Three strange, pitch-black machines rested quietly on the grass before the group.
Though their shapes carried a hint of the blocky geometry native to this realm, their lines were distinctly sleek and aerodynamic. Four rubber wheels anchored the chassis to the soil, and the interior clearly housed an enclosed compartment built for passengers.
The companions from Teyvat had never laid eyes on such contraptions, but Ryen recognized them immediately.
These were the automobiles included in the modern firearms mod.
His fatigue vanished in an instant. He dismounted his horse and stepped over to inspect the lead vehicle.
"Ryen, are these meant for transporting people or cargo?" Ganyu walked up beside him, asking softly.
Ryen smiled and nodded. "That is right. Aether and Lumine should know what these are, too."
"Of course they are cars! I still remember that much!" Lumine giggled, casually patting the hood of the car before looking over at Tartaglia. "Did you find anything else besides these three cars?"
"Anything else?" Tartaglia scratched the back of his head, muttering in confusion, "Just three iron keys. Are those used to start these... cars?"
He tilted his head, curious. "What kind of vehicle is a car anyway? Is it like the festival floats during the Sabzeruz Festival?"
Ryen waved his hand with a chuckle. "Close enough. They are both vehicles."
Ryen took a slow walk around the three vehicles to inspect them. All three were Audi S4 models hardcoded into the modern warfare mod.
A small sigh escaped him. While Vic's Modern Warfare mod possessed an incredibly vast arsenal, even including miniature nuclear weapons, its vehicle selection was painfully barren. In total, there were only four vehicles available, and one of them was merely a motorcycle.
Compared to a civilian sedan, Ryen would have preferred a massive armored tank to roll across the plains. Regardless of raw firepower, a tank simply looked magnificent. Still, stumbling upon three usable cars in the wild was a welcome surprise.
"Vehicles like this are everywhere in technological worlds. They are the most common way to get around," Ryen explained as he took a key, unlocking and pulling open the driver's side door.
He slid inside to test the seat. Even though the car had been generated by the MC world, it was surprisingly comfortable, contouring naturally to the body.
As for the driving mechanics, thanks to the world's realistic conversion laws, operating it was quite similar to driving a real car, just noticeably simpler. It functioned essentially like an automatic car without the need for manual clutch shifting or handbrake management.
Gripping the steering wheel, a long-lost sense of modern familiarity returned to him.
"Normally, these vehicles only exist in Creative Mode," Ryen remarked with pleasant surprise. "If they could be crafted manually at a workbench, I would have built them long ago."
"With these around, our horses can finally be retired for lighter duties. Where did you find them anyway?"
Tartaglia pointed toward the spent brass casings scattered across the grass. "When that band of pillagers ambushed our scouts earlier, their leaders were driving these three machines across the plains."
"So they spawned naturally with hostile mobs," Ryen mused, clicking his tongue. "It is a pity there are only three. That is hardly enough to move an army."
"What do you mean they are not useful?!" Lumine chimed in eagerly, slipping into the passenger seat beside him with a proud grin. "I will have you know I passed my driving test back when I traveled through technological worlds! I was known as the Master of the Mountain Road!"
She leaned in, lowering her voice with a playful twinkle in her eyes. "Besides... did you forget? In modern worlds, car dates are extremely popular. Want to try something exciting tonight, Ryen?"
Ryen raised an eyebrow, gently pushing her face away with fond exasperation. "Can you keep your mind clear of those wild thoughts for five minutes? Where do you even learn all this nonsense?"
Lumine lifted her chin proudly, entirely unfazed. "Hmph! Do you think I was only eating and sightseeing during my travels across the stars? I spent countless hours browsing the internet, soaking up all kinds of cultural knowledge!"
She tapped her chin, pondering something thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, do you think we could set up the Akasha Terminal to broadcast that kind of stuff too?"
"Get rid of that dangerous idea right now," Ryen said dryly, giving the back of her head a light, reprimanding tap. "Nahida and the others use the Akasha daily. I am not letting you corrupt them."
Lumine rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath, "As if you do not make enough noise in the villa every night. Do you really think Nahida does not know?"
Ryen cleared his throat, choosing to ignore her remark entirely.
Still, Lumine's words held some truth. Having a private, enclosed vehicle did open up interesting possibilities that the open stone villas could not offer.
His gaze drifted out the window toward Ganyu, Lisa, and the other ladies standing nearby, a knowing smile appearing on his face.
Feeling the subtle shift in his gaze, Ganyu and the others felt a sudden chill, instinctively pulling their cloaks a little closer around their shoulders.
"So it is simply a transport carriage with no other functions?" Lisa asked, twirling a strand of her hair with relaxed elegance. "I thought it might be a special artifact related to Witchery. In Fontaine, they have steam-powered boats, and Nahida has her ceremonial float."
"Those rely on draft animals or concentrated elemental energy. What powers this car? Compressed air?"
Ryen shook his head, stepping out and shutting the door with a solid thud. "Under normal rules, it runs on gasoline, but in this world... it likely functions on a durability bar."
"Either way, they will be very useful," Ryen said. "As a means of travel, cars are exceptionally efficient."
"Their mechanical structure is relatively simple. If our scholars and artisans can understand the design and produce them, traveling and moving goods across our lands will become vastly easier."
"A sedan is only one type of vehicle," Ryen continued, patting the roof. "There are also transport trucks, high-speed sports cars, and family utility vehicles."
"This is a great harvest. If our craftspeople can replicate these engines, our alliance will take a massive leap toward technological civilization."
