Following Ryen's thorough breakdown of the mana economy, Xiao and the surrounding Adepti exchanged brief, knowing looks, a quiet sense of profound relief settling through their ranks.
The present Jade Chamber was no longer the modest floating estate of past years. Serving as the primary facade of Liyue and the foundational seat of Ningguang's authority, its structural expansion and technical overhaul had proceeded without pause. Beyond standing as the supreme cultural symbol of the nation, the chamber had evolved into one of Liyue's most terrifying airborne fortresses.
Its footprint alone had grown more than fourfold, easily matching the combined expanse of four Dawn Wineries.
Yet physical scale was merely the baseline. Countless Redstone engineering arrays lined every tier of the superstructure. Among its heavy armaments stood twelve Redstone mountain-clearing cannons, arranged to eliminate every possible blind spot across a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc. Beneath the main hull, specialized kinetic arrays for dragon-slaying artillery were firmly anchored in place.
It was an engine of war armored completely to the teeth.
Had Osial faced such a manifestation during his ancient resurgence, the storm lord would have likely been blasted back into the deep before even clearing the waterline. Reinforced with tiers of active beacons, the Jade Chamber stood as Ningguang's proudest asset and the uncontested zenith of Liyue's martial dominance.
Within Liyue Harbor, merchants and citizens frequently joked that the flying bastion had effectively become the second Geo Archon, capable of crushing ancient gods while showering the populace beneath with celestial blessings.
Such terrifying capability brought an equally staggering operational burden. Maintaining its mobility through the skies was a logistical nightmare. To ensure basic levitation, Sea Gazer had spent three months forging refined Plaustrite, embedding over a thousand dense cores across the lower keel.
Even then, the stones merely kept the titan aloft. For active navigation and combat maneuvering, the fortress depended entirely on the channeled energy of the adepti.
In earlier days, a single adeptal power core could propel the palace through the clouds. Against a fortress of this current magnitude, even a hundred standard cores would burn out within minutes. Ryen had ultimately stepped in, utilizing Imaginary energy to condense a pristine power core capable of driving the leviathan.
Yet the core still required continuous recharging, a grueling burden that fell directly upon the shoulders of the adepti.
To keep the platform operational, more than twenty adepti were required to ascend the palace each week, pouring their elemental energy into the containment matrix until their reserves ran completely dry. Charging days had quickly become the most dreaded assignments on their calendar.
Funneling such vast quantities of energy left Xiao and the others in a state of sheer physical depletion for an entire day afterward, barely able to lift a finger. Yet the patrols could not cease. The Jade Chamber remained Liyue's greatest deterrent, and Ningguang shared the deepest ties with Ryen. Even setting aside diplomatic courtesy to the Tianquan, none wished to shirk a duty tied to Ryen's vision.
The adepti viewed the chore with quiet dread. Reluctant as they were, they could hardly ask Rex Lapis to serve as a common battery.
Cloud Retainer had once proposed hunting down a stray divine remnant to trap as a living generator, but the idea was soon abandoned. Intact gods were exceedingly rare, and unless one captured an entity matching the tier of Morax or Barbatos, the output would still fall short of sustaining the palace during sustained aerial drift.
With the introduction of Mana Flasks, a viable solution had finally presented itself.
The energy stored within a Grand Mana Flask was dense, the crafting materials were simple, and production was entirely renewable. Once the alchemical laboratories adapted the formula, the adeptal ranks could permanently retire from the exhausting routine. Even if they had to provide an emergency surge, draining a flask immediately afterward would spare them from spending the following day collapsed in recovery.
Zhongli considered the matter with quiet deliberation, accepting the newly sealed glass vessel from Ryen's hands. He observed the fluid within, noting that relative to his divine reservoir, a single flask represented a modest fraction.
The true value lay in the mechanics of the Minecraft realm. The item restored energy on an absolute scale, indifferent to whether the fuel was mortal elemental flow, raw mana, or divine authority. It did not diminish in efficacy based on the refined quality of the user's power. Given the low cost of synthesis, Zhongli could drink them like water during prolonged engagements.
"The fabrication cost remains exceptionally low," Zhongli remarked, setting the flask down. "I suggest every combatant carry an ample supply. Maintaining these reserves will drastically extend our operational endurance, effectively elevating our overall combat readiness."
Murmurs of agreement rippled across the clearing. The item seemed deceptively ordinary, yet its strategic implications were world-altering. A universal restorative with zero metabolic recoil was an absurdity on the battlefield.
With enough vials on hand, any Vision holder could maintain continuous battlefield pressure, outlasting even the sustained output of the Heavenly Principles. Had such supplies existed during the ancient Archon War, Zhongli could have flattened four divine rivals in succession without suffering minor wounds, unleashing Planet Befall as standard strikes. Even the Raiden Shogun could deliver the Musou no Hitotachi repeatedly, limited only by the physical endurance of her vessel.
