Ningguang's assessment drew deep nods of agreement from the Tsaritsa and the others.
The New Continent was colossal. Setting aside the uncounted mineral veins buried deep beneath the earth, merely a few days of reconnaissance had already revealed at least seventeen trading wizard towers.
In addition, there were library ruins and elemental obelisks.
These were the premier treasures of the Wizardry mod, yet they had mapped barely a fifth of this new landmass.
What further riches lay waiting in the uncharted wild?
Everyone understood the reality back on the Main Continent. While it matched this land in scale, its surface and subterranean veins had already been thoroughly claimed and divided among the nations. Cities dotted the landscape, but no one had ever stumbled across library ruins or obelisks there, and even wizard towers were few and far between.
The Main Continent possessed boundless baseline minerals, but the specialized assets of the Wizardry mod were scarce.
Even if only to secure these magical resources, every nation had to establish an unshakeable presence on this soil. They needed their own fortified settlements here, for leaving the entire continent to Khaenri'ah was completely out of the question.
The Tsaritsa weighed the possibilities in silence before speaking in a quiet, measured tone.
"With Pierro and his faction forced into hiding, Pulcinella will easily restore domestic stability to Snezhnaya."
"Once order is established, he can reorganize the administration and accelerate military recruitment, turning our motherland into an impenetrable fortress."
"That will allow the resources gathered in this realm to flow back into Snezhnaya on a massive scale, reinforcing our national strength."
"Within two months, our armed forces will undergo a comprehensive modernization. Even should Pierro and his followers attempt a resurgence, Snezhnaya will command military power on par with Mondstadt and Inazuma."
Picturing the prospect, a faint, rare smile touched the corner of the Tsaritsa's lips.
She held no unrealistic expectations of overtaking Liyue's current position.
That was entirely impossible.
Liyue had experienced no internal fractures. From the very beginning, they had stood at Ryen's side to develop this world, mobilizing their armies with seamless efficiency.
Moreover, geographic proximity favored them, as Ryen resided on Liyue soil.
Their formidable economic foundation and deep reserves had sustained over half a year of uninterrupted, large-scale expansion.
Though the Rite of Descension had brought a minor ripple, it amounted to very little. In truth, the ancient overlord Osial had merely provided a magnificent grand stage for Liyue to showcase its modern might to the world. The entire conflict had been cleanly resolved in less than half a day.
By contrast, the other nations had all faced grueling setbacks. Mondstadt had resolved its crisis before entering, yet Jean's position as Acting Grand Master placed heavy political constraints on her authority at the time.
Inazuma had endured a long and exhausting civil war.
Sumeru had been tied up with the artificial god project for months.
Snezhnaya had suffered internal division and sabotage from the Jester's faction.
When all was tallied, only Liyue had maintained a steady, continuous ascent.
Expecting Snezhnaya to close that gap in the short term was unrealistic.
Yet if Snezhnaya could match the technological and military standards of Inazuma and Mondstadt, the Tsaritsa was absolute in her confidence. Should the Jester and his allies dare surface again, dispatching Capitano and the frontline vanguards would effortlessly crush any resistance they could muster.
Her immediate priority was clear: seize this window of domestic stability, modernize her homeland, and consolidate absolute control over Snezhnaya once and for all.
A growing sense of urgency tightened in her chest.
Four of the Seven Nations were already channeling massive dividends back into their homelands. Only Snezhnaya, despite amassing vast piles of resources, had been forced to restrict them to arming expeditionary units within this world, or secretly funneling small shipments to Pulcinella to equip select loyalists.
Even with Dragon Knight divisions formed, the only supplies sent back to the homeland in bulk were alchemical potions. Enchanted weapons were distributed only in secret to Arlecchino and trusted commanders.
There was simply no alternative. Had higher-tier assets been shipped back openly, the Tsaritsa feared Pierro's network would intercept them. If Dottore got his hands on the technology, there was no telling what horrific experiments he might produce.
One could condemn Pierro and Dottore for their malice, but no one could dismiss their terrifying competence.
Dottore in particular was thoroughly devoid of humanity, yet his scientific and alchemical genius was immense. In many respects, his intellect rivaled Albedo's entire research institute. Handing him advanced materials would amount to arming their own executioner.
Now that Pierro and Dottore were scattered and hunted by the Abyss Order, the timing was perfect.
Every second counted.
While Ryen and the women conversed casually by the treeline, the skirmish around the obelisk was far from effortless.
Although the combatants were top-tier martial masters, the spirits proved just as difficult to eliminate as Ryen had warned.
With seventy percent innate resistance to magical attacks, the fighters' spells barely left a mark. This meant elemental energy was equally ineffective, forcing them to rely almost entirely on physical martial arts and melee strikes.
Yet landed physical strikes was easier said than done. The spirits floated freely through the air, their bodies hollow geometric frameworks. Bows and firearms struggled to find purchase, and the fighters were reluctant to use high explosives anyway, knowing it could ruin the drop rates.
To harvest the magic dust, they had to finish each target with Looting-enchanted blades.
Building containment pens or traps was useless, as the spirits phased through solid blocks with ease, moving at rapid, unpredictable angles.
During the opening minutes, facing such an unusual adversary proved exceptionally frustrating. With spirits hovering in dense clusters, several fighters took consecutive direct hits.