Ryen patted the car with satisfaction. He had set out to explore the Witchery mod, yet before they even cleared the plains, the firearms mod had unexpectedly yielded modern transport vehicles.
"Shall I have our people take them back for Albedo to examine?" Ningguang asked gently, her merchant's ledger already in hand.
She had immediately recognized the immense logistical value of these self-propelled vehicles. For commerce and trade, they represented a total revolution in transportation speed.
Ryen considered it. While the blacksmiths could not build modern internal combustion engines from scratch overnight, studying the interlocking gears and pistons might inspire the alchemists to design elemental hybrid carriages for Teyvat, which could then be brought back here for assembly.
Snapping his fingers, Ryen opened a shimmering spatial portal.
Looking at Aether, he asked, "You know how to drive, right?"
Aether nodded calmly. "I got my license long before she did. When our self-proclaimed Master of the Mountain Road took her written test, she failed four times in a row before scraping a pass."
"You traitor! Who told you to bring that up?!" Lumine puffed out her cheeks, pulling a grenade from her pouch and glaring at her brother with mock fury.
"I am simply stating verified facts," Aether replied evenly, ignoring the explosive entirely as he walked over and slid into the driver's seat. "Should I take all three back?"
Ryen nodded. "Send them over. Our group is too large for three sedans anyway."
"Once you deliver them, stop by Xinyue Kiosk and pick up a banquet spread. We will wrap up our march for today."
"We will have dinner, relax, and camp here tonight. At sunrise tomorrow, we push directly into the woods to find our first Witchery structures."
Aether nodded, turning the key to start the engine. The car hummed smoothly to life before rolling through the portal, vanishing back into Teyvat.
With transport settled, the vanguard began unpacking building blocks to set up their overnight camp. It had been quite some time since they had camped out in the wild, having grown accustomed to the comforts of the main villa after clearing the Twilight Forest. The fresh air and change of pace brought great enthusiasm to the camp.
The Khaenri'ahn pioneers worked with tireless energy, taking full charge of building defensive walls and residential cabins for the Archons and leadership.
In their words, these were the very first buildings erected upon the future soil of Khaenri'ah. The symbolic weight was immense, and they insisted that Khaenri'ahn hands lay every single brick so they could truly feel what it was like to settle their reclaimed homeland.
The Archons and officials happily left the construction to the engineers, scattering across the grasslands to enjoy the evening. Some rode their mounts along the perimeter, while others hunted wandering cattle and sheep to stock up on fresh beef and mutton before sunset.
Today was meant for travel and leisure; tomorrow would bring serious exploration. Everyone made sure to savor the peaceful twilight.
After letting Klee and Qiqi run off to play safely on the grass, Ryen placed a soft couch on the turf and sank into the cushions with a long sigh.
Though there had been no intense fighting, guiding a cross-continental expedition took a heavy mental toll. Exploring uncharted territory required him to constantly watch the system interface, monitor modded structures, and look out for potential hazards.
Noticing his weariness, Ganyu walked over quietly and sat beside him. She gently rested his head on her lap, using her warm, slender fingers to soothe his temples.
Ryen let out a contented breath, shifting his legs across the lap of Yae Miko, who was sitting on the other end of the couch.
The pink-haired shrine maiden blinked her violet eyes, a teasing lilt in her voice. "Resting your legs on my lap so casually, darling? You had better be prepared for the consequences."
Feeling her fingers begin to trace playful circles along his calves, Ryen opened one eye with a dry look. "There are guards and staff everywhere. Behave yourself until nightfall."
Yae Miko let out a soft laugh, pulling out a Witchery grimoire from her robe and flipping through the pages with relaxed poise.
"Ryen, the construction team has reached the coast and begun work on the harbor," Ningguang reported, walking over with Keqing.
Ryen kept his eyes closed, enjoying Ganyu's gentle touch as he asked, "How long will it take them to build a deep-water harbor that can hold ten thousand ships?"
Ningguang calculated the progress before answering. "If supply lines hold, two thousand workers can finish the main retaining walls and berths within a week."
"Then let them secure the harbor first, and make sure they plan a dedicated railway transit zone," Ryen said thoughtfully. "This harbor will serve as the primary lifeline connecting the Main Continent to this landmass, linked entirely by automated Redstone railways."
Ningguang smiled softly, reaching down to gently massage the furrow between his brows. "Leave the blueprints and logistics to Keqing and me, Ryen. You have spent the entire day leading the fleet across the sea. Rest for now, and let us handle the rest."
Ryen nodded gently, letting the lively sounds of the camp wash over him. After a quiet pause, he added, "Have Endis set up the Arcane Workbench in the center of camp before sunset. We brought plenty of spare spellbooks from the Twilight Forest."
"Let the frontline fighters cycle through and upgrade their staves with high-tier magic."
"Also, send word to the workshops in Liyue and Snezhnaya to speed up production on the high-tier SlashBlades. Once we finish exploring this New Continent and hand over the Witchery mod, the first batch of legendary blades should be ready."
"That way, our army can transition seamlessly into both advanced magic and elite sword arts, giving our forces a massive power boost."
Ningguang looked at him with fond exasperation. "Always planning five steps ahead... The blacksmiths are already testing the final prototypes. Everything you requested will be ready within two weeks."
She sat down beside him, leaning in close to whisper gently in his ear. "Now, stop worrying about what comes next, Ryen. Close your eyes and get some rest before dinner arrives."
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sorry for the dip in chapter quality, i have reuploaded the chapters
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