Ryen had no time to think. He rushed forward, grabbing Hu Tao and Ningguang by the waist, pulling them aside just in time to dodge another incoming fireball.
With a swift motion, he constructed a 3×3 cobblestone wall, forming a temporary shelter.
"Ganyu! Zhongli! Get over here!"
Ryen called out while stacking more cobblestone, ensuring they were covered from above. Only then did he let out a breath of relief.
He turned to survey the damage—the once-flat terrain was now a mess, resembling the aftermath of a TNT explosion.
Its destructive power was second only to sleeping in the Nether.
Hu Tao and Ningguang were momentarily startled, but they quickly regained composure, shaking their heads.
"I managed to dodge in time," Ningguang said, frowning slightly. "The explosion only clipped me—I lost two hearts."
She checked her hunger bar and, seeing that it was full, dismissed the injury as unimportant.
"What just happened? Why did it suddenly explode? Did you hit something?"
Zhongli's expression was unusually solemn.
That explosion had been powerful enough to give him a sense of real danger.
At least in this world—where his divine power was completely sealed and his strength had been significantly suppressed—he was fairly certain that even his Jade Shield wouldn't have held up against that blast.
"It wasn't something we hit," Ryen said, shaking his head. "It was the Ghast."
His words made Hu Tao lower her gaze in guilt.
"I'm sorry... I was mining gold near the lava sea with Ningguang and ended up staring at it for a while... I think it noticed me."
Ningguang shook her head reassuringly.
"It's not just your fault. I should have informed Ryen before heading toward the lava sea."
Seeing their self-reproach, Ryen sighed.
"Alright, no harm done. Luckily, you weren't too close to the lava, or you might have fallen in."
He didn't reprimand them.
They'd already been shaken by the incident, and this was likely enough of a lesson to increase their caution in the Nether.
This place was nothing like the Overworld—it was full of lethal threats.
Besides, they hadn't known that the Ghast's fireballs could trigger explosions.
That was why they hadn't dodged further away.
Hu Tao looked like she wanted to say something, but Ryen shook his head.
"Now isn't the time to discuss this. I know you have attacks specialized for dealing with spirits, but let's hold off on that for now."
"For now, we'll handle the Ghast my way."
Hu Tao obediently nodded, looking somewhat dejected.
She still blamed herself for allowing Ningguang to get caught in the blast.
"Ryen, the Ghast doesn't seem to be attacking anymore…"
Ganyu listened intently before confirming, "I don't hear any explosions."
Ryen smirked.
"It's still attacking—it's just that fireballs can't break through cobblestone. That's exactly why I told you all to bring a full stack of cobblestone before we left."
"Guess that's on me for not explaining the reason sooner."
Zhongli remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"The Ghast is flying overhead. How do we deal with it? That explosion was far too dangerous."
"True, Ghasts are troublesome. But they're not that difficult to deal with," Ryen said with a grin. "And they drop Ghast Tears, which are essential for brewing healing potions."
"Since we're here anyway, I'll show you all how to take them down."
With that, Ryen pulled out his bow and arrows and gestured for Ganyu to dig a small viewing slit into the cobblestone wall.
Through the opening, they could clearly see the Ghast still launching fireballs, but none of them were getting through.
Ryen raised his bow.
"There are two ways to kill a Ghast," he explained.
"The first method is the safest—build a fortress using cobblestone and shoot it down with arrows."
"This is foolproof, but it takes time."
Hearing that, everyone relaxed a little.
As long as the creature was killable, it wasn't that terrifying.
"The second method is more challenging, but it's basically a guaranteed one-hit kill if done correctly."
Ryen smiled knowingly.
"You all have heard of Mondstadt's Windblume Festival, right?"
The group hesitated at the sudden topic shift but nodded.
Of course, they'd heard of it.
During the founding days of Mondstadt, Barbatos had chosen the city's location using a feather toss.
To commemorate that moment, Mondstadt's citizens began holding an annual festival, where one of the events involved a young maiden tossing a feathered shuttlecock from a high place for the people to catch.
Over time, this evolved into a sport similar to badminton.
Liyue also had people who played it, though none of them had ever personally participated.
Seeing their recognition, Ryen smirked.
He swapped out his bow for a diamond sword and casually stepped out of the cobblestone fort.
"Ryen!"
Ningguang and the others were alarmed, reaching out to pull him back.
But Ryen just grinned.
"The easiest way to kill a Ghast is by playing badminton with it."
Through the viewing slit, the group saw the Ghast's red eyes lock onto Ryen.
With an eerie screech, it launched a fireball straight at him.
Ryen smirked.
"High damage? Sure. But way too slow."
His eyes locked onto the incoming fireball.
"I'm actually really good at badminton."
Even if he messed up, he wasn't worried—he had Fire Protection and Blast Protection on his iron armor.
At worst, he'd lose one and a half hearts.
Plus, he had Golden Apples, and his hunger bar was full.
He couldn't afford to mess up endlessly—but the Ghast couldn't afford to mess up even once.
The fireball floated toward him.
When it was about a meter away, Ryen's eyes sharpened.
He swung his diamond sword in a powerful, decisive motion.
"Back at you!"
The fireball shot back like a badminton shuttlecock, smashing directly into the Ghast's face.
The creature wailed in agony, convulsing midair before disintegrating into white smoke.
From the fading remains, three Ghast Tears and four Gunpowder drifted down.
Ryen casually caught them, twirling his diamond sword in his hand.
"Man… Looting enchantments are great."
Then, he turned back to the group.
"Alright, it's safe now. Come out. Did you all catch that?"
The others were still a bit dazed.
