After nearly half a month of exploration, with the help of the three young dragons used as mounts, Gong Qu and Ke Qing had managed to light up the entire map within a 300-kilometer radius of the forest cabin.
They discovered two villages.
The villages were small settlements with only a few dozen households, living a simple, agrarian life.
The villagers didn't look like the blocky characters you'd find in a game. Instead, they resembled more modern humans, with a certain degree of intelligence.
This made it difficult for Gong Qu, whose worldview was grounded in normal human sensibilities, to treat the villagers like "tools" as one would in a game.
So, whether it was intentionally allowing the villagers to be turned into zombies and then rescuing them to gain the "heroic buff" of the village, or confining them in tight spaces to turn them into a trading post for the village, Gong Qu just couldn't bring himself to do it.
Moreover, the villagers' reactions towards him were also quite intriguing.
Some showed an almost excessive reverence, as if they were treating him like a deity.
This led him to wonder.
Could it be that this "Minecraft" game was truly his world?
...
One afternoon.
Gong Qu was riding Triangular, one of the three young dragons he and Ke Qing had tamed, along the edge of the map, exploring new areas.
Triangular was the smallest of the three dragons from the main world.
The dragons, in order of size, were named Big Horn, Second Horn, and Triangular by Gong Qu.
Ke Qing hadn't come on this exploration journey because recently, Xiao Ju, her cat, had gotten too fat, and she was busy making a new set of clothes for it.
"Sigh, without Ah Qing here, exploring the map has gotten pretty dull," Gong Qu sighed.
He was multitasking, controlling his grass element power to form a numerical model from 1 to 10 as a way of practicing his elemental control.
"Roar~"
The young dragon responded quietly.
"Yeah, I get it. You want to play with your big brothers and sisters, right?"
"Roar~"
"Huh, Big Horn always steals your food? Alright, I'll handle it when we get back," Gong Qu said, laughing.
The grass element power in the world of Genshin Impact had control over dreams and the mind.
After spending this time, Gong Qu's character had reached level 72. While the level system was different from Teyvat's, his growth in power had been remarkably fast, so much so that Ke Qing had even wondered if he might be the reincarnation of a god like the Geo Archon.
Gong Qu was now able to "speak" to most plants and animals using the grass element power. His ability was comparable to the legendary Pirate King Roger, who could hear the voice of everything in the world.
Crossing over a hill, Gong Qu saw a higher mountain ahead.
Halfway up the mountain, there stood a solitary house.
"Eh? Why is there a single building here? It doesn't look like a village... Oh right, that must be the Gatekeeper's cabin. I remember it's a place where you can cross into the two other worlds—the Evernight World and the Everday World."
As their names suggest, these two alternate worlds were worlds of perpetual night and perpetual day.
By purchasing Wind Fire Stones from the gatekeepers scattered throughout the main world, one could light the portal in the Gatekeeper's cabin and travel to these two worlds.
The rules in the alternate worlds differed from those of the main world, where tools, weapons, and armor were all weakened.
In essence, one had to gather resources anew after traveling to the alternate worlds.
"However, with all the resources from the Dragon Adventure pack, the two worlds seem to have little to offer. Plus, the bosses in both worlds are pretty annoying," Gong Qu muttered.
He had played the Dragon Adventure pack before because the main quest had required him to fight the bosses in both worlds. Now that there were no such requirements, he had no interest in going to those worlds just for punishment.
Riding the young dragon, Gong Qu leisurely made his way up to the Gatekeeper's cabin.
Half an hour later.
Having traveled a considerable distance, he finally reached the front of the cabin.
A middle-aged man dressed in somber black priestly robes stood respectfully before him.
"Greetings, great Creator," the man said.
"Creator? Interesting title," Gong Qu remarked.
Dismounting from the dragon, Gong Qu gave the Gatekeeper a scrutinizing glance.
With clean short hair, a thin, resolute face, and a short beard, the man had the appearance of an ascetic monk.
