"Ryen, esteemed leaders."
Dashi strode hurriedly into the council chamber, his face flushed with bright, open excitement.
"Forgive me; I have arrived late."
"Think nothing of it. How proceeds the consolidation of resources?"
Ryen waved a hand in easy dismissal, prompting Dashi to snap immediately to attention.
"The resource extraction operations across all five courts have proceeded with remarkable smoothness over the past week. Regarding the Wizardry module..."
Before he could continue, Ryen lifted a hand.
"A fortnightly briefing will suffice for the Wizardry module moving forward."
"Right now, let us focus entirely upon the Genshin Impact module."
Dashi nodded, taking a brief second to compose his thoughts.
"The rollout of the Genshin Impact module has gone exceptionally well. The regiments already possessed an intimate understanding of these materials from their lives back home, and paired with the botanical digests provided by Sumeru, our stockpiles have expanded rapidly."
"As for exact figures..."
Ningguang raised two fingers, gently interrupting his accounting.
"File the specific tallies in a written ledger for later review. First, tell us of your notable, extraordinary findings."
Dashi paused, his eyes lighting up with sudden fervor.
"There is an extraordinary development, Lady Ningguang!"
"Just this morning, our tunneling detachments beneath Mine Shaft Number Three uncovered vast, uninterrupted veins of Crystal Chunks and Electro Crystals."
Dashi pressed his lips together, a conflicted, wonder-filled expression crossing his features.
"The crystal ores we extracted are fundamentally different from those quarried in Teyvat. As for the precise distinction..."
"My lords, it is far better that you witness it with your own eyes. Words fail to convey the reality."
With a swift gesture, Dashi placed five raw ore blocks upon the open floor.
"I harvested these specimens using a pickaxe enchanted with Silk Touch. My lords, perhaps one of you might strike them with a tool bearing the Fortune enchantment?"
Hearing the invitation, Gorou rose eagerly from his seat nearby, drawing an enchanted pickaxe from his spatial inventory with practiced ease.
Stepping forward, he brought the pickaxe down with a firm, measured strike.
The crystalline block shattered with a bright, glassy ring, spilling seven or eight radiant, uncut Crystal Chunks across the flagstones.
Gorou stood frozen, glancing back over his shoulder at the council in pure disbelief.
Wasting no time, he swung the tool against the remaining four blocks.
Within seconds, all five cubes were hollowed out.
Tallying the glittering haul scattered across the stone, thirty-eight pristine Crystal Chunks lay gleaming under the chandeliers.
"This output..."
"General Gorou, please place nine of those crystals into the crafting table," Dashi prompted softly.
Frowning in concentration, Gorou gathered nine shards and arranged them within the grid. Moments later, a solid, immaculate block of condensed crystal emerged from the bench.
Lifting the cube into his hands, Gorou tested its heft, his brow furrowing in astonishment.
"Its weight rivals a block of solid iron!"
"Can this genuinely be a single cubic meter of solid crystal?"
Turning back toward the leadership table, Gorou nodded with absolute solemnity.
"Esteemed leaders, the yield of these crystal veins defies all normal expectations."
"Striking a vein with a Fortune-enchanted pickaxe carries the potential to yield up to twelve crystals in a single strike."
"These shards can be transported directly into Teyvat for immediate utilization."
"As for consolidating them into a cubic meter block, I questioned the veteran quarrymen, and none had ever encountered such a phenomenon. The practical applications of a solid cubic block of crystal remain entirely untested."
Dashi gathered the shards, laying them upon the long cedar table before stepping back into respectful silence.
Zhongli and the senior commanders leaned forward with sharp intrigue, turning the glowing minerals over in their palms.
Channeling a thread of divine power through the crystal lattice, Zhongli closed his eyes in brief contemplation before speaking with absolute certainty.
"The purity of this crystal exceeds native Teyvat deposits by nearly a hundredfold."
"As for this compressed cubic block..."
Zhongli accepted the dense mineral cube from Gorou, turning it beneath his fingers with visible wonder.
"The density has been concentrated to such a degree that referring to it as standard crystal ore is no longer accurate. This is an entirely uncharted mineral category."