"When paired with standard Health Potions, the synergy will become far more pronounced," Baizhu added thoughtfully, adjusting his spectacles. "Simultaneously renewing vitality and energy reserves would theoretically allow an individual to fight at peak condition indefinitely, provided the supplies hold."
"You should investigate that within the workshop," Ningguang said, turning toward him. "Attempt to stabilize a combined compound blending the mana solution, healing draughts, and even bucket-purified milk. If the synthesis holds, we will possess a universal restorative elixir."
Baizhu inclined his head. "I will oversee the trials personally."
"Furthermore, classify the Mana Flask as a Grade One strategic resource. It is not to be requisitioned without proper clearance," Ningguang continued smoothly, casting a glance toward Jean and the overseas delegates. "Issue orders to the Main Continent to begin large-scale brewing immediately. Have dedicated personnel cultivate the Mana Crystal flowers, and ensure bone meal allocations are prioritized for their growth beds."
Jean and the accompanying knights nodded in firm agreement.
Ryen gathered a small handful of crystalline fragments and passed them to Baizhu. "Prepare several full sets first so everyone has adequate stock on hand."
Baizhu accepted the materials and moved toward the brewing stands.
With logistics handled, Ryen turned his attention back to the final treasures recovered from the wizard's inner sanctum: an ancient Master Spellbook and a masterwork staff. These artifacts represented the pinnacle of arcane trade within the tower.
Ryen opened the leather-bound grimoire, skimming the glowing glyphs etched across the vellum before letting out a soft chuckle. "This is an exceptional find. Anyone holding a Master Staff should consider slotting this spell immediately. It belongs to the Master Sorcery tree: Black Hole."
Curiosity sparked across the gathered fighters.
"The incantation tears open a singular gravitational anomaly within a six-meter radius at the target point," Ryen explained, tracing the arcane diagrams with his finger. "Every entity caught inside the boundary is drawn toward the center, taking continuous heavy damage over a duration of twenty seconds. Once caught, very few targets survive the full collapse. It functions as high-tier crowd control paired with catastrophic area damage."
He paused, letting the group absorb the mechanics. "If bound with a Void Eyestone, the event horizon will actively consume non-living structures as well, devouring stone, earth, and timber within the radius. The only reliable countermeasure is an Anchoring Amulet. Furthermore, if you upgrade your staff's casting duration, area of effect, and range, the spell scales exponentially. The mana draw sits at a manageable one hundred and fifty points. If your Master Staff currently holds redundant spells, replace them with this without hesitation."
The fighters nodded solemnly. Black Hole stood among the most destructive combat spells they had encountered. While it lacked the esoteric utility of Ningguang's Necromancy staff or Zhongli's advanced restorative arrays, its raw destructive threshold was unmatched. Used correctly, it had the capacity to shred an entire divine vanguard.
Ryen positioned an Arcane Workbench on the turf, intending to fine-tune his own loadout later. On his personal ice-aligned Master Staff, while Time Stop remained untouched, he planned to replace the Zombie Apocalypse summon with something more direct.
"Finally, we have this," Ryen said, lifting the pale, frost-covered weapon from the table and inspecting its crystalline core. After a moment, he extended the haft toward Ganyu. "The Staff of Eternal Winter. A true Master-tier casting weapon."
Ganyu reached out, her fingers brushing the chilled wood as she received the weapon with both hands.
"The loaded loadout contains Containment, Frost Ward, Wall of Frost, Rain, and Blizzard," Ryen continued, breaking down the configuration. "You already know Wall of Frost and Blizzard from my demonstrations. One erects glacial barriers while freezing nearby targets, and the other blankets a vast perimeter in lethal, continuous frostbite. Rain speaks for itself, but when Ganyu casts it over Teyvat, her Cryo application will instantly freeze entire battalions solid across the drenched terrain. I suggest keeping that utility intact."
He hesitated slightly, glancing between the staff and the scroll on the table. "As for Containment and Frost Ward... The current synergy is remarkably well balanced, but the Black Hole spell is simply too powerful to ignore. If you wish to swap, replacing Frost Ward is the most logical route, unless we choose to forge additional spell slots into the staff later."
Ganyu tilted her head, her soft voice carrying a hint of confusion. "Is the current setup that harmonious?"
"Without question," Ryen replied. "Frost Ward creates a persistent mantle of rime around your body, inflicting severe frostbite and heavy movement penalties on anyone striking you in melee. Meanwhile, Containment is an extraordinary Sorcery-tier binding spell. Upon impact, the target is completely locked within a thirteen-by-thirteen perimeter for twenty seconds, entirely unable to step beyond the boundary."
He gestured toward the open field. "It provides absolute zone control. If you drop Containment, layer Black Hole directly on top of them, and seal the perimeter with Blizzard, the resulting destruction is inescapable. Containment and Blizzard cannot be removed, yet Black Hole remains essential. The remaining three spells all carry vital combat synergy for your style. In my view, the most practical approach is simply expanding the staff's slot capacity at the workbench."