Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

If the minerals and enchantments of the Overworld were essential to strengthening Liyue’s economy and top-tier combat power, then the Nether’s significance in alchemical potions was something that would eventually bolster Liyue’s foundational strength in all aspects.

Alchemy potions could instantly elevate the combat potential of Liyue’s lower-tier forces.

The group wasn’t entirely sure what kind of effects Ryen’s so-called Strength and Slowness potions would have.

However, considering how the Fire Resistance potion granted outright immunity to fire—completely breaking the rules of normal elemental resistance—they could be sure of one thing: these potions would not be weak.

Take the Strength potion, for instance.

With it, Ningguang could easily outfit an elite force of Millelith soldiers, each clad in iron armor weighing several dozen tons and wielding iron swords that weighed just as much.

In Teyvat, even an ordinary Vision-wielding adeptus would have to think twice before engaging them in battle.

It wasn’t just a matter of being unable to break through their defenses—getting struck by one of their swords, heavy enough to split the ground, was simply something no one could afford.

And what if they were also equipped with Invisibility and Swiftness potions?

What if they all carried Instant Healing potions for themselves and Poison, Weakness, Slowness, or Instant Damage potions to throw at their enemies?

That would be practically unbeatable.

With Zhongli’s strategic insight, he quickly deduced that just fifty of these highly enhanced Millelith soldiers—without the intervention of top-tier adepti—could probably wipe out every single Millelith unit in Liyue.

Even weaker adepti wouldn’t be able to hold out.

Of course, they would never use such a devastating advantage against their own people.

And under the current peace of Teyvat, they likely wouldn’t need to use it against other nations either.

But…

Could the Fatui’s modified soldiers withstand this?

Could Abyss Mages’ shields survive relentless bombardment from an army of superhuman warriors wielding massive, enchanted weapons?

Could even the powerful Geo Shieldwall Mitachurls endure this kind of onslaught?

The importance of alchemical potions was undeniable. As a result, the exploration and development of the Nether had now become a long-term priority for Ningguang and the others.

However, as Ryen had mentioned earlier, they still hadn’t found a Nether Fortress, which meant they were unable to fully establish a potion production line just yet.

For now, their main goal remained mining Nether resources.

Once everyone had collected themselves, they turned their attention back to their surroundings.

The lava pools were something they could now largely ignore.

At this point, seeing rivers of molten rock flowing all around them was no longer as shocking as it had been at first. After a while, the sheer prevalence of the sight dulled the initial impact, though it remained uncomfortably bright to look at.

In the distance, a handful of Piglins—at least seven or eight of them—roamed about.

Everyone knew that as long as they weren’t provoked, they wouldn’t be a problem.

Farther out, the haunting cries of Ghasts echoed from above the lava, their massive, ghostly forms floating eerily in the air. Not far from them, the shimmering silhouettes of Endermen flickered in and out of sight.

The group remained wary, but since none of those creatures were currently attacking, they saw no reason to panic.

That being said, Ryen couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility that Hu Tao, in her excitement, might decide to approach the Piglins to sell them coffins—or worse, invite the Ghasts to experience the ”Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s express delivery service.”

He exchanged a look with Ningguang, who immediately understood and moved closer to Hu Tao, ensuring that she wouldn’t act impulsively.

This time, Ryen’s visit to the Nether had three primary objectives:

Find a suitable location to establish a Nether portal.

Collect key resources such as Glowstone, Nether Quartz, and Soul Sand.

Locate a Nether Fortress and search for Ancient Debris.

The first was essential for building infrastructure, the second was for both crafting and alchemical purposes, and the third…

Netherite.

That was the true prize.

But getting enough of it would be a monumental task.

Smelting Ancient Debris yielded Netherite Scrap. Four scraps combined with four gold ingots produced a single Netherite Ingot.

A tedious, multi-step process reminiscent of nesting dolls.

Still, Netherite was incredibly valuable, and if possible, Ryen wanted to craft a full set of Netherite armor and weapons for himself.

Of course, if he later unlocked access to additional mod packs, the priority of Netherite might change.

As he pondered over his plans, Ganyu suddenly called out excitedly.

”Ryen! Come quick! There’s a ton of gold ore here!”

Hearing this, everyone turned their heads.

A few meters away, Ganyu stood with an excited expression, pointing at the ground beneath her feet.

When the others gathered around, they saw what she was talking about.

Indeed, there was quite a bit of gold.

Though it wasn’t as perfectly clustered as the nine-block gold vein they had previously found in the Overworld’s mines, there were at least five gold ore blocks here.

And across a lava river not too far away, they could see even more gold deposits piled up in clusters.

”Nether Gold Ore,” Ryen remarked with a chuckle, glancing at the vein before quickly losing interest.

”This stuff is everywhere in the Nether. It’s not particularly rare, but you guys can mine it if you want. Whether for trading with the Piglins or bringing it back to Liyue, it’s still useful.”

”In the Nether, gold isn’t quite as common as dirt, but it’s not far off.”

As he spoke, Ryen gestured toward a Piglin lazily wandering nearby.

The group turned their heads, and in an instant, they were all stunned.

Simply put, that Piglin radiated the aura of a filthy rich tycoon.

A gold sword, gold helmet, gold chestplate, gold leggings, and gold boots.

Anyone unfamiliar with the situation might actually think some nouveau riche had just stepped out in all his gaudy splendor.

”You see what I mean?”

Ryen spread his hands with a grin.

