Genshin x Minecraft: Building the Temple of Virtue

Lisa was hailed as a once-in-two-centuries genius by the Akademiya.

Had she been born in Sumeru—and if not for her personal distaste for the Akademiya’s stifling atmosphere—her path might have led somewhere far greater.

Being the librarian of the Akademiya wasn’t the pinnacle of what she could’ve achieved.

Becoming a sage herself? That wasn’t out of reach.

After all, Lisa possessed overwhelming talent, her teacher was a sage, and her connections were more than sufficient.

Because of that, she was privy to many of Sumeru’s secrets.

For instance...

The Little Lucky Grass King.

But why was the Little Lucky Grass King in Liyue?

And why was she nestled in the arms of that unfamiliar man?

What’s more, she looked so obedient—far too docile, like a little sister clinging to her older brother.

Lisa’s gaze instantly locked onto Ryen.

She studied him carefully.

He looked young—probably in his twenties.

His features were gentle and handsome.

Aside from that...

No Vision, no signs of elemental power.

He appeared to be just an ordinary high-ranking official from Liyue.

But an ordinary person could hold the Dendro Archon in his arms?

Lisa fell into deep thought.

On the other side, Ryen also sensed Lisa’s gaze. Their eyes met briefly, and he nodded at her with a warm smile.

Then, unfazed, he resumed feeding Nahida bits of food.

He had only come to watch today. For now, at least, this wasn’t his battle.

Lisa narrowed her eyes slightly. After a moment’s contemplation, she confirmed that there was no record of Ryen in her memory.

Only then did she temporarily set aside her curiosity about him.

But still—she made sure to remember his face clearly.

”In the past, I exchanged many letters with Acting Grand Master Jean. Even back then, I could sense her strong adherence to the ideals of knighthood.”

”And seeing her today—no doubt about it.”

Ningguang offered Jean a soft smile and a polite nod.

Jean, however, treated the setting as if it were a formal diplomatic event. She responded with due decorum:

”You flatter me, Lady Ningguang. I still have much to learn.”

She meant every word.

In truth, Jean still didn’t feel worthy of the title ”Grand Master.”

Ningguang, on the other hand, let out a quiet chuckle, her every movement radiating the grace and poise of the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing.

”Today’s gathering is merely a friendly banquet among friends, Acting Grand Master Jean. No need to be so formal.”

”Please, try Liyue’s specialty dishes. And if they’re not to your liking, I’ll have some Mondstadt-style cuisine brought up.”

Before Jean could respond, Paimon’s eyes lit up.

”We can eat now?! Yay! I’ve been waiting forever!”

”Paimon!”

Lumine flushed with embarrassment and quickly covered Paimon’s mouth.

The others at the table, including Ningguang, turned to look.

Perhaps it was the accumulated aura of nobility from years of leadership—or maybe it was the imposing atmosphere of being atop the Jade Chamber—but Paimon visibly shrank back.

”There’s no need to feel restrained,” Ningguang said softly, smiling gently.

”Eat to your heart’s content. Liyue won’t ever lack a meal for its friends.”

”Thank you, Lady Ningguang,” Lumine nodded and finally let go of Paimon.

”I believe this must be the traveler who helped Mondstadt in subduing Stormterror?” Ningguang said, shifting her gaze slightly to observe Lumine. ”I must say, I’m surprised. Such a cute young lady.”

”Hehe, and that’s not all!” Paimon, now relaxed, picked up a Crystal Shrimp Ball and stuffed it in her mouth, speaking with her cheeks puffed out.

”Our Lumine purified Dvalin and stopped his corruption—she’s a huge hero in Mondstadt!”

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light appeared in Ningguang’s eyes. She spoke in a low, admiring tone:

”Is that so? Then Miss Lumine must be quite the formidable young woman.”

Lumine shot a sharp glare at Paimon and replied:

”I couldn’t have done it without Acting Grand Master Jean and the others’ help!”

Just as she said that, Paimon proudly handed Lumine another shrimp ball.

