Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

Keqing, who had been all smiles and ready to boast about her haul, turned her head—only to freeze in shock the moment she saw the transformed space.

Ganyu, startled by Keqing's reaction, was about to ask what had happened. But when she turned to look for herself, she too was left speechless.

The once cramped and dimly lit mining cave had undergone an astonishing transformation in such a short amount of time.

The space was now at least twice as large as before, and that wasn't even the most impressive part.

In the four corners of the cave, four birch wood pillars now stood like load-bearing beams, giving the space an almost architectural quality. The blocked-off tunnel remained untouched, but the open one was now lined with wooden fences and a gate. Near the gate, Ryen had fashioned two simple lampposts by attaching trapdoors around torches mounted on wooden pillars.

He had even considered adding a chandelier, but crafting one required iron, and Ryen wasn't yet wealthy enough to splurge on such luxuries for a mining cave. Still, the setup already looked impressive.

The area behind where Keqing and Ganyu had been mining remained largely undisturbed, but the rest of the space had been meticulously divided into four neatly organized sections using birch wood planks.

One section housed a bed and a crafting table, making for a cozy rest area. Next to the bed was a wooden sofa and table, crafted from stairs and slabs.

Another section was packed with large chests, clearly serving as storage space.

Of the remaining two sections, one was left empty, its purpose unclear for now. The other was dedicated to ten roaring furnaces, where Ryen was hard at work. He moved back and forth between the furnaces, adding and removing materials with practiced efficiency.

It was an impressive setup—so much so that Keqing found it hard to believe.

But what truly baffled her was the decoration.

Ryen had hung vines across various parts of the cave, giving it the rustic charm of a countryside cottage. It hardly felt like a mining cave anymore.

At that moment, Ryen, having just finished smelting the last of the iron ingots, looked up to see Keqing and Ganyu standing nearby, clearly finished with their mining. He waved at them with a cheerful smile.

"Well done! Come on over and hand me the iron ore. I'll process it for you. Meanwhile, you can take a break in the rest area. There's food in the chests—I just cooked up some pork chops. They should taste pretty good, and they won't spoil in there. Go ahead and try them!"

Still dazed, Keqing and Ganyu silently handed over their iron ore, then stood rooted to the spot, staring at him.

Ryen raised an eyebrow, amused. "What's the matter? Did I scare you? I just did a bit of remodeling, that's all."

"A bit… of remodeling?"

Ganyu glanced around the transformed cave, her lips twitching into a wry smile. "Ryen, this isn't remodeling. This is a complete rebuild! It's incredible! Even the living quarters for the miners in The Chasm aren't as nice as this!"

Ryen scratched his head, chuckling. "Oh, come on, it's not that impressive…"

"No, Ganyu's absolutely right!" Keqing's expression was complicated as she sighed. "The Chasm is vast, but after years of excavation, the shallow areas near the surface have long been depleted of ore. The miners are forced to dig deeper and deeper into The Chasm, making it increasingly difficult to come and go.

"Most of them have no choice but to camp out in makeshift tents within the caves, constantly on guard against monsters. If the miners at The Chasm had abilities like yours, we…"

Ryen fell silent.

He had spent a year in The Chasm and knew all too well what it was like there. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that The Chasm devoured lives. Every month brought news of more casualties.

But what choice did Liyue have?

Liyue needed The Chasm—desperately. It was the lifeblood of the nation.

Breaking the somber mood, Ryen patted Keqing on the shoulder and said softly, "There's no need to envy me, Keqing. You and Ganyu can do this now too, here in the MC world. Just pick up a block and place it—simple as that.

"All it takes is a bit of building skill. Honestly, do you think this mining cave of mine has what it takes to replace The Chasm?"

Ryen's intention was to lighten the atmosphere, but Keqing nodded seriously, her expression earnest.

"It does. Absolutely, it does. If we had a mining cave like this, it would be a blessing for Liyue—a blessing for the miners. Ryen, by helping us, you've saved countless lives. You're a hero to Liyue. On behalf of them, I thank you."

