Chapter 023: Temporary Return and Territorial Expansion

That evening.

After bidding Eula farewell, Ying, as the gracious host, welcomed Gong Qu and the others into her Serenitea Pot.

Since she had cleared the air with Keqing, Gong Qu found himself somewhat... sidelined.

"I need to talk to Keqing about some girl stuff," Ying had declared — and with a single kiss, she kicked him out of the room.

Left with few options, Gong Qu returned briefly to the Minecraft world with the Gatekeeper.

"Gatekeeper... hmm. It's kind of clunky calling you that all the time. Do you have a name?"

The Gatekeeper shook his head.

Gong Qu eyed the man's firm, stalwart figure — a middle-aged warrior with a presence that reminded him of a draconic butler from another multiverse.

Skilled in both melee combat and ranged attacks, the Gatekeeper had all the makings of a dragon-slaying hero — if you ignored the minor "flaw" of being penniless. Arm him right, and he'd be a juggernaut.

"I'll call you... Sebas."

[Gatekeeper successfully named: "Sebas"]

[No territory detected. Unable to recruit citizens. Please establish a territory.]

Apparently, naming him triggered some kind of system mechanic.

A flash of golden light enveloped Sebas as his character panel materialized before Gong Qu's eyes:

Name: Sebas

Class: Gatekeeper

Level: 50

Faction: None

Damn. No wonder he could keep pace with Gong Qu's five-second 100-meter dash.

Now that he could see Sebas had reached level 50, it made sense. He was no ordinary NPC.

Gong Qu was pretty sure the Gatekeeper hadn't displayed a level before. This implied that villagers might possess hidden potential all along — just invisible until given a name or drafted by a lord.

Once recruited or officially named, they would receive a character template — unlocking their class and level.

"Well then, time to dive into the colonial sim module. Let's get that territory started."

With a clear objective in mind, Gong Qu immediately began crafting the central building — the Town Hall.

In the simulated colony mod, the Town Hall is assembled from seven wooden planks and two "Construction Tools," and resembles a makeshift podium. It's used to configure settings for the territory.

Construction Tools are special mod items — simple enough to craft with two sticks and one cobblestone arranged diagonally.

"A woodland cottage might be cozy for me, but not ideal for a public Town Hall. It needs to be a space where I can interact with villagers — and privacy would be nonexistent."

"Dajiao! Come here!"

Roar!

A massive draconic beast thundered across the land, answering its master's call with thunderous stomps.

"Take me for a fly-around. I need a good vantage point."

Roar!

With a young dragon from the overworld as his mount, Gong Qu stood on its back and surveyed the lay of the land.

From his forest lodge, a few hundred meters west stretched a wide river, crossed by an arch bridge he had built. On the other side lay a vast plain.

The terrain was mostly flat, with a few hills and depressions scattered about — nothing that would hinder development. Ideal for farming and livestock, and the climate was pleasantly mild.

Although the mod included a seasonal cycle, temperature variations were minimal. Unless the terrain was marked as "snow biome," even winter wouldn't bring snowfall.

"In the simulation, the Town Hall marks the center of the colony's radius. If I want villagers to farm wheat, I'd better place it closer to the fields."

Given how realistic the mod was, Gong Qu started thinking beyond in-game mechanics.

Villagers could do more than just chop wood or harvest crops — they could patrol, teach, perform other tasks.

Originally, the mod offered only a few fixed professions. Villager stats were randomized, which affected productivity — leading some players to cull "useless" NPCs and breed new ones to maintain efficiency.

That kind of min-maxing wasn't Gong Qu's style. No need for executions. He'd find ways to make use of everyone.

After circling the plains for about ten minutes, he finally selected a site: slightly elevated, not far from his farm, and ideal for a central hub.

Bang bang!

With a few strikes of his hammer, a simple wooden building took shape around the podium-like Town Hall.

[Please name your territory: ________]

"Let's go with Entara — it means 'The Eternal Realm.'"

[Territory created: Entara]

He then officially added Sebas as a citizen of the territory.

Sebas's stat sheet updated instantly:

Faction: Entara

Loyalty: 100

Happiness: 100

Of course — a zealot through and through. Probably hardcoded at max.

Gong Qu was pleased. Being worshipped wasn't so bad, now that he thought about it.

Next on the list: the Architect's Lodge, Citizen Housing, and other essential structures.

Since the territory was brand new, he had to handle most of the work himself.

But before long, Sebas returned — having recruited some nearby villagers.

"Greetings, Lord. We've heard of your achievements and wish to join your land," said a man from the group.

Gong Qu glanced at him. That blank, glassy stare... it almost triggered his uncanny valley reflex.

"Alright. You'll be a farmer. Help me till new fields and harvest wheat."

Name: Robin

Class: Farmer

Level: 5

Faction: Entara

Loyalty: 60

Happiness: 40

Compared to Sebas, the difference was night and day.

Ordinary NPCs? Useless.

Gatekeeping elite NPCs from another world? Perfect.

"Looks like it's time to formalize the Gatekeeper Squad."

He was increasingly put off by basic villagers — but understood the need to recruit more of them.

If he wanted to free up his own time — and Keqing's, and perhaps that of any future mistresses — he'd need laborers. Fewer tasks, higher morale, better efficiency.

Not to mention, he didn't want to treat this world like just another game.

He could've said, "Let the villagers suffer a little," and no one could stop him — these people barely had sentience, after all.

But he didn't.

With everything in motion, night had already fallen, silent and dark as ink.

Thankfully, Gong Qu wasn't masochistic enough to play his main world on hardcore mode.

In peaceful mode, nights posed no threat — just dimmed visibility.

Besides, now that he'd confirmed that the world of Teyvat was linked to his old gaming account, he had a bold new plan:

To lead Zhongli, Raiden Shogun, Venti, and Nahida in a full-scale conquest of the overworld — from ancient ruins to the Nether and End — until he ruled every inch of this realm and unlocked Creative Mode.

At that point? Even the Heavenly Principles of Teyvat would be beneath him — forget the Aeons of Star Rail.

Let's run a test.