"If we substitute this material for the standard crystals utilized across Teyvat, every industrial craft and metallurgical process reliant on crystal ore can undergo an immediate, revolutionary generational leap."
Zhongli looked up, fixing Dashi with an intense, expectant gaze.
"Are such veins abundant?"
Dashi gave a heavy, emphatic nod.
"Boundless! Beneath Mine Shaft Fourteen and Shaft Thirty-Seven, across an expanse spanning nearly a thousand meters, the subterranean strata consists entirely of crystal ore."
"Other shafts have logged strikes as well, though their full boundaries remain unsurveyed."
"Our teams made the initial discovery early this morning, and across a single morning of mining, our haul has reached over one hundred and thirty-eight thousand Crystal Chunks."
Keqing froze, staring at him in utter, breathless astonishment.
"One hundred and thirty-eight thousand? Are you certain that is the quarried total? The volume already resting within our logistical depots?"
Dashi offered a wry, helpless chuckle.
"Lady Keqing, how could I dare fabricate such a manifest? Outside Shafts Fourteen and Thirty-Seven, the loading yards are packed solid with large wooden storage chests."
"To conserve warehouse space, we compressed the bulk of those crystals into these cubic meter blocks before boxing them."
A radiant, uncontrollable joy blazed in Keqing's violet eyes.
"Over one hundred and thirty-eight thousand shards, with vast tracts of the veins still waiting to be quarried..."
"Liyue's annual domestic production of crystal ore barely reaches thirty thousand shards, with domestic consumption hovering around twenty-five thousand."
"One hundred and thirty thousand extracted in a single morning. We shall never suffer a shortage of crystal ore again."
Ningguang reined in her own delight, speaking in a calm, measured cadence.
"Crystal ore is undoubtedly essential, possessing widespread industrial utility, yet compared to elemental minerals, its strategic value is modest."
"Modest?"
Ryen raised an eyebrow, tossing her a playful, amused smirk.
"What nonsense are you uttering? Crystal Chunks can be refined into Mystic Enhancement Ore, a reagent that directly ascends and tempers the armaments of your native world."
"Furthermore, crystal ore is a mandatory component for forging high-tier weaponry."
"While it cannot forge divine arms, consider the crafts of your realm: the Prototype Rancour, the Amenoma Kageuchi, the Prototype Archaic."
"So long as the smiths hold the blueprints, crystal ore allows the mass fabrication of those weapons."
"Those blades sit just beneath the threshold of divine weapons. Had this block world not intervened, would the majority of your champions not be wielding those very armaments?"
"Now, you hold the means to distribute those weapons across your entire standing army."
Ningguang paused, genuine realization washing over her face as she inclined her head.
"Framed in that light, crystal ore carries monumental strategic weight. Full-scale extraction must continue unabated."
"What other bounties were uncovered?"
Dashi nodded briskly.
"Beyond crystal veins, we uncovered vast deposits of specialized elemental ores."
"Electro Crystals, for example?" Tighnari inquired, leaning forward over the table.
Dashi scratched his cheek, looking somewhat perplexed.
"Yes, but there is more. Words fail me, Lord Tighnari. The resource manifests your scholars provided lack entries for several of our findings."
"Numerous specimens we extracted simply do not exist within your texts."
Opening a leather satchel, Dashi produced a cluster of strangely colored, metallic ingots, laying them before the scholars.
"That is entirely logical. Teyvat is vast beyond measure, and the mechanics of this module are steeped in mystery; we could hardly expect our scholars to record every anomaly."
Tighnari peered at the metallic bars, only to blink in utter bewilderment.
"Even I have never laid eyes upon such specimens."
"These are elemental crystallizations, and..."
Ryen picked up one of the uniquely tinted ingots with keen amusement.
"Where did your scouts uncover these bars?"
Dashi tilted his head, answering plainly.
"They were retrieved from dungeon treasure chests."
"That explains it," Ryen chuckled, tossing the metal lightly in his palm. "These do not generate naturally in the earth; they are forged elemental steel ingots."
"Elemental steel ingots?"
