The mine went to unknown depths. Here was a huge cavern, sporadically adorned with numerous coal deposits and various other ores.
Everyone had just filled the area with torches to ensure no monsters would spawn. Jiang Xuan estimated that it was probably noon, clapped his hands, and called out to everyone.
"Alright, let's not explore any further for now. We'll set up camp here and build a simple second base."
This time, it wasn't Keqing who was excited. Cloud Retainer was the first to raise her hand, clutching her pickaxe and excitedly saying, "Jiang Xuan, we can keep exploring! This little bit of work doesn't affect us at all!"
Before Cloud Retainer could rally everyone to her side, Jiang Xuan rolled his eyes impatiently. "I know! I know you're not tired, but we've already gone very deep into the mine. It's time to pause for a bit."
"At the very least, let me set this place up as a second rest and resupply base! This is also for our convenience when mining."
"Don't worry, it's just a simple renovation of a billion things, that's all."
Everyone had no objections to Jiang Xuan's initial statements. After all, there were plenty of resources in this space, and it would be good for everyone to spread out and gather, then tally their gains up to this point.
However, what Jiang Xuan said next sent a shiver down Ganyu and Keqing's spines.
"Simple"
"Renovation of a billion things"
"That's all"
These words, it seemed, were what Jiang Xuan had said when they first went mining together and he built the first base...
And then, Jiang Xuan spent over ten minutes building a complete mining survival home base. Keqing and Ganyu exchanged glances, seeing that Jiang Xuan was already gesturing at the surrounding environment, seemingly contemplating where to start.
Ganyu quickly went forward and pulled Jiang Xuan. "Don't be like that, Jiang Xuan, it's not necessary! We'll just mine this cave and then leave, building here is too much of a waste of resources."
Jiang Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "What are you thinking? Of course, there's no need for a large base in a disposable mine like this."
"I was thinking that we've used a lot of food, and it's time to replenish our supplies. I brought a lot of dirt, so we can plant some crops."
If Jiang Xuan had said he was going to farm underground in a mine before, Keqing and the others would probably have been extremely shocked.
However, they had experienced enough mental shocks in the past few days, so this small matter was nothing. Jiang Xuan pulled out a stack of dirt, glanced at Zhongli, who seemed a little eager, and handed him half a stack.
"Let's do it together. Remember to leave a space for me to pour water."
Zhongli nodded slightly and mentioned, "Like the farm in your estate?"
"Exactly!"
Zhongli said no more and began to diligently set up the dirt. Jiang Xuan also took the opportunity to turn to Ganyu and the others, saying, "Then, I'll trouble you all to collect all the ores in this mine. Be careful, and listen for any sounds when mining the walls."
"When mining above your heads, remember that the stepping blocks must not align with the ore. They should be staggered, to prevent falling gravel from hitting you."
"Cloud Retainer, I'll entrust their safety to you."
Cloud Retainer waved her hand and calmly said, "Don't treat them as helpless girls. You just do your work, we'll be quick over here."
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan laughed self-deprecatingly as he watched the four women elegantly depart. "Mr. Jiang Xuan, what should I do?"
Xiao, holding a shield in one hand and a trident in the other, looked at Jiang Xuan with some hesitation. The shield had many arrow marks and zombie claw marks. Clearly, the path they had just taken was not peaceful.
Jiang Xuan stroked his chin in thought, then said, "How about this: after they finish collecting the ores, they'll need to process them. The iron ores we dug up earlier haven't been smelted yet either."
"Xiao, please go over there and build twenty furnaces against the wall."
"After you're done, I'll trouble you to be vigilant against dangers in the mine."
Xiao didn't care what he was doing; after all, whether it was killing monsters or mining and building in this world, he found it quite interesting. He nodded to Jiang Xuan and immediately turned to craft furnaces.
Jiang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and turned to set up the farm. To his surprise, Zhongli had already stacked the dirt and poured water in the middle. He was now holding a hoe, leisurely tilling the land like an old farmer.
Jiang Xuan was amused and glanced at the neatly arranged farmland. He had no intention of expanding it. He put away the dirt and walked over to Zhongli, teasing, "As expected of a six-thousand-year veteran, you adapt to new things quickly. You've already set up the farm so fast without me even saying anything."
"Once you get more familiar, you'll probably be able to build yourself a self-sustaining villa."
Zhongli finished tilling the last plot, stood up, and calmly looked at Jiang Xuan, saying quite seriously, "By universal rationality, it is indeed feasible. If I were to live in a house I built myself, inviting friends over to chat and discuss various topics."
"I suppose that would be the best life after retirement, but at that time, I would still need your help with some design ideas."
Jiang Xuan nodded decisively and chuckled, "Alright, no problem! Anyway, you old geezer will probably be clinging to my place next door by then, and a house that's too ugly would affect my mood."
Zhongli's lips curved slightly. He liked Jiang Xuan's unreserved chats and jokes. At least it made him feel less like a lone wolf. Xiao and the others were good, but they respected him too much, which made Zhongli quite helpless. Perhaps this was the plight of those in high positions.
"One question." Seeing Jiang Xuan plant various seeds in the dirt, Zhongli thoughtfully said, "From my observation, even in this illogical world, it takes a day for crops to mature."
"Are you planning to harvest them when we return to this base tomorrow?"
To be honest, Zhongli felt that Jiang Xuan was a bit too prepared. Considering the mining time, they had indeed brought a lot of food. Just bread alone was a stack. After all, their good brothers had plenty of hay bales!
However, they hadn't brought much in the way of crops. Regardless, Zhongli felt that going mining with Jiang Xuan, who was so meticulous and careful, was indeed reassuring.
