Chapter 877 - 877: 877: The March of Five Thousand Wings

After drinking a restorative alchemical draught and consuming an Enchanted Golden Apple, Zhongli held onto consciousness just long enough to issue a few final directives to Xiao and the adepti before succumbing to a deep, heavy slumber.

The severe depletion of soul force had no conventional cure within Teyvat, yet within the block world, the solution was as simple as sleep.

A single day and night resting upon these wooden beds would restore him to absolute vitality.

Seeing that their sovereign was completely safe, Xiao and the mountain guardians finally let out their held breath.

The other commanders in the hall began discussing the process of rewriting the world's underlying code.

Unlike Ningguang, Guizhong, and Zhongli, none of them had directly confronted that incomprehensible tangle of cosmic laws.

Even the three administrators themselves struggled to find mortal words to describe the spectacle.

The others could only imagine the reality in their own minds.

From Ryen's perspective, however, dissecting the finer details of those source codes was largely unnecessary.

Once one attained the mantle of a server administrator, why bother obsessing over individual leylines?

Within their sovereign server boundaries, every fundamental law of the universe fell directly under their fingertips.

Under such conditions, scrutinizing isolated mechanics was a waste of effort.

The authority granted to a server administrator was a life tier that fundamentally eclipsed that of an Archon.

In terms of existence, their essence was tethered directly to the world itself, making them immortal and indestructible within their borders. Even upon crossing back into Teyvat, they were permanently severed from the mortal cycle of aging, disease, and death.

As for raw physical power...

What entity in the cosmos could endure the kinetic impact of a permanent quarter-share of Ryen's physical constitution?

Whether one measured martial output or cosmic authority, the moment they grasped server administration, they stood at the absolute zenith.

Delving into trivial technical studies was not entirely useless, but its practical value was modest.

At most, it merely added a few colorful visual flourishes to their repertoire.

It was essentially the flashy particle effects Ryen had always enjoyed tinkering with in his spare time.

Simply put, once Ningguang and her peers finished calibrating the remaining code, their instinctual comprehension of universal mechanics would deepen considerably.

Even if they stepped outside their administrator zones, they would still stand as authentic, living gods.

For ancient gods like Zhongli and Guizhong, this process would shatter the conventional limits of godhood entirely.

Back in Teyvat, they would no longer rely on divine power or elemental resonance to enforce their will, but would manipulate the fundamental laws of reality directly.

They would function precisely like the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.

Their physical bodies would contain no isolated power reservoir, drawing directly upon the universe itself as an inexhaustible spring.

Viewed through that lens, commanding universal laws was undeniably more refined than channeling raw divine authority.

At the very least, Zhongli estimated that he would soon be able to replicate Ryen's feats, casually synthesizing fresh Visions with a flick of his wrist, and perhaps, with further evolution, forging genuine Gnoses out of thin air.

Regardless of future possibilities, the calibration of code was temporarily halted.

In their current condition, the three administrators could scarcely keep their eyes open. Even a legendary workaholic like Keqing could not bring herself to suggest they resume editing after waking.

Letting out a soft sigh, Keqing adjusted the entries in her notebook.

"I had assumed that altering code would prove taxing, but manageable with three people dividing the burden."

"Now it is obvious that the mental drainage is staggering. Finalizing the server parameters for Redstone Tech City will take far longer than anticipated."

Ryen shrugged, offering a casual reassurance.

"There is no rush. Once the critical safety protocols are secured, the finer details can wait until the civilian migration begins."

"The lion's share of mental fatigue comes from severing root planetary algorithms."

"Standard regional flags consume mental focus, but they will not leave administrators paralyzed in their seats."

Keqing nodded, accepting the logic.

After a brief pause, she spoke in a subdued tone.

"Perhaps we should adjourn the council. Ningguang and the others are in no condition to move, let alone deliberate further."

"Aside from essential maintenance, let us pause all secondary operational schedules for today."

"Shall we begin rotating the frontline divisions home for their scheduled leave?"

Ryen raised an eyebrow, a teasing grin touching his lips.

"Taking a rest? To think such words could flow from the mouth of our esteemed Yuheng."