”Lumine! No more talking—let’s eat, let’s eat! This is the best cuisine Liyue Harbor has to offer! It won’t taste as good if it gets cold!”

Lumine felt a wave of frustration surge through her. She desperately wanted to yank Paimon’s cheeks.

Ningguang chuckled softly and picked up her chopsticks. ”This little one isn’t wrong. Food is best enjoyed while it’s hot.”

”But don’t worry. If it cools, we’ll just bring out another round. All that matters today is that everyone enjoys themselves.”

Upon hearing that, Paimon’s eyes sparkled with joy.

”Really?! Paimon can eat as much as she wants?!”

”Of course!” Ningguang teased with a warm smile. ”Even if you can eat two whole tables by yourself. If there’s anything specific you’d like, just tell Baiwen. She’ll have the chefs at Liyue Harbor prepare it for you.”

”Waaah!” Paimon hugged her own face, overwhelmed with happiness.

”Ningguang is the best! A million times better than Lumine!”

Everyone burst into laughter. As for Lumine—she angrily grabbed more food and stuffed it into Paimon’s mouth.

”Can’t even shut up while you’re eating?!”

After that little scene, the atmosphere lightened up considerably, and no one brought up anything serious.

Ningguang truly meant for this banquet to be a casual gathering among friends. There were no strict rules about eating or conversation.

They chatted casually while enjoying Liyue cuisine, often touching upon the current affairs in Mondstadt.

As for Paimon, she was locked in a fierce battle—with the food.

In just a short time, she cleared an entire table’s worth of dishes. Her belly didn’t even bulge. With sparkling eyes, she turned toward Baiwen with anticipation.

Baiwen found her quite amusing. Adorable creatures like this naturally drew women’s affection.

She immediately instructed Xinyue Kiosk and Liuli Pavilion to keep sending more dishes.

The meal lasted about an hour. Everyone left satisfied.

Of course, the happiest of all was Paimon.

She had devoured four entire tables of food on her own.

Now, lying flat on the table and rubbing her round little belly, she looked utterly blissful and completely unladylike.

Rare were the occasions when she could truly fill all her extra stomachs.

For Paimon, who firmly believed that ”those who feed you are like your mom”, Ningguang in this moment had become a towering figure in her heart.

She even began to consider whether she should occasionally come and act cute in front of this rich lady just to score a few extra meals.

After all, Paimon had heard the stories—this woman, with every graceful smile and gesture, was none other than the richest person in all of Teyvat.

If nothing else, just look at the Jade Chamber.

A floating estate hanging high above the clouds.

Diluc estimated that just its construction would cost over ten billion Mora.

And that’s not even counting the rare, exquisite furnishings found throughout.

This one Jade Chamber alone might be worth nearly fifty billion Mora.

With everyone full and satisfied, Baiwen had the table cleared, replacing it with tea and desserts to help digestion.

And sure enough, Paimon climbed back up again, forcing herself to keep fighting—to fill the last bit of space in her belly.

Paimon’s appetite surpassed even Ningguang’s expectations.

The food Paimon consumed tonight alone would easily convert to at least ten million Mora.

But Ningguang had a vast fortune and didn’t care about such a small expense.

Just a blink of her eye could probably earn her another hundred million Mora.

After all, she’d been in the MC World for quite a while now, and given the ambiguous, slightly romantic relationship she had with Ryen, he didn’t mind letting her handle a few resources to profit from.

Besides...

Ningguang was basically sponsoring him now!

So, isn’t her money his to spend anyway?

As Ningguang sipped her tea elegantly, she was thinking of how to shift the topic toward the next phase of their plan—

Suddenly, the sky above the Jade Chamber lit up in dazzling gold.

A dense and ancient aura descended like a towering peak from the beginning of time.

”The Geo Archon?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment, not understanding why Zhongli had suddenly appeared.

Those like Ningguang and Xiao, who knew Zhongli’s true identity, had a few guesses.

As for Ryen, the moment he sensed Zhongli’s arrival, he was internally delighted.

