The once-explored Mine No. 1 was now lined with torches.
It had been temporarily sealed off, as Ningguang and the others planned to…
Wait until Liyue grew stronger, and had pulled more life-or-death allied nations into its fold.
Once the Minecraft world could be made public,
This place would become a fantastic tourist spot—
The very first step for Teyvatan people exploring the MC world.
The beginning of it all.
With a name like that, it would definitely be very… enticing.
Ningguang even had plans for Cloud Retainer to come and remodel the cave once she finished renovating the rear mountains of Jueyun Karst.
Ryen led the group to the temporary base he had built back in the day beneath Mine No. 1.
This place had now become a must-visit for every miner who entered the MC world—
Mainly to learn how to build rest areas while exploring caves.
But Ryen himself hadn't been back in a while.
"Still looks exactly the same as before… it's nostalgic,"
he muttered as he looked at the underground base he had built.
Even the crops in the farm were growing beautifully.
Ryen couldn't help but feel a sense of another lifetime having passed.
"It's only been a month or so, but Ryen makes it sound like years,"
Ganyu said with a light chuckle, still holding Ryen's hand gently.
"Yeah… just over a month…"
Ryen sighed with emotion.
In just over a month,
The villa estate base had been completely built, and all sorts of survival structures perfected.
Three teams from Liyue had moved in, begun exploring new regions, and were even planning to build cities.
As for Ryen—
He now had an uncountable amount of diamonds and gold;
Even his hoe had to be made out of diamonds.
The development had been too fast.
If not for Liyue's large-scale migration, it would've taken Ryen four or five times as long to reach this point.
Just collecting the resources alone would've required countless dangerous trips to the Nether.
But now…
There were stationed forces in the Nether, ready to provide mass resources anytime.
He could sit at home and let the money roll in.
That kind of joy wasn't something you could easily experience.
"Even crops can grow this well in an underground farm?"
Diluc shook his head, sighing in awe.
"Seems we still haven't been here long enough to really understand the uniqueness of this world."
"But with these resources, even a small plot of land could eliminate Mondstadt's future food crises."
Lisa idly brushed her hair—
The diamond helmet pressing on her head made her a bit uncomfortable.
"Yeah… we could even use this soil to build vertical farms in the future."
Ryen raised an eyebrow, teasing,
"Lisa sure adapted quickly—already thinking about how to efficiently use the land?"
"Isn't that obvious? Don't think I'm that dumb."
Lisa laughed and shook her head.
"If I'm not wrong, with this soil's special properties, Liyue must've replaced more than just the soil in Guili Plains, right?"
"Let me guess… those harsh mountainous terrains that are hard to utilize—you guys have started filling them in too?"
Keqing didn't hide it and chuckled, nodding slightly.
"Exactly. We've already started replacing soil in Mingyun Village.
In the future, it'll be Liyue's agricultural base."
"As for Guili Plains—since it's flat, it'd be a waste to use all of it for farming.
We plan to raise horses there for cavalry support, or as a pasture to supply meat."
"In addition, we're planning land reclamation to expand Liyue Harbor's territory..."
Even though she had guessed as much, Lisa still couldn't help but be a little amazed.
"That's some rapid development…"
"You'll be just as fast eventually,"
Ningguang said with a gentle smile before adding,
"Let's harvest the crops here to make sure our hunger bars are full before we set out."
Nearby, Venti lifted his wine glass and gave it a little shake—
Not a drop remained. He looked rather wistful.
"This world of Ryen's is great and all, but the only downside is…
There's no way to brew good wine here."
Hearing this, Ryen rolled his eyes.
"We've got serious business to do later.
If you get drunk and end up blown away by the Wither, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Eh-heh!"
Venti spread his hands and said,
"This little bit of wine won't get me drunk!"
"Then I'll let you drink to your heart's content once we're back,"
Ryen replied with a grin, and Venti fell silent.
Taking advantage of the moment, he sidled up next to Zhongli and whispered,
"Old man… Liyue's been acting a bit too boldly lately.
Are you sure Celestia won't…?"
"Heh…"
Zhongli gave a cold chuckle.
"Her? You think the Seven Nations and Seven Archons were the only ones who suffered five hundred years ago?"
"Plenty of Celestia's gods fell during the fall of the Sky Island.
Even the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles was heavily wounded by that forbidden power."
"If she's out of commission, then Celestia likely won't be waking anytime soon."
"By the time she does, Liyue will have already developed to a level she can only look up to.
There's no need to worry."
Venti nodded slightly, sighing,
"Don't blame me for being cautious, old man.
Mondstadt's tied to Liyue now… I have to consider our people too."
"Are you really sure this world… this path… can break the destined cycle?"
Zhongli looked toward Ryen and said softly,
"If it's just this world, at best it gives us a safe retreat. But…"
"The mods—they are the true power that will shatter the chains.
Besides, you've felt Ryen's raw physical strength yourself…
Even the Heavenly Principles can't do anything to him."
"No need to worry too much. But the Traveler's journey must not be interrupted—that is the contract between him and me."
Zhongli ignored the last part of Venti's words and nodded solemnly.
"Indeed, Ryen's monstrous strength could probably smash all of Teyvat. With him around, at the very least, we can ensure someone stands a chance against Celestia."
"But that module…"
Zhongli shook his head slowly.
"You'll understand in time. That's a rule far above even Celestia."
