While Ryen and Lumine were engaged in their intense, heated battle upstairs.
Down at the foot of Mt. Tianheng, in the courtyard of Ryen's villa.
Ningguang, Lisa, and the rest of the women gathered tightly. They conversed in hushed tones, their heads leaning close as if plotting a grand scheme.
Before long, Ganyu walked back into the courtyard, a radiant, uncontrollable smile lifting the corners of her lips.
Ningguang raised her gaze from her teacup, her voice casual.
"Are Qiqi and the others asleep?"
At the mention of Qiqi, the warmth in Ganyu's expression deepened. She offered a gentle nod, her voice dropping to a soft murmur.
"Yes. Qiqi and the rest are being very good."
The overflowing maternal affection in her tone caused Yae Miko's shoulders to shake with suppressed amusement. The fox envoy raised a sleeve to cover her lips, a silvery giggle escaping.
"Oh my. It seems Big Sister Ganyu is going to make a wonderful mother."
"I am not!"
A bright rosy hue rushed to Ganyu's cheeks. She lowered her head, her rebuttal lacking any real conviction.
But truth be told.
Just moments ago, while tucking the girls into bed, she had watched the four little ones lying side by side. Their eyes were shut tight, breathing in a quiet, obedient rhythm.
Those soft, chubby little faces had completely captivated Ganyu, leaving her staring in a trance.
She had lingered in Klee's room for a long time.
She watched Klee sprawl out haphazardly, her little legs occasionally kicking the blankets away.
Ganyu would immediately step forward, gently tucking the covers back under the small girl.
Then she would turn her attention to Qiqi, who curled up tightly into a small ball, letting out tiny, rhythmic breaths.
Even Yaoyao, who usually acted like a little adult, looked unbelievably adorable in her sleep.
From time to time, Yaoyao would mumble soft sleep-talk.
Naturally, the mumbled words were mostly about reminding Ganyu to eat properly or telling Qiqi to do her stretches.
Just one well-behaved little girl was enough to make a person's heart bloom with joy.
And in the rooms Ryen prepared, there were exactly four of these precious children.
In the quiet solitude, Ganyu finally understood the sheer joy Ryen experienced in raising daughters.
Simply looking at these adorable beings made her feel entirely healed.
Watching Klee and the others sleep, Ganyu swore to herself. In all her thousands of years of life, never had she felt such a powerful, overwhelming desire to become a mother.
Looking at Qiqi and the rest, Ganyu fantasized about having a cute daughter of her own with Ryen.
She imagined telling her stories every night, coaxing her to sleep.
In the mornings, her precious daughter would rub her sleepy eyes, push open the door, and call out 'Mama' in a soft, sweet voice.
Then she would take care of her, helping her wash up and eat breakfast.
Now that her contract as the Qixing's secretary was gradually weakening.
Aside from accompanying Ryen, Ganyu had been feeling a bit lost about her own purpose and future.
But just now, a sudden epiphany struck her.
The life she truly yearned for was exactly this.
If she could have her own biological daughter to care for in the future, it would be even better.
The thought of her and Ryen watching the child grow up together, transforming from a tiny toddler into a graceful, elegant young woman.
Taking her daughter out shopping, listening to the people of Liyue Harbor praise the girl's beauty and how much she resembled her mother.
This kind of life.
It was vastly more joyful than being an adeptus!
As her thoughts drifted, the deep longing on Ganyu's face became impossible to conceal.
Noticing this, Miko let out a sly chuckle, her tone teasing.
"Big Sister Ganyu really wants to have a baby, doesn't she?"
Ganyu lowered her head further, offering no argument.
Ningguang smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Watching Qiqi and Klee, it really is difficult to keep one's maternal instincts from overflowing."
"I have been spending a lot of time helping Ryen take care of Klee lately."
"Every day, watching Klee and Nahida bounding around the courtyard, I always find myself thinking how nice it would be to have a daughter of my own. A daughter who would chase after me, calling me mother."
"Normally, my mind is entirely devoted to Liyue. I never even considered this kind of life before."
Miko nodded with great enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling.
"Exactly! Lately, I have also been dreaming about having a little fox with Ryen. Klee and the others are lovely, and having them as adopted daughters is wonderful."
