Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

That figure stood silently, gazing into the distance, separated by several kilometers, yet the vast distance did nothing to hinder his vision.

His eyes penetrated the space between them, locking onto the seemingly ordinary courtyard that lay ahead.

Suddenly, flames flared up behind him, no more than a step away. Emerging from the fiery glow was a man shrouded in a hooded cloak that concealed his entire figure.

”Lord Harbinger!”

”Hmm…”

Childe, turned his head slightly. The mountain breeze tousled his short, tawny hair, but the gusts brought a shiver to the man behind him, a debt collector.

Before him stood a figure that seemed like a radiant, cheerful young man.

But this youth was none other than the Eleventh Fatui Harbinger, the bottom-ranked among the Fatui’s terrifying executors, yet an unfathomably powerful figure nonetheless.

Though his title marked him as the last of the Harbingers, his power far surpassed that of ordinary mortals, even those wielding Vision.

While Childe’s sunny demeanor seemed approachable, anyone serving under him knew better. Among the Fatui Harbingers—an assembly of madness and cruelty—he was, perhaps, the most amicable.

But that friendliness had a limit. Beneath that veneer of warmth lay a ruthlessness that had earned him his position. For Childe, his family was the sole reason he retained even a sliver of his humanity.

The debt collector, perhaps sensing this dichotomy, remained hesitant to speak.

Childe’s face retained its pleasant, light-hearted smile, but his soft chuckle pierced like a blade.

”What’s wrong? Do I need to invite you to speak?”

A suffocating chill spread through the air as the man fell to one knee, sweat cascading down his face.

”Forgive me, Lord Harbinger! I’ve uncovered some information regarding your query!”

”Some?”

Childe turned fully to face him, his gaze dropping to the kneeling man. The weight of the Harbinger’s attention made him tremble, and sweat dripped audibly onto the ground.

”Yes, my lord! The Fatui’s activities in Liyue are heavily restricted by the Qixing’s oversight, particularly under the watchful eye of Lady Ningguang. It has been incredibly difficult to expand our information network.”

Childe said nothing, his smile vanishing. The silence was a sword hanging by a thread, ready to fall.

”Ningguang… Wealth incarnate,” he mused aloud, his voice tinged with amusement. ”No wonder she gives that glutton of a Harbinger headaches.”

He waved a hand dismissively. ”Fine. Tell me what you’ve learned.”

The debt collector exhaled shakily, thankful for the reprieve.

”Yes! The courtyard in question is registered under the name of Lady Keqing, the Yuheng of the Qixing. Beyond that… we’ve found no additional information.”

”An ordinary courtyard? Hah…”

Childe chuckled, shaking his head as if amused by the absurdity of the statement.

In an instant, he moved. The next moment, he stood before the debt collector, one hand clamping around his throat and lifting him effortlessly into the air.

Childe’s expression remained friendly, even as the man struggled for air.

”You’re telling me,” Childe began, his tone light but laced with menace, ”that a normal courtyard is guarded by five squads of elite Millelith?”

”A normal courtyard warrants visits from Ningguang, Keqing, and that mythical half-adeptus—the Qixing’s secretary—for days on end?”

”A normal courtyard saw the arrival of a genuine adeptus this morning—Xiao, the Vigilant Yaksha himself?”

”How very interesting. Anyone who didn’t know better might assume that courtyard belongs to the Geo Archon himself.”

The debt collector’s face turned red, veins bulging, but he didn’t dare claw at Childe’s arm.

If he resisted, the Harbinger’s next move would turn him into nothing more than a bloodstain.

”L-Lord Harbinger… there’s more… more information…”

Childe released his grip, allowing the man to collapse onto the ground, gasping for breath.

”My patience is running thin. If what you say next doesn’t intrigue me…” He gave a chilling smile. ”Well, the Doctor is always in need of fresh test subjects.”

”Y-Yes, of course!” The debt collector scrambled to respond. ”A few nights ago, strange occurrences were reported on Mt. Tianheng. It wasn’t just us; the locals heard it too.”

”The mountain quaked throughout the night as though some colossal beast was tearing through the land.”

”At dawn, witnesses described a clear path carved through the clouds, stretching from the mountain’s summit to the sea. It was as though someone had… punched through the heavens themselves.”

”Additionally, the moment the first tremor struck, a large contingent of Millelith immediately set out for Mt. Tianheng.”

”But on the way, they were intercepted by Lady Keqing and the Qixing’s secretary, who ordered them to stand down and forbade anyone from approaching the mountain.”

”The next day, rumors spread that the Qixing convened an emergency meeting aboard the Jade Chamber…”

”After that, we could uncover no further details. Security in Liyue has tightened, and many of our informants have been captured.”

Childe listened intently, his playful demeanor giving way to a contemplative stillness.

He turned his gaze back to the distant courtyard, his blue eyes sharp and calculating.

”So, it all ties back to that courtyard. Or rather…”

”To the person residing within.”

A spark of curiosity ignited in Childe’s eyes.

He had heard the rumors of the strange phenomena on Mt. Tianheng but hadn’t expected the scale to be so immense. And if it truly was the work of a single person—or adeptus…

”Well, no matter what they are, as long as they’re alive, they’ll make an excellent sparring partner!”

His grin returned, sharp and eager. Still, he knew better than to charge in recklessly.

Childe might love a good fight, but he wasn’t a fool.

