Facts proved that self-interest is the fundamental driver for people to unleash abilities far beyond imagination.
This also held true for Adepti.
If Endermen didn't drop good items, or if they dropped bones, like Skeleton Archers, which were difficult for them to accept.
Then Ningguang and the others would wish to stay far away from Endermen.
But if Endermen dropped good teleportation items...
Ningguang and the others stated that they were no longer sleepy.
As a merchant, Ningguang instinctively began to ponder the profit relationship between killing Endermen and obtaining Ender Pearls.
Jiang Xuan had already demonstrated the technique for killing Endermen, and no one present was foolish; they naturally all learned it.
Killing Endermen had zero cost, the difficulty lay in finding them.
And killing an Enderman would likely yield an Ender Pearl, an Ender Pearl with instant teleportation...
Was there any business more profitable than this, requiring no capital?
Ningguang had no doubt that with the top-tier ability of Ender Pearl teleportation alone, whether sold to Vision holders or wealthy merchants without special abilities...
The buyer would offer a high price that Ningguang couldn't refuse.
This item was more valuable than gold!
At this moment, Ningguang's gaze was incredibly fervent, and Xiao and the others felt the same way.
After all, a treasure that could instantly teleport could both enhance survival capabilities and improve one's strength.
Who would dislike having an extra spatial ability!
Everyone's fervent gazes focused on the Ender Pearl in Jiang Xuan's hand.
At this moment, Jiang Xuan suddenly felt that Endermen might become an endangered species in the future.
Given Ningguang and the others' current attitude, they probably couldn't wait to sweep through The End immediately.
To prevent them from being overly ambitious, Jiang Xuan still didn't tell them about evolving Ender Pearls into Eyes of Ender, which could then locate the End Portal.
That place was truly not somewhere they could go right now.
One breath from the Ender Dragon, and this large group of people wouldn't be able to escape; they would likely be wiped out.
They still needed to bide their time.
"Jiang Xuan, how do you use this Ender Pearl?"
Keqing looked at Jiang Xuan with anticipation, eager to try.
Jiang Xuan naturally saw that Keqing wanted to try, but he shook his head with a smile.
"This Ender Pearl, once thrown, will teleport you upon landing. The maximum distance should be around fifty meters without issue."
As he spoke, Jiang Xuan paused, inexplicably thinking of the miraculous uses of Ender Pearls by those masters.
Just TNT-assisted Ender Pearl flight alone would exceed fifty meters.
Not to mention the home teleportation machine that activated at dusk.
Indeed...
This world still required even crazier imagination to truly unlock!
"Teleporting with an Ender Pearl will consume the pearl. Also, upon arrival, it will cause a certain amount of damage depending on the distance and other factors."
"However, this damage can be greatly reduced by wearing enchanted armor."
"How about it? Do you feel like this item has too many limitations?"
Jiang Xuan spread his hands with a smile, but Ningguang's face showed no regret. She merely asked again, quite seriously:
"Is that all?"
"Hmm..."
Jiang Xuan scratched his cheek and softly said:
"There are actually many other features, the most important being crafting Eyes of Ender, but that's still very far off for us, so there's no need to mention it for now."
"Understood..."
Ningguang took a deep breath and nodded slightly.
Jiang Xuan couldn't quite grasp Ningguang's emotional state, so he softly asked:
"So, are you still going to hunt down the little black guys to collect Ender Pearls?"
"Of course!"
Ningguang replied without hesitation, the fervor in her eyes showing no signs of diminishing.
"Even if it's a consumable, even if it hurts you to use it?"
Jiang Xuan pressed further.
This amused Ningguang, who chuckled and shook her head slightly.
"Jiang Xuan, I only ask you, can this Ender Pearl be used by ordinary people?"
Jiang Xuan was taken aback, pinching his chin and pondering for a moment.
"The Ender Pearl isn't very heavy, so it can naturally be used by ordinary people. Although they'll get hurt, they won't die directly as long as they don't use it continuously."
Hearing this, Ningguang's lips curved slightly, and she looked at Jiang Xuan with a teasing glint.
It was as if she was saying, "You're asking the obvious."
Ningguang spoke softly:
"Since that's the case, Jiang Xuan, why would you think we would give up on Ender Pearls because of these insignificant flaws?"
With that, Ningguang glanced at everyone with a smile in her eyes, implying:
"I believe no one here would give up such a treasure that allows for short-distance spatial displacement, would they?"
"Naturally!"
Cloud Retainer nodded in agreement.
"Even among the Adepti, few possess the ability for short-distance displacement, let alone true spatial teleportation treasures."
"Compared to the mysterious power contained within the Ender Pearl, the fact that it's a consumable and might injure the user is merely an insignificant detail."
"After all, each Ender Pearl might be a precious treasure that can turn the tide in battle, or even save one's life."
Hearing Cloud Retainer's serious answer, Jiang Xuan understood their thoughts.
Although in the game, it seemed like every Abyss Mage could teleport.
But teleportation was genuinely not a common ability in Teyvat.
Now that Ender Pearls could enable short-distance teleportation, their value was naturally immeasurable.
At the very least, Ningguang felt she couldn't actually sell the Ender Pearls.
Understanding Ningguang and the others' thoughts, Jiang Xuan no longer intended to dissuade them.
Although hunting the little black guys was outrageous, it was something Jiang Xuan would have to do in the future anyway.
Ningguang and the others had mastered the techniques to deal with them, so with some caution, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Besides, Jiang Xuan felt he would generally be acting with them.
It would be like accumulating materials for going to The End later.