"But unfortunately, Klee and the others won't call us mother."
"If I had a precious daughter chasing me around with her sweet, milky voice calling me Mama, my life as a fox would be truly complete."
Lisa cast a sideways glance at Miko, a soft laugh escaping her lips.
"If you had a daughter, you would probably end up teaching her to be exactly like you."
"And what is wrong with being like me?"
Miko rolled her eyes, deciding not to argue the point further.
She just enjoyed having a bit more fun in her daily life!
What was the big deal? At his core, Ryen was also someone who sought out amusement.
If anything, it was simply a wife following her husband's lead.
Because of Klee and the girls, the women's conversation inexplicably veered straight toward the topic of having children.
None of the women present were exactly young anymore.
Truthfully, they had never considered having children before simply because they lacked a suitable partner.
Now that they had Ryen, coupled with witnessing his daily interactions with Klee and the others.
Their desire to have daughters had peaked.
Even Hu Tao was actively dreaming about having a daughter to inherit the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"It is rather strange, though."
Hu Tao threw her hands up, her shoulders slumping in a helpless gesture.
"Ryen certainly hasn't held back with us, and we haven't forced him to take any precautions. But up until now, why hasn't there been any news at all?"
"We even had Baizhu check Ryen's pulse before, and he found absolutely nothing wrong with him. But it can't possibly be that all of us have an issue, right?"
Lisa furrowed her brows slightly, tapping her chin as she pondered.
"Most likely, it stems from the difference in our life-form levels. Ryen is a Lord of a World, possessing the fundamental power of the Imaginary Tree."
Ganyu nodded slowly, her expression turning serious.
"That is highly possible. According to Cloud Retainer, my parents were together for a very long time before they finally had me."
"And the gap in life-form essence between a human and an adeptus isn't nearly as vast as the gap between us and Ryen."
The group pondered over this logic, eventually letting out helpless sighs and setting the urgent thought aside.
Such matters ultimately depended on fate.
"Let's get back to business. Otherwise, Ryen will be back before we finish."
Guizhong offered a reminder. Hu Tao immediately let out a dramatic groan.
"Relax. He is still playing around with Lumine right now. Don't you know his stamina by now?"
"Besides, Lumine loves to push boundaries too. When those two are together, it won't end for at least three or four hours."
Hearing this, the other women nodded in deep agreement.
Even someone as experienced in playfulness as Miko couldn't outlast Lumine in that specific arena.
The Traveler who crossed seas of stars might not have experienced such things before meeting Ryen, but she had certainly seen enough of the universe to understand the concepts.
Lumine's actual age far exceeded Guizhong's, and she didn't have a massive gap of several thousand years missing from her life experiences like the Goddess of Dust.
She had seen far more, and her theoretical knowledge in this field vastly outstripped theirs.
Furthermore, Lumine was hardly a shy, timid young girl. She and Ryen clicked perfectly on this matter.
Many of the games they played were the type that would make even Miko's face burn.
The key point was that Lumine did these things and spoke of them without the slightest mental burden.
Just previously, Lumine had openly shared that she actually urged Ryen to take the back door.
She even went into vivid detail explaining that unique kind of pleasure to the rest of the women.
To be completely honest.
None of them ever expected that Lumine, who looked just as youthful and invincible as Hu Tao and Guizhong.
Would actually be far more hardcore than older women like themselves.
You really couldn't judge a book by its cover!
The women sighed collectively in their hearts. Ningguang straightened her posture, her expression turning serious.
"I have already instructed the Ministry of Civil Affairs to make the necessary preparations."
"After the Lantern Rite fireworks show, we will give him a surprise."
"I heard from Ryen that the New Year is the grandest festival in his original world."
"Ryen has been in Teyvat for over a year now. This will be his first time properly celebrating the Lantern Rite."
"We must ensure we do this perfectly. It is obvious that Ryen is still quite homesick."
The women nodded happily. Ganyu tilted her head, a curious light in her eyes.
"Did you ask about the specific traditions of the New Year in Ryen's world?"
"No."
Ningguang shook her head, a helpless smile on her lips.
"Ryen is far too sharp. If I asked, he would instantly figure out we were planning something."
