"What Σ(△|||)︴? No time limit starting today?!"
"Let's gooo! Gotta hop on and make the most of that machine!"
"Come on, now's the time!"
"Grab one for me! Help me get a spot!"
…
The moment Rui Shen opened the internet café in the morning, the usual crowd rushed in like they'd heard the gates to Celestia just opened.
They'd already gotten used to the weirdly expanding space in the café, but seeing it again still left them a bit stunned. That didn't stop them from scrambling for seats, though.
Back when there was a time limit, if you didn't make it in early, you could just wait for the next round.
But now? With no time cap, some folks might stay glued to their seats till closing. So yeah—every seat was a battlefield.
Boss Hu Tao, Grandpa Zhongli, Childe, and Keqing were all early birds today, grabbing their usual spots like seasoned pros.
Keqing even finished part of today's work last night just to free up her morning. She even started organizing which tasks were actually necessary. For someone like her to break out of her workaholic shell just to game? That's wild.
Childe swore he was gonna beat the level today, and Keqing was his biggest rival.
Rui Shen's gameplay video clearing "Digging for Ascension" had already gone up. After watching it a few times, both Keqing and Childe had a pretty solid understanding of the key techniques.
They'd analyzed every critical moment, every clever move.
Rui Shen figured they'd both beat it within half a day—it was just a matter of who'd get bragging rights as the first clear.
Boss Hu Tao, meanwhile, was chilling with her game of choice: Super Mario. Zero pressure.
While the usual crew settled in, Ningguang strolled in as well.
She didn't have anything urgent today, so after delegating tasks to her three secretaries, she made her way to the café—no way was she missing out on another new-world experience.
After a quick chat with Rui Shen, she used her smarts (and connections) to score a seat too.
Compared to games, she was more curious about the "videos."
First up, she watched a short clip titled "Boss Hu Tao Teases Employee Zhongli." Ningguang cracked up at the way that smug little boss teased the ever-serious Zhongli—laughing so hard the flowers on her outfit trembled.
Then, she clicked on something new added today: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."
At the same time, Zhongli and a few others from the crowd sat down to watch as well.
The screen faded to black, and a woman's voice rang out:
"The world has changed.I feel it in the water.I feel it in the earth.I smell it in the air.Much that once was is lost,for none now live who remember it.I remember..."
Her voice faded, and with the swell of that iconic score, the title appeared in brilliant gold:
THE LORD OF THE RINGS
Then the scene cut to the forging of a mysterious ring in fire.
The voice returned, now telling the tale of the rings.
"Three were given to the Elves, wisest, and fairest of all beings."
On screen: Two men and one woman—elegant, sharp-eared elves—gazed at the rings on their hands.
"Seven to the Dwarf-lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls."
Short, stocky, bearded dwarves each held a ring with reverent pride.
"And nine... nine rings were gifted to the race of men,who above all else desire power."
Nine human kings—some old, some young—accepted the rings with eager eyes.
"For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race.But they were all of them deceived…"
"For another ring was made."
"In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom,the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ringto control all others.And into this Ring, he poured his cruelty, his malice,and his will to dominate all life."
The camera panned over scorched earth. A towering figure clad in sinister black armor, with the ring glowing on his finger, exuded raw menace.
Middle-earth was plunged into chaos and fire. Land after land fell to the power of the One Ring.
But where there's oppression, there's always resistance.
Elves and humans united, launching one last desperate stand against the armies of Mordor.
Thanks to system optimization, the battle scenes were epic—far more vivid and intense than anything Teyvat had ever seen.
Tens of thousands of soldiers—elves, humans, monstrous orcs—clashed in a dizzying storm of steel and screams. It was awe-inspiring.
The folks of Teyvat had never witnessed war on this scale. Even Grandpa Zhongli admitted: this was the grandest war he'd ever laid eyes on.
Sure, back in the Demon God War days, the destruction was biblical—cracked mountains, darkened skies—but Teyvat's population simply couldn't sustain an army of hundreds of thousands like this.
Middle-earth was different. Larger, denser, and more dangerous.
On screen, the allied forces fought hard, pushing the orcs back—hope was rising.
Then, Sauron entered the battlefield.
The power of the One Ring was overwhelming.
Each swing of his massive war hammer launched soldiers like rag dolls. No one could touch him. Brave charges crumbled against his raw power.
He was a one-man army.
Sauron killed King Elendil. His blade shattered.
But Elendil's son, Isildur, picked up the broken sword and struck—severing Sauron's finger and sending the One Ring flying.
In that moment, the Dark Lord's body crumbled into nothing. His forces collapsed with him.
Victory—snatched from the jaws of defeat.
The One Ring now lay in Isildur's hands. He had the chance to destroy it once and for all in Mount Doom's fire.
But… the Ring had a will of its own.
Isildur, tempted by its power, chose to keep it.
Later, as orcs ambushed him, he tried to escape using the Ring's invisibility—jumping into a river.
But the Ring betrayed him. It slipped from his finger. Isildur was shot and killed.
The One Ring sank to the riverbed and vanished.
History became legend. Legend became myth.
And for 2,500 years, the Ring remained hidden.
Until one day... it found a new bearer.
"My precious…"
Gollum. Twisted, obsessed, he hid deep in the Misty Mountains with the Ring, slowly losing his mind.
In that dark cave, lit by a single shaft of light, he stared at the Ring like it was his true love.
Five centuries later, the Ring grew restless again and abandoned him.
That's when Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit of the Shire, stumbled upon it.
The camera panned across a map of Middle-earth, finally settling on a cozy room filled with books.
The title finally appeared:
"The Fellowship of the Ring"
As the music softened, everyone watching in the internet café finally let out a breath.
That intro alone was already something else.
Teyvat might have its own legendary stories, but nothing compared to the way this movie told one.
Even the most beloved texts of Liyue didn't come close to this kind of immersive storytelling.
And one big realization hit everyone watching:
They'd assumed movies were like plays or operas—but this? This was different.
It felt real. Like it had actually happened somewhere and been recorded with some crazy magic or tech.
Considering Rui Shen was a traveler from another world, it wasn't hard to believe anymore.
Even Zhongli, the most ancient and knowledgeable among them, was stunned. The more he understood, the more shook he was.
As one of the original Seven, he knew truths about the heavens, the abyss, and ancient powers... and even he was floored.
This method of recording history—without any mortal or divine interference—was beyond anything he'd seen.
To him, Rui Shen was now officially unfathomable.
Once the shock faded, everyone leaned back in to keep watching.
What kind of story would unfold in Middle-earth because of the One Ring?
Zhongli hadn't felt this curious in ages.