"Don't worry—we have enough time…"
The two stopped speaking further and quietly slipped away while Lumine wasn't paying attention.
Both Zhongli and Venti held deep resentment toward Celestia.
True, that force maintained the existence of Teyvat.
But it should never have manipulated the seven nations and schemed against their people.
The original gods of Celestia had been imprisoned and burned to sustain the shield protecting Teyvat.
And Celestia was also sealing off the entire world of Teyvat.
Zhongli and Venti had remained silent even when Celestia designed the seven Archons—for the sake of Teyvat, they were willing to sacrifice themselves.
But…
They could never accept the use of their people's lives to fill that bottomless void.
Their people and their nations were Zhongli and Venti's final line.
No one could cross it.
Moreover, the current Second Throne of Celestia was a cold, indifferent entity that disregarded everything.
What the people of Teyvat knew—Khaenri'ah and Dragonspine—was only one of many civilizations destroyed by Celestia.
As far as Zhongli knew, those weren't the only ones.
He absolutely would not allow a future where Celestia descended and turned the people of Liyue into Hilichurls.
There were countless ways to ensure the world's survival. Why should fear of the outside world justify using their citizens' lives to fill that hole?
He thought of Vanessa, the girl he once saw—burning with passion, brimming with heroic spirit.
She should have become a long-lived hero after ascending to godhood.
Yet in just a few short centuries, her life had burned down to a flickering candle in the wind.
Her whole being had become a decayed, defeated corpse.
Venti wished he could storm Celestia and crush the Heavenly Principles.
That wasn't life—it was exploitation of every last drop of their value!
Venti deeply regretted having sent so many people to Celestia.
He thought it was a better future for them—but in the end…
It was all a massive conspiracy!
With a sigh in his heart, Venti pulled himself back together.
At the very least, for now, there was still hope.
And all of it depended on this mysterious world.
As his thoughts churned, Ryen's voice suddenly called out to him.
"Group up! We're getting ready to depart!"
Instantly, everyone perked up and gathered around Ryen.
"Everyone full on food?"
Ryen asked casually. The group nodded.
He then grinned and pointed at the wall to the side.
"Then let's move out!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Xiao and Diluc grabbed their pickaxes and started digging.
Ryen's requirement was clear: dig at least six tunnels, each over fifty meters long and wide enough for two people to stand side by side.
Ryen and Ganyu would take one tunnel; Xiao and Zhongli another; Ningguang and Keqing one; Lisa and Jean another; Lumine and Cloud Retainer one; and finally, Diluc and Venti.
These tunnels would surround the summoning area for the Wither and divide their firepower.
If all went well, with their powerful weapons and gear, they could defeat the Wither within a minute—
Without giving it any chance to evolve into other forms.
As for Nahida and Paimon…
Ryen wasn't going to let those two little ones fight.
They were back at the estate, guarding the villa.
Actually, Paimon had been frustrated ever since her combat score was rated as one-fifth of a boar's.
After sharing some of Ryen's physical attributes, Paimon had taken to enthusiastically hunting pigs on the ranch with a diamond sword.
In a way, it was her way of reclaiming some pride.
Since they hadn't activated vein-mining, Xiao and Diluc just stood side by side digging the tunnel.
The others followed behind, occasionally placing torches to light the way.
Only the sound of deep breathing echoed through the tunnels.
Everyone was getting into the right state of mind.
After all, they were about to face the Wither Storm—a being that, after evolving, could destroy the world. It was natural to feel a little nervous.
Soon, Ryen judged that they had dug deep enough, and he signaled Xiao and Diluc to stop.
Then, he activated vein-mining for Xiao.
With a single swing of the pickaxe, a vast hollow chamber opened up.
Diluc glanced at his own pickaxe, then at Xiao's, slightly confused.
They were both diamond pickaxes, with identical enchantments…
"Vein-mining. I'll explain it later," Ryen said with a chuckle, then instructed the others to continue digging their respective tunnels around the chamber.
He, meanwhile, began placing soul sand.
T-shaped formation, two Wither skeleton skulls placed on each end—now, only the middle one remained before summoning the Wither Storm.
At this moment, Ningguang and the others had disappeared into their respective tunnels.
Ryen didn't rush. He stood still for a moment, checking the plan for any possible flaws.
After a while, when Ningguang and the rest returned, Ryen snapped back to reality.
"How far did you dig?"
He asked softly.
Ningguang smiled lightly and said, "Fifty meters, just like you asked. If needed, we can keep going."
Ryen nodded and said in a steady voice:
"Everyone to position. Retreat ten meters down your tunnels. Once the Wither Storm appears and triggers the explosion, wait for its health bar to fill and its invincibility to end—then, attack immediately."
Everyone took a deep breath and, after exchanging glances, retreated into their tunnels.
Ganyu knew this wasn't the time for words and didn't want to distract Ryen.
She gave him a firm look before withdrawing silently and pulling out her Barrett sniper rifle.
Ryen took out the final Wither skeleton skull.
Slowly, he raised his hand.
He had to admit—summoning the Wither Storm in the real world was indeed nerve-wracking.
He calmed himself and stared at the skull for a moment.
Then, with swift precision, he placed the final piece.
A strange, ominous force suddenly descended from the void.
Without hesitation, Ryen turned and ran.
"Get ready to attack, now!"
~~----------------------
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