Cloud Retainer and Ningguang were eagerly waiting to witness Ryen's legendary Redstone cannon in action.
But when they heard his question, Cloud Retainer's expression turned somewhat strange.
She muttered, "This thing… even has single-shot and rapid-fire modes?"
"Of course! Did you think this is the same as your Guizhong Machine?" Ryen chuckled, shaking his head.
"A rapid-fire Redstone cannon, as long as there's enough TNT, can reduce an area spanning hundreds—even thousands—of meters to scorched earth within seconds."
"In fact, if necessary, I could even build an airborne bomber that moves through the sky while continuously dropping TNT."
"As long as you don't tell me to stop and we have enough TNT, I could plow through all of Teyvat for you."
"The only downside is that it burns through TNT like crazy… But even that can be mitigated with a TNT duplication machine."
"However, in our current situation, a rapid-fire cannon would be too destructive to the terrain. While it wouldn't self-destruct, it could still pose a danger to anyone nearby if not handled properly."
"A single-shot cannon, on the other hand, requires manual operation, but at least it's safer. The choice is yours."
Hearing this, Cloud Retainer was immediately tempted to ask Ryen to build that airborne TNT bomber.
But before she could speak, Ningguang beat her to it.
"Single-shot! Let's go with the single-shot model."
Seeing Cloud Retainer's displeasure, Ningguang sighed with a wry smile.
"Lady Cloud Retainer, rapid-fire Redstone cannons aren't just a material drain—they're incredibly dangerous, even for the Millelith… and for us."
Ryen nodded in agreement, his voice soft but firm.
"She's right. If you accidentally find yourself within the blast radius of a rapid-fire bombing run, there's no escape. You'd be dead before you even knew what hit you."
"But if you really want to see it in action…"
Ryen stroked his chin in thought for a moment.
"Aren't you in the middle of leveling a mountain? I could set up a demolition cannon for you and save you the trouble of digging through stone yourself."
"In mere minutes, I could flatten the whole mountain into a basin."
Cloud Retainer's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and she immediately clapped Ryen on the shoulder.
"It's a deal!"
Satisfied, she stepped back, now content to watch Ryen construct the Redstone cannon.
Ningguang let out a helpless sigh before turning to Ryen.
"Let's go with the single-shot cannon, then. Once it's built, if we have time, we can work on some alchemy potions."
Ryen nodded and began crafting the necessary components for the Redstone cannon.
To be honest, even if he were to build a rapid-fire Redstone cannon, he would only do so within his personal estate.
Zhongli and the others would never approve of setting up such a weapon at the Millelith base.
Not without good reason, at least—
Because it was simply too dangerous.
At full power, a Redstone cannon's barrage would be utterly overwhelming.
Even in the world of Teyvat, such a weapon would be absurdly overpowered.
One accidental misfire, and Liyue Harbor or Jueyun Karst could be reduced to rubble in an instant.
Its destructive potential was simply too high. If it wasn't absolutely necessary, Zhongli would certainly prefer that this kind of technology never fall into too many hands.
"Looks like Redstone technology is something that needs to be strictly controlled in Teyvat as well."
Ningguang shook her head, making a mental note to revise some of her plans.
Before long, Ryen had completed all the components for the single-shot Redstone cannon.
He stepped out past the iron gate, chose an ideal location, and motioned for Ningguang and the others to come over.
Ningguang gave a subtle signal to the Millelith standing nearby, and they immediately called for reinforcements.
This kind of dangerous technology could never be allowed to spread indiscriminately.
Ryen didn't mind. As long as Ningguang and Cloud Retainer learned it, that was enough.
"I'm only building one. You'll have to build the other two yourselves. So watch closely!"
He reminded them, and they nodded seriously, focusing all their attention.
"First, dig one block into the ground. Then, place a fence and a pressure plate on top of it."
"And now comes the most important part!"
Ryen's voice lifted slightly.
"You need to place three dispensers on the ground—pay attention to their orientation!"
"The two on the sides should face inward, aiming at the middle. The middle one should be facing forward."
Ningguang and Cloud Retainer, deeply engrossed, took careful notes while also sketching diagrams of the build.
Ryen wasn't in a hurry. He let them take their time, patiently waiting for them to finish their sketches.
While he waited, he casually turned to one of the nearby Millelith soldiers.
"How's the raid progressing? The first wave is over, so what's the status?"
The soldier straightened up and reported, "The attack has progressed about one-seventh of the way."
Ryen did a quick mental calculation.
Seven waves in total—at least one Evoker was guaranteed to appear.
This was great news for him.
In fact, once the base's defenses were further improved, he was already considering sending people out to actively seek out Illager patrols to trigger more raids.
Until he could set up a proper Totem of Undying farm, raids were one of the only reliable ways to farm them.
As for the single-shot Redstone cannon he was constructing—
It was, in truth, ancient technology.
One of the earliest Redstone cannons ever designed, and one that had long been phased out in the game itself.
In the late game, a cannon that couldn't duplicate TNT, couldn't perform aerial bombardments, and couldn't deliver rapid-fire saturation strikes—
Was practically obsolete.
But in a real-world Minecraft setting, it was the best option.
If a rapid-fire Redstone cannon were built here, Ryen wouldn't even be able to sleep at night.
That kind of firepower—especially with mod enhancements—was simply unthinkable.
Imagine dozens of TNTs exploding around you at the same time.
Wouldn't you be terrified?
Even in Teyvat, if Ryen had to choose between taking a full-force Meteorite Shield from Zhongli or tanking a blast from a rapid-fire Redstone cannon—
He wouldn't hesitate to pick Zhongli's shield.
There was simply no way to survive a direct hit from a rapid-fire Redstone cannon.
Because it was death itself.