He leaned toward Nahida and whispered:

”Nahida, whatever you do, don’t learn from Zhongli. That guy’s super petty.”

Nahida tilted her head adorably and nodded, staying quietly in Ryen’s arms.

Sensing this ancient and terrifying aura, Jean and the others also made their guesses and stood up nervously, mimicking Ningguang and the others.

Like a reflection in water, the space before them shimmered—and there stood Zhongli, cloaked in white.

Or rather, Morax.

He stood silently at the center of the room.

”Greetings, Lord Rex Lapis.”

Ningguang and the others slightly bowed. Xiao and Cloud Retainer also silently stepped forward to stand behind Zhongli.

Zhongli nodded slightly. His hood, possibly enchanted, veiled his face.

Then he turned to look at Jean and her group—or more precisely, at the escaping Venti near the Jade Chamber’s edge.

”Acting Grand Master Jean of the Knights of Favonius of Mondstadt, pays respects to His Excellency, Lord Rex Lapis.”

Jean placed one hand over her chest and gave a formal bow.

Zhongli returned a gentle look.

Then, his gaze locked onto Venti—who had been inching toward the edge of the Jade Chamber.

Golden divine power surged.

A barrier inscribed with runes of immortal power enveloped the skies above the Jade Chamber.

Venti’s face froze. Slowly, he turned back, eyes full of despair as he looked at Zhongli.

”Old friend... since you’re here, why rush to leave?”

Zhongli didn’t move a muscle, yet Venti was instantly transported back to his original spot.

”Ehehe... well... about that...”

Venti wiped the sweat from his forehead and chuckled awkwardly.

”Old man, I just thought... it’s been a while, and showing up without any wine feels kinda inappropriate, you know?”

”Wine?”

Zhongli let out a soft chuckle and walked over to the table beside Venti, taking a seat.

”I brought it for you.”

With a wave of his hand, over a dozen bottles of dandelion wine appeared—still fresh with the scent of Mondstadt soil.

Venti instantly recognized them as the stash he’d hidden at Windrise centuries ago.

His face twisted with grief.

”Old man! That’s too far! When did you even go to Mondstadt?!”

”Oh?”

Zhongli poured himself a drink, speaking meaningfully:

”Since you could alter my contract, and recklessly release divine power in Liyue despite the pact of the Seven—”

”Why shouldn’t I pay Mondstadt a visit?”

Petty old man!!

Venti screamed internally, but forced a smile on his face.

”I was just... worried about you, old man! Can’t we just leave the past in the past?”

”A contract is no trivial matter,” Zhongli said calmly, ”and time does not diminish its weight.”

From the moment Zhongli appeared, every word he spoke returned to the theme of contracts.

Venti slumped, lowering his head with a sigh of defeat.

”Fine, fine... geez. I didn’t even try to hide once I got to Liyue. Do you really have to keep bringing it up?”

A faint smile tugged at Zhongli’s lips beneath the hood as he gently extended a wine cup toward Venti.

”Those who violate contracts must face the punishment of stone.”

The cup glowed with golden light, infused with divine energy.

Venti gulped nervously and carefully took the cup.

He knew that Zhongli had already shown him mercy.

After all, he had once altered Zhongli’s contract, taking advantage of him.

And today, he had once again released divine power in Liyue, alarming the immortals.

Considering both offenses, the fact that Zhongli hadn’t dropped a ”Planet Befall” on him already was a mercy born of old friendship.

”Your Excellency, about Venti...” Jean tried to speak up for her archon, her heart aching.

But Zhongli’s gaze fell upon her, calm and unyielding—so powerful that Jean instantly swallowed her words.

”Those who break contracts must accept the judgment of stone—Barbatos or otherwise. No one is exempt from the justice of contracts.”

Jean pressed her lips together, still wanting to say more, but Venti waved her off.

”It’s alright. I did take advantage of the old man’s contract long ago. The fact that he hasn’t hunted me down until now is already more than generous.”

With that, Venti put on a pained expression and downed the wine in one go.

And then...

He froze in place.

~~----------------------

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