These four ways of interacting—taken individually—were each textbook-level examples in Jean's eyes.

Yet somehow, all four forms of affection had strangely converged onto a single man, and it didn't feel weird at all.

Jean had never expected such a situation.

But…

no matter what, this was their choice. Ryen treated them well, and in Teyvat, there was no notion of strict monogamy.

So it didn't matter.

While she pondered this, dust clouds began rising in the distance at the foot of Tianheng Mountain.

The orderly sound of marching footsteps reached their ears faintly.

Ryen stopped teasing Lisa and the others, stretched, and smiled:

"That should be about right. The Cryo Archon and the others are here. Let's get ready to start our enjoyable work-life."

He led everyone toward the location where the Cryo Archon and her group had stationed themselves.

Ryen's courtyard was only accessible to approved friends.

With so many soldiers settling in, there was no way Ryen could open a portal at his front gate to let them enter the MC world.

The Cryo Archon stood atop a small hill, her gaze subtly watching Rosalyne give her final instructions to the seven hundred people.

Mostly the usual advice: be proactive, keep learning, master their specialties quickly, and build the Snezhnaya base, among other things.

The task for these seven hundred people was heavy. The Cryo Archon had been frank: in the short term, they would make up the entirety of the Snezhnaya resident force.

At most, they could add Rosalyne and Tartaglia's direct Fatui subordinates, though those people still needed to be screened.

After screening, it was uncertain how many would remain, and the time wasted would probably take about half a month.

Half a month wasn't long—but it depended on the context.

In Teyvat, half a month traveling from Liyue Harbor on horseback wouldn't even reach Mondstadt.

But in the MC world?

Half a month was enough for Liyue to completely outpace Snezhnaya by at least one full version.

Since both sides were cooperating, the gap between them couldn't be too large.

The Cryo Archon needed these seven hundred people to grasp the knowledge of the MC world as quickly as possible.

They had to build the first Snezhnaya base.

It wasn't required that they fully understand redstone or resource technology—at minimum, they had to know what materials were needed to build such tools and how to place them.

Even if it was just mimicking, the new Snezhnaya base had to be completed within a week.

Within two weeks, exploration of the Nether and the End had to begin.

This was the Cryo Archon's instruction to Rosalyne and Tartaglia.

Compared to the steady and methodical approach of Liyue and Mondstadt, it was undeniably a rush.

And even then, personnel losses might occur.

But the Cryo Archon had no choice.

She needed immediate feedback on the power of this world to use as a starting point to reorganize and cleanse the Fatui.

Even expelling the Clowns and the Doctors if necessary.

Strictly speaking, Snezhnaya was already at least five versions behind Liyue and at least two behind Mondstadt.

While they were already preparing a Dragon Knight Legion, Snezhnaya had just settled in and hadn't even figured out the world's characteristics.

If they didn't act quickly, they wouldn't even have a warm bowl of soup to drink.

The Cryo Archon felt conflicted; the more she thought, the heavier her heart became.

By the time Rosalyne finished giving the final instructions, Ryen and the others had already arrived.

He waved and greeted the Cryo Archon.

"Good morning. How are things on your end? Are you all ready—mentally and physically?"

The Cryo Archon pursed her lips into a small smile and said softly:

"I trust them…"

"That's good."

Ryen snapped his fingers, and a portal began to coalesce from starlight, slowly materializing.

The Snezhnaya personnel murmured among themselves in surprise.

Rosalyne's gaze turned slightly cold; she glanced at them with indifference, and instantly everyone had to suppress their curiosity and quieted down.

"Don't be too strict, okay?"

Ryen patted Rosalyne's shoulder helplessly.

"They're only human; curiosity is natural."

Upon hearing this, Rosalyne's expression softened considerably. She let out a wry smile:

"When we send them to Liyue Base One for training later, if they get startled too easily, it would be too embarrassing for Snezhnaya…"

Ryen chuckled and pointed at Venti:

"That's nothing. The first time Venti encountered this world, he went wild—jumped into a river, almost got beaten to death by a group of drowned."

Rosalyne glanced at Venti, her eyes tinged with mockery.

Whenever Venti's scandals came up, she always found them amusing.

"You promised not to tell anyone about this! You rascal!"

Venti crossed his arms, displeased, glaring at Ryen.

Ryen smiled and shrugged.

"You said you'd never mention what happened at Nantan Gate the other day, yet you still put it into your ballads, didn't you?"

Venti intended to retort, but…

he never expected Ryen to go straight for the kill!

He stiffly turned his head, his gaze blank as he looked at Zhongli.

"Old man, actually I…"

Zhongli nodded slightly, not giving him a chance to finish.

"I understand…"

"However, tonight we'll have something else to talk about."

~~----------------------

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