Keqing shot him a sharp, defensive glare.

"I can endure endless overtime and drive myself to exhaustion, but I do not force every soul around me to work themselves into an early grave."

Ryen let out a warm, affectionate chuckle, shaking his head.

"You should not push yourself so hard either; you deserve a proper rest as well."

"It is decided, then! We only concluded the forty-nine-day siege yesterday, and today was spent locked in protracted debates over municipal code."

"Our core strategic blueprints are settled, and the rest simply requires time."

"Everyone shall take a few days of holiday. Enjoy a three or four-day recess, and we shall reconvene later."

Seeing no objections across the benches, Ryen rose from his chair, gently gathering Ningguang and Guizhong into his arms before turning toward the stairs.

"I shall remain inside the manor over these coming days, as Ningguang and Guizhong require quiet convalescence within this realm."

"You may arrange your own movements. The mechanics of the Genshin Impact module require no lengthy lectures from me; follow your own initiative."

Ryen carried his partners upstairs, accompanied by Ganyu and the others.

Xiao and the adepti chose to remain in the block world as well, standing guard while Zhongli slept.

The remaining delegations had their own domestic priorities.

Sumeru needed to catalog archival materials, while the other courts prepared to deploy leave rotations and compile manifests of missing regional resources to organize dedicated gathering missions.

Before long, quiet tranquility settled over the City Lord Manor once more.

The following afternoon marked the second day after the conclusion of the cataclysm.

The citizens of Liyue Harbor, who had spent days gripped by quiet apprehension, finally welcomed their kin through the gate.

Dashi and his fellow officers were granted a scheduled furlough to visit their households.

Though his family had received official word that he had walked the path of resurrection, seeing him step across the threshold whole and uninjured moved his wife to joyous tears.

As Dashi recounted the brutal reality of the siege, describing how warriors threw their bodies into collapsing breaches to buy time for the masonry to set, his kin listened with wide, terrified eyes.

The casualties had been astronomical.

Whenever his family asked after his personal trials, Dashi merely offered an easy, dismissive laugh, steering the conversation toward pleasantries.

Yet through Baiwen, his household already knew the truth: Dashi had laid down his life six times upon that field.

Even if resurrection had restored his flesh, experiencing the cold embrace of death again and again was a nightmare beyond words.

His wife looked upon him with deep, aching sorrow, yet her pride burned just as brightly.

Beside them, Aunt Qiao clapped her son firmly upon the shoulder, praising his courage with tearful satisfaction.

Dashi remained at home for barely twenty-four hours before hastily gathering his gear to depart.

Redstone Tech City held countless logistical duties that demanded his oversight; had Keqing and the council not ordered every soldier home on mandatory leave, none of the veterans would have left their posts.

Reunions were brief, and departures were swift.

The Millelith had dedicated their lives to the flourishing of Liyue, leaving them little time to bestow upon their own hearths.

Dashi understood this painful truth intimately. Across the eight months since he first crossed the threshold into the block world, the days he had spent beside his family totaled less than two weeks.

He had watched his children grow only through scattered moments.

Guilt weighed upon his chest, yet he had no choice. Liyue's ascension demanded the unified toil of every citizen, and his focus belonged on the frontier.

Dozens of junior officers awaited his commands; he had no leisure to dwell on private regrets.

Moreover, as the block world was cleared and developed, the prosperity of his household, and indeed the entirety of Liyue, climbed with every passing month.

Witnessing his own sweat transform his homeland into an empire of abundance was a supreme honor no Millelith soldier could ever refuse.

Before stepping out the front door, catching the hollow disappointment in his family's eyes, Dashi offered a quiet, hopeful whisper.

If the nation maintained its current momentum for another month, permanent family reunions across the threshold might become an everyday reality.

His wife looked puzzled, but his mother grasped the underlying implication.

Aunt Qiao simply offered a warm, proud smile, bidding him return to his duty without worry.

Across the harbor, veteran regiments filtered home on staggered furloughs, only to return across the gate once their shifts concluded.

With Ningguang lifting the gag orders, news of the block world spread across the Seven Nations like wildfire.

