Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

Hearing the word "city," Zhongli and Xiao immediately stopped what they were doing and hurried over.

Ningguang pursed her lips. She had to admit—Ryen's statement had stunned her.

A mining city and a mining base were worlds apart.

If it were just a simple base, there would be no issue. But a city…

A city would mark Liyue's first urban establishment in this world.

It would be Liyue's first city outside of its own realm and, apart from Liyue Harbor, its only other city.

To Ningguang and the others, the prospect carried the weight of territorial expansion.

But precisely because of this, even Keqing—who most desired Liyue's growth—couldn't easily accept it.

"Ryen, you should reconsider," Ningguang said, her usual elegance giving way to hesitation.

Looking at Ryen, who seemed to offer cities as casually as one might offer flowers, Ningguang spoke carefully:

"A city is a monumental decision for us and for Liyue. It's not something that can be agreed upon lightly."

"We understand the uniqueness of your world and the necessity of building cities here. In the future, we'll definitely negotiate resource-exchange cities with you…"

"But… it can't be now."

Ningguang took a deep breath, forcing down the impulse to accept on the spot.

"Our time in this world has been far too short. Everything remains unknown, and for the safety of our people, we can't risk building and relocating to a city right now."

"Besides, the planning of a new city—its regulations, its management team—all of that takes an incredibly long time to establish."

"Ryen, your generosity touches us, but this gift… we simply can't accept it, nor can we manage it."

Beside her, Zhongli gave a small nod.

To be honest, when Ryen had first mentioned gifting them a city, Zhongli was so shocked he nearly fell off the floating island.

The situation brought to mind memories of the Archon War.

Back then, his initial goal had simply been to secure a small area where his people could survive.

Then Guizhong had joined him, bringing with her the Guili Plains.

Havria had joined, bringing with her the lands of salt.

And each time a god attacked, their defeat added their territories to his domain.

In the end…

Though Zhongli had only ever fought to defend himself, he became known as the God of War, securing Liyue's borders.

He, Zhongli, never liked fighting.

But trouble always found him, and those who sought trouble were inevitably crushed. With no one left to oppose him, their lands and people naturally became his.

Now, in this strange world, all he'd done was befriend Ryen and explore for a short time.

There hadn't even been a fight. Yet Ryen wanted to gift him a city? An otherworldly city, no less?

Zhongli couldn't help but feel that his rise to power had always been… unconventional.

Still, seeing Ningguang's unwavering refusal in the face of such a tempting offer brought him comfort.

This era's Tianquan was indeed more capable than the last.

The wind on the floating island was gentle, failing to carry away the heavy silence that followed.

As Ryen remained silent, Ningguang and the others exchanged uneasy glances.

They were genuinely grateful for Ryen's gesture, but…

Ningguang had spoken the truth. This was a gift too immense for them to handle.

Just as Ganyu was about to step forward and soften the mood, Ryen suddenly looked at Ningguang with an amused expression and said:

"What are you thinking? I didn't mean it that way."

"But didn't you just say—"

"I said the blueprint for a mining city!" Ryen spread his hands, grinning.

"I never planned for you to build a city now. First, you're unfamiliar with this world. Second, I haven't even done much exploration myself. Resources are scarce—building a city is out of the question."

"What I meant by a mining city is more of a concept, similar to the villages that once surrounded mining areas in my world."

"We'd start by designating a general area, creating a living environment that's safe and suitable for miners. Once that's established, we'd work on stabilizing mining operations. Over time, the base would naturally expand…"

"And eventually, it would develop into a fully functional, self-sustaining mining city."

To put it simply, it was like a massive mining site where miners' housing, food, and resources were all provided, allowing them to focus entirely on extraction.

In Ryen's previous world, it wasn't uncommon for villages or towns to spring up around mining deposits. He was merely adapting that idea here.

This explanation left Keqing and Ningguang momentarily stunned. They exchanged a glance, suddenly realizing the feasibility of this approach.

Ryen turned and pointed toward the towering mountain in the distance, his tone full of bold enthusiasm.

"If you have enough people, I don't even think there's a need to dig into underground mines."

"Start at the peak. Hollow out the entire mountain. Expose the mine directly to sunlight."

"Sure, it's a bit more troublesome, but this way, the sunlight ensures safety within the mine. And you'll gain far more resources this way."

As everyone's gaze followed Ryen's gesture to the mountain, Ningguang silently observed its massive size. However, she refrained from echoing Ryen's enthusiasm.

Ganyu, patting her chest softly, spoke in her usual gentle tone:

"Well, it's good to know you're not planning on building a city right away. So… what should we do before the miners and the Qianyan Army move in?"

Hearing this, Ryen withdrew his gaze from the mountain and gently patted Ganyu's head.

"Over the next two days, as I mentioned earlier, we should define the living area for the miners. The most important thing is to ensure their safety."

"Other than that…" Ryen paused, turning back to the mountain, "I plan to venture into the mines again."

That declaration immediately sparked enthusiasm in everyone.

"Go down into the mines…" Ningguang mused aloud, almost amused by how surreal the idea seemed to her—the Tianquan Xing of Liyue, exploring mines.

Still, she didn't find the notion unappealing.

"I've heard Keqing and Ganyu talk about accompanying you into the mines before. They seemed quite excited."

"To be honest, I'm curious about those resources myself. A chance to investigate the mines firsthand would be ideal."

Ryen chuckled and nodded.

"My next phase of construction requires more iron—and a lot of other resources as well."

"Take the stone generator and the monster farm, for example. Without enough iron, neither structure has been built to its full potential."

"This time, we need to find a significant amount of iron ore and various other minerals."

"But don't get too excited," Ryen cautioned, his tone suddenly more serious. "The mines aren't like the surface. They're far more dangerous, especially since we don't have any armor right now."

At this, Xiao, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke up.

"I will protect everyone."

Ryen gave a light laugh but quickly shifted to a more solemn tone.

"If all of you want to go into the mines, then… tomorrow morning."

"It's already late afternoon. While we could stay here tonight, I'm sure you'll need to head back to Liyue Harbor for meetings. Once the sun sets, I'll escort you back."

"For now, let's use the remaining daylight to survey the terrain and mark the target area. We'll light it with torches so the miners can set up their homes when they arrive."

The suggestion met with no objections. After all, building houses in this world wasn't particularly difficult. The miners only needed somewhere to rest, and most of them wouldn't stay permanently, as Liyue Harbor was still their home base.

Ryen then began walking toward the edge of the floating island. Seeing this, the others hurried to follow.

This time, however, Ryen didn't summon the Enma Blade to open a portal for spatial travel. Instead, he made his way to the ladder and began climbing down in a deliberate, almost methodical manner.

Ganyu's eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment.

She had secretly been looking forward to the thrill of being carried through space by Ryen again.

But seeing Keqing and Ningguang head toward the ladder designated for women, Ganyu quickly shook off the thought and followed them.

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