Just thinking about that na made Ryen's skin crawl with goosebumps.
He instinctively clenched his fists.
Him...
This was originally just an MC ghost story, born out of the boredom of so player with too much free ti.
Later, it beca a widely used scripted scare in ga videos, deliberately inserted by many foreign MC content creators for dramatic effect.
Originally, the concept was never officially acknowledged by the developers.
But as more and more players beca obsessed with the idea—whether because the legend was too compelling or because too many people started believing in it—the line between fiction and reality blurred.
At so point, Him's existence beca sothing that many swore they had seen with their own eyes.
And Mojang never gave a definitive answer.
Ryen had never been one to believe in Him.
To him, it was nothing more than a gimmick used by content creators to scare people.
But now…
The eerie, perfectly structured mineral wall…
The sudden failure of the Lapis Lazuli Diamond Locator technique…
It was forcing him to consider the unthinkable.
Could sothing truly unnatural be lurking in his world?
The legend said that Him could teleport. He looked exactly like Steve, except for one thing—his white, soulless eyes.
He wielded a diamond sword.
He had inhuman combat abilities.
He could set up deadly traps and intricate chanisms.
If Him was real… then he would be a terrifying adversary.
In fact, many of the modpacks that contained custom ores often had to include Him's data files just to balance things out.
Because Him was an obsessive miner, endlessly tunneling through underground caverns.
And unlike Him, Ryen had no such passion for mining.
But why was Him an enemy?
Because Him harbored a deep hostility toward Steve.
And Ryen, who had inherited Steve's physique, was not about to take any chances.
Most importantly…
This world belonged to him.
He was willing to share it, but he would never allow anyone to take it away.
This was his world—Ryen's World.
Him had no right to interfere.
Anyone who tried… would die.
Right now, the only potential threat to his claim over this world was Him.
And when it ca to challenges to his ownership, Ryen had zero tolerance.
But…
Ryen shook his head.
He still couldn't be sure that Him was real.
What if…
This was just coincidence?
What if the Lapis Lazuli Locator thod really had failed because of so fundantal shift in the ga's chanics after becoming reality?
Ryen didn't like jumping to worst-case scenarios.
For now, he decided to put the Him theory aside.
He would simply stay alert and gather more information before making any rash decisions.
——
Snapping back to reality, Ryen noticed that Ganyu was watching him with a worried expression.
It seed his emotions had been too intense when thinking about Him just now.
Smiling, he reached out and gently ruffled Ganyu's hair.
"Don't worry, I was just lost in thought for a mont."
Then, he handed her a few baked potatoes.
"I know Qilins don't like eating at, so here—take these. They don't taste great, but hey, gotta make do with what we have, right?"
Ryen shrugged helplessly.
"The food supply in this world is huge, but honestly? The flavor is… kinda trash."
Ganyu giggled at his complaints. Seeing that Ryen had returned to his usual self, she didn't press him for more details.
Yawning slightly, she rubbed her eyes and stood up.
"Well, I'm heading to bed first. Tomorrow morning, we'll find those diamonds!"
She clenched her fists confidently.
"I believe in you, Ryen!"
Hearing that, Ryen couldn't help but chuckle.
He waved at her, watching as she returned to the girls' sleeping area and closed the door behind her.
Only then did he stand up and head to the boys' section.
There were three beds, each separated by a furnace.
Technically, chests would have made better dividers, but since they were underground, there was no real need to store anything here.
Lying down, Ryen could imdiately feel the MC world's bed chanics kicking in, steadily restoring his energy.
Honestly, he suspected that even if he stayed awake all night, he'd still feel perfectly refreshed in the morning.
Zhongli occupied the middle bed. If he had a cup of tea and a book in hand, the scene would have been perfectly fitting.
Unfortunately, Ryen's world hadn't progressed that far yet.
As for Xiao… the guy was buzzing with energy.
One mont, he was checking the entrance to make sure no monsters could sneak in.
The next, he was baking food at the furnace.
Then, he started rearranging the torches for better positioning.
He was moving back and forth so much that Ryen was starting to get a headache.
"…Xiao."
Ryen finally spoke up.
"Ryen, is there sothing you need?"
Xiao instantly turned to him, his sharp gaze alert and ready.
Ryen hesitated.
"…Are you, uh… having trouble sleeping because it's too bright with all the torches?"
Or…
"…Do you just not like the bed? I can open a portal and send you back if you'd rather rest sowhere else."
Xiao stiffened, then quickly shook his head.
"No, that's not the issue. I… I don't mind this place at all."
But his eyes flickered toward Zhongli for a brief second.
A fleeting, almost awkward glance.
Ryen and Zhongli both noticed.
And suddenly, Ryen understood.
Xiao was restless because…
He was too excited to be sleeping in the sa room as his idol.
Of course, maybe "excited" wasn't the right word—perhaps "nervous" or "on edge" was more accurate.
Either way, it wasn't sothing Ryen could fix.
anwhile, Zhongli let out an internal sigh.
This was exactly why he found his relationships with the adepti so difficult.
He wanted them to see him as a ntor, a friend—not an untouchable deity they had to revere.
With a faint golden glow in his eyes, Zhongli silently activated a thin jade shield, covering the three of them.
The barrier wasn't just for protection.
It also contained a special silence enchantnt—one that could mute all noise within a chosen range.
Technically, if he exerted his full power, he could make the entire Liyue Harbor go silent.
But right now...