They couldn't quite comprehend how a Ghast's attack had been turned against it like a simple game of badminton.
And more importantly… why did it instantly die from its own fireball?
Ryen clicked his tongue.
"Alright, fine. I'll kill another one. Watch closely this time."
Without hesitation, Ryen gripped his diamond sword and strode toward another Ghast floating in the distance.
"Ryen, wait! We get it! You don't have to kill another one!"
Ganyu hurriedly tried to stop him, but Ryen merely shook his head.
"It doesn't matter if you understand or not—I still have to take care of the Ghasts."
"These things are dangerous. If we don't clear them out, they'll interfere with our mining. Besides, Ghast Tears are materials I need. One way or another, I'd have to hunt them down eventually."
Seeing the confidence in Ryen's eyes, Ganyu chose not to argue further.
Instead, she pulled out her bow, ready to provide support if needed.
Not that it came to that.
From the moment Ryen declared he was going to handle the remaining Ghast to the moment he swatted back another fireball, obliterating it in an instant, barely ten seconds had passed.
Surprisingly, the Ghast's fireballs, now rendered tangible in this reality, turned out to be quite easy to deflect.
Three Ghasts had been hovering above the lava lake. With two already dealt with, the last one remained farther in the distance.
Ryen wasn't in the mood to chase it down.
Sheathing his sword, he returned to the group and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Alright, it's handled. Let's get back to mining. Ningguang, Hu Tao, if you've gathered enough gold ore, start collecting some Netherrack as well."
"Or, if you have a shovel, dig up some Soul Sand. It's a useful resource—essential for cultivating Nether Wart when we return to the Overworld."
The importance of Soul Sand couldn't be understated. As for why they needed to stockpile Netherrack…
Well, they'd be using it to build bridges and search for a Nether Fortress later.
Though they couldn't yet see a fortress from here, the presence of Soul Sand meant it wasn't far off.
It was likely just beyond the Netherrack mountains in the distance.
After all, Soul Sand only generated under specific conditions—either in a Soul Sand Valley, near a Nether Fortress, or close to an Ancient City.
Whichever the case, all three were valuable discoveries for Ryen.
There was still plenty of time to explore before they had to head back. As long as they marked their path, they could afford to push forward a little longer.
Nodding at Ryen's instructions, the group resumed their mining.
…
Compared to the constant peril of the Nether, things were far more peaceful back in the Overworld.
At Ryen's estate, Cloud Retainer was overseeing construction while working with the Liyue architects to discuss plans for the mountain behind the property.
Their idea?
To build Jueyun Karst right into the mountains, eventually connecting multiple peaks into a grand city.
As for the vast plains across the river…
That area was still awaiting a concrete development plan.
Meanwhile, at the mining base, Xiao led ten Millelith soldiers and a hundred miners in exploring Mine Shaft No. 5.
The previous mine shafts had been scouted and secured in a similar manner.
Of course, the base still had fifteen Millelith soldiers and a hundred and fifty miners stationed there for protection.
Only after confirming that the new mine shaft was relatively safe—meaning any Endermen or monster spawners had been dealt with—would the full workforce be brought in to extract resources.
For now, the miners stationed at the base weren't idle either.
Originally, the base covered just a few thousand square meters.
But after clearing out the surrounding forests, they had expanded their controlled territory to tens of thousands of square meters.
Unlike Ryen's estate, however, this base lacked advanced automation.
Farms and livestock pens required manual labor.
Not that the miners minded.
Farming here was simple—just plant seeds. Raising livestock? Just feed them.
Compared to handling agriculture in Liyue Harbor, this was practically effortless.
Fawei, the vice captain of the miners, sat outside his quarters, a domesticated wolf resting at his feet.
Typically, Millelith soldiers handled the training of wolves.
But since Fawei was the one who discovered emeralds during the exploration of Mine Shaft No. 4, Ningguang had approved his request to tame one himself.
This had made him the envy of the entire mining camp.
Ever since arriving in this world, the abundance of resources had stunned everyone.
At first, the miners were amazed by the sheer amount of gold.
But soon…
When a single gold ore block could yield over two tons of gold, their sense of awe numbed.
These days, gold wasn't nearly as exciting to them.
Given the choice, they'd rather have their own pet wolf or a personally enchanted weapon.
Take Yuze, for example. As the Millelith captain, he had performed several meritorious deeds.
In recognition, Ryen had gifted him a fishing rod-enchanted stone sword.
It had Knockback and Sharpness.
Sure, in Teyvat, even wooden swords were considered heavy…
But this was no ordinary weapon—it possessed supernatural enhancements!
Everyone had seen it with their own eyes—Yuze had once sent a Hilichurl Berserker flying dozens of meters with a single swing.
That sword was now treated as a family heirloom by Yuze, who wouldn't even use it unless absolutely necessary.
Fawei watched him with a tinge of envy.
He personally didn't need a weapon—he was well-protected by the Millelith.
But…
He had a family. Millelith soldiers enjoyed excellent benefits, especially those stationed in this world.
If he could get his hands on an enchanted sword, he could apply to have his child transferred here as well, allowing them to enjoy the privileges of being a Millelith member in this new land.
And forget about gold or land—just having the right to tame a wolf was already invaluable.
A lone wolf might not amount to much in Minecraft, but back in Teyvat?
As long as they weren't up against a powerful elemental beast, a trained wolf could be a life-saving companion.
Moreover, wolves were fiercely loyal.
Once bonded with their owner, they would fight to the death if needed.
Lost in thought, Fawei suddenly spotted someone running toward him in a hurry.
It was Chang Yi, the vice captain of the Millelith.
"Fawei! Fawei! Come quick—we need your help!"
~~~----------------------
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