From the moment Zhongli and Ryen stepped into the portal, Ganyu had been restless.
She paced back and forth around the portal, unable to shake off the unease growing in her heart. Ningguang and Hu Tao, standing nearby, understood her concerns all too well.
But there was nothing they could say to ease her mind.
That was a world filled with malice toward all life—a place of constant danger.
The only reassurance was that Ryen knew exactly how to navigate it.
After circling the portal dozens of times, Ganyu finally looked up at Ningguang, her eyes filled with urgency.
"It's been five minutes, hasn't it? We can go in now, right?"
Seeing the worry in Ganyu's gaze, Ningguang sighed inwardly. She quickly estimated the time and, finding it to be about right, gave a slight nod.
"Hu Tao, make sure our defenses are in place. We're entering the Nether."
Hu Tao, knowing this was no time for her usual playful antics, nodded seriously and readied her trident and shield.
The three of them exchanged glances, then stepped carefully into the portal.
A wave of spatial distortion washed over them, disorienting and nauseating, followed by complete darkness.
By the time they regained their senses, they had arrived in the place they had been so anxious about.
The acrid stench of sulfur filled the air, and scorching heat pressed against their skin.
But before they could fully adjust to the harsh environment—
"Ryen!"
Ganyu's eyes widened as she spotted him and Zhongli not far away, standing back-to-back, each engaged in battle with a massive Magma Slime.
Horrified, she instinctively reached for her bow, preparing to fire—
"Ganyu, stop!"
Ryen's urgent voice cut through the air.
She froze mid-action, confused but obeying.
Just as she hesitated, the Magma Slime slammed into Ryen's shield with a resounding boom! Flames erupted on impact, rapidly eating away at the shield's durability.
But there was no time to dwell on the damage.
With a swift counterattack, Ryen slashed his enchanted sword through the molten creature, cleaving it apart. The Magma Slime burst into several smaller versions of itself, scattering across the ground.
"These things aren't that dangerous. Just wait a moment—we've got this under control!"
Ryen called out without turning back, already lunging toward the fragmented slimes.
At first, it seemed as though the fight was under control, but just as they thought they were gaining the upper hand, two more Magma Slimes suddenly appeared.
Even so, Ryen remained unfazed.
If anything, he seemed almost… excited.
Alchemic ingredients were invaluable, and Magma Cream—one of the key drops from these creatures—was a crucial material for crafting Fire Resistance Potions.
Meanwhile, Zhongli, having fought off his first Magma Slime, realized these creatures were more intimidating in appearance than in actual combat.
Their sluggish movements and massive bodies made them nothing more than oversized targets.
The real issue was how quickly they drained the durability of shields.
After just a few attacks, the shield he carried was already close to breaking.
But that was hardly a concern. He had his Jade Shield and a full set of enchanted armor.
With fire protection magic infused into his gear, even standing amidst the sweltering inferno of this realm wasn't unbearable.
Four or five Magma Slimes at once might be troublesome, but one or two?
They were nothing.
"One minute."
Ryen muttered, and Zhongli nodded in understanding.
With that, both men dashed forward, enchanted diamond swords flashing as they cut through the remaining slimes.
Despite their immense size, the Magma Slimes were swiftly reduced to nothing but splattered remains, leaving behind precious drops.
Seeing that the battle had ended so quickly, the three women finally let out the breaths they'd been holding.
Moments later, Ryen bent down to collect the loot while Zhongli walked over, handing him a handful of Magma Cream.
"Here's what you wanted."
"Thanks."
Ryen grinned as he took the materials but soon let out a sigh.
"Still not enough… Oh well. Since we're already in the Nether, we'll gather plenty sooner or later."
Zhongli gave him a long-suffering look.
"You're still calling this place the Nether?"
"Well, calling it 'Hell' just feels… unlucky."
Ryen shrugged, grinning as he turned to Ganyu and the others.
"So? What do you think? Can you handle this place? If not, you should head back while you can."
Only now did the three women really take in their surroundings.