The limitations of the Minecraft world were the only thing preventing him from doing more.
Still, lying on the bed and restoring his energy was like exploiting a glitch.
Once he confird that the female side couldn't hear any noise, Zhongli spoke quietly:
"Speaking of which, the last ti I rested with the adepti at night was during the era of the Archon War…"
"Back then… it wasn't exactly rest. We were constantly fighting wars, and eventually had to take refuge together in the caves."
"But… back then, those were the happiest tis for ."
Upon hearing this, Xiao's expression softened, and a glimr of nostalgia shone in his eyes.
Clearly, he had been part of those days too.
"Back then…"
Zhongli intended to ntion the others, like Fu Hua, but as he thought about it, he decided it would only make the mood heavier. His eyes dimd, and he sighed.
"To buy osmanthus flowers and enjoy wine together, but alas, the old friends…"
The mood in the room instantly turned heavy.
Ryen rolled his eyes.
He had thought Zhongli was going to step out of the barrier to have a heartfelt conversation and ease Xiao's nervousness.
But instead, the guy dropped a quote that killed the mood.
Xiao had already lowered his head, clearly affected by the somber tone.
Ryen thought for a mont and decided to change the subject.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll make Xiao a golden apple with so gold nuggets and see if it can help clear his karma."
Sure enough, ntioning this was far more effective than anything else.
Zhongli and Xiao perked up imdiately.
Zhongli was worried about Xiao's karma, hoping to avoid any tragedies.
Xiao was concerned about whether Zhongli could fix his wear and tear and regain his vitality.
Ah...
The mutual devotion between them was truly moving.
Sadly, Zhongli viewed Xiao as a child to take care of, while Xiao saw Zhongli as a master he would follow to the end of his life.
"Mr. Ryen, my karma isn't urgent. Maybe Emperor Zhongli…"
Before Xiao could finish, Zhongli shook his head.
"No need to worry about . Wear and tear is less dangerous than karma."
"Just as Mr. Ryen thinks, wear and tear is a restriction imposed on us by the laws of immortality, whereas this isn't Teyvat…"
He spoke with a hint of joy, casting a side glance at Ryen.
"During my ti in this world, my wear and tear has indeed been halted, even showing signs of recovery…"
"That being said, if you don't mind, I'm planning to find a spot soon to build a small hut for future use."
Ryen imdiately understood what Zhongli ant.
He probably wanted to set up a ho here for when he retired, a place that would both counteract his wear and tear and allow him to explore more of this world's unique features.
It would also be a way for Zhongli to contribute to the next great journey of Liyue as a human.
Ryen had no objections to this and nodded with a smile.
"Though I'd say, as the Geo Archon, shouldn't you be carving your house into a mountain?"
"Though… I do have a house idea I've wanted to try for a while—how about a treehouse?"
Seeing that Ryen had offered him a suggestion, Zhongli appeared a bit intrigued.
He was about to ask for more details on how to make a treehouse when his peripheral vision caught Xiao standing straight.
Shifting his approach, Zhongli lightly asked:
"What do you think, Xiao? How likely do you think the golden apple will help clear your karma?"
Hearing this, Xiao's eyes flickered toward Ryen, his concern clear.
He wasn't afraid of death, but...
He feared that if he died, Zhongli would beco even more lonely.
If he died, no one would continue to guard Liyue in the night like he did.
If he died, the last bloodline of the Yaksha clan would be cut off.
Liyue was beginning a new era.
Xiao didn't want to bow out at this critical mont.
Zhongli was about to retire soon, and after that, he'd likely spend his ti exploring this world with Ryen.
Xiao wanted to continue exploring with Zhongli in this world.
This was a conclusion that Xiao didn't need to think twice about.
As for why?
Xiao couldn't quite put it into words.
It wasn't because of the contract with Zhongli.
It was just...
For thousands of years, he had always moved forward with Zhongli, and he had grown accustod to it.
Xiao kept a calm face, but inside, he quietly held his breath.
Ryen shook his head slightly, unsure, and said:
"In this world, milk can almost resolve any negative condition, even withering can be cured by milk…"
"The simple effect of negating negative status, milk actually does better than the golden apple…"
"I'd say the chances aren't very high…"
Hearing this, Xiao, who had already suspected as much, couldn't help but feel a bit of gloom in his eyes.
"But…"
Zhongli didn't rush, saying softly.
Ryen raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Can't hide anything from you…"
"The golden apple's surface ability is to restore health and provide an additional layer of damage-absorbing health."
"But I've said before, the golden apple can turn zombie villagers back into normal villagers."
"So, I think the golden apple might have so mysterious power, whether it works or not, we'll try it tomorrow."
Xiao still looked conflicted.
If the golden apple really worked, he would eat it.
But now, it was uncertain, and he had already made those eight gold ingots?
Was it really worth it?
"You don't need to worry about the gold."
Ryen smiled and shook his head.
"Ganyu's already figured it out. Haven't you?"
"Gold really isn't valuable in this world."
"Compared to that, don't you think your life as a great Yaksha is worth more than several tons of gold?"
Seeing Xiao's expression soften, Ryen lazily lay back on the bed.
"Alright, let's sleep. Tomorrow, we'll continue mining. If we don't make much progress by afternoon, we'll head back."
Zhongli and Xiao nodded in agreent, lying down on their beds.
Ryen wasn't sure if they would fall asleep, but he sure slept soundly.
Although it was his first night in a mine...
At least he had company.
~~----------------------
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