curiosity for the world, erosion should not exist.
Suddenly, a large dolphin swam up to Klee's boat, poked its head out, rubbed against Klee's palm, and gestured with its head. Klee's eyes lit up. "Little dolphin, do you want to take Klee to play?"
The dolphin seemed to understand, nodding happily. Klee looked at Ryen with expectation, and he didn't refuse. He smiled gently. "Go ahead, play nearby, but don't wander too far."
"Yay! Ryen is the best!" Klee jumped, and the dolphin leaped up to catch her.
For a fleeting moment, a faint, wondrous shimmer seemed to radiate from the dolphin. The next instant, it dove back into the sea, carrying Klee around the boats in circles, breaching high every now and then to make her laugh even harder.
"Two little sprites." Seeing Klee and the dolphin, Ningguang looked on with immense tenderness. She finally understood why Ryen loved raising daughters. Creatures like daughters were the most adorable, perfect sprites in the world.
Seeing Klee riding a dolphin, Qiqi and the others couldn't stay still. Since other dolphins had invited them as well, Ryen let them all go play for a while. Moments later, the surface of the sea was filled with the sound of laughter. Watching the four little ones, the group could only wear soft, maternal smiles. Was there anything in the world more worth marveling at than this?
"Dolphins provide the ocean's blessing to those around them; they increase swimming speed," Ryen whispered softly. "The dolphins in this world have inherited the traits of normal ones, they are friendly to humans and work in teams. They will even lead you to treasures of the sea. If you fall in, they will come to help you. These creatures are truly too adorable."
Ryen sighed with emotion. "Of course, being with Klee and the others... Klee and the others are the cutest of all."
As he spoke, a dolphin leaped from the water, and Klee happily reached out to touch Ryen's face. "Yay! I touched Ryen!"
Ryen chuckled, speechless.
Ningguang and the others didn't feel the need to ride the dolphins themselves. They sat quietly in their boats, watching the little girls swim with them, their hearts and minds thoroughly healed.
Dolphins leaping on the horizon, birds singing in the sky, colorful fish swimming beneath the waves, and turtles drifting along slowly. In the distance, the Sea Lanterns of the Ocean Monument glowed like stars in the depths. Even if they had gained nothing else from this trip, this scene alone was more than enough.