Faced with the solemn sincerity of the cat-like woman in front of him, Ryen straightened up as well. He nodded slightly and replied in a gentle tone, "When we return, discuss this with Ningguang and the others and come find me. This is just the beginning.

"We're friends. Over the past year, you and Ganyu have helped me so much. It's only right that I do something for you in return.

"Now, enough heavy talk. I need to get to work processing this iron ore. Take a break, alright?"

Ganyu shook her head with a small smile. "It's just a few swings of a pickaxe. With your physique, we don't even feel tired anymore, and it didn't take much effort."

"I'm more curious to see how you process the iron ore."

Ryen nodded slightly, his tone gentle.

"Once we're out of here, you can discuss it with the others and then come to me. This is just the beginning. We're friends, after all. Over the past year, Keqing and Ganyu, you've helped me so much. It's only fair that I help you too. Alright, enough talk—I've got iron ore to process. You two should take a break."

Ganyu shook her head and replied softly, "It was just a few swings of the pickaxe. With your physique, we don't get tired anymore, and it didn't take much effort."

"I'm more curious to see how you process the iron ore."

Ryen raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Alright, suit yourself. But if you get hungry, remember there's food in the rest area. And if you're bored, you can try placing a few blocks for fun. We're in this world now; mining is only part of it. The real key is learning how to build with the materials we gather. That's the most important thing."

He walked to the nearest furnace, casually tossing a lump of iron ore inside and adding a single piece of coal.

"And that's all there is to it…"

"???"

Ganyu blinked, her face a picture of confusion. She watched him for a moment longer and, realizing he wasn't joking, hesitantly asked, "Just… like that?"

"Yep!" Ryen's tone was light, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He motioned for Ganyu and Keqing to follow him as he moved from the first furnace to the last, methodically placing three pieces of iron ore into each one. The furnaces were just enough to handle the total haul.

"What else did you expect?"

"I thought… there'd at least be some hammering involved…" Ganyu murmured, her expression dazed as she stared at the furnaces.

Ryen chuckled, then reached out to playfully pinch Ganyu's nose.

"Don't look at this world through the lens of normal logic. Here, nothing should surprise you.

"Take coal, for instance. A single piece might look small, but you've seen how dense it is. Yet this tiny lump can smelt eight pieces of iron ore—that's eight ingots of iron. Easily over seven tons of material.

"If something like this existed in Teyvat, wouldn't the blacksmiths all fall to their knees and declare the Geo Archon had blessed them?

"And lava's even better. It burns longer and saves coal. Smelting iron ingots here isn't exactly a high-skill job, so I didn't bother teaching you. But if you're really interested, the next time we're mining, I'll let you handle the entire process."

Keqing's eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded enthusiastically.

"Got it! Leave it to me—I won't let you down!"

Ryen paused, momentarily taken aback, before breaking into a warm smile.

"Of course, Keqing. I trust you completely!"

"Once we're done smelting this batch of iron, we should head back. What we've gathered today is more than enough. There's plenty to take care of in the village."

Keqing opened her mouth to protest that she still had the energy to keep going, but Ganyu gently tugged at her sleeve and gave her a look. Keqing hesitated, then nodded silently. After all, Ryen had only brought them here to familiarize them with mining; it wouldn't be right to stay too long.

While waiting for the smelting to finish, Ryen took the opportunity to give Keqing and Ganyu a tour of the mining cave he had so meticulously planned.

According to him, this was only Phase One.

As the mining operations expanded, this space would need further development, and he intended to build additional facilities deeper down—perhaps even a fully equipped base camp.

Keqing listened intently, nodding frequently. She appreciated Ryen's clear sense of direction and his well-defined goals. Such meticulous planning resonated with her deeply.

But as they passed by the empty section of the cave, Ganyu couldn't help but ask, "Ryen, what's this area for?"

Hearing her question, Ryen's face lit up with enthusiasm. With a confident sweep of his hand, he pointed at the space and declared grandly,

"This entire area? I'm going to replace all the stone with dirt and then…"

"Start farming!"