Suppressing his battle lust, he spoke calmly. ”And what of Mondstadt? How is my esteemed colleague faring there?”

The debt collector hastened to reply, ”Signora has settled in without issue. Our operatives have ensured her presence remains hidden. However…”

He hesitated before continuing, ”A few days ago, Mondstadt faced a crisis involving the Stormterror dragon. A traveler from a distant land managed to drive the creature away.”

”Signora didn’t arrive in time to intervene and was… displeased.”

Childe scoffed, lazily waving a hand as he began descending toward Liyue Harbor.

”That madwoman? She’d be upset even if someone entered Mondstadt with their left foot first.”

”But I’ll admit, I’m surprised she didn’t immediately bury the city in ice and demand Barbatos’ head. I suppose that’s… progress.”

”Leave her to her tantrums. Redirect all our efforts toward investigating that courtyard. Be subtle. It’s too early to clash with the Qixing openly.”

The debt collector nodded fervently. ”Understood, Lord Harbinger!”

As Childe strode away, his smile remained, though his thoughts were anything but lighthearted.

”Just who—or what—are you, mysterious inhabitant of that courtyard?”

As the two figures disappeared into the distance, their presence vanished without a trace.

Not long after their departure, an aged, weary sigh echoed through the mountains.

”Ah... what a troublesome time this is.”

A few fresh green leaves fluttered down from the trees, and the forest quickly returned to silence.

Zhongli was still the same as ever, even after thousands of years. He always left himself a backup plan—not because he doubted Ryen, but because he feared external forces might interfere.

Ryen himself was not in danger. But if Ryen were ever enraged enough to punch with full force…

Wouldn’t that split Teyvat cleanly down the middle?

After all, Zhongli still vividly remembered the contract he had signed with the Tsaritsa to end all contracts.

And Liyue Harbor was crawling with Fatui operatives these days.

Ryen, meanwhile, was blissfully unaware of the vortex of schemes and complications his existence had begun to stir.

Not that it would have mattered to him if he had known.

Fatui? Other forces? They were irrelevant to him.

There was no conflict of interest. And with Ryen’s body—so powerful it could be called ”One Punch Man” material in Teyvat—any potential danger seemed laughable.

But Liyue was different.

Right now, Ryen was in a honeymoon phase with Liyue. They were working together, developing plans, and having the time of their lives.

For the sake of his construction ambitions—and for the sake of his dear friends—

Anyone who dared to mess with Liyue was messing with Ryen’s progress on his grand world-building plans.

And if anyone hindered his progress, Ryen would not be happy.

And when Ryen wasn’t happy…

Well, let’s just say a single punch might be all it would take to resolve centuries of grievances.

For those who disagreed? They could try surviving one of his punches first—then share their opinions.

After clearing out the monsters, Ryen urged Ganyu to rest. Meanwhile, he busied himself gathering the loot dropped by the defeated creatures.

The drop rate was exceptionally high today, likely due to Ganyu’s incredible luck. Nearly all the items were premium-quality loot.

And yet, Ryen felt no excitement.

Without a hopper, collecting the items was a tedious chore.

Ryen was already itching to get back underground and start mining iron as soon as possible.

After organizing the loot, Ryen glanced up at the sun to check the time. Roughly half an hour had passed since they entered the Minecraft world.

He called out to Ganyu and Cloud Retainer, signaling that it was time to head back down.

Cloud Retainer cast a lingering glance at the cobblestone generator and the monster farm not far away. Then, with a sigh of reluctant farewell, she transformed into a crane and leisurely flew downward.

Ryen and Ganyu, however, had to climb down the old-fashioned way, one step at a time.

This prompted Ryen to silently vow that he would unlock flying abilities as soon as possible.

Below, Keqing, Ningguang, and the others had been busy. Seeing Cloud Retainer descend, they stopped their tasks and headed to meet at the base of the floating island.

Their timing was perfect. They arrived just moments after Ryen and Ganyu landed.

Without needing any prompts, everyone began enthusiastically reporting their progress to Ryen.

”Ryen, I made 21 stone pickaxes—enough for everyone to have three each. That should be plenty, right?”

”Ryen, I’ve harvested all the crops—27 potatoes, 18 carrots—and I also went out and collected some wheat to bake 30 loaves of bread.”

”I’ve cooked all the chicken and pork into cooked meat. This should be more than enough food.”

”The lava is ready, and I’ve gathered five stacks of cobblestone.”

Listening to their updates, Ryen couldn’t help but smile. Everyone had been diligently preparing.

Well… almost everyone.

Cloud Retainer stood silently, holding two stacks of cobblestone. She remained quiet, her expression complicated.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that while everyone else had been working hard, she had been slacking off.

If she admitted she’d been playing around, the Geo Archon was right there watching her. She couldn’t afford to lose face.

But staying silent would make her seem suspicious—did she think she deserved special treatment?

Cloud Retainer was caught in a dilemma.

Fortunately, Ryen clapped his hands together, breaking the tension.

”Great work, everyone! We’ve cleared out the monsters above, and we’ve also brought three stacks of torches and a few other useful supplies.”

”Now that everything’s ready… let’s head down and start mining!”

Suddenly, Keqing raised her hand, a conflicted look on her face.

”Wait, Ryen!”

”I… I still want to know… what exactly is this ’mod’ you keep mentioning?”

Hearing this, Ryen’s lips curled into a mischievous smile.

”You’ll find out once we’re in the caves.”

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