89: Taming a Wolf Pack for Home Security!

Everyone watched as Hu Tao's expression shifted.

At first, she had been carefree, even a little excited.

But in the blink of an eye, her face froze.

She wasn't afraid of death. She wasn't afraid of corpses.

Hu Tao had ventured through countless dangerous places, and she had personally handled the remains of many adventurers who had perished in the wild.

She had seen all kinds of gruesome, tragic deaths.

But she never expected that Ryen would be even bolder than her!

No—this wasn't just bold—

This was outright criminal!

Using human bones to feed wolves and tame them…

Wouldn't that just condition the wolves to develop a deep-seated craving for human flesh?!

And besides—

Hu Tao took a deep breath, her expression turning serious as she looked at Ryen.

"Ryen, do you realize that under Liyue's laws, desecrating a corpse carries a prison sentence?"

"…"

Ryen couldn't help but chuckle and shook his head.

"You're overthinking it. These bones aren't from humans. They're from those little skeleton archers."

"You mean those skeletons that shoot arrows?"

Hu Tao pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something more, but in the end, she held her tongue.

And surprisingly, she didn't throw the bones away either.

That caught the others off guard. Even Xiao and Zhongli had instinctively avoided those bones.

Could it be that Hu Tao was truly that accustomed to death? That even something like this didn't faze her?

"Master Hu, as the current Hall Master of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, don't you feel anything about this?"

Keqing asked, visibly perplexed. Hu Tao simply shrugged nonchalantly.

"At first, I did feel a bit weird about it, but—"

"I inherited the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's mission to uphold the balance between the living and the dead."

"But life and death are mysteries that no one can truly unravel. The journey of existence is full of uncertainties."

"Each world has its own beliefs about life and death. If I respect the cycle of reincarnation, then I should also respect the rules of a world different from ours."

"So if Ryen doesn't mind and knows what he's doing, then why should I make a fuss about it?"

"After all, I can't impose Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's doctrines on another world."

Hearing this, the others couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for Hu Tao's open-mindedness.

But then, out of nowhere, her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Of course! The main reason I don't mind is—"

"I really, really want a wolf to guard the funeral parlor! That'd be so cool!"

"…"

Everyone chuckled helplessly, but they had to admit—Hu Tao had just taught them all an important lesson.

This wasn't Teyvat, so they couldn't expect Teyvat's morals and customs to apply here.

The fundamental laws of the two worlds were different—so why should they be rigid about something like this?

They had come here to work with Ryen, to explore new lands, and to secure a brighter future for Liyue.

So why should they use Teyvat's traditions to judge Ryen's world?

Even Zhongli let out a quiet sigh.

He had lived for over six thousand years. He had arrived here days before Hu Tao.

And yet, she had accepted the reality of this world faster than he had.

Walking between life and death… truly did elevate one's understanding of existence.

At that moment, everyone suddenly found themselves accepting the bones.

They also fully acknowledged that the people of this world were not the same as them.

Now that they had wrapped their heads around that, they started seeing the bones as immensely valuable.

For one, bone meal could completely eliminate Liyue's food shortages forever.

Keqing was already rethinking her plans for Guili Plains.

She was no longer considering building a city there.

With the ability to create land using lava and water, she could simply expand Liyue Harbor into the sea instead.

That would solve the housing problem.

As for Guili Plains…

It could be used to cultivate crops using the soil from Ryen's world. Or even become a hub for other resources unique to this world.

Hmm…

Guili Plains had been devastated by the Archon War—or more precisely, by Guizhong's tragic end…

But if she replaced its soil with the rich, fertile earth from Ryen's world, then that problem would be solved.

Lost in thought, Keqing furrowed her brows as she started forming long-term plans.

Of course, Ryen had no idea that in just a few moments, they had all come to terms with everything.

If he did, he would have felt truly grateful that he had brought Hu Tao into his Minecraft world.

Among this group, there was Zhongli, who had lived for over six thousand years.

There was Xiao, a battle-hardened yaksha.

There were the Qixing, standing at the pinnacle of power.

And yet—

None of them were as open-minded as Hu Tao.

It had nothing to do with status or experience.

Hu Tao had simply grown up witnessing both life and death. She had inherited the Funeral Parlor and carried the solemn weight of mortality in her bones.

She could see through the nature of the world better than anyone else.

Because in the end—

Beyond life and death, everything else was just trivial.

…

"Ryen, do you have a plan?"

Xiao pulled out a shield and a trident, speaking in a low voice.

"Do you need me to distract the wolves?"

Ryen raised an eyebrow, looking exasperated.

"Don't be reckless! Even if you're strong, the rules of this world are different. A pack of wolves of this size could tear you apart in an instant."

Xiao fell silent, but he didn't argue.

Back in the caves, when he had fought four zombies, he had nearly been overwhelmed.

"Use the advantages of your own world! Remember what I told you yesterday!"

Ryen reminded them firmly, then gestured toward the Qianyan soldier who had returned to the base and was now talking to the other miners.

"In a moment, the Qianyan Army and the miners will work from the inside, while we'll act from the outside."

