The manpower from Snezhnaya had already been assigned to the Qianyan Army's Base One.

To be honest, Base One of the Qianyan Army no longer had much necessity for resource collection.

The nearby mines had been stripped cleaner than Zhongli's own purse. Unless they opened a newly designed module for mineral resources, there was no point in continuing to dig those mines.

The Qianyan soldiers stationed at Base One stayed mainly because it kept them close to Ryen and the others, so they could be summoned at any time.

Usually, the soldiers here only harvested various mineral resources produced by technological processes.

If one had to say, the base now functioned more like a training center.

Basically, all newcomers had to train here for about a week. Once they got familiar with the world, further arrangements would be made.

So the people from Snezhnaya were sent to Base One, where they met the Qianyan soldiers stationed there. They were to be trained according to the same methods used for previous newcomers.

This was something the Qianyan soldiers were already well-versed in.

Not only had they themselves been through long training, but just a few days ago, the newcomers from Mondstadt had also been trained here.

At this point, it was practically a veteran training institution.

After making all the arrangements, Ryen and the others returned to the manor villa.

Madam Ping hadn't gone back to Teyvat for quite a while. Some time ago, Ningguang had begged her to create a whole batch of storage treasures enhanced with Adeptus Arts.

That kind of overtime workload made Madam Ping wary, so lately, she had been hiding out in the MC world.

Otherwise, just look at Sea Gazer.

Since his resurrection, he had only come in once or twice at most.

All the other time, he was either working on Skyfaring Stones, or on the road to work on Skyfaring Stones.

A proper full-time laborer.

Inside the villa, only Madam Ping was leisurely tending her garden.

Ryen casually greeted her and asked—apparently, Skybracer and the others had gone to explore some other Qianyan Army bases.

In any case, they weren't around right now.

Zhongli wasn't worried about their safety. Each of them carried a Totem of Undying, so even if they encountered danger, the totem would revive them.

Letting these newly resurrected Adepti run wild for a while was fine too.

"Wait a moment, all of you."

Ryen gave a reminder, then said aloud:

"I'll go get something for The Cryo Archon."

Hearing this, the Tsaritsa froze for a moment and quickly waved her hand:

"There's no need, I'm only tagging along to have a look…"

Ryen let out a helpless laugh and shook his head.

"No, that won't do. The Twilight Forest is full of dangers. If you want to go inside, you must make sure you're in top condition."

"It's nothing too special. You already have a Totem of Undying. I'll just grab some alchemy potions and enchanted gear."

With that, Ryen walked into the hidden underground chamber.

The Tsaritsa pursed her lips but didn't say anything further.

Meanwhile, Ganyu and the others were skillfully opening chests and checking the day's haul.

These chests were all stacked right outside Ryen's house.

Usually, after a day of exploration, the Qianyan Army would send people to deliver all important resources here.

Ryen couldn't be bothered to meet with them every day, so he had simply set aside a designated area outside for contactless delivery.

Safe, reliable, time-saving, and effortless!

Most importantly—it didn't trouble Ryen at all!

Diamonds, emeralds, and similar resources didn't catch Ganyu and the others' attention anymore.

Those things were no longer in short supply. In fact, more than half of the Qianyan soldiers heading out on expeditions were already equipped with full diamond enchanted gear.

Unless it was minerals used for firearms and advanced weaponry, nobody really cared much about ores anymore.

The only things that truly mattered were this world's rare and mysterious specialties.

After checking, Ganyu raised her head and reported:

"Dragon eggs, twenty-two. Ender pearls, four stacks. Wither skeleton skulls, two. Ghast tears, five stacks. Blaze rods, eight stacks."

"Totems of Undying, seventeen. Enchanted books, a total of sixty-two."

"And all sorts of hot-weapon minerals—four whole chests."

"Oh, and thirty Lucky Eggs."

Keqing, recording carefully at the side, softly remarked:

"Looks like expeditions really are the right path. The resource gains keep climbing."

Not long ago, after the Qianyan Army had finished clearing out the mines near Bases One and Two, there had been nearly three days with little mineral output.

But now, with three new bases established, resource collection was surpassing what it had been before.

"The End's people have also gotten used to the situation—their efficiency has gone up. At this pace, our thousand-strong Dragonrider Legion can be completed within three months."

Ningguang calculated briefly in her mind, then smiled and nodded.

The Tsaritsa watched the lively discussion with a trace of envy.

Their single day's haul was more than all the resources she had ever seen combined.

Diamonds and such weren't even worth mentioning anymore—clearly, they no longer mattered to them.

As for the Totems of Undying, which her Fatui had always pursued desperately, here they were being counted out by the dozens.

And those dragon eggs… To be honest, she really wanted them. But she also knew—one or two she might negotiate for, or try to obtain herself.

Yet just one or two dragon eggs would be of little use to her.

After all, she was still a god.