Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

In response to Keqing's curious question, Ryen merely nodded with a sly smile.

"The wooden door can't stop villagers from wandering into our house. This is going to be our base of operations from now on. Naturally, it has to be a little more private."

Our… house?

Keqing's face instantly turned a shade of red. She quickly released Ryen's arm and stepped back, watching as he removed the flimsy wooden door and replaced it with a solid iron one.

After securely fixing the door in place, Ryen installed levers on both the inside and outside.

"There we go. Much safer now. From now on, you just pull the lever to open or close the door. Got it, you two?"

Ganyu and Keqing nodded earnestly, their expressions serious.

"Alright, next…" Ryen muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

He assessed the materials at hand: forty-six iron ingots in total.

The iron door had used six, leaving forty.

Three iron axes and three iron pickaxes were a must for the three of them, which accounted for eighteen ingots.

Keqing and Ganyu each needed an iron sword—Ryen didn't, since his katana was far superior. That was another four ingots gone.

Now there were eighteen ingots left.

At least four buckets were necessary—one for water, one for lava, one for milk to cure poison, and an extra for emergencies. That would cost twelve ingots.

A pair of shears for wool harvesting and a flint-and-steel for lighting fires took up another three ingots.

In the end, there were just three ingots left—barely enough to make anything significant, not even a pair of boots, the least resource-intensive armor.

As for a brewing stand? Forget about it.

Ryen had briefly considered crafting himself an iron sword, but after some deliberation, he decided an iron pickaxe would be far more useful to him. He opted to save the remaining ingots for future needs instead.

"Next time I head into the mines, I'll gather enough materials to make a full set of armor. Then I'll craft a few iron blocks to build some golems…"

But Ryen's golems wouldn't just be aimlessly wandering around like the ones in villages.

He planned to demolish every house within a 500-meter radius, build a sturdy perimeter wall, and assign the golems as guards within his secured area.

They'd be his personal protectors—a formidable iron golem army, the ultimate defense force.

Ryen's vision stretched far beyond the basics.

He dreamed of building not just a fortress but an entire city. His plans included a sprawling castle estate, floating sky platforms, and an expansive underground ecosystem. Starting with a 500-meter radius, he would gradually expand until the entire region became his domain.

After all, the neighboring grasslands were ripe for development. It would be a shame not to take full advantage of the land's natural beauty and resources.

"Alright, let's divvy up the supplies and head back," Ryen announced, clapping his hands and breaking away from his grand plans.

He handed out the tools to Ganyu and Keqing, then pulled out some coal.

"As for wood, I won't bother giving you any since it's so easy to come by, and you've already chopped down plenty yourselves. But how about a stack of coal each? That should be useful."

"I've already used the iron to make tools, but there are three ingots left. You can take them if you want. Also, there's some raw meat and seeds in the chest—feel free to grab whatever you need."

This was essentially all the resources Ryen had amassed so far.

Keqing and Ganyu exchanged a glance, touched by his generosity.

However, they both shook their heads.

"We'll just take some coal. The rest is more critical for your exploration and survival. We don't want to hinder you," Keqing said firmly.

After a brief pause, her expression grew resolute.

"Ryen! Don't worry—I promise I'll do everything I can to facilitate your collaboration with Liyue. Next time we come here, we'll work hard to help you build your home!"

Ryen chuckled but didn't say much. He handed over the coal to the two women, then summoned the dimensional portal in his mind.

Even though Keqing and Ganyu had seen him open the portal a few times before, the sight still amazed them.

The shimmering, translucent gateway was a marvel, its ethereal glow faint yet mesmerizing.

Since the portal wasn't entirely stable yet, the three decided to sit down and chat while they waited.

"This world really is incredible…" Keqing murmured, her gaze softening as she looked out at the moonlit landscape beyond the window.

"Just this morning, we were still in the Chasm, intending to reinforce the seals there and check on you while we were at it…"

Hearing this, Ryen smirked and gave her a teasing look.

"Oh? Just to check on me?"

Keqing immediately felt a little flustered and awkwardly stuck out her tongue.

"Well, I did want to try convincing you again, but hasn't everything worked out so smoothly? Ryen has come back with us to Liyue Harbor."

"And you even gave us such a generous gift… That's why I said it's incredible!"

"When we get back tonight, I'll organize all the materials and draft a report. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to the Jade Chamber for a meeting."

"Don't worry, Ryen. Until everything is settled, no one will disturb you. We'll do our best to move this forward quickly and explore your world as soon as possible."

"Three months from now is the Rite of Descension. If we can unveil the resources of an entirely new world, it will make this year's Rite even more spectacular."

The Rite of Descension?

Ryen's eyes flickered with thought. After a moment, he asked softly, "Keqing, Ningguang is hosting this year's Rite of Descension, right?"

"That's right!" Keqing nodded, smiling.

"Of course, I won't exactly have a lot of free time when it happens, but in the weeks leading up to the Rite, my schedule will be more open."

"I could show you around Liyue during that time. Although, to be honest, I'd much rather visit your world again if you wouldn't mind."

From the side, Ganyu eagerly raised her hand.

"I can do that too! I can show Ryen around Liyue as well!"

"Then I'll leave it to you both. I'm definitely curious about Liyue." Ryen replied with a grin. He then asked, more seriously, "By the way, I heard from the Millelith in the Chasm that Mondstadt has been dealing with dragon-related disasters, and Inazuma has been in isolation…"

"I've spent this whole year in this world, so I haven't kept up with Teyvat's events. Could you tell me what's been going on?"

Keqing glanced at Ganyu.

While Keqing held a high-ranking position, her focus was primarily on Liyue. She was aware of such events but didn't know the finer details. Ganyu, on the other hand, had a broader understanding due to her duties.

"I'll explain," Ganyu said, organizing her thoughts before speaking.

"The dragon disaster in Mondstadt has actually been ongoing for quite some time. Trade routes and other commercial networks have been severely disrupted, and many cooperative ventures between Liyue and Mondstadt have come to a halt."

"Given that Lord Barbatos, the Anemo Archon, is a close friend of Rex Lapis, and that Mondstadt and Liyue are allied nations, we reached out to the Knights of Favonius to offer assistance."

"But… we were refused. It's said that their Grand Master is currently away on an expedition, and Acting Grand Master Jean—the current Lion of the South—has taken charge."

"For reasons unknown, she declined our help and specifically asked us not to harm the dragon Stormterror."

"As for Inazuma, with its borders closed, we don't have much information on their current state."

"However, Captain Beidou has some connections with the resistance forces in Inazuma, so she might know more. Oh, the resistance is the group opposing the Vision Hunt Decree."

"You've probably heard about the Vision Hunt Decree, Ryen. It's been a major topic across Teyvat."

"As for other news…"

Ganyu pondered for a moment. Besides the turmoil in Mondstadt and Inazuma, the other nations had been relatively stable, leaving her with little else to report.

Still, one thought crossed her mind, and her expression grew stern.

"Ryen, you need to be cautious of the Fatui! They are not good people, and their Harbingers are incredibly powerful."

"If they learn of your world, they'll stop at nothing to exploit it!"

"But don't worry—I'll do everything I can to protect you!"

Seeing the earnest determination on Ganyu's face, Ryen felt a warmth in his heart.

He nodded sincerely and replied with a reassuring smile, "Got it. But… I'm strong too, you know!"