Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

"Master... Zhongli!"

Xiao rushed over, panting slightly, and pulled out five stacks of stone blocks from his inventory.

"I've mined five more stacks. Use these for now. If you need more, I'll keep digging!"

"Thank you," Zhongli replied with a nod, casting a complicated glance at Xiao.

The boy was visibly sweating, though his expression remained stoic. Yet, beneath that calm exterior, there was an unmistakable glimmer of excitement in his eyes.

He didn't seem the least bit upset about being treated as manual labor.

Zhongli sighed inwardly, his voice soft as he said, "You've worked hard, Xiao. Take a break for now. These stones should suffice for the moment."

Xiao, however, shook his head resolutely. "No need to worry about me, Master Zhongli. This is a rare opportunity for Liyue, and we must seize it."

"Even the humans, Lady Ningguang and Lady Keqing, are working hard. As the Vigilant Yaksha, I cannot afford to slack off."

"Based on Ryen's plans, these stones won't be enough. I'll go mine a few more stacks."

With that, Xiao turned and left, his movements swift and decisive—a true exemplar of the Golden-Winged Yaksha.

But…

As Zhongli worked, the laughter and playful banter from the nearly completed tower echoed in his ears. He couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"Ah, foolish child… Ningguang and Keqing are happily playing with Ryen, not toiling like you…"

Shaking his head, Zhongli picked up the stones and resumed stacking them at the platform's edge.

Even though he felt like he'd been roped into this laborious task, Zhongli had to admit—there was something oddly therapeutic about this block-building process.

"Six thousand years of wear and tear on my soul… It all feels a bit lighter now."

At the tower's top, Ryen and the others had already reached the designated height and were now expanding outward.

With three beautiful women working alongside him, any trace of morning fatigue Ryen had felt vanished entirely.

Though they were delicate-looking ladies, they worked with impressive enthusiasm.

Of course, that wasn't the main reason Ryen felt energized.

Their presence alone was a feast for the eyes. That was enough.

"Ryen, what's next?"

Ningguang gazed out at the view for a moment before turning back to him.

"Next?" Ryen handed them a few more stacks of stone, smiling as he explained. "Next, we'll create a completely enclosed, lightless environment."

But Ganyu looked puzzled. "Wait a moment. If I remember correctly, monsters in this world spawn… only in areas without light, right?"

Ryen nodded. "Exactly. We'll take advantage of that mechanic to ensure monsters spawn continuously in this dark space."

"Then, using water currents, we'll funnel them toward an opening. Once they fall 23 blocks, they'll be left with just a sliver of health."

"That's the basic principle of a mob farm."

The three women were quick to catch on, and Ryen's explanation clarified the details further.

"Of course," he added with a grin, "there's more to it than that."

"I deliberately built this mob farm on the floating island near our base. The rest of the island is well-lit with torches, so no monsters will spawn there."

"This makes the mob farm the only dark spot, ensuring a high spawn rate for monsters."

Ningguang murmured a quiet "I see" before jotting down notes in her notebook. Ryen waited patiently for her to finish before waving a hand to signal the others to get started.

As he offered additional instructions, the three women diligently followed his guidance, committing each detail to memory.

Fortunately, the enclosed platform at the top wasn't very large, and they completed it fairly quickly, leaving only the ceiling open.

The rectangular platform, crisscrossed with a plus-shaped channel, looked like a giant matchbox. Ryen had already poured four buckets of water into the channels.

The water flowed outward exactly eight blocks before stopping at the central openings, where it funneled downward. Though the water seemed to flow gently, none of them were eager to test whether it could sweep them away.

"Next step…"

Ryen crafted a workbench on the spot and swiftly produced a pile of trapdoors.

Ganyu, crouched beside him, tilted her head curiously. "Ryen, why are you using trapdoors?"

Seeing Ganyu's innocent and adorable expression, Ryen couldn't resist ruffling her hair.

"Because monsters won't willingly walk into water currents. We need to place trapdoors above the water channels."

"This way, the monsters will think the trapdoors are solid blocks, step onto them, and fall into the water below."

Ganyu's cheeks flushed red as she nodded shyly, her voice barely audible. "I… I see…"

Ryen calculated the number of trapdoors needed, and once he had enough, he distributed them to the three women.

After reminding them to be careful, he got to work placing all the trapdoors above the water channels.

Ningguang, ever the meticulous one, opened and closed a few trapdoors, her eyes flashing with intrigue. Clearly, she'd come up with some new ideas.

Ryen smiled with satisfaction. "Alright, that should do it. Time to seal the top!"

He set up a ladder and climbed to the top of the large "box," signaling for the others to follow. Ningguang, Keqing, and Ganyu quickly joined him.

The next part was straightforward. Each of them took a corner and methodically filled in the blocks to close off the structure.

In no time, the mob farm was complete.

Even though no sounds of monsters could be heard from within yet, Ryen was confident in its success.

Standing back to admire their work, a sudden realization hit him like a thunderbolt.

"Oh no!"

Ryen scratched his head awkwardly. "I… forgot to leave a way down."

The pride and sense of accomplishment the three women had been feeling instantly evaporated.

Keqing looked at Ryen with a complicated expression and said softly, "Ryen, you mentioned that when monsters fall from this height, they'll be left with just a sliver of health. So, if we fall…"

Ryen nodded gravely. "We'd die instantly."

Silence fell over the group.

The chilly wind at this altitude felt even colder now. The three women exchanged glances, each one realizing they'd been thoroughly duped.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Ryen scratched his cheek and muttered, "It's not really a big problem…"

As he spoke, he pulled out his Yama Blade.

The moment the blade appeared, Keqing's eyes were riveted to it.

The weapon's slender, elegant form, intricate and mysterious engravings, and its deep, otherworldly aura—it was a masterpiece far beyond any ordinary artifact.

"Ryen… this blade…" Keqing's voice was filled with awe.

"It's a katana," Ryen explained with a faint smile. "In the future, we'll be able to craft weapons like this. For now, though, it's our way down."

"A sword?" Ningguang's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How do we use a sword to get down?"

Ryen didn't bother explaining. With a sly smile, he turned to Ganyu.

"Ganyu, sorry about this."

Before she could respond, he gently wrapped an arm around her waist.

Ganyu froze instantly, her entire body stiffening like a statue. She wasn't sure if she should push him away or let it be. In her flustered state, she simply stood there, letting Ryen hold her.

Ryen, focused on the task at hand, had no time to savor the moment. Raising the Yama Blade, he prepared to act.

To be honest, Ryen never imagined that one day, he'd find himself stuck at a high altitude, needing to rely on the Yama Blade's abilities to descend.

Thankfully, the blade's special abilities were up to the challenge. Without it, they might've had to resort to some desperate and reckless measures.

His plan was simple: use the Yama Blade's Phantom Blade Dash to teleport safely to the ground.

If he'd been running certain mods, the blade could even allow him to take off and fly with ease.

Ryen glanced down at Ganyu, noticing her ears had turned bright red.

In a low voice, he reassured her, "I'll take you down first."

As he spoke, a brilliant, radiant sword phantom materialized behind him. The blade shot out like a streak of light, embedding itself in the ground far below.

Ryen swung the Yama Blade again, and in an instant, the two of them vanished, reappearing at the base of the tower as though they'd traveled through space.

The spectacle left the trio above—Keqing, Ningguang, and even Zhongli and Xiao, who had been observing from a distance—completely stunned.

They all knew Ryen didn't possess spatial abilities, which meant…

"The sword?" Zhongli murmured, his golden eyes widening in astonishment.

"A sword… with the power of space itself?"

~~~----------------------

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