90: The Rapidly Developing World of MC!

The taming of the wolf pack went smoothly.

Qianyan Army Captain Dashí successfully tamed eight wolves, which would serve as the initial line of defense for the base.

Ryen kept four for himself—two stationed at his estate and the other two guarding the foot of Mt. Tianheng.

As for Hu Tao, she originally wanted to send a wolf back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue Harbor. However, considering that the funeral parlor was located within the city and that these wolves possessed considerable combat strength, Ningguang and the others firmly denied her request.

As for how they determined the wolves' combat prowess—

After taming the last two wolves, Ningguang and Keqing took them into the Liyue wilderness for a little "field test" against a group of Hilichurls.

Four wolves annihilated an entire Hilichurl camp with ease.

The camp consisted of four regular Hilichurls, two large torch-wielding Hilichurls, a Hilichurl Berserker, and even a Shamachurl.

Of course, the wolves sustained some injuries in the process. However—

A few pieces of rabbit meat, and they were back to full health.

Emboldened by their success, Ningguang and Keqing directed the wolves to attack a Ruin Guard.

In less than three minutes, the once-menacing construct was reduced to nothing but scattered mechanical debris.

From this, they reached a solid conclusion: as long as these wolves didn't have to face high-level elemental enemies or airborne threats—

For example, Abyss Mages or Ruin Hunters—

Then, among the Hilichurls, only the elite Geovishap-level enemies could pose a threat to a coordinated wolf pack.

Against Slimes? Unless they were up against a swarm of giant ones, there was no issue whatsoever.

Of course, these wolves wouldn't stand a chance against the Archons of Teyvat, but that hardly mattered.

After all—

How many Archons did Liyue Harbor even have?

Most of the threats that the Qianyan Army dealt with on a daily basis were ordinary Hilichurls and Slimes.

Whenever a particularly strong enemy emerged, it was still the duty of the Archons and elite warriors to take action.

This discovery left Ningguang and the others genuinely delighted.

If they could tame enough of these wolves, the pressure on the Qianyan Army would be significantly reduced, and their mortality rate would drop as well.

Wolves could always be captured and trained anew, but the Qianyan Army? Every soldier was a precious citizen of Liyue.

Besides, Ryen had mentioned that once these wolves were well-fed and taken care of, they would reproduce at a rapid rate.

At their current growth rate, within two months, their numbers could swell from just over a dozen to well over a hundred—maybe even several hundred.

That very day, Ningguang and the others received two major breakthroughs from the MC world.

First, enchanted weapons. These completely solved the problem of Liyue's elite warriors lacking top-tier weaponry, giving them a massive boost in strength.

Second, the domesticated wolf packs. These significantly enhanced Liyue's defensive capabilities, reducing the Qianyan Army's risk of casualties while bolstering their overall combat effectiveness.

The results were outstanding.

So much so that Ningguang and her council made a firm decision—going forward, Liyue's entire development strategy would revolve around this newly discovered world.

Everything was progressing in the right direction.

The Qianyan soldiers and miners stationed in this world showed no signs of discomfort or difficulty adapting. In fact, many of them were reluctant to leave.

According to them, aside from not being able to use elemental abilities, everything here made them stronger—stronger than even the Archons of Teyvat in some aspects.

And most importantly—

Here, they could rely on their own efforts to contribute to Liyue's rapid advancement.

That overwhelming sense of accomplishment made them unwilling to return to Teyvat at all.

Morale was sky-high, to the point where Ningguang's original rotation schedule—where Qianyan soldiers and miners would switch out every three days—was extended to a seven-day rotation.

…

Time flew by, and before they knew it, more than half a month had passed.

During this time, Liyue's forces in the MC world had expanded significantly.

Initially, they had started with only ten Qianyan soldiers and fifty miners.

Now, their numbers had swelled to fifty Qianyan soldiers and a workforce of two hundred miners.

Of course, these groups still had to rotate in shifts.