And the moment they did—
Their reactions were identical to Zhongli's earlier.
Hu Tao stood in stunned silence for a long moment before she turned to Ryen, utterly baffled.
"This… this is what you've been calling 'the Nether' instead of 'Hell'?"
"Ryen, what the hell is wrong with your brain?! Even the border between life and death in Teyvat isn't this horrible!"
"If this doesn't count as Hell, then what does?!"
Ryen laughed awkwardly and raised his hands in surrender.
"The Nether, Hell—it's all just names. But don't you think calling it 'Hell' and then willingly coming here is a little ominous?"
"..."
The group fell silent for a moment before Ningguang sighed deeply.
"…You have a point. But honestly, with an environment like this, does it even matter anymore?"
Rather than continuing the debate, they chose to let the topic drop.
Still, it would take time for them to truly accept this place.
It was just too hostile.
Everything here was a threat.
At least in Teyvat, even when mining deep underground, they rarely had to fight the moment they entered.
Ningguang cast a glance around, taking in the treacherous landscape.
"…It seems Liyue's miners won't be coming to the Neth—this place—for resources anytime soon."
The oppressive environment of the Nether left them all feeling uneasy. If even they—seasoned fighters—found it unsettling, how could the miners of Liyue, with their far weaker means of self-defense, possibly endure it?
But Ryen merely chuckled and shook his head.
"That's not entirely true. The Nether holds many things we absolutely need."
"The minerals here are secondary. The real priority is hunting monsters—like that Magma Slime we just fought."
As he spoke, Ryen pulled out a handful of Magma Cream and grinned.
"This stuff is an essential ingredient for alchemical potions."
"Alchemy?"
The three women perked up in curiosity. Their knowledge of alchemy was quite limited. In Teyvat, the most advanced understanding of alchemy had once belonged to Khaenri'ah. Now, the most well-versed alchemist was Mondstadt's Albedo.
As for the specifics of what alchemy could truly achieve, Ningguang and the others had never investigated deeply. They only knew that most alchemists seemed to focus on repairing broken objects, while Albedo specialized in some kind of creation-based alchemy.
"Ryen, are your alchemical potions particularly special?"
Ganyu leaned in to examine the Magma Cream closely. It didn't look all that extraordinary—just hot, radiating warmth even through the air.
"Magma Cream is a key ingredient for brewing Fire Resistance Potions," Ryen explained. "I probably don't need to elaborate on what that means, right?"
"It… works like the Fire Protection enchantment, reducing fire damage?" Hu Tao guessed hesitantly.
Ryen's lips curled into a playful smirk.
"Think bigger."
"If you drink a Fire Resistance Potion, you could literally jump into lava and take a bath without a single burn."
"Fire Resistance Potion might sound like it merely reduces fire damage, but in reality… it grants complete immunity to fire!"
Silence.
A long, stunned silence.
Of all of them, Hu Tao looked the most emotionally devastated.
From the moment they had begun preparing for the Nether, everything she represented had been mercilessly countered by this world.
First, the Fire Protection enchantment.
Now, a potion that made fire itself irrelevant.
Hu Tao felt personally attacked.
Did no one in this world consider the feelings of fire-element Vision holders?!
After a long pause, Hu Tao grasped at one last desperate hope.
"Ryen," she asked weakly, eyes full of reluctant expectation, "this kind of broken potion… must be incredibly hard to make, right?"
She needed him to say "yes."
But Ryen hesitated. Then, after an awkward moment, he coughed lightly and admitted:
"Actually… Fire Resistance Potions can be mass-produced in the later stages."
"Aside from using Magma Cream directly, they can also be brewed with Blaze Powder and Slimeballs."
"Blaze Powder drops from Blazes, which have their own spawner cages in Nether Fortresses… and as for Slimeballs—"
He smirked.
"You do remember that I have a Slime farm, right?"
Hu Tao's world shattered.
Her pupils trembled as realization dawned.
This was personal.
