The moment Ryen gave the command, the three of them pressed the buttons on the backs of the Redstone Cannons in perfect unison.
The ignition sound crackled through the air, followed by the sharp launch of TNT into the water.
One block of TNT detonated first, its explosion propelling another forward with force—
—straight into the midst of a zombie that had just emerged from the jungle.
In the next instant, a deafening explosion tore through the ground, blasting the zombie apart while ripping up surrounding trees and soil.
A split second later, two more blasts followed, catching the approaching pillagers before they could even step out of the forest.
Everyone had seen TNT explode before.
Many had even experienced firsthand the explosive demise of a Creeper.
The destructive power was undeniable, but visually? It had never been that impressive.
At least, not until now.
Because Redstone Cannons were a different story entirely.
With each thunderous detonation, TNT was forcefully propelled forward, as if some unseen hand was hurling them with precision.
The sheer spectacle of three cannons firing simultaneously was mesmerizing.
The Millelith soldiers on the walls, along with Ganyu and the others beside Ryen, were completely stunned.
"This is effective. Keep firing—don't let the pillagers and zombies get any closer," Ryen instructed, pressing the button repeatedly.
One after another, TNT blocks were activated, raining down in a relentless bombardment upon the incoming horde.
Ningguang and Cloud Retainer exchanged glances before following Ryen's lead, their fingers pressing down on the buttons in rapid succession.
At first, Ningguang had assumed that operating the Redstone Cannons would be somewhat cumbersome—after all, they were supposed to be single-shot weapons.
But now?
Now it didn't feel any different from having an automatic launcher!
Complicated operation?
From start to finish, they were just standing there, pressing a button over and over again.
One hand remained completely free—if they weren't in the middle of a battle, they could probably snack while firing!
The three Redstone Cannons covered the entire front approach to the base.
No one knew exactly how many pillagers and zombies were attacking.
Because each time one so much as stepped into view, they were instantly blown to pieces by the explosions.
From the moment the barrage began, not a single enemy had managed to get within fifty meters of the base.
And beyond that fifty-meter mark—
The ground was completely unrecognizable.
It was impossible to find even a single patch of land that still resembled its original form.
The sky, which had darkened with the arrival of night, was now ablaze with the glow of the fiery explosions.
The combined firepower of the three Redstone Cannons had turned the battlefield into a cratered wasteland spanning hundreds of meters.
At this point, the battle had entered a cycle:
New enemies arrived, stumbled into the massive craters, and were immediately annihilated by another barrage of TNT.
Others might not have been keeping count, but Ryen was.
So far, they had taken out at least twenty pillagers.
That was more than three times the number from the first wave.
And among them—
A witch.
Three ravagers.
It was clear now—more people in the base meant the difficulty level had scaled up significantly.
Had they been relying solely on the walls for defense, the situation might have turned dangerous.
The witch's potions and the pillagers' crossbows could have inflicted real damage.
But unfortunately for the invaders—
They had arrived at the worst possible time.
Just when Ryen had finished constructing the Redstone Cannons.
They had walked straight into the lion's den.
Talk about bad luck.
Still, Ryen couldn't deny it—watching the battlefield erupt in constant, spectacular explosions was downright exhilarating.
Because let's be honest—
There isn't a man alive who doesn't love watching things blow up.
He was even beginning to consider outfitting his estate with an entire row of rapid-fire bomb launchers.
And once the firearms mod was activated—
Everyone would be packing Gatling guns.
With a storm of lead and metal, neither the Wither nor the Ender Dragon would stand a chance.
They'd be shredded into confetti.
But that kind of dream was still a long way off.
Right now, the priority was handling the situation at hand.
Ryen couldn't stay at the Redstone Cannon forever, especially now that night had fallen.
He estimated that with all five of them heading to the Nether soon, the Phantoms would start spawning any minute.
At this point, the Millelith could take over operating the cannons.
No one knew how long it had been, but eventually, the jungle fell silent.
The Millelith's raid progress had also increased to two-sevenths complete.
Only then did Ryen signal for Ningguang and Cloud Retainer to stop.
Though, judging by their expressions, it was clear that they were still eager for more.
After ordering the troops to begin gathering resources from the battlefield, Ningguang walked up to Ryen, her tone laced with excitement.
"Ryen! This is Redstone technology? It's incredible!"
"It truly is!"
Cloud Retainer's usually composed expression showed visible astonishment.
"No Adepti energy required, just… continuously pressing a button…?"
"If this kind of technology had existed during the Archon War, Liyue Harbor would have been an impenetrable fortress!"
Zhongli, standing nearby, couldn't help but reflect on those words.
He had always spoken of Liyue's defenses as being "impenetrable."
But looking at what he had just witnessed…
What was a mere Geo shield compared to this?
True impenetrability was standing in place while enemies threw themselves forward—only to be obliterated before they could even get close.
This… this was the real definition of an unbreachable defense.
No wonder Ryen always said that the best defense was a strong offense…
Zhongli cast a glance at the battlefield, now completely transformed into a crater-ridden wasteland.
Not far away, a group of Millelith and miners were enthusiastically stacking blocks, gathering materials left behind by the explosions.
