83: Hu Tao: “This House is Boxier Than a Coffin!”

A book, four obsidian blocks, and two diamonds.

At long last, the enchantment table that had been on Ryen's mind was finally crafted.

If mods were the ultimate treasure for MC players, then enchanting was undoubtedly the main questline for survival players.

Not to mention, in this now fully-realized MC world, an enchantment like Feather Falling alone was enough to prove its significance.

Ryen's estate had always been three stories high.

Keqing and the others had asked him before about the third floor—the area filled with rows upon rows of bookshelves.

They were puzzled because, despite the abundance of books, none of them could be taken out.

But Ryen had only smiled mysteriously and remained silent.

Now that the enchantment table was finally complete, the long-prepared enchantment room could finally serve its purpose.

Carrying the enchantment table, he pushed open the door.

Gazing at the dense arrangement of bookshelves before him, Ryen felt a wave of satisfaction.

This impoverished village had very few resources that truly pleased him, and this was one of the rare exceptions.

The other?

A perfectly intact anvil.

The placement of an enchantment table and bookshelves wasn't random—it had its own set of rules.

To achieve the highest level of enchantments, up to level 30, there were strict requirements for both the number of bookshelves and their proximity to the table.

Many MC players in his past life had dedicated themselves to researching how to optimize bookshelf placement—finding ways to achieve maximum efficiency with the fewest bookshelves.

But for Ryen…

He didn't need to bother with that.

There were more than thirty bookshelves here—way beyond what was necessary.

Rather than worrying about placement strategies, all he had to do was ensure the correct spacing and surround the table with them.

Bookshelves were one of the few resources he could afford to be extravagant with.

Placing the enchantment table in the predesignated spot…

Almost instantly, he saw mysterious glyphs rising from the bookshelves, gently flowing into the enchantment table.

Ryen opened his personal interface to check his experience level.

A solid 48 levels—not bad at all, and totally reasonable.

He had mined an absurd amount of ores and slain plenty of monsters.

Plus, there was the bonus from Ningguang and the others—their experience gains contributed a portion to him as well.

After waiting a moment for the enchantment table and bookshelves to fully synchronize, Ryen placed a large chest by the door.

Inside, he stored the items he planned to enchant this time.

A full set of iron armor, a bow, a diamond sword, and a diamond pickaxe.

As for anything else…

He doubted his experience points would be enough for more.

Of course, Ryen wasn't reckless enough to throw his gear directly into the enchantment table right away. If he didn't get the enchantments he wanted, it'd be a complete waste.

To counter this, he had prepared over fifty books in advance.

For his iron armor, he wasn't too picky—he mainly wanted Blast Protection and Feather Falling, with an additional Aqua Affinity on the helmet.

For his diamond sword and pickaxe, the priority was obvious: Mending.

Beyond that, his sword needed Looting, Sharpness, and Knockback.

As for the pickaxe, Fortune was the goal.

Silk Touch? He had an iron pickaxe for that already.

Finally, the main focus—his bow.

Long-range power was his biggest priority right now.

Naturally, his bow needed to be fully decked out from the start.

Unbreaking, Power, Punch, Flame, and Infinity.

As for why he didn't go for Mending…

Well, Mending and Infinity were mutually exclusive!

But come on, how could he call it a god-tier bow without Infinity?

As for durability concerns? That wasn't an issue.

By the time this bow wore out, he would have long since gathered enough materials to craft a new one with the same enchantments.

Jotting down his enchantment plans in the notebook he had brought from Teyvat, Ryen took out the books and lapis lazuli he had prepared.

Thus began the grand endeavor of enchanting his gear.

…

While Ryen was engrossed in the grand endeavor of enchanting his gear, Zhongli and Ningguang weren't idle either.

For now, Zhongli and Xiao, acting as the instructors for the first batch of Liyue residents to settle in this world, were meticulously teaching everyone how to gather resources—

How to build a house on their own—

And how to cultivate farmland to achieve self-sufficiency…

The jungle echoed with gasps of astonishment. Clearly, this world was wreaking havoc on their understanding of reality.

However, since Ningguang had called these people the elites of Liyue, they naturally wouldn't let such things shake them for too long.

Before long, they had adapted and were now fervently chopping down trees.

With a vast jungle on the outskirts and a large group of people working together under guidance,

Building a grand estate like Ryen's in just a few days? Probably impossible.

But constructing a simple village together?

It wouldn't even take them a full afternoon.

—Meanwhile, more than a thousand meters away—

With one final swing of her axe, Hu Tao brought down the last towering tree in the area.

Tossing the collected wood blocks into her inventory, she rested the axe on her shoulder and gazed up at the floating leaves still lingering in the air.

Clicking her tongue, she muttered,

"Seriously… No matter how many times I see this, it's just too weird…"

"Still having trouble accepting it?"

Ganyu, passing by, asked with a soft smile.

"Having trouble accepting it?"

Hu Tao tilted her head, thinking for a moment, before grinning nonchalantly.

"Nah, not really. I mean, we're already in such a bizarre world. At this point, is there anything that wouldn't make sense?"

She waved her hand dismissively.

Compared to Ningguang and Ganyu—who had spent years in Liyue Harbor, observing the myriad facets of human life—

Hu Tao had spent her days wandering along the border of life and death, guiding souls to the afterlife, witnessing the sorrow of partings firsthand.

The strange logic of the MC world? Sure, it was bizarre.

But…

As long as it wasn't about life and death, nothing else was a big deal.

Ganyu, knowing Hu Tao's nature well, could only let out a soft chuckle.