"We'll place blocks in the air and build downwards to surround the wolves."

"Once they're trapped, we'll tame them one by one. Got it?"

Upon hearing Ryen's words, everyone suddenly felt enlightened.

At the core of it, they still hadn't fully grasped the distinctions and unifications between Teyvat's world laws and those of the MC world.

Their time here had been too short...

Everyone remained silent, their gazes fixed on the distant base.

When the Qianyan soldier waved his hand, signaling that everything was ready—

Ryen turned to the group and gave a firm nod.

"Go!"

At his command, the fences swung open, and dozens of people surged forward. Meanwhile, Ryen and the others moved in from the rear, surrounding their target.

The pack of wolves had been waiting for this moment. Seeing fresh prey charging toward them, they immediately let out eager howls and lunged.

Well...

Technically, they were barking like dogs, which was kind of bizarre.

But before the wolves could make sense of the situation, they saw the miners and Qianyan soldiers suddenly stepping onto thin air, standing atop invisible platforms.

Having already locked onto their targets, the wolves weren't about to back down. They gathered beneath the floating figures, barking furiously, completely unaware of what was happening behind them.

Ryen and his group were swiftly stacking blocks, building an enclosure.

The Qianyan soldiers and miners continued to shout, trying to keep the wolves' attention, though their efforts were mostly unnecessary.

More importantly, they were maintaining order as they stacked blocks with precision.

In mere moments, the once-cleared patch of land was transformed. The careful stacking of blocks by the miners quickly shaped a crude but effective enclosure.

With a large enough group and their prior experience in construction, they were all quite adept at stacking blocks now.

Less than three minutes later, the wolves were completely trapped.

The once-fearsome pack of wolves suddenly found themselves running in circles, bumping into the barriers like headless chickens.

The moment they realized they were trapped, a loud cheer erupted from the Qianyan soldiers and miners.

Some were so excited that, despite knowing they wouldn't die from a fall, they were already considering jumping down from their three-block-high platforms.

However, Ningguang's sharp voice immediately put a stop to that.

If these people lost all sense of fear toward injury and death, it would spell disaster for future mining operations.

Soon, the group regrouped, facing a bunch of miners who were now covered in dust and scratches.

Though they were battered and bloodied, their spirits were high—almost as if they had just taken a rejuvenating bath in their own blood.

Ningguang and Keqing exchanged glances, both of their expressions darkening.

Even putting Zhongli's presence aside, they still had Xiao and Cloud Retainer watching.

And these men were behaving so wildly?

The Qianyan soldiers and miners quickly lined up in an orderly fashion, standing at attention. Ningguang opened her mouth as if to say something but remained silent for a moment. Then, in a cold voice, she finally spoke:

"Right now, our priority is building the base. However, I have taken note of your recklessness. When we return, every single one of you will submit a written reflection."

The once-exuberant miners instantly lowered their heads, falling silent.

"Dismissed! One team will continue gathering wood and constructing the base. Another will use the crafting tables to make tools!"

The very next second, the miners scattered like startled birds.

Ningguang's authority was absolute.

Moreover, they understood that their conduct had been inappropriate, and they were well aware of how they must have looked in front of the adepti.

Still, there were no complaints—many of them even felt touched.

After all, their leaders genuinely cared about their safety.

"Captain of the Qianyan Army, stay behind."

Ryen's voice rang out. Immediately, the soldier who had been reporting their progress stepped forward, standing straight as an arrow.

Out of everyone, he appeared to be the cleanest.

"Relax. What's your name?"

Ryen clapped a hand on the soldier's shoulder, smiling. The man responded loudly and with unwavering confidence:

"Lord Ryen! This subordinate's name is Dashí!"

"Uh…"

Ryen was momentarily stunned, then let out an amused chuckle.

"What a… straightforward name. Well, whatever."

Handing him a portion of the bones, Ryen glanced at the wolf pack.

There were about eighteen of them in total—definitely a large pack.

"Take these bones and tame eight wolves. They will remain here at the base to ensure your safety."

"Make sure they're fed meat every day, and don't let anyone attack them. Understood?"

Tamed wolves, after all, would only recognize the one who fed them the bones.

Aside from that, there wasn't much else to worry about.

Dashí's face remained firm and resolute as he gave a strong nod.

"Understood!"

Satisfied, Ryen turned to the others.

"Hu Tao will tame two. I plan to keep four as guard dogs. The rest, you all can divide amongst yourselves."

Ningguang and the others were intrigued by the idea of having wolves.

After all—

These creatures had the jaw strength to crush the Qianyan Army's standard armor in a single bite. If they were brought back to Teyvat, even without elemental abilities, they could probably match a Hilichurl in strength.

That alone made them valuable as combat units.

Ryen wasn't particularly concerned with how they divided the wolves.

Stepping onto the makeshift barricade of stones, he positioned himself atop the enclosure.

Observing the wolves for a moment, he began constructing an internal partition, isolating one wolf from the rest.

Then, he nodded toward Dashí.

The soldier immediately understood, dismantling part of the wooden barrier before stepping inside with a bone in hand—

The taming process had begun.

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

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