But this monk had 80 health points and could move like the wind amidst a horde of zombies.
"Is there something you need, great Creator?" The Gatekeeper asked with respect.
The humble demeanor of the man confused Gong Qu for a moment, but he cut to the chase and asked, "Do you have anything for trade here?"
"Yes, great Creator. Please, follow me inside," the Gatekeeper replied.
Gong Qu patted the young dragon's front paw. "Stay here and keep an eye on the Gatekeeper. If I call you, just charge in and smash the door."
"Roar~"
The dragon obediently sat, panting like a husky.
Gong Qu chuckled, scolding it playfully, and tossed it a few pieces of beef.
The Gatekeeper, hearing Gong Qu's somewhat threatening words, didn't react.
It was as if he didn't mind his sanctuary being torn apart.
"Here we are, great Creator. What items would you like to purchase?" the Gatekeeper asked as he opened a chest.
The items were presented as tangible objects wrapped in bubbles, rather than the sci-fi virtual shop you might expect from a general store.
[Wind Fire Stone: 6 Green Gems]
[Teyvat Gate (Blueprint): 32 Green Gems]
Suppressing the urge to press a sword to the Gatekeeper's throat, Gong Qu forced a friendly tone. "What's this? Selling me half a set of green gems?"
"Ah, great Creator, this is a ticket to the alternate world of [Genshin Impact]. I don't set the price; I'm just the world's porter," the Gatekeeper explained.
"I can see that," Gong Qu replied dryly, then asked, "Since you call me Creator, can I ask you a few questions?"
"Of course, great Creator," the Gatekeeper said.
"What is the origin of this world? What role do I play in it?"
Gong Qu's questions were sharp and direct, aimed at the heart of the matter.
Surprisingly, the Gatekeeper answered without hesitation, his voice calm and steady.
"This world was created by the former Creator, known as the World of Fantasia Journey. When the previous Creator passed away, the world began to decay."
"Your arrival has revived the world, making you the successor of the Creator. However, the previous Creator's passing had a profound impact on the world. Only after you defeat the Calamity Dragon can you reclaim the world's authority."
Gong Qu had some recollection of the name Fantasia Journey. It wasn't referring to some outdated game, but to something very personal to him.
The night before he died in a car accident in his past life, Gong Qu had created a world named Fantasia Journey in Minecraft.
He had planned to revisit it because the Dragon Adventure update had just been released, but he had deleted the world in a fit of frustration after receiving a work-related message. The next day, he died trying to save a little girl who ran a red light and was hit by a truck.
Piecing it together with the Gatekeeper's mention of the passing of the previous Creator and the world's decay, Gong Qu had reason to suspect that the two Creators were actually one and the same—himself, the player.
"Is the Calamity Dragon the Ender Dragon? If I defeat it, will I unlock creative mode?"
"Yes, great Creator. Although I'm not sure what creative mode means, defeating the Calamity Dragon will grant you the power to create and destroy the world."
"Who set your AI? Why are you so cheesy?" Gong Qu asked.
"Sorry, great Creator. What does AI and cheesy mean?" The Gatekeeper looked troubled, seemingly embarrassed by his inability to understand the Creator's language.
In a way, this situation was like a priest meeting the incarnation of their deity, only for the deity to say things beyond their comprehension.
"Wait here for a moment," Gong Qu said, heading outside.
"Roar!"
"Yeah, stay here and keep an eye on the Gatekeeper. I'll go home and grab some green gems."
"Roar (⊙︿⊙)!"
Gong Qu patted the dragon's leg, took out a teleportation anchor, and placed it in front of the Gatekeeper's cabin.
He lightly tapped the teleportation anchor.
A virtual network of teleportation appeared, displaying an instant view of all the maps Gong Qu and Ke Qing had explored.
"Teleport to the Forest Cabin."
With the command spoken, Gong Qu was enveloped in white light and vanished with a soft ding.