However, before Zhongli could express his approval, Jiang Xuan straightened up and looked at Zhongli with a strange expression. "Where would I find the time for that? We're going deep in, and tomorrow we'll be at the diamond deposits. When the time is right, we'll teleport back to the villa at the estate."
"After resting, we'll return to Teyvat. If I were really planning a surprise attack on this rotten place, wouldn't I decorate the rooms properly?"
Zhongli didn't feel embarrassed by Jiang Xuan's words; instead, he became even more curious. "Then you intend to..."
Before he could finish, Zhongli's pupils constricted. He saw... Jiang Xuan quickly put up a crafting table and then pulled out a pile of bones...
"Idiot! With bone meal for accelerated growth, who would let them grow naturally?" Jiang Xuan said with a grin, tossing twenty bones in. Currently, they had a mob grinder at home, and in the process of mining,
everyone had dealt with quite a few "skeletons." Jiang Xuan had plenty of bones! Uh... that sounded a bit strange. In any case, they were just for speeding up crop growth. Being rich, he didn't care about these bones.
Jiang Xuan, prejudiced, never regarded villagers as people, nor did he regard "skeletons" as deceased humans. Naturally, he saw no problem, and even expressed his incomprehension at Ningguang and the others not accepting bone meal for accelerated growth.
But Zhongli watched Jiang Xuan gleefully collect a pile of bone meal. He felt a genuine sense of nausea. It wasn't because he, the six-thousand-year-old Geo Archon, was being petty. He had seen those skeleton "skeletons," and he had killed them. Although they were somewhat blocky, they were indeed humanoid.
What was Zhongli's current identity? A consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! To put it bluntly: Hu Tao buried people, he dug the holes; Hu Tao lit the fires, he erected the gravestones. During his time as a consultant for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Zhongli had become accustomed to his Director assisting the deceased with cremation.
Then, he would help promote cinerary urns, and the families would tearfully collect the ashes of their departed loved ones. The common practice was to bury them in a place with good feng shui, or if they were more modern, they might scatter them into the sea, like a journey across the ocean to see you in Inazuma.
But Jiang Xuan's method... playing with bone meal in his hands, then sprinkling it on crops for accelerated growth, and then eating those crops himself? Not to mention in Zhongli's eyes,
even in the most open-minded Mondstadt, this method of burial would be considered incredibly shocking. Zhongli estimated that if his Director saw Jiang Xuan's actions, she would likely brandish her Staff of Homa and lecture Jiang Xuan on the great principles of yin and yang.
Contemplating with a slight feeling of nausea, Zhongli didn't notice for a moment until he found that Jiang Xuan had already sprinkled bone meal over more than half of the newly built farm.
The carrot leaves poking out were already green and large. Clearly, they were as ripe as could be. Bone meal, truly miraculous... not! Zhongli would never eat such a thing in his life! Seeing Jiang Xuan's "demonic claws" reach for the other half of the field, Zhongli was shocked and quickly stepped forward to stop him.
"Jiang Xuan! Jiang Xuan! Wait!"
Jiang Xuan straightened up, instinctively pulled a carrot from the now-ripe carrot patch, and without wiping it, took a bite. As for washing it? What a joke, Minecraft crops were pure, natural, green,
organic food that could be eaten straight after being harvested! Chewing on the carrot, Jiang Xuan looked at Zhongli curiously, asking indistinctly, "What's up?"
Seeing Jiang Xuan casually eating the crops that had just been accelerated with bone meal, Zhongli, for the first time in a thousand years, nearly threw up. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "This... leave half the field for the crops to grow naturally."
Jiang Xuan looked at Zhongli's gaze, which dared not meet his as he ate, and immediately understood. He chuckled teasingly, "How interesting, for the esteemed Geo Archon,
Rex Lapis, who struck fear into countless Archons during the Archon War, earning the title of War God with his fists and feet, to be concerned with such trivial matters?"
"Well... although these crops grow very cleanly and aren't tainted with bone meal, if you're uncomfortable with it, then so be it."
Hearing this, Zhongli breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Thank you."
Jiang Xuan raised his head, about to say something, when Xiao silently walked over. Seeing that everyone else was still busy, he simply said, "My Lord, Mr. Jiang Xuan, the furnaces have been built."
Jiang Xuan turned to look, and sure enough, twenty furnaces were neatly arranged against the wall, stacked in two layers. Jiang Xuan smiled and casually tossed Xiao a carrot.
"Not bad! You're getting more skilled at building these days."
Hearing Jiang Xuan's praise, Xiao's lips curved slightly, and he murmured, "Thank you for the compliment." Then, without formality, he took a bite of half the carrot.
"???"
Zhongli, with all his calculations, never expected Xiao to eat it so readily and quickly. He wanted to stop him but couldn't. In fact, seeing Xiao seemingly enjoying it, Zhongli felt his scalp tingle. However, this expression made Xiao think Zhongli also wanted a carrot, so he readily offered it to Zhongli. Zhongli instinctively took a step back, which confused Xiao.
"My Lord?"
Jiang Xuan glanced at Zhongli and lightly said, "Don't mind him, we'll just eat our own. He can't get past that mental hurdle."
"Mental hurdle?" Xiao subtly felt something was amiss.
Jiang Xuan, however, was nonchalant. He shrugged and said, "This carrot just grew after being fertilized with bone meal."
"...Bone meal???" Xiao's expression changed. The next moment, a fierce gust of wind swept by, and Xiao, with unprecedented speed, sprinted to the wall.
"Ugh!!!"
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