"How... how is this world even real?"
Keqing glanced back at the second floor's height — precisely four blocks tall.
Suddenly, the normally fearless Yuheng of the Qixing felt a chill crawl down her spine.
Sure, a fall from that height wouldn't kill her... but it would hurt — and injuries meant delays.
Ganyu, still flustered from Kanzaki catching her earlier, shifted nervously.
"I'm sorry, Kanzaki... I wasn't careful enough. Are you alright?"
Hearing this, Keqing hurried over as well, her expression worried.
Kanzaki chuckled, waving a hand dismissively.
"Relax. As long as I don't get wiped out in one hit, I'll recover just fine."
"But..." Ganyu's large, teary eyes flickered with guilt.
"It's my fault... If I had been more careful..."
Seeing her so upset, Kanzaki reached out and gave her soft blue hair a comforting pat.
"Don't worry about it. I should've warned you sooner. Besides..."
His grin widened.
"I caught a unicorn in my arms today. I doubt anyone in Liyue Harbor could say they've done that before."
Ganyu's frown turned into a giggle, her big eyes crinkling into crescent moons.
"That's more like it," Kanzaki said with a wink.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked over to the workbench and got to work.
"Alright, time to make some gear. Watch closely."
He dumped a pile of sticks and wooden planks onto the table.
"If we're going mining, we need tools. First up — axes for chopping trees."
Kanzaki moved swiftly, arranging materials in the crafting grid.
"Three planks on top, two sticks down the middle. That's a wooden axe. Swap the planks for stone or iron, and you've got better versions."
Keqing, already jotting down notes with remarkable precision, nodded attentively.
"Next — pickaxes. Essential for mining. Same structure as the axe, but with three planks forming a straight line on top instead of a 'T' shape."
He continued demonstrating recipes — swords, shovels, and even a hoe for farming.
"Now for weapons and shields," Kanzaki said, pulling out three iron ingots.
His smile faltered slightly.
"Only three ingots..."
Iron was rare. He'd found these ingots months ago — swiped from a villager's house, naturally — and hadn't seen more since.
Crafting a sword or shield with iron this early felt like a gamble... but with Ganyu and Keqing here, he didn't have a choice.
"For a sword," Kanzaki explained, "just two iron ingots and one stick. As for shields... you'll need six wooden planks and one iron ingot, like this."
He crafted both items and handed them over with care.
"Here. They're not as fancy as your weapons from Teyvat, but trust me — they hit hard."
Keqing and Ganyu accepted the items eagerly.
But as soon as Keqing lifted her shield…
CLANG.
The shield hit the floor like a dropped anvil.
Keqing stared down in disbelief.
"...Why is this so heavy?!"
Her fingers curled around the sword's hilt, but she could barely lift it.
"This sword... It's gotta weigh four or five hundred kilos!"
"And this shield... is definitely over a ton!"
"Kanzaki... how the heck are you carrying this stuff so easily?"
Kanzaki blinked.
Right... They're not Steve.
Keqing couldn't even lift a simple wooden sword, let alone an iron shield.
That meant tree-cutting, mining... everything would be a nightmare without some serious adjustments.
He scratched his head.
"Can't develop the world alone… I need them to help... but they can't even carry tools."
"Tch... System, got a solution for this?" Kanzaki muttered to himself.
The system's robotic voice chimed in:
"Ding! Activating Physique Synchronization Function. In the MC world, teammates selected by the host can now partially inherit Steve's physique. Note: This effect is only valid within the MC world."
Kanzaki's eyes lit up.
"Perfect."
He selected Ganyu and Keqing as teammates, muttering to himself:
"Still shady as hell, system... You really waited until now to tell me?"
After mentally cursing his system's stinginess, Kanzaki turned to Keqing.
"Try again. I just synchronized your physique with mine — you should have a taste of Steve's power now."
The moment the words left his mouth, Keqing and Ganyu gasped.
A surge of strength flowed through them.
Keqing flexed her fingers, her eyes wide with awe.
"This... this is incredible!"
She bent down and grabbed the shield — lifting it effortlessly with one arm.
"It's like I could punch the Jade Chamber out of the sky!"
"I knew it..." Ganyu murmured, testing the weight of her sword. She moved it with ease now, the blade gliding through the air like it weighed nothing at all.
"So this is your strength, Kanzaki?" Keqing asked, turning back to him in amazement.
"You really did make that crater with pure force!"
Kanzaki grinned smugly.
"Told you so."
"But this... this strength is insane!" Keqing shook her head, still stunned.
"Honestly, this power might even surpass Rex Lapis himself!"
Kanzaki chuckled.
"Maybe, but remember — it's only in this world. Back in Teyvat, you're still you."
Ganyu smiled softly.
"Still... this will help a lot. Thank you, Kanzaki."
"Yeah," Keqing added with a grin, giving her wooden sword an experimental swing.
"I can get used to this!"
"Good." Kanzaki nodded, satisfied.
"Now... let's start exploring."
He stepped outside, squinting into the golden rays of the rising sun.
The morning air was crisp, the landscape stretching endlessly before them — forests, mountains, and mines waiting to be claimed.
Kanzaki took a deep breath, feeling the weight of responsibility — and opportunity — settle on his shoulders.
"Alright," he murmured, voice steady.
"This world... it's mine now. And it'll be our world too."
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