Time flowed silently in the world of MC.
Before they knew it, three weeks had passed.
And in those three weeks, Gong Qu focused on one thing: farming.
In the first week, he expanded his fields from 20 plots to 80, harvesting wheat four times a week, generating nearly 10,000 World Coins in value.
Those 80 plots covered a total of 6,400 square meters—almost 10 mu of land.
Just the harvesting and replanting alone, done by him and Keqing, consumed a significant amount of their time.
That was where the expansion ended—for now.
At the end of the third week, Gong Qu exchanged his earnings for one Vision and two Teleport Anchors.
Perhaps it was the constant connection with the vitality of the fields, but the element he awakened wasn't the rock-solid Geo as he'd expected, but the lush, living power of Dendro.
[Character: Gong Qu]
[Level: 45]
[Vision: Dendro]
After obtaining the Vision, his character panel underwent some changes.
The only new addition was the elemental attribute itself—no skills, no elemental bursts, no constellations.
To Gong Qu, it felt more like he had unlocked a new accessory slot for his MC character.
What came with the Vision were conceptual powers linked to the Dendro element. Actual abilities and elemental bursts? He'd have to develop those himself.
Unlike Keqing, his level reflected his progress in MC itself—mining, smelting, harvesting all contributed experience. When repairing enchanted gear at an anvil, instead of costing player experience, the system required Enchanted Bottles.
So Gong Qu made good use of his Infinity Bow—scattered enchantments layered and refined—until finally, he forged a legendary bow: Power IV, Unbreaking III, Punch II, Infinity.
As for Flame Arrows—he discarded that idea. After all, the Dendro element's sensitivity to fire would only dampen the arrow's damage.
With the fields established and the Vision in hand, Gong Qu and Keqing transitioned into the dull grind of mining.
After several intense days, the two had carved down more than 10 kilometers into the mountain behind their base.
Early one morning...
They donned their iron gear and resumed excavation where they left off.
Possibly due to the advanced version of MC in this world, they could hide their gear's appearance.
So on the outside, they wore ordinary clothes—but were in fact clad in ironclad protection.
Despite this, their physical agility and environmental awareness remained unaffected—truly a feat of sci-fi engineering.
"Ah Qing, do you feel like it's getting warmer down here?"
"Hmm? Not really."
Gong Qu raised his hand thoughtfully. A glimmer of green fluorescence flickered at his fingertips.
"Probably due to my Dendro affinity. I've become extra sensitive to heat. If I'm right... there's lava nearby."
"Lava? You mean—"
"Yes. That means... there might be diamonds."
He could barely contain his excitement.
With diamonds, he could build a Nether Portal and explore an entirely new dimension.
He could also forge superior diamond gear—finally giving him the confidence to activate the long-awaited Dragon Adventure Modpack.
In his joy, Gong Qu wrapped his arms around Keqing and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.
Keqing grimaced and wiped her face, giving him a side-eye glare.
He laughed it off and cheerfully got back to mining.
Ten minutes passed...
Suddenly, the sound of bubbling echoed from beyond a nearby wall.
"This must be it," Gong Qu said.
Keqing raised her pickaxe, ready to strike—but Gong Qu stopped her just in time.
"Wait!"
"Let's build a platform and dig a drainage trench first."
Keqing imagined lava gushing out as soon as the wall broke, and shivered involuntarily.
"Sorry, Qu, I got ahead of myself."
"No worries. With elemental powers, our survivability has gone way up. Even if something goes wrong, we can handle it. But a little caution never hurts."
He gently moved her aside and dug a channel in front, filling it with two buckets of water.
He raised the trench walls slightly, then stood atop the wall to start mining again.
Clink! Clang!
Clink! Clang!
The rhythmic strikes of the pickaxe echoed through the rock.
His heart beat in time with each hit.
Then—crack!
The deepslate crumbled, revealing a glowing hole.
"Hssss—!"
Before them lay an enormous lava lake, bubbling like a boiling cauldron. The searing heat shimmered in the air like a mirage.
"Must be dozens—maybe hundreds—of mu wide."
Gong Qu stood above, making a rough estimate.
Keqing nodded dumbly in agreement.
After all, she was a real estate queen, not a mining expert. In all of Liyue, she'd never seen anything like this.
"Alright, enough sightseeing. A lava lake this size? Finding diamonds will take forever," Gong Qu muttered, snapping back to focus as he patted her shoulder.
Keqing, shaken out of awe, asked, "So... same as before? Dig downward step by step, then branch out?"
"No need to make it that tedious."
Gong Qu dug a two-block-high tunnel just large enough to walk through.
Then he extended it two blocks into the lava lake, severing the connection behind him—leaving a floating cobblestone platform.
From his backpack, he pulled out a water bucket.
Splash!
Endless water gushed from the platform's edge, flowing out in all directions.
Under gravity, it cascaded down—right into the lava below.
Zsssshhhhhh—!
A sudden blast of steam pierced the air as obsidian formed on contact.
Thick white vapor swirled upward, and black-purple obsidian spread like a living creature, consuming the lava lake bit by bit.
Once the obsidian reached a safe radius, Gong Qu scooped the water back into his bucket.
With the source gone, the leftover water disappeared quickly.
"You see? Easy. Now let's set up a ladder and go down."
Keqing swallowed hard, the awe still caught in her throat.
MC's strange, magical mechanics never ceased to amaze her. She was already becoming numb to the surprises.
Once they reached the ground, Gong Qu stomped on the obsidian beneath his feet.
Solid. No magma seeping through.
The next steps were simple.
Two words: Start. Digging.
Lapis Lazuli?
Excellent—essential for enchantments. Keep it.
Redstone?
Also great, though it doesn't conduct electricity here. Still, worth collecting for future study.
Gold Ore?
Not terribly useful, but golden apples in this world could cure negative effects. Definitely worth stocking up.
[Achievement Unlocked: Is This... Diamond?]
[Reward: 500 World Coins]
Diamond? Where?
The sudden system alert caught Gong Qu off guard.
Then—Keqing's excited voice echoed from afar.
"Qu! I found diamond!"
Purple lightning crackled as a blur collided into his arms.
Keqing held up a small blue cube, smiling adorably. "Look, look! Is this what you were looking for?!"
Her bright eyes sparkled brighter than the gem itself.
In that moment, Gong Qu couldn't look away. The diamond he'd yearned for... suddenly didn't seem so important.
"Yes," he said softly. "That's exactly what I was looking for."
"Right? Wait... why are you staring at me like that?"
"I'm looking at my diamond. Is that so strange?"
Keqing's face turned crimson.
"Ew! That's so cheesy!"
"We've been together so long, and you're still this shy? That's why you're my one and only diamond."
As he spoke, his face moved closer—until he silenced her with a kiss.
Keqing didn't resist.
Instead, with a deepening blush and melting limbs, she collapsed into his arms, surrendering completely.