The table buzzed with intense curiosity. Ryen deduced that these alloys did not exist in native Teyvat lore, having been introduced as custom crafts native to the Genshin Impact mod.
He offered a straightforward breakdown.
"Take this one: Lotus Steel, synthesized from eight pinches of Lotus Head powder and a single iron ingot."
"This bar is Dandelion Steel, forged from eight measures of Dandelion Seed powder and an iron ingot."
"Here we have Flame Steel, Mist Steel, and Dendro Steel."
"Your scouts enjoyed remarkable fortune; these alloys are normally forged by hand."
"Within the boundaries of this realm, their utility is confined to synthesizing specialized weapons and armor. Yet across the threshold in Teyvat..."
Ryen shrugged, turning an amused, expectant glance toward Alhaitham.
"Alhaitham, what applications would you envision for steel infused with concentrated elemental power?"
Alhaitham studied the glowing bars, his brow furrowing in deep, analytical contemplation.
"I cannot offer a definitive conclusion without rigorous laboratory experimentation."
"Yet one truth is absolute: Teyvat has never seen metallic steel bonded directly with pure elemental currents."
"Judging by the pristine concentration of elemental force locked within these matrices, our elemental engineering is poised for an unprecedented renaissance."
"These alloys are invaluable. I shall direct the faculties to establish dedicated research initiatives, though the experimentation will require substantial material allocations."
Ryen smiled, tossing the ingot into Alhaitham's waiting hands.
"Their synthesis is remarkably simple. I will provide the crafting recipes, and your researchers can forge whatever quantities they require."
Alhaitham inspected the ingot, feeling the pure, thrumming pulse of elemental energy radiating against his skin.
The faculties of the Akademiya would lose their collective minds over this material.
"Leave the study of these elemental steels to the Akademiya; our scholars specialize in such disciplines, and the alliance can simply await our published findings."
Ningguang and the leaders smiled in agreement.
"We entrust the research to your care, then."
Ryen turned his gaze back to Dashi, his eyes bright with curiosity.
"Store the raw ores according to our established protocols: one portion distributed to the national outposts, another reserved for the manor reserves, and Liyue's domestic share secured within Redstone Tech City."
"Ensure a sample of every discovered mineral is logged in our permanent registry."
"Now, what other harvests did the Genshin Impact module yield across the week?"
Dashi retrieved another parchment from his tunic, reviewing the ledger.
"Following our redeployment, our primary divisions focused on restoring our stocks of Totems of Undying and modern munitions."
"Our full mobilization toward the Genshin Impact module spans merely the past three days."
"Yet across those seventy-two hours, the variety of specimens gathered is remarkably vast."
Ryen waved a hand.
"Skip the common commodities; focus on the exceptional items."
Dashi nodded, reading from the manifest.
"Mist Flowers, Flaming Flowers, Electro Crystals, Cor Lapis, Violetgrass, Qingxin, Sea Ganoderma, Primogems..."
"Beyond botanical and mineral deposits, we harvested extensive monster materials."
"Slime Condensate, Whopperflower Nectar, Spectral Nuclei, Hilichurl Masks, Handguards, Fungal Spores, Dead Ley Line Leaves..."
Listening to the catalog, the commanders nodded with profound satisfaction.
Yet Aether, who had been listening with detached indifference, suddenly went completely rigid.
"Hold on! Did you say... Dead Ley Line Leaves?"
Dashi blinked, glancing toward the prince in confusion.
"Indeed, Prince Aether. Is there an issue?"
Aether's golden eyes narrowed into sharp slits, his voice dropping into a tense, dangerous register.
"Where precisely did your units procure those leaves?"
Such remnants were carried almost exclusively by the mages of the Abyss Order.
Dashi scratched his cheek, looking somewhat bewildered by the prince's intense reaction.
"Our advance scouts encountered patrols of the Abyss Order while charting the frontier."
Aether stared in total silence.
"Our soldiers eliminated them on the spot, and the fallen creatures dropped the Dead Ley Line Leaves."
Aether sat frozen, his jaw locked as a tempest of pure, incandescent fury erupted behind his eyes.