Jean and the others never expected this.
Separated by a door, divided by a wall—
Inside and outside were completely different worlds.
Within the wall, all was well. The white walls and floors gave everyone a cozy and comforting feeling.
But outside the wall?
The stench of sulfur was nauseating.
Overhead wasn't the sky but a hellish expanse of blood-red netherrack.
Below was a vast, seemingly endless sea of lava—calm, yet radiating a sense of deadly threat.
This was a world dyed in blood.
If Jean had to describe this place with a word…
Hell.
Indeed! Hu Tao was right!
This place was hell!
It might even be said that the word "hell" exists because of this place.
This was undoubtedly a forbidden zone for any form of life.
Once her eyes adjusted to the blood-red glow, Jean slightly widened them, gazing into the distance.
An even more bizarre scene unfolded before her.
Amid the scalding lava that could instantly devour any living thing, a few strange creatures leisurely moved along.
To them, the sea of lava seemed no different from a swimming pool.
On a distant blood-colored mountain, swarms of zombified piglins roamed restlessly.
Above the lava sea, several ghasts drifted aimlessly, letting out haunting, mournful wails from time to time.
Unlike the overworld, where you could see flowers, plants, boars, bulls, and chickens…
Here, everything was lava. Every creature wanted you dead.
Calling this place hell wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
"Wahhh!"
Paimon was so frightened that she immediately shut her eyes, burying her head tightly into Ryen's chest.
"It's so scary! Lumine! It's terrifying! I wanna go home!"
Lumine, also stunned by the sight, was snapped back to reality by Paimon's cry. She looked at her helplessly.
"You're clinging to Ryen—stop calling my name already!"
Though she was scolding Paimon, the shock in Lumine's heart hadn't faded.
She'd traveled through many worlds and could confirm—even with her hazy memory—
No place in any world was as hostile as this.
This was a place where life simply shouldn't exist.
Or perhaps, if life was born here, that would be a tragedy beyond words.
"I was just scared!"
Paimon pouted pitifully.
"Ryen! Close the door already! This place is horrifying!"
Ryen exchanged glances with Ningguang and the others, then laughed silently.
Still, they completely understood how Paimon felt.
To be honest, even Ningguang was secretly nervous the first time she came to the Nether.
This place was just that terrifying.
So, no one mocked Paimon for being afraid.
After all, she was literally staring hell in the face…
Ryen gently patted Paimon and said softly:
"Don't be scared. I'm here. You're safe. This path is the safest route—stick to it and we can avoid most Nether mobs."
"The Nether?!"
Before Paimon could respond, Lumine stared at Ryen in disbelief.
"You're still calling this place the Nether?!"
"Saying 'hell' sounds unlucky!"
Ryen shrugged. Paimon was still trembling in his arms—if she could phase into subspace, she'd be long gone by now.
Of course, Ryen had a very effective way of distracting Paimon.
He cheerfully pointed toward some nearby zombified piglins.
"Look over there."
Paimon kept her eyes tightly shut, but Jean and the others had calmed down a bit and looked in the direction Ryen pointed.
"Are those zombified piglins? So…"
Lumine casually commented, but then her expression shifted.
Rubbing her eyes and staring at the dozen or so piglins, she was stunned:
"Why… why are those guys all decked out in golden gear?!"
"Gold!"
At the mention of that word, Paimon immediately perked up. She snapped her head around and stared at the piglins.
"For real! Lumine, so much gold!"
Her lust for treasure instantly lit up her eyes, making her forget the terrifying environment around her.
"Lumine! Lumine! Go beat them up! They're using gold weapons—such a waste!"
"I want that gold helmet! Lumine, go get it!"
Paimon's shameless whining made Lumine's face darken.
Glancing at the lava sea below, she huffed:
"You greedy thing! Do you even know where we are?!"
Paimon froze, instantly falling silent again.
Ryen chuckled and shook his head.
"Zombified piglins aren't that strong, but we really shouldn't fight them."
"If you attack even one, the entire horde will swarm you. So it's best not to provoke them."
"If you don't hit them, they usually won't bother you."
"Oh, and don't fuss over gold. That stuff's everywhere in the Nether."
As he spoke, Ryen pointed to a mountain of netherrack nearby.
Tiny glimmers of golden ore caught everyone's eye.
"See that?"
Ryen turned to Jean and the others with a smile.
"Those gold ores—refined properly—each one becomes an ingot. And each ingot weighs over two tons."
Jean was stunned. She began counting the gold visible on the mountain.
Rough estimate—at least a dozen.
Nearly thirty tons of gold?
Just lying there, untouched?
Even though lucky blocks gave out tons of gold, Jean still couldn't help but feel it was wasteful.
Ryen shut the large door behind them.
These doors were spaced regularly, each connecting to a stone platform.
As for why…
Just look at where they're placed.
