In the long mine tunnel, Su Lin cautiously walked ahead, carrying a shield and an enchanted iron sword.
Safety was not something to be taken for granted in this mine, especially in the lava layer.
Zombies and Skeletons were manageable, but if they encountered another Creeper, the explosion itself wasn't the issue; it was the risk of being blown into the lava...
"Su Lin, give This Queen some more Bone Meal, please."
Su Lin was careful with every step, but Aelita seemed to have a screw loose.
Ever since he corrected her, explaining that he wasn't a god, especially not a goddess, but merely utilized the unique properties of Bone Meal in the Minecraft World.
Aelita had been relentlessly pestering Su Lin, wanting him to teach her the ways of survival in the MC Dungeon.
At first, Su Lin was quite enthusiastic, teaching her the three truths of the MC Dungeon.
But gradually, Aelita's incessant chatter became unbearable for Su Lin.
She was like an annoying noise bird.
If it weren't for her detailed introduction to the situation on the Aetheram Continent, Su Lin would have knocked her out and thrown her back to the village long ago.
Aelita's description of the Aetheram Continent largely matched the records in the book about the Aetheram Continent that Su Lin had in his backpack space from before he transmigrated.
It was simply that Aelita explained the relationships between the factions more clearly.
This included the Elven Kingdom being caught between several militarily powerful factions, the Elven Kingdom's dire situation, the Elven Kingdom's longing for a new Dungeon... and the Elven Kingdom's friendliness towards the native creatures of the Dungeon summoned along with it...!
No!
Every word this girl spoke was about the virtues of the Elven Kingdom, its welcome of the MC Dungeon, and its friendliness towards him.
Su Lin didn't think Aelita, as a Royal Candidate of the Elven Kingdom, was unaware of the details of other factions.
She was doing it on purpose.
She wanted to tie the MC Dungeon and him to the Elven Kingdom's war chariot, making it the Elven Kingdom's new national Dungeon.
What a brilliant move of privatized nationalization!
He secretly glanced at Aelita.
She followed him closely, looking innocent yet slightly stubborn, her twin pigtails swaying as she walked, giving her a slightly silly air.
But a Royal Candidate was a Royal Candidate, after all.
No wonder her nearly 1.7-meter tall figure was a 'landing strip' – all her nutrition must have gone to her cunning mind.
However, Su Lin didn't mind.
Aelita simply felt that Su Lin, as a rare intelligent native life form of the MC Dungeon, had an innate advantage in exploring this miraculous Dungeon.
Coupled with witnessing the magic of the Bone Meal just now and Su Lin's familiarity with the MC Dungeon, she decided to quickly get Su Lin on board while the MC Dungeon was still only known to her.
This was a common tactic among many major powers on the Aetheram Continent.
In this world, those summoned along with Dungeons were either Dungeon Guides or Heroes.
In any case, they were all talented individuals.
Regardless, Aelita's intentions perfectly aligned with Su Lin's plans.
As the creator of the MC Dungeon, he needed a faction, a sensible and obedient faction, to develop the MC Dungeon's prosperity for him.
Through this, he could accumulate Development Points to exchange for new modules and build deeper levels of the MC Dungeon.
Currently, on the Aetheram Continent, the Demon Lord Army was rampant, the Armed Empire Doragon was sharpening its blades in all