"I really envy your mindset, Master Hu… Anyway, we've gathered enough wood now."

"The land for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's branch has also been marked out, and I imagine Cloud Retainer has already finished designing the construction plans."

"Let's hurry over and take a look!"

Hu Tao readily agreed, chatting and laughing with Ganyu as they carried their collected materials back to the clearing.

This was the area they had recently cleared, as evidenced by the partially decayed leaves still hanging overhead.

Keqing, holding a shovel, stood beside Ningguang and Cloud Retainer.

The three of them were gathered around a neatly dug 10x20 pit, engaged in close discussion.

Even Cloud Retainer—who usually had plenty of criticisms for Keqing—was speaking to her with a rare look of amicability.

Seeing this, Ganyu felt genuinely pleased.

"Yo!"

Before anyone realized it, Hu Tao had suddenly hopped over to them, greeting them playfully with a grin.

"So, how's the planning coming along?"

Despite the abrupt interruption, the three women weren't startled.

Ningguang simply replied in a calm voice,

"The main design is already complete, though Keqing and I didn't contribute much—we're not exactly experts in construction."

"For the most part, it was all Cloud Retainer's ideas."

Hearing this, Cloud Retainer's expression carried a hint of pride, though she maintained a composed, scholarly demeanor.

"You give me too much credit. You two also provided this Adeptus with valuable input."

As Ningguang and Cloud Retainer seemed ready to engage in another round of mutual praise, Hu Tao scratched her cheek and mumbled,

"Aiya, we all know you're amazing! But can we save the compliments for later?"

"I'm really eager to get Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's branch up and running!"

Her words successfully halted the exchange of pleasantries.

Perhaps it was the sense of accomplishment from independently designing something in this world,

Or maybe Cloud Retainer was simply in a good mood—either way, she didn't get annoyed at Hu Tao's casual attitude toward an Adeptus.

Instead, with a proud flick of her wings, she announced,

"For now, we shall construct Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's main hall within this 200-square-meter area!"

"Given that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor oversees matters of burial and the transition between life and death, the exterior will primarily feature dark-colored oak, reflecting its solemn and dignified nature."

"The roof will be similar to Ryen's estate, but this Adeptus has planned it in the style of Liyue's dual-eaved architecture."

"The central design will focus on symmetry—"

Once Cloud Retainer began discussing construction, she became unstoppable, speaking with such passion and enthusiasm that she hardly paused for breath.

In her mind's eye, she could already see the grand structure taking form—the very first magnificent building in this world that wasn't built by Ryen.

Surely, it would go down in history!

She envisioned herself, the renowned architect of both Liyue and Teyvat,

Recognized as the most exceptional master of construction and mechanized design!

If not for her current crane form, she might have already broken into a triumphant grin.

Ningguang and the others smiled, but in truth…

They didn't understand a single word Cloud Retainer was saying.

After a long moment, seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Hu Tao quickly interrupted,

"Alright, alright! Cloud Retainer, I totally get it—your design is flawless! So… shouldn't we start building now?"

Cloud Retainer nodded with satisfaction, exuding confidence.

"Indeed! Now, follow this Adeptus's instructions—I have fully visualized the construction in my mind."

"With this world's unique mechanics, I assure you, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor branch will be completed within an hour!"

Her commanding presence actually dispelled most of the team's concerns.

However, standing nearby with a shovel on her shoulder, Keqing frowned slightly.

Unlike Ningguang and the others, Keqing frequently oversaw construction projects in Liyue. While she wasn't a master architect,

She understood basic structural frameworks.

Yet, after listening to Cloud Retainer's detailed description of the blueprint…

She couldn't shake a deep sense of unease.

Something about this didn't feel right.

But with everyone so enthusiastically engaged, Keqing hesitated to voice her concerns.

Besides, she and Cloud Retainer already had a strained relationship—if she questioned the plan now, Cloud Retainer might just take it personally.

Shaking off her doubts, Keqing grabbed a stack of dark oak blocks and joined the building effort.

Across the clearing, Cloud Retainer's voice rang out, commanding the construction team—

"The rooftop sections! Use dark oak planks to craft stairs!"

"We need eaves! Eaves! Not wooden pillars!"

"The left side of the roof is too low! Raise it by one more block!"

"Good! Excellent work!"

Following Cloud Retainer's instructions, Ningguang and the others diligently placed blocks, gradually gaining a deeper understanding of MC-style construction.

And just as Cloud Retainer had promised, utilizing the unique mechanics of this world,

The entire build took little more than an hour.

As Hu Tao set the final block in place, she excitedly slid down from the rooftop.

"Finally done! That was so efficient!"

"Alright, alright, let's take a look at my magnificent Wangsheng Funeral Parlor branch—"

"Eh?!"

Hu Tao's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the newly completed… structure.

The center of the building was sunken in, while both sides extended outward with the eaves Cloud Retainer had insisted on.

The entire structure was a solid, blocky shape, with dark tones dominating its palette.

And the arched frame on the side only reinforced the overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

"…Well?"

Cloud Retainer lifted her head proudly.

"This Adeptus-designed Wangsheng Funeral Parlor branch—does it not embody the essence of Wangsheng?"

"…"

Hu Tao looked at Cloud Retainer.

Then at the building.

Then back at Cloud Retainer.

After several rounds of this, she finally pursed her lips and whined,

"Cloud Retainer… I know we handle funerals and all, but—"

"We don't live in coffins!!!"

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

Get 30 additional chapters on patreon:

patreon.com/dreamer20