Had they not worn fully enchanted diamond armor to blunt the kinetic impact, some would have been forced to trigger their Totems of Undying. A spirit's attack packed a heavy punch, capable of taking down an unprotected target in four clean hits.
Once the fighters adapted to their flight trajectories and parsed their attack patterns, the tide turned rapidly.
The spirits were numerous, but the allied champions were seasoned veterans. Coordinating their footwork and striking in tandem, they quickly whittled down the floating entities.
By the time Ryen finished speaking, the field around the obelisk was clear of hostile entities.
Diluc and the vanguard stood in a loose ring around the dark stone pillar, waiting for new spirits to materialize.
The two dozen spirits had yielded barely a dozen pinches of Fire Magic Dust.
It was far from sufficient.
A single piece of basic wizard attire required four units of dust to forge. Crafting a complete four-piece set demanded at least sixteen units.
The current harvest was barely enough to assemble a single suit, yet there were numerous Pyro Vision wielders awaiting gear.
"It seems gathering magic dust and tailoring wizard attire will be a long, tedious road," Yae Miko murmured, resting her head lightly against Ryen's shoulder with an amused drawl. "On second thought, I have no desire to hunt these floating boxes myself. With my darling around, having you take me on a sweep of an evil wizard's tower sounds far more pleasant than chasing geometric dust."
Ryen smiled, reaching up to gently pinch the tip of her fox ear. "It is not as tedious as you make it sound. High-tier evil wizards drop gear frequently, and a few quick excursions through the goblin strongholds in the Twilight Forest will yield full sets."
"If you only want attire for our inner circle, farming obelisks is unnecessary. Magic dust is meant for industrial scale production across our standing armies."
Ningguang nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. For our personal use, hunting obelisks is inefficient. But for our thousand-man mage corps, we must secure a reproducible pipeline to manufacture equipment in bulk."
"The magic dust and the Imbuement Altar are built for them."
"Furthermore, fighting spirits around the obelisk serves as an excellent live-fire training exercise for the infantry. Deploying troops here accomplishes two goals at once. It is simply a shame this location only hosts a single obelisk. If other elemental varieties were nearby, it would be ideal."
Ryen chuckled, remaining silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh.
"The greatest pity is that we have yet to locate a Shrine. Without one, our mastery of the Wizardry mod remains incomplete."
"A Shrine?" Ganyu tilted her head curiously, blinking softly. "Is it another vital treasure structure within the mod?"
It was the first time Ryen had mentioned the term, prompting everyone to turn their attention toward him.
Ryen gathered his thoughts, speaking in a calm cadence.
"A Shrine is an ancient ruin within the Wizardry mod, housing priceless relics and lost artifacts."
"Where supreme treasures rest, supreme dangers linger. A Shrine is protected by a powerful warding force field. If someone steps inside without proper preparation, the barrier seals shut, trapping them within the vault indefinitely."
"Shrines can generate across all biomes, but their spawn rate is exceptionally rare. Finding even a single one means striking a massive fortune."
"The treasures inside are beyond value. Virtually every high-tier item you can imagine can appear within their vault chests."
"Most importantly, Shrines are the exclusive source for high-grade charms and advanced magical textiles."
"While the Imbuement Altar establishes the floor for wizardry development, the Shrine determines its absolute ceiling."
"To craft top-tier wizard robes, you must gather materials from a Shrine. To complete your spellcraft with powerful charms, you must harvest them from a Shrine as well."
Ryen shifted his attire, replacing his outer coat with his personal Frost Warlock Set.
"Robes of this grade require materials found only within those ancient chambers."
"Then there are the spell-enhancing charms."
"The Vitality Charm, which grants a kinetic shield whenever a healing spell is cast; the Permafrost Charm, which grants total immunity to freezing and frostbite..."
"There is even a unique temporal pocket watch that elevates my time-dilation spell into absolute, frozen time stop..."
"These epic-grade accessories can only be obtained by clearing a Shrine."
"A casting staff grants baseline combat power, but charms provide unprecedented conceptual amplification."
"Therefore, locating a Shrine is essential. It governs the upper limit of our strength within the Wizardry discipline."
Ningguang noted down the term with practiced efficiency, looking up after a moment.
"I will instruct our scouting units to prioritize finding Shrines across the New Continent."
Ryen nodded in approval.
"Ensure they maintain strict safety protocols. Under no circumstances should scouts wander into the structure alone. Once the containment field activates, even short-range teleportation spells like Blink cannot breach the boundary. Starving inside a stone vault would be a senseless loss."
Ningguang and Jean nodded with solemn understanding.
Ryen looked back toward Diluc's group, who were still keeping watch around the obelisk for the next batch of spirits.
He calculated that if they spent the rest of the afternoon farming, every Pyro Vision wielder in the party would have enough material for a complete set of wizard robes. That would provide an immediate boost to their combat baseline.
Afterward, the site could be handed over to the incoming military garrisons, freeing the main vanguard to push deeper into the continent in search of other magical treasures.
Just as he was organizing the logistical layout in his mind, a sharp, flashing system prompt suddenly materialized across his vision, tearing through his thoughts.
Ryen read the text hovering before him. His characteristic composure shattered in a single instant, his face draining of color. Reaching out with sudden urgency, he grabbed Ganyu and Yae Miko by the hands.
Turning toward Diluc and the fighters in the basin, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Everyone! Halt all actions immediately! Return to Redstone Tech City right this second!"
"Move! Now!"