Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

On the floating island, Ryen placed the final stone in his inventory and stood up, surveying his surroundings.

The platform was still the same as before, but now it had expanded significantly. By his rough estimation, it was at least seven to eight hundred square meters. At this pace, it would likely reach the planned dimensions of 50x50 by around two in the afternoon.

The platform was no longer just an expanse of endless stone. Scattered across the area were twenty furnaces and six crafting tables, alongside ten large chests neatly stacked in a corner.

However, none of this was the most notable feature.

Ryen hefted his pickaxe and approached a peculiar structure nearby. The structure was about seven meters long and three meters wide, with a hollowed-out center resembling a trough. On one side flowed molten lava, while the other side carried clear water. Between the two was a block of stone.

This was a simple cobblestone generator.

Without hoppers or advanced mechanisms, it couldn't be automated for now. Still, it served its purpose well enough for the moment. The principle was simple: lava and water, when placed correctly, could endlessly produce stone blocks.

While it seemed straightforward, there was some nuance involved. Lava turning into stone upon contact with water was ideal, but if water flowed into lava, it would create obsidian instead.

Obsidian wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but without a diamond pickaxe and no immediate plans to visit the Nether, Ryen didn't want to deal with it.

Lost in thought, he mechanically chipped away at the stone blocks generated by the device. The generator made mining stone convenient, but it wasn't particularly efficient. Ideally, he'd build two more generators, but...

It would disrupt the aesthetics and take up too much space.

Ryen had meticulously planned the layout of the floating island. He wanted areas for automated farms, a mob tower, and even an iron farm. For now, this would suffice. There was no rush; the island would be fully functional before they returned to Liyue.

"Ryen?"

A soft voice interrupted his thoughts. Turning around, he saw Ganyu and the others standing behind him. Judging by their expressions, they had been watching for a while.

"What's this?" Ganyu asked curiously, pointing at the strange contraption.

Ryen chuckled and handed her the pickaxe. "It's a cobblestone generator. Want to give it a try?"

"Yes! I want to try!" Ganyu nodded enthusiastically, gripping the pickaxe with determination.

Tentatively, she chipped away at a newly formed stone block. Instantly, the lava and water converged again, creating another stone block right before her eyes.

Ganyu's eyes widened in amazement. "That's incredible! Endless stone blocks, just like that?"

Ryen grinned and nodded. "If you switch the positions of the lava and water, it'll produce obsidian instead. But without a diamond pickaxe, it's better not to make that."

He gently took the pickaxe back from her. "Let me handle this. You've been working hard all morning; take a break. There's food in the first chest on the left. If you're hungry, grab something to eat."

Then he glanced at Ningguang and said softly, "If the food here doesn't suit your taste, let me finish mining a batch of stone, and I'll take you all back to Liyue."

Ningguang, who had been admiring the peculiar setup, shook her head lightly. "I'm not that delicate. Since everything is progressing smoothly, there's no need to go through the trouble."

"Besides, I've tried the food here. At the very least, the apples are quite good."

Ryen smiled. "Judging by the look of things, I'd say you've chopped down quite a few trees today."

At this, Ningguang's eyes lit up with interest. She pulled out a few saplings and handed them to Ryen.

"When cutting trees, the leaves disappeared and dropped not only apples and sticks but also these saplings…" She hesitated for a moment. "Ryen, are these useful to you?"

Saplings?

Ryen paused briefly before shaking his head. "Not at the moment. I do plan to create a tree plantation on the floating island eventually, but for now, the platform isn't big enough."

"I also need to leave space for farming. Once the second phase of construction begins, I'll revisit the idea. I already have plenty of saplings on hand—they're not particularly rare."

As he spoke, Ryen continued mining the stone blocks, his movements precise and efficient.

"Then… can I take these back to Liyue and plant them there?" Ningguang asked curiously.

Ryen chuckled, nodding.

"Of course you can. Didn't the saplings you planted at the estate already take root? It's just that in Teyvat, they may not grow as quickly as they do here," Ryen explained with a calm smile.

"That's not a problem," Ningguang replied, her voice thoughtful. "Once we have more bone meal later, I can use it to speed up the process. Keqing should have mentioned this to you, right?"