”This stuff is literally everywhere.”

Even though they had already seen plenty of gold ingots, the group still felt a little conflicted.

Gold, which was considered an invaluable resource in Teyvat, was being casually used here to craft equipment…

Shaking her head, Ningguang composed herself.

”No matter what, gold is still a universal currency in Teyvat. We won’t complain about having more. Let’s mine it. By the way, Ryen, do we still need to use Silk Touch for Nether gold ore?”

”Yep, Silk Touch first, then smelt it later. But we’ll handle the smelting after we return—this environment isn’t exactly suitable for setting up a furnace right now.”

Saying that, Ryen turned and walked toward the wall behind him.

The others hadn’t noticed it yet, but there were special ores embedded in it.

More abundant than Nether gold ore, but even more important.

Nether quartz!

Ryen gazed at the Nether quartz before him with a bit of emotion.

The missing link in redstone technology was finally here.

With enough Nether quartz, he could start mass-producing daylight sensors, observers, and other redstone components.

A whole range of redstone tech was finally within reach.

Meanwhile, Ningguang had pulled out her Silk Touch iron pickaxe and begun mining the gold ore.

In her mind, however, a new concern arose—if word got out in Teyvat that gold was this cheap, wouldn’t Mora suffer another round of massive devaluation?

As a businesswoman with razor-sharp instincts, this was something she had to take seriously.

But to Ganyu, who never cared much about money, Ryen’s indifference toward gold immediately made her lose interest in it as well.

Instead, she simply trailed after him, curiously watching as he mined Nether quartz with a smile on his face.

”Ryen, you seem way more excited about this than you were about gold.”

Just as he finished mining the last piece of Nether quartz in that section, Ryen turned and walked toward another deposit, smiling as he replied:

”Nether quartz is a key material for a lot of redstone technology.”

”With enough of it, I can finally get a ton of redstone projects up and running. Honestly, it’s way more valuable than gold to me.”

Understanding dawned on Ganyu, and she immediately pulled out her pickaxe, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

”Then I’ll help you mine it!”

Ryen chuckled and didn’t refuse. As Ganyu enthusiastically got to work, he took a moment to scan the surroundings.

And that was when he noticed something surprising…

Even though this portal location didn’t have a Nether fortress nearby, the sheer abundance of resources here was remarkable!

Nether quartz was practically everywhere.

Not far away, there was also a vast stretch of soul sand.

And near the lava pools, magma cubes spawned from time to time.

All of these were crucial resources.

With soul sand in the mix, Ryen could even upgrade his sky island’s automatic elevator.

No more tedious climbing every time he needed to go up.

Mulling it over, Ryen called out to Zhongli.

At the moment, Zhongli was looking rather idle.

Ningguang was keeping Hu Tao in check while mining Nether gold ore.

Ryen and Ganyu were busy with Nether quartz.

And since Zhongli didn’t know what resources were valuable here, he had simply been standing around, taking in the scenery.

Well… if you could call this hellish landscape scenery, that is.

”You need something?”

Zhongli strolled over, his voice calm as ever.

Ryen handed him a diamond shovel, smiling as he said:

”You see that patch of soul sand over there?”

”Soul sand? You mean that…”

Zhongli’s eyes glinted with recognition.

”You want me to mine it?”

”Exactly. And while you’re at it, grab some magma blocks from the lava pools, and use a Looting-enchanted sword to take care of those magma cubes. All of those are valuable resources.”

”...”

Zhongli gave Ryen a long, unreadable look.

Ryen, on the other hand, remained utterly shameless, chuckling as he patted Zhongli’s shoulder.

”Come on, man! You’re capable, so you should do more! I appreciate it—really, I do.”

Letting out a resigned sigh, Zhongli nodded.

”Understood. Anything else?”

Hearing that, Ryen’s eyebrows lifted.

”Well… since you’re offering—”

He gestured toward the glowing clusters of glowstone hanging high above.

”Would you mind grabbing those, too?”

”…I was just being polite.”

Zhongli immediately regretted his words.

But Ryen simply threw an arm over his shoulder in a brotherly manner.

”No need for formalities between us, Zhongli! I believe in you!”

Zhongli remained silent.

After a long pause, he wordlessly turned and walked off with his diamond shovel, heading toward the soul sand.

Ryen grinned to himself.

Of course, he was only half-joking.

Soul sand, magma blocks, even magma cubes—none of those posed any real challenge to Zhongli.

But he definitely wasn’t going to make him mine glowstone alone. That was a bit too risky.

Once Zhongli finished gathering those resources, and once Ryen and Ningguang’s teams wrapped up with Nether quartz and gold ore, they would handle the glowstone together.

This place was rich in resources.

If they fully mined the area, Ryen estimated that the Nether quartz alone would last him a good four to five days.

By then, he would have more time to prepare before their next expedition—one that would take them deeper into the Nether in search of a fortress.

Which meant…

Next time, he would need to bring more top-tier fighters.

Wither skeletons were no joke.

And let’s not forget the blaze spawner.

As he pondered his next move, Ryen was just about to take Ganyu over to another Nether quartz deposit when—

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from Ningguang’s direction!

Ryen’s expression changed instantly.

Grabbing Ganyu, he sprinted toward the source of the blast.

The moment they arrived, the first thing Ryen saw was a massive crater where there had once been a flat surface of Netherrack.

And the culprit…

A wailing Ghast, slowly drifting toward them!

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