Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

Farming?

In a mine?

Keqing and Ganyu were stunned by Ryen's idea.

They wanted to point out the obvious flaws—no sunlight, no water source, no one to tend to the crops. But then they remembered: nothing in this world was normal. With that realization, they chose silence.

"In a mine, we need a steady food supply," Ryen explained calmly. "Bringing food from the surface is impractical—we can't carry much, and once it's gone, we'd have to go back up to restock. That back-and-forth wastes way too much time.

"So, whenever I mine, I set up a farm underground. Crops, livestock—everything we need to sustain ourselves right here. That way, food isn't a concern anymore."

Ryen spoke as though it was the most natural thing in the world. For him, it was. After all, this was a fundamental skill for any serious miner. Experienced miners treated their mines like home, turning every expedition into a self-sufficient retreat, isolated from the world.

Unfortunately, this time, Ryen hadn't brought an iron bucket for water or dug up any dirt. Otherwise, he would've already built a basic farm.

Seeds weren't an issue—he had plenty back at home, thanks to frequently "borrowing" from a friend's vegetable garden. The only problem was that all his seeds were sitting in a chest on the surface.

"Why is it," Keqing muttered to Ganyu, her tone laced with mock exasperation, "that every time Ryen talks about something completely absurd, it starts to feel completely logical?"

She paused for dramatic effect, then added, "Honestly, if Ryen told me he could grow Qingxin flowers in the ocean, I'd probably believe him!"

Her words made Ryen and Ganyu exchange a smile. Growing Qingxin in the ocean? Impossible—there weren't any Qingxin flowers in this world to begin with. But farming in the ocean?

That, Ryen could do.

Back before he crossed into this world, Ryen had once been so bored that he started a new game file dedicated to draining small sections of the ocean with sponges and turning them into farmland.

Of course, that endeavor hadn't gone very far—just clearing a small patch had been exhausting. The Minecraft world was unimaginably vast, and no one in Ryen's time had ever found its limits.

Even so, the process of using sponges to drain ocean water was hardly unheard of. Never underestimate the creativity—or sheer boredom—of Minecraft players. As far as Ryen knew, there were players who had dedicated entire game files to excavating every single block in the world just for the fun of it.

"Alright," Ryen said, clapping his hands. "The iron ore should be done smelting. Let's go collect it, head back to the village for some rest, and prepare to return to Teyvat."

Keqing, however, frowned and muttered in protest, "Do we really have to go back so soon? I still have so many unanswered questions. Plus, I wanted to gather more resources to take back with us."

Ryen spread his hands in mock helplessness and gave her a pointed look.

"My dear Keqing, you're the Yuheng of Liyue, aren't you? Don't you have duties back home? Besides, you can always come find me whenever you want to return here.

"Also, I'm counting on you to organize a meeting and get some reinforcements to help me develop this world. You wouldn't let me down, would you?"

It wasn't clear whether it was Ryen's playful "my dear Keqing" or the sudden reminder of her responsibilities that caught her off guard, but Keqing's face turned bright red. For a moment, she seemed flustered, then quickly lowered her head and walked past Ryen toward the furnace area without another word.

"Did I go too far?" Ryen asked Ganyu, looking slightly embarrassed.

Ganyu pressed her lips together as though she wanted to say something, but after a moment's hesitation, she shook her head and stayed silent.

"Well, alright then…" Ryen shrugged and hurried to catch up with Keqing.

This time, Ryen didn't handle the iron ingots himself. Instead, he guided Keqing and Ganyu through the process of using the furnaces. Before long, they had collected all the ingots.

After tallying the results, they found they'd smelted a total of 46 iron ingots—a decent haul, though not particularly impressive. It was just enough for five iron blocks.

To put it in perspective, crafting an iron golem alone required four iron blocks. As for the ingots, they weren't enough to make two full sets of iron armor.

Still, it was a good start. Ryen quickly gathered up their materials, carefully packing them away.

After crafting torches, there were three full stacks of coal left. Ryen decided to share the load, giving Keqing and Ganyu one stack each while keeping the last one for himself. Coal wasn't particularly precious—his villager buddy had lava reserves, so coal was never in short supply.

Ryen had made a little over two stacks of torches, leaving one stack for himself and planting the rest throughout the mine.

As for the 46 iron ingots they'd smelted, Ryen kept those for himself. He had plans for them. However, he didn't mind letting Keqing and Ganyu take some other materials from the haul.