At these words, Ningguang appeared puzzled and turned toward Keqing, who shook her head in confusion.

Ryen frowned slightly, his tone incredulous. "Keqing, how could you forget something so important? Bone meal can bypass time entirely and force crops and plants to mature instantly!"

Ningguang and Zhongli both looked visibly moved.

As residents of Liyue, a nation known as the agricultural heart of Teyvat, they deeply understood the significance of accelerating food production. Although Liyue was wealthy, hunger still persisted in some corners of the land.

Of course, hunger in Liyue usually meant not being able to eat enough, rather than outright starvation. But the divide between rich and poor was a truth as old as time, present in every world.

"Keqing!" Ningguang frowned slightly, her expression tinged with reproach. "Why didn't you bring this up earlier? Something like this could change everything."

Keqing pursed her lips and remained silent, offering no explanation.

It was Ganyu who stepped forward to defend her. "It's not that Keqing forgot, Ningguang," Ganyu began hesitantly, glancing at Ryen as if seeking permission to speak. Finally, in a low voice, she said, "Bone meal… it's made from bones. And those bones…"

Her voice faltered, and she hesitated before finishing, "They're from humans."

Ningguang and Zhongli both stiffened, their pupils constricting as they exchanged a complicated glance, their gazes finally landing on Ryen.

It all made sense now. No wonder Keqing had been reluctant to bring it up. The idea of using human bones to grow crops…

It was something that defied Teyvat's moral limits, especially in Liyue, a nation that revered the dead and believed deeply in honoring those who had passed. If Hu Tao were to find out about this, she'd undoubtedly cause a massive uproar.

Ryen sighed, casually tossing aside a broken stone pickaxe before spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Ganyu's explanation isn't entirely accurate. The bones don't come from humans—they're from monsters like skeleton archers. They just happen to resemble human skeletons in form, that's all."

"They're not the same species, so there's no need to overthink it. Besides," he added pointedly, "the people of this world can hardly even be considered humans by our standards."

"So, let go of your hesitation. Bone meal has too many uses, and we'll definitely need to collect it in large quantities later."

Zhongli frowned slightly, his voice contemplative. "But… skeletons that mimic the human form, in essence, are they truly that far removed from humanity?"

Ryen rolled his eyes. "Do you have to insist on seeing them as humans? Just think of them as slimes or Abyss creatures. Would that make it easier for you?"

"For now, everything must prioritize survival and development. This is an untamed world. There's no room for lofty ideals about morality and etiquette here."

His gaze sharpened as he looked at Zhongli, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.

Zhongli hesitated, clearly still wrestling with the idea, but eventually sighed, choosing not to argue further. He was a protector of people, and his first priority was the well-being of the citizens of Liyue. If bone meal could ensure that everyone was fed, then…

Reluctantly, he could turn a blind eye to its origins.

Ningguang rubbed her temples with a sigh, her voice laced with resignation. "It's… difficult to accept, but Ryen, you're right. In this untamed world, concepts like morality and etiquette are luxuries. And these aren't humans—our purpose here is to make Liyue greater."

"Anything else doesn't matter."

"I'll ensure the scouting teams pay more attention to collecting bone meal in the future."

Ryen raised an eyebrow, his smile turning playful. "Scouting teams? Why bother? I'm about to build a mob farm. You'll be able to get whatever monster materials you need from it."

With that, Ryen waved his hand, motioning for Xiao to come over. "Xiao, could you help mine some stone for me? I'm about to start construction."

As Ryen grabbed a bundle of stone and headed toward an open area, Ganyu quickly called out to him. "Wait, Ryen! There's something else we wanted to ask…"

Ryen stopped mid-step, blinking in realization. He smacked his forehead lightly. "Oh, right! It's lunchtime, isn't it? Go ahead and grab something to eat. Don't mind me—I need to focus on planning the mob farm."

"That's not it!" Ganyu's cheeks flushed as she stepped closer, her voice dropping to an embarrassed whisper. "Can you… maybe rebuild the ladder?"

Ryen instinctively started to ask why but stopped when he noticed Ningguang and Keqing's flushed faces, both of them awkwardly holding down the hems of their skirts.

Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, Ryen let out a nervous laugh. "Ah… sorry about that. I completely forgot."

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