Otherwise, they risked developing a warped perception of reality between the two worlds.

The original pack of eighteen wolves had now grown to over thirty, and even the younger wolves had begun displaying notable combat potential.

Every rotating shift of Qianyan soldiers would train a new batch of wolves, ensuring that miners had reliable protection when venturing out.

These wolves had become beloved among the Qianyan Army—regarded as the most trustworthy of battle companions.

Many soldiers would even go hungry themselves just to make sure their wolves were well-fed.

Because…

These wolves would willingly lay down their lives to protect them.

Meanwhile, the miners had officially begun large-scale excavation operations.

At first, progress was slow.

But as they adapted, things picked up significantly. They had already cleared out four entire mines.

During one of their expeditions, they stumbled upon an abandoned mineshaft.

With Xiao and Zhongli personally leading the search, they recovered a pile of miscellaneous materials—

And seven diamonds.

Adding that to the diamonds collected from their regular mining efforts—

Ryen had officially completed half of his next achievement quest.

And to think, he had only gone mining twice himself.

Every time he thought about it, Ryen felt nothing but satisfaction.

Teaming up with Liyue was absolutely the right choice.

This was what it meant to complete quests while lying down and relaxing.

Truly, the way of the wise—let others handle the labor while he reaped the rewards.

With the mines continuously producing resources, and an endless supply of wood and stone pouring in—

With both the stone generator and iron farm now operational—

Ryen had everything he needed.

Aside from diamonds and gold, which still required careful management, materials like iron had already filled up multiple storage chests.

Even with surplus iron being transported to Liyue Harbor for trade—

The sheer quantity and quality of the materials made it a wildly profitable venture.

For now, Ningguang and her council were keeping this news tightly under wraps.

Even the Fatui stationed in Liyue Harbor had no clue what was going on.

At most, they assumed that the Chasm had yielded some exciting new developments.

With manpower no longer an issue, Ryen's grand construction plans could finally commence.

The Slime Farm, the Automated Farm, the Villager Trading Center—one after another, all the critical survival facilities were completed with the miners' help.

The only thing left unfinished was anything requiring observers and other Redstone mechanics.

…

Meanwhile, Ryen's manor underwent another round of expansion, gradually resembling a small city rather than just an estate.

Taking inspiration from this, Ningguang and the others began constructing their own buildings.

The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the Yuehai Pavilion, and other iconic Liyue structures were successfully replicated by architects brought from Liyue.

Currently, they were working on recreating Ryen's stone generator and other crucial resource-production facilities.

Ten days might not seem long, but in the MC world, it was more than enough for explosive progress.

Especially now that hundreds of people were actively involved in development.

The only real concern now was the lack of caves—they had nearly exhausted the nearby mines.

Additionally, the mountain behind them was starting to get in the way.

A few days ago, Keqing even suggested that they flatten the mountain entirely.

As for why they didn't just build everything on the plains instead…

It was because Ningguang had decided to reserve the grasslands for the future city of MC World.

It would serve as a strategic retreat in case something catastrophic ever happened in Teyvat.

Moreover, the grasslands were home to a large number of wild horses, which they planned to turn into a natural pasture.

While automation was great, people still had a desire to experience a more traditional, organic lifestyle…

Ryen could understand that.

After all, in his past life, even after achieving full automation in his survival world, he would still start a fresh playthrough just to live like an old-fashioned farmer for fun.

…

With everything running smoothly, resource output had also reached an all-time high.

Apart from rare materials like emeralds and lapis lazuli, Ryen let Ningguang and the others take whatever they needed.

At this point, he simply didn't have the space for it anymore.

As for everyone's individual progress…

It was better than ever.

Zhongli had built a treehouse right next to Ryen's manor.

As expected of a six-thousand-year-old dragon, his craftsmanship was on a level that could only be described as divinely intricate.

Since the miners no longer needed his supervision, he spent most of his time relaxing—fishing with Ryen and Xiao, or going horseback riding and hunting on the plains.