Then there were the stones and other blocks they'd gathered—too many to count. By any measure, the trip was a success.

Chatting and laughing with Keqing and Ganyu, Ryen led the way out of the mine.

But as soon as they stepped outside, Ryen's expression darkened.

The full moon hung high in the sky, casting its cold, silvery glow over the forest. The moonlit woods exuded a mysterious yet dangerous beauty.

From deep within the forest came the faint sounds of insects chirping and birds calling. The distant glow of the village flickered like a beacon. If you listened carefully, you could hear the gentle babbling of a nearby stream. By all appearances, it seemed like a lovely spot to enjoy the night.

But…

The dangers of the Minecraft world at night were on an entirely different level compared to the day.

In his entire year here, Ryen had never stepped outside at night. Not once. Even if he was chopping wood and down to the last critical moments, the second he saw the sun dipping below the horizon, Ryen would drop everything and sprint back to the safety of the village.

This was the first time he had seen the Minecraft jungle at night.

It was, admittedly, breathtaking. But beautiful? Yeah, right.

Just at the edge of the forest, Ryen's sharp eyes spotted four zombies and three skeleton archers. In the trees, three or four spiders clung to the branches, their eyes gleaming ominously. Somewhere nearby, the unmistakable squelching sound of a slime echoed.

And worst of all…

That hissing sound.

There was no mistaking it—a creeper was lurking nearby.

It was a full-blown monster buffet out here.

Thankfully, Ryen was in much better shape now. With Steve's abilities and a combination of firearms and his Enma Blade, he could take on an entire horde if needed.

That is, if he wasn't burdened with Keqing and Ganyu.

Ryen sighed and said in a grave tone, "Keqing, Ganyu, listen to me carefully."

Hearing the seriousness in his voice, both women immediately tensed. Their natural combat instincts kicked in, and they fell silent.

"Do you remember the way back to the village?" Ryen asked, his eyes darting toward a zombie that was shuffling toward them, an iron shovel inexplicably clutched in its hand.

"Ryen…" Ganyu's voice quivered as she grabbed his arm, realizing what he was planning. "We can't just leave you behind—"

"It's fine. Trust me," Ryen interrupted, his tone steady. "In this world, I know better than anyone how to survive."

He sighed internally, wishing the portal between the worlds didn't take so long to activate. If he could, he'd open it right now and send them back. But since that wasn't an option, he had no choice but to gamble. If he could lure all the monsters away, he might even complete some achievement objectives.

"When I say 'run,' you run straight to the village. Don't look back, and wait for me there. I'll return soon, I promise."

Ryen hesitated for a moment, feeling like he'd just jinxed himself. Still, there was no time to second-guess.

When Keqing and Ganyu opened their mouths to protest, Ryen swiftly drew his shield and locked his gaze on the nearest zombie.

"Ryen…" Ganyu began, but Keqing grabbed her arm and shook her head, silently urging her to follow Ryen's instructions.

Seeing this, Ryen felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

Keqing and Ganyu might have been nerfed in this world, their combat power significantly weakened, but they still had their unique abilities—a lightning tether for Keqing and Ganyu's cloud-walking technique. When it came to running, they were second to none.

Readjusting his focus, Ryen stared down the advancing zombie.

The moment it came within three meters, he shouted, "Run!"

Without hesitation, Keqing grabbed Ganyu, tossed a lightning marker ahead, and teleported a safe distance away.

As for Ryen, he unsheathed his Enma Blade and brought it down in a single, clean strike, cutting the zombie down instantly.

Ryen blinked in surprise. "Not bad, Enma Blade. If I reforged this thing, could I one-shot a Wither?"

But his shout had drawn the attention of every monster in the area.

The forest rustled ominously as a horde of creatures surged toward him.

From the distance, a skeleton archer notched an arrow and aimed it at Ryen.

Ganyu, who had just reached the edge of the horde's range, turned back and gasped in horror. Tears welled up in her eyes as she shouted, "Ryen!"

"Boom!"

A sharp crack of gunfire echoed through the night.

With his left hand gripping an AK-47 and his right wielding the Enma Blade, Ryen easily took out the skeleton.

Grinning, he waved the rifle at the stunned monsters.

"Thought I couldn't do ranged combat without a bow and arrow?" he taunted, firing a few more rounds to take out two additional skeletons.

"Surprised? Guess what—I've got a gun!"