"Ryen!" she wailed, looking utterly betrayed. "You're targeting me!"
The others finally snapped out of their shock, and upon seeing Hu Tao's aggrieved expression, they couldn't help but laugh.
Fire Resistance Potion was indeed incredible.
But if it could be mass-produced and released into Teyvat…
Then every Pyro-related being—from Murata, the Pyro Archon herself, all the way down to Pyro Slimes and Abyss Mages—would be completely crippled.
Because if an entire army could bathe in lava without a scratch, then Pyro-based attacks would become practically useless.
It was an absolute counter—a fundamental, law-defying level of suppression.
In short…
Natlan would riot.
And poor Diluc, already reduced to nothing more than an overworked bartender, would probably be completely broken by this revelation.
Ryen scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
Honestly, in the Minecraft world, fire-based abilities were ridiculously easy to counter.
Unlike the other six elements, Pyro was uniquely singled out.
Ningguang pursed her lips, suppressing her amusement as she patted Hu Tao's shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Hu Tao. Strategic resources like Fire Resistance Potions wouldn't be allowed to spread freely across Teyvat."
"Otherwise, I imagine even Natlan would lodge an official complaint."
"Besides," she added with a sly smile, "you could also drink a Fire Resistance Potion yourself. Just think about it—you would become immune to fire too. Wouldn't that make fighting the Pyro Regisvine a lot easier?"
Hu Tao blinked.
She… hadn't thought of that.
The idea of gulping down a potion and tanking the Pyro Regisvine's flames without even dodging was… oddly thrilling.
Maybe this wasn't entirely bad?
Still, she shot Ryen a wary look.
"Either way, you better not spread this potion around too freely!" she warned, puffing up her cheeks in indignation. "If this gets out, my reputation as the mighty 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will be ruined!"
Ryen couldn't help but find her reaction adorable.
He was so tempted to tell her that, no matter how she acted, she never really had any "mighty" aura to begin with—just a lot of chaotic energy.
But… considering how much damage her ego had already taken today, maybe it was best not to push it further.
So, he simply nodded with a smile.
"Got it, got it. I'll be careful."
Then, shifting the topic back on track, he spoke firmly:
"I just wanted to make sure you all understood something—the Nether is essential."
He gestured at the land beneath them.
"This place is too valuable to ignore. Many critical alchemical ingredients can only be found here."
"In fact, alchemical potions cover a ridiculous number of effects."
"There are Strength Potions to enhance raw power, Swiftness Potions to make you faster, Jump Boost Potions to let you leap higher…"
"Potions of Slowness, Fire Resistance, Night Vision, Invisibility, Water Breathing, Healing, Poison, Instant Damage…"
"And these aren't just for personal use—you can turn them into throwable splash potions that affect entire groups at once."
As Ryen listed more and more effects, their eyes began shining with excitement.
Even Zhongli started to look intrigued.
Sensing their interest, Ryen pressed on.
"Now, imagine this—"
"One day, a war breaks out."
"You take a squad of elite Millelith soldiers and give them Strength, Swiftness, Jump Boost, Invisibility, and Night Vision Potions."
"Then, you throw Slowness and Weakness Potions at the enemy forces. And mid-battle? You heal your allies with Instant Healing Potions and inflict instant damage on your enemies."
"What kind of battlefield do you think that would create?"
As Ryen spoke, Ningguang's gaze sharpened.
Ganyu and Hu Tao held their breaths.
Even Zhongli, who had experienced the wars of old, looked genuinely astonished.
After a long silence, Zhongli finally murmured:
"…If this is true, then even a single Invisibility Potion would have allowed Liyue to preserve countless lives during the Archon War."
"Alchemy… is a truly formidable force."
Ryen grinned, spreading his arms.
"So now you see?"
His voice carried a resolute certainty as he pointed downward, toward the burning Nether landscape.
"No matter what—it's absolutely necessary to explore this place."
"More than that…"
"We must build harvesting machines to gather its resources efficiently!"
~~----------------------
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