"But I have heard him mention that the New Year is a day for family reunions and eating a reunion dinner together. On this day, no matter if family members are at the edges of the earth, they all long to return home."
"It is quite similar to the customs of Liyue."
"Therefore, we don't need to arrange any overly specific decorations."
"We just need to think about what kind of gift to give Ryen."
At the mention of gifts, Miko suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ryen commands an entire world. He holds Imaginary power that can rewrite reality itself. He has everything he could possibly want."
"For him, the greatest gift would likely be one of us getting pregnant and adding a new member to the family, wouldn't it?"
The women fell into a brief silence, then nodded in absolute unison.
In every sense of the word, that was the one gift guaranteed to make Ryen incredibly happy.
But unfortunately, children weren't cabbages you could just pull from the ground on command.
"If a child isn't an option."
Miko shrugged her elegant shoulders, a wicked smile dancing on her lips.
"If we are all willing to play with him together, it will absolutely leave him with a beautiful and profound memory."
In an instant, a sea of crimson swallowed the courtyard.
Even Lisa found her face heating up just imagining the scenario.
It wasn't as if they hadn't shared Ryen's company with another person before.
But all of them together.
It was too insane.
Though Ryen would undoubtedly be thrilled beyond measure.
Ningguang's gaze darted away. She took a moment to compose her breathing before speaking softly.
"We can discuss such matters later. Do any of you have other suggestions?"
"..."
The women remained silent, exchanging blank looks.
Truthfully, they really had no idea what Ryen needed.
Wealth, status, life spans.
These were things Ryen bestowed upon others. He already possessed too much of them himself.
Thinking carefully, the only things that could truly move Ryen's heart.
Aside from them and Klee's group, were those flashy, interesting abilities.
However.
Ever since Ryen acquired Imaginary power, not only did his Delusion grow stronger, but he also unlocked all the elements of the Visions.
He could even casually mold a Gnosis to play with whenever the mood struck him.
With that, Ryen had practically reached a state of having no unfulfilled material desires.
"This is truly quite disgraceful."
Lisa shook her head, an amused glint in her eyes.
"As Ryen's women, we actually can't think of anything our own man likes."
"Which is exactly why you should all seriously consider my suggestion."
Miko chimed in with a teasing grin. The others felt entirely awkward, but truthfully, they had begun to seriously ponder the logistics of her idea.
The topic was dropped there, and the group moved on to chatting about other matters.
Tomorrow was the grand finale of the Lantern Rite Bed Wars. Overall, they still needed to dedicate some mental energy toward their final preparations.
As they chatted, the night deepened, the stars shining sparsely in the sky.
The courtyard doors opened. Ryen walked in through the Teyvat portal, carrying a thoroughly exhausted Lumine in his arms.
Seeing all the women gathered together, Ryen raised an eyebrow, a teasing smirk appearing on his face.
"What special occasion is this? You are all waiting for me here. Could it be you want to join in together?"
The women immediately spat out quiet scolds. Lisa looked at the unconscious Lumine, a highly amused expression on her face.
"You knocked her out again."
"What are you talking about? Lumine was the one who insisted on going so hard."
Ryen rolled his eyes. He turned and carried Lumine into her bedroom, keeping his voice low.
"I am going to check on Klee and the others."
After all, today was the first time Qiqi and Yaoyao were sleeping over, so Ryen wanted to make sure they were getting accustomed to the environment.
Watching Ryen walk away, the women hurriedly sneaked into Lumine's room.
Hearing the commotion, the supposedly unconscious Lumine quietly opened a single eye.
"Is he gone?"
"So you were faking it."
Miko teased. Lumine lay sprawled awkwardly on the bed, her face pale and utterly drained.
"Please! If I didn't fake passing out, I would have literally died there today!"
"What kind of games were you playing today? Was it really that intense?"
Lisa crossed her arms, looking at Lumine with a beaming smile. Hearing this, Lumine miraculously managed to lift her chin, a look of profound pride crossing her exhausted features.
"Hmph! Today, I successfully opened three of the Eight Inner Gates!"
"..."
Seeing how incredibly proud Lumine looked, for a brief moment, the surrounding women were struck by a sense of shock they couldn't quite comprehend.