He regretfully glanced at the Ender Pearl.
With only one, everyone was reluctant to personally witness the Ender Pearl's teleportation effect.
After much thought, everyone's attention returned to the wall covered in various ores.
Of course, Jiang Xuan was focused on the Redstone and Lapis Lazuli.
But Ningguang and the others were truly staring intently at the gold.
Jiang Xuan understood them; it wasn't greed.
Nineteen tons of gold, right before their eyes.
Who wouldn't drool at that sight?
Digging this out, crafting it into Gold Blocks, and tossing it into the Golden House—that would be truly magnificent.
Lost in thought, Ningguang also felt a surge of eagerness.
But then she remembered Jiang Xuan had said before that some ores required special pickaxes to mine.
Otherwise, the ore would shatter.
Ningguang couldn't afford to gamble; she didn't dare try striking it to see if the gold ore would break.
Even if one piece shattered, it would be over a billion Mora down the drain.
After much hesitation, Ningguang turned back to Jiang Xuan.
It was the first time this noble and elegant Tianquan had shown such an eager look in front of Jiang Xuan.
Jiang Xuan laughed dumbfounded, taking out the Silk Touch Iron Pickaxe and handing it to Ningguang.
"Good thing you didn't rush in, otherwise, digging gold with an ordinary Iron Pickaxe would indeed result in heavy losses, yielding only Gold Nuggets."
"But with this Enchanted Pickaxe, it's fine. Just like Iron Ore, smelt it in a furnace, and one Gold Ore will give you one Gold Ingot."
Upon receiving Jiang Xuan's reply, Ningguang's spirits immediately lifted, and she carefully took the Enchanted Pickaxe.
"So this is an enchanted tool... truly amazing."
Although she was very interested in the enchanted tool, the gold ore was more tempting at the moment.
Ningguang was extremely cautious, even worried that activating Vein Miner would affect the gold yield.
She even had Jiang Xuan disable her Vein Miner, and with the pickaxe in hand, she enthusiastically mined alone.
Keqing and Ganyu followed Ningguang, watching the birth of the day's biggest haul.
Keqing occasionally asked Ningguang about her experience using the enchanted pickaxe.
Jiang Xuan and Zhongli, however, didn't crowd around.
Jiang Xuan wasn't interested in gold. As for Zhongli and the others...
They were Adepti!
Although they were startled by the value of gold, to say they would have expectations for gold was another matter.
However...
Watching the three of them gathered together, discussing joyfully, Jiang Xuan also found it somewhat magical.
One should know that a single cave usually only had two to nine gold ores.
But for Jiang Xuan and the others?
An entire wall covered!
Even with Ganyu's luck bonus, this was still too strange...
Nevertheless, this cave was basically done for now.
To find more gold ore, they would have to go to the other cave at the village's far end.
That cave was much larger than this one and farther away.
That was the cave Jiang Xuan had left for the Liyue miners, of course...
Initially, he wanted them to gain some experience in this relatively stable and safe cave.
Lost in thought, it wasn't long before Ningguang and the others successfully mined all the gold ore.
They returned to Jiang Xuan's side, full of excitement.
This time, Jiang Xuan didn't wait for Ningguang and the others to speak. He pointed to the wall next to them and smiled:
"Go over there, set up a few furnaces, and smelt the gold."
Ningguang nodded decisively, returned the enchanted pickaxe to Jiang Xuan, and then swiftly turned to lead Keqing and Ganyu straight to the side.
Seeing this, Cloud Retainer shook her head helplessly.
"This generation's Tianquan is indeed very skilled at dealing with people and managing Liyue, but... why is she so fixated on such mundane things?"
In response, Jiang Xuan shrugged and said softly:
"Everyone has their own circumstances. Ningguang grew up in hardship, so she naturally has a certain obsession with earning Mora."
"But as you've seen, the current Ningguang prioritizes Liyue above all else. No one is more suitable to be the Tianquan than her..."
For the Adepti, perhaps they disliked Ningguang's greed, but they had not experienced Ningguang's childhood.
They had not felt Ningguang's poverty as a child, so poor she couldn't afford shoes, walking barefoot to Yaoguang Shoal to pick up seashells and sell them at Liyue Harbor.
They had not experienced Ningguang's extreme poverty as a child, living in a dilapidated, leaky shack, shivering from the cold.
"Do not urge others to be good if you have not experienced their suffering" — it was exactly like that.
Rather than saying Ningguang loved Mora, it was more accurate to say she was terrified of poverty.
And now, having ascended to the position of Tianquan, she was also afraid of Liyue Harbor becoming poor...
She might have personal motives for earning Mora, but Jiang Xuan would not doubt that Ningguang deeply loved Liyue.
Of course, Jiang Xuan wouldn't reveal these things to elicit sympathy from the Adepti for Ningguang.
A proud and powerful woman like Ningguang needed no one's pity or empathy.
She had come this far on her own and would continue to walk her path alone.
No one had the right to question her future, not the Adepti, not even Zhongli.
Cloud Retainer didn't catch the hidden meaning in Jiang Xuan's words, but after spending this day with Ningguang and the others.
At least Cloud Retainer had some fondness for Ningguang, it was just that Cloud Retainer still wasn't very good with words.
Clearing her throat, Cloud Retainer and Zhongli walked over to Jiang Xuan, following his gaze to the wall.
It was an entire expanse of ore, shimmering with red starlight.
"Is that Redstone?"
Zhongli softly asked.
Jiang Xuan's gaze was fixated, and after a long moment, he nodded.
"That's right... the foundation of a great era, the skeleton of a great technology!"
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