To them, the Redstone Cannon was nothing short of a miracle weapon.
The Millelith were not afraid of death, nor did they shy away from battle.
But they had families waiting for them back home.
If there was a way to protect Liyue without throwing themselves into the front lines… who wouldn't choose it?
They, too, had loved ones to care for.
And now, with the Redstone Cannons—what had they actually done during this battle?
Watch Ryen and the others fire the cannons, wait for a bit, and then clean up the battlefield?
That was it.
This kind of effortless victory… they loved it.
Had Ningguang and the others not been standing here, half of them would have already rushed up to the cannons to try them out for themselves.
"I must install Redstone Cannons on the Jade Chamber!"
Ningguang clenched her fist with determination.
"And not just the Jade Chamber—the docks, the coastlines, every single Millelith garrison throughout Liyue!
Even Liyue's warships need to have these mounted!"
"This technology will redefine Liyue's military power! It could save countless lives."
"With this, even when facing threats beyond what the Millelith can handle, we won't have to rely on calling in every single Vision-bearer to intervene!"
"Even if a sea monster attacks, I can guarantee that Liyue won't suffer a single scratch!"
Hearing this, Zhongli's mouth twitched.
He had originally planned for Osial's return to serve as Liyue's final test—proof that its people could stand on their own.
But now…
Zhongli could already imagine Osial's reaction.
The poor sea god wouldn't even get the chance to make his grand reappearance.
The moment he poked his head above the ocean surface—
BOOM.
Dozens, if not hundreds, of TNT blasts raining down upon him.
Osial wouldn't just be defeated—he'd be obliterated before he even had the chance to say a single word.
The mental image was so absurd that Zhongli almost laughed.
Yet, he had to admit…
He was looking forward to that future.
Liyue truly had gained the power to fend off any Archon-level threat, without him.
And for him, that was the most reassuring realization of all.
Right now, TNT explosions might not match the sheer destructive force of Planet Befall—
But…
This wasn't just one explosion.
This was an endless barrage of them.
And considering it could tear apart blocks that were supposed to be unbreakable, just how much devastation could it unleash upon Teyvat?
One of Ryen's so-called "mountain-clearing cannons"… could it actually split Mt. Tianheng in two?
…Well.
It wasn't impossible.
Its power was already likely greater than the Chasm's Depths Supercannon.
The difference?
That cannon had taken years to build.
Whereas the Redstone Cannons… could be assembled anytime, anywhere.
Redstone.
It was no longer just a resource.
It was a strategic weapon.
Ningguang immediately made a decision—Redstone must never be sold on the open market.
Not even for an astronomical price.
If some brilliant mind managed to replicate this technology…
Liyue would be in serious trouble.
"Ryen…"
A soft voice tugged at his sleeve.
He turned to see Nahida, her emerald eyes filled with uncertainty as she stared at the battlefield's empty remains.
"Is… your world really this dangerous?"
Before this, Nahida had simply thought of Ryen's world as unusual.
At most, she had believed their partnership was about resource collection.
Even seeing the Temple of Virtue had already seemed surreal.
But this…
This was beyond anything she had imagined.
This wasn't resource collection.
This was the development of technology capable of toppling Teyvat's entire power structure.
For the first time, Nahida felt genuine concern that Celestia might take notice of Ryen.
Five hundred years ago, she hadn't personally witnessed the fall of Khaenri'ah.
But as the God of Wisdom, she knew exactly what had happened.
And right now…
Wasn't Ryen walking down the same path as Khaenri'ah?
Ryen, of course, understood her worries.
But he simply smiled and ruffled her hair.
He wasn't going to explain.
Because he was not Khaenri'ah.
The Minecraft world was one of infinite possibilities.
And he—Ryen—was not some helpless human.
If it came to a fight, he had his own fists.
He had Minecraft's infinite power.
And in the middle ground, he had Liyue aiding in exploration and expansion.
Celestia?
For all he knew, it was still hiding away somewhere, licking its wounds.
By the time they finally decided to act…
Ryen would have activated every single overpowered mod in existence.
Had Celestia ever tasted a fist the size of a sandbag?
Had they ever experienced a one-shot-kill Universal Domination Sword?
Or perhaps they'd like to try getting hit by a tactical orbital dragon-killer cannon?
He had plenty of ways to deal with Celestia.
Frankly, they weren't even worth his concern.
Of course, if they decided to play dirty, that would be more of a headache.
But still, nothing he couldn't handle.
Celestia was not, and never would be, something that worried him.
Shaking off those thoughts, Ryen spoke lightly:
"Alright, it's about time. Phantoms might start spawning soon, and these Redstone Cannons don't require much skill to operate."
"Let the Millelith handle it—just keep loading TNT and watch for incoming enemies."
"We, on the other hand, have another important resource to study."
Before anyone could ask, Xiao suddenly spoke up.
"Ryen, you go ahead. I'll stay here and watch over things."
Ryen paused, then noticed the barely concealed eagerness in Xiao's eyes whenever he looked at the Redstone Cannons.
He chuckled to himself.
No man could resist the joy of controlling a cannon and blowing things up.