For that reason, Ryen had no intention of ever teaching Ningguang and the others how to build true advanced Redstone weaponry.
It wasn't a matter of trust—it was a matter of survival.
Even if they were his wives, he wasn't about to place his own life and safety in their hands.
Lost in thought, Ryen didn't notice that Ningguang and Cloud Retainer had finished taking notes.
The two of them had already begun working in perfect sync—one writing out step-by-step instructions while the other sketched precise blueprints.
This new Redstone technology manual would soon be classified as an absolute secret of Liyue, forbidden from being accessed by just anyone.
If someone with ill intentions ever managed to build a Redstone cannon in the middle of the Rite of Parting… or in Jueyun Karst…
That would be a disaster beyond imagination.
…
Seeing Ningguang nod, Ryen continued his explanation:
"At this point, we crouch down and stack two more dispensers on top of the central one, both facing forward. Then, we remove the one at the back."
"Once that's done, we move around to the back and sprinkle Redstone dust behind the two side dispensers."
"On top of the central dispenser, we place a Redstone torch, and behind the lower central dispenser, we attach a button."
These were all standard procedures, nothing too complicated to explain.
Ryen stepped forward again and pulled out a bucket of water.
"Next, we place a bucket of water in the empty slot in the center. Thanks to the pressure plate in front, the water will stay confined to that single space and won't spread."
"I've mentioned before—TNT won't destroy blocks when submerged in water, but it will still generate propulsion. You all remember that, right?"
Everyone nodded in unison.
With that, Ryen grinned.
"All right! The Redstone Cannon is complete. Now, all we need to do is load TNT into all four dispensers."
TNT was no issue—Ryen had plenty, and the mining base also had a substantial stockpile.
After all, miners frequently used TNT to clear out large areas.
And with mob farms and other automation in place, his estate already had four whole chests filled with TNT.
Not to mention the reserves here at the mining base.
Without hesitation, Ryen generously loaded a full stack of TNT into each dispenser.
Then, he clapped his hands and stood up.
"All done. Did you get all that?"
Ningguang glanced at her notebook before nodding.
"I've noted everything down. The basic mechanics are clear to me now."
"Shall we try building our own?"
Ryen raised an eyebrow.
"You don't want to see it in action first?"
Ningguang smiled and shook her head.
"There's no enemy right now, so there's no need to waste resources. Besides, wouldn't it be more impactful if we fired all three cannons at the same time once we finish building them?"
Ryen shrugged, not insisting further.
"Fair enough. Go ahead and start building. I'll be here to correct you if needed."
Though he said that, in truth, these simple Redstone Cannons weren't hard to make at all.
Both Ningguang and Cloud Retainer were skilled at assembling mechanical structures, and before long, they had completed two additional cannons at the designated spots.
Now, three cannons stood in a row—not exactly an awe-inspiring sight, but enough to send chills down the spines of those watching.
Xiao, with his heightened combat instincts, had already sensed a deep, lethal threat from them.
As she examined the newly constructed Redstone Cannons, Ningguang fell into deep thought, lightly tapping her chin.
"What's on your mind?" Ryen asked curiously, standing beside her.
After a brief pause, Ningguang spoke, her tone carrying a hint of excitement.
"What if I mounted these on the Jade Chamber? Wouldn't that make it an airborne bombardment platform?"
"...?!"
Ryen turned to her, visibly impressed.
He hadn't expected Ningguang to grasp the true potential of the Jade Chamber so quickly.
But in hindsight, it made perfect sense.
The Jade Chamber was a floating fortress.
And yet, when they had fought Osial, the grand structure had only deployed three automated ballistae—each requiring an adeptus to operate.
In the end, they had to sacrifice the entire Jade Chamber just to subdue Osial.
Ryen had always felt this was an utter waste of technology.
If you had a floating warship, why not drop massive rocks from above?
Even something as simple as aerial bombardment would have been devastating.
High-altitude falling objects gain extra impact force—wasn't that common sense?!
Ryen had previously considered suggesting to Ningguang that she upgrade the Jade Chamber instead of wasting its potential.
Wouldn't it be far more efficient to install TNT duplicators?
If Osial ever broke free again, she could just pilot the Jade Chamber above him and rain down TNT non-stop.
Let the Millelith soldiers operate it—heck, even Baiwen, Baishi, and Yunjin could do it.
Just pull a lever—how hard could that be?
Meanwhile, the adepti could focus on harassing Osial from the ground.
With a proper setup, there wouldn't be any need for a dramatic self-sacrifice.
And if all else failed…
Why not just drop a whole bucket of lava from above?
But the fact that Ningguang had come up with this on her own was even better.
It meant she was starting to integrate the unique strengths of both worlds on her own.
Ryen was even considering getting some floating stones from Teyvat and bringing them into his MC world for testing.
If that worked, then everything would be possible.
"If you have ideas for modifications, note them down. Later, I'll help you see how we can turn the Jade Chamber into a true war machine!" Ryen grinned.
Then, his gaze shifted toward the forest, now shrouded in darkness.
"For now, though…"
"It's time to test the Redstone Cannons."
The sounds of zombies groaning and pillagers marching grew louder and more frequent.
Ryen could tell—this time, their numbers were massive.
But that was perfect.
The warning bells atop the watchtowers rang, and the Millelith and miners rushed to the walls, bows at the ready.
But Ryen didn't retreat.
Exchanging glances with Ningguang and Cloud Retainer, he took his position at one of the cannons.
Tonight, for the first time, Redstone-powered weaponry would be unleashed upon the world of Minecraft.
"Are you ready?" Ryen asked in a low voice.
Standing beside him, Ningguang smirked, tilting her head elegantly.
"If anything, I can't wait…"
"Well then…"
Ryen took a deep breath, then gave the command.
"Fire!"