All of them hover above lava seas—perfect spots for Team 2 to play shuttlecock…
To fight ghasts.
As for why such pathways were built in the Nether, the reason was simple:
The environment was just too harsh.
If Team 2 had to constantly mine resources in such conditions, they might end up developing psychological issues.
Besides, this path led straight to a Nether fortress.
Convenient and safe.
Ryen continued leading Jean and the others forward.
Along the way, he explained the important things to know about the Nether—especially how to deal with certain monsters.
Most things weren't too bad, but when he got to how to kill ghasts, Venti suddenly perked up.
"Play badminton?"
Venti looked at Ryen with great interest. Ganyu nodded from the side.
"That's right. Among the Millelith stationed in the Nether for mining, a few are excellent at badminton. They're specially trained to fight ghasts."
"They're really good at it? Ehehe~"
Venti lifted his chin proudly.
"No matter how great your skills are, can you really outshine me, the inventor of badminton? Hmph, I've been playing for thousands of years! Never missed a shot!"
But before Venti could revel in his pride for too long, the silent Diluc coolly interjected:
"Indeed. Inventing badminton and participating in millennia of matches… that might be one of the few serious things you've done since becoming the Anemo Archon."
Venti's expression froze, shooting a glare at Diluc.
"Are you mocking me, Master Diluc?! No matter what you say, badminton is useful!"
"That's true," Diluc replied calmly. "From that perspective, you were rather forward-thinking."
"It seems your millennia of carefree 'experience' is finally coming in handy."
"Ehe~"
Venti shrugged with a mischievous grin.
"Well, it is a good thing, isn't it? Hey, want to go fight some Ghasts later? Also, isn't Mondstadt's Windblume Festival coming up soon?"
"In about three months," Jean answered after briefly calculating the festival schedule.
Indeed, Mondstadt was known for its many festivals, but the Windblume Festival was undoubtedly the most grand of them all.
"Three months, huh… By then, Mondstadt will likely be stronger and more prosperous."
For once, Venti seemed serious, speaking with rare sincerity.
"Ryen, when the time comes, you've got to visit Mondstadt! Let's have a real badminton match!"
Ryen naturally wouldn't refuse. He had always wanted to experience the festivals of Teyvat's many nations firsthand.
He nodded—and then his eyes fell on the massive iron gate ahead.
"We've arrived," Ryen said softly.
"Beyond this door is the Nether Fortress. There's a blaze spawner inside—it didn't take much to convert it into a fully functioning Blaze farm."
"In addition, there's an abundance of Nether Wart growing here. It's the primary material source for alchemical potions."
"Wither Skeleton skulls also spawn here."
Pulling the lever, Ryen opened the heavy iron gate. The group stepped onto the outer platform of the Nether Fortress.
There hadn't been much renovation here—just a circular walkway built around the structure.
Once they left the concrete passage, their boots touched the true ground of the Nether.
Looking back at the brightly lit, manmade corridor, Jean and the others felt a brief sense of disorientation.
But Jean quickly regained her composure and asked quietly,
"Ryen, how many Nether Fortresses are there in this region?"
That question gave Ryen pause.
Frowning slightly, he thought for a moment and shook his head.
"I'm not sure, but probably only this one. The Nether isn't like the Overworld—it isn't infinite."
Jean felt a bit troubled upon hearing that.
This fortress had clearly already been claimed and developed by Liyue. It felt awkward to propose that Mondstadt take part as well.
But… this was a critical source of potion materials.
Sensing Jean's dilemma, Ningguang smiled gently and said:
"It's alright. You're free to mine and harvest from this fortress too."
"Really?" Jean's eyes lit up, but soon she looked hesitant again.
"But… this fortress was discovered and developed by your people. We didn't contribute to its exploration…"
Ningguang simply shook her head, still smiling.
"It's fine. We're allies, aren't we? Besides, the Qianyan Army and our miners don't harvest from the fortress continuously."
"You can't sleep in the Nether, but going too long without rest causes Phantoms to spawn back in the Overworld."
"So, for their health, we generally only mine here every other day."
"If Mondstadt's forces make use of the time in between, it ensures the resources aren't wasted."
Since Ningguang had said that so openly, Jean no longer hesitated.
After all, this was a vital resource hub—and one they very much needed.
"Also," Ningguang added, "Ryen has people scouting the Nether for ancient ruins. Those ruins contain Netherite, a resource even stronger than diamond."
She paused, then looked seriously at Jean.
"In the future, your people will need to work alongside ours to search for Netherite."
"Larger numbers are safer in the hostile Nether. But that's a discussion for later."
"For now, your main force should focus on developing the Overworld. The Nether is still a step ahead for your team."
"Our people only began exploring it once we'd made iron gear commonplace."
Jean nodded earnestly and began scribbling notes in her notebook.
With Ningguang's experience guiding them, there was no doubt this was the right path forward.
~~----------------------
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