One could visibly see that Zhongli had loosened up, and even his mortal wear-and-tear seemed to have improved.

As for Xiao…

Thanks to his daily three buckets of milk, and the four to five enchanted golden apples he had eaten over the past few weeks…

His Karmic Debt was practically gone.

Now that Xiao had recovered his former strength, his motivation was through the roof.

He even stopped caring about the old rule that Adepti shouldn't stay in one place for too long.

Unless Zhongli personally summoned him, Xiao would spend all day descending into the mines with the miners.

Unsurprisingly, he became very close with them.

In fact, the miners even gave him a nickname—

"The Most Down-to-Earth Adeptus."

…

Meanwhile, Cloud Retainer had been studying architecture nonstop.

She even lowered her pride and sought guidance from Liyue's finest designers, clearly set on becoming the city's top architect.

According to rumors, she was stockpiling materials to personally recreate Jueyun Karst in MC World.

Her ambition was vast, but to be fair… she could pull it off.

As for Hu Tao, she was obsessed with killing zombies every day.

The only person who rarely showed up in MC World recently was Keqing.

Apparently, after Ryen helped her obtain some enchanted tools, she immediately led a team of miners to Guili Plains to negotiate for land.

Judging by the subtle excitement in Ningguang's tone whenever she mentioned it, the negotiations were going well.

Everything was progressing in the best possible direction.

Ryen's dream of opening MC World to the people of Teyvat was advancing at lightning speed.

Ningguang's goal of monetizing this world had already brought hundreds of billions of Mora into Liyue's economy.

Zhongli's ideal of a world where humans and Adepti could co-exist peacefully… was becoming a reality before his very eyes.

Everyone was beyond satisfied with this world.

"Time flies so fast..."

Sitting on the riverbank, fishing rod in hand, Zhongli let out a soft sigh.

Not far away, a Drowned slowly drifted towards them.

Without even glancing at it, Zhongli remained seated.

Xiao, on the other hand, casually flung his fishing rod, hooking the Drowned and smashing it to death in just a few blows.

His weapon of choice?

A Trident, glowing with a deep violet light.

It was the best possible Trident that Ryen had enchanted for him—Loyalty, Channeling, and Impaling.

After all, Xiao was now the most powerful bodyguard.

While he didn't quite hit as hard as the Iron Golems guarding the miner base, those were too slow and clumsy in comparison.

Xiao loved this Trident, but when back in Teyvat, he still preferred Primordial Jade Winged-Spear.

Of course, Ryen had also enchanted that spear with Impaling.

Despite the brief skirmish, neither Ryen nor Zhongli lost focus on their fishing match.

Ryen reeled in a fish and chuckled.

"Come on, it's only been twenty days. Isn't it way too early to start reminiscing?"

Zhongli didn't reply immediately.

Instead, he simply listened to the lively chatter in the distance.

"Twenty days… In Liyue Harbor, that's barely enough time to finalize blueprints for a new district."

"But here?"

"In just twenty days, we've built entire cities, accomplished countless projects."

"Liyue Harbor is flourishing, and so is this world."

"...Sometimes, I feel like your arrival was a miracle sent to Liyue itself."

Ryen gave him a look of pure horror.

"Okay, that was disgustingly sentimental. What the hell, man?"

Zhongli simply laughed, saying nothing more.

A brief silence followed.

Then, Ryen's gaze softened.

"Partnering with Liyue… was the best decision I ever made."

Zhongli smiled.

"As it should be."

His golden eyes gleamed with quiet pride.

He had never felt pride for his own achievements.

But for Liyue's progress…?

That was an entirely different story.

"Liyue is growing… beyond my wildest dreams."

"One day, I will retire. And when that day comes… Liyue will be truly free."

After a moment, he quietly added—

"Regardless of everything… Thank you."

Lifting his fishing rod, he reeled in yet another piece of Rotten Flesh.

"...As for your Vision problem—"

"I will attempt to contact Celestia soon."

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

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