Tales of an infinite geometric cosmos, harrowing wars against legions of the undead, and miraculous totems that conquered death itself filled the taverns.

The revelations shattered the worldview of the common folk, igniting boundless curiosity in every street.

Adventurers and the freedom-loving folk of Mondstadt were especially consumed with wanderlust, itching to dive through the portal to explore the frontier.

The headquarters of the Adventurers' Guild, situated within Snezhnaya, submitted a formal petition to the Tsaritsa.

They requested permission to establish forward branches within the block world, eager to inaugurate expeditions across uncharted territories.

The Tsaritsa shared the proposal with the allied council.

Objectively speaking, integrating the Adventurers' Guild would cause territorial exploration rates to skyrocket.

Yet the current era was not suitable for unrestricted civilian colonization.

Orderly expansion required that each of the five nations establish a fully fortified, server-administrated metropolis before the borders could open to the public.

Thus, while legends of the new world stirred fierce longing and commercial interest across Teyvat, physical access remained strictly restricted to the military.

This exclusivity accelerated recruitment drives across every territory.

When Liyue announced a recruitment quota of ten thousand fresh infantry, eighty thousand applicants swarmed the ministry offices within twenty-four hours, with thousands more returning from the wilderness to submit their names.

The recruitment goals would be fulfilled within two weeks.

As for foreign friction sparked by the sudden revelation of the block world, such as opportunistic plots by the Treasure Hoarders...

A few stray embers flickered, certainly.

Yet before those schemes could take root, the Five-Nation Alliance unleashed their Dragon Knights.

A colossal flight of over five thousand dragon mounts darkened the skies, conducting an overwhelming, sweeping patrol across the entirety of Teyvat.

In an instant, every unruly faction across the continent fell dead silent.

Following the dragons, the alliance paraded their combat mage corps, heavy cavalry, and mechanized vanguards through regional capitals.

Finally, their modern firearm divisions conducted joint live-fire naval artillery exercises upon the open sea.

The thunderous demonstration silenced the continent completely.

Even the fractured remnants of the Fatui operating in secret within Snezhnaya dissolved into thin air.

Pierro and Dottore had clearly recognized that the tide was insurmountable, retreating deep into the shadows.

Mortal unrest had never been Ningguang's primary concern.

Her true gaze was fixed upon Celestia and the Heavenly Principles.

The Heavenly Principles remained deep in slumber, bearing scars from ancient wounds.

Yet upon the floating island of Celestia itself, a cold, watchful presence had stirred, casting its gaze downward upon the earth.

Zhongli and the Archons had initially prepared to step onto the plains to demonstrate their martial edge, formally firing the opening shot of defiance.

Yet the moment Celestia detected their overwhelming, harmonized aura, the divine gaze withdrew instantly.

A colossal celestial barrier flared into existence, and the floating citadel that had hung in the skies of Teyvat for millennia vanished entirely from view.

Celestia was terrified, retreating behind wards until the Heavenly Principles could awaken.

Zhongli and the sovereigns felt a faint twinge of disappointment, yet having the heavens avert their eyes granted the alliance absolute freedom to expand without interference.

Under this eerie silence and the feverish enthusiasm of its people, the Five-Nation Alliance entered an era of explosive, unprecedented prosperity.

The only courts left in an awkward position were Fontaine and Natlan, the two remaining realms outside the grand pact.

Natlan was largely insulated, isolated behind rugged borders while consumed by intensifying crises spilling from the Mare Jivari.

The entire nation was locked in an existential struggle, possessing neither the attention nor the resources to notice foreign developments; had the flights of dragon mounts not crossed their skies, they would have remained entirely ignorant.

Natlan existed in a state of enforced isolation, not out of stubborn pride like the old Vision Hunt Decree in Inazuma, but because crisis left them no alternative.

Zhongli and the council knew little of Natlan's internal trials, yet the Pyro Archon was no timid, haughty ruler; had she reached the end of her rope, she would have sent word across the borders.

For now, the southern border held.

As for Fontaine...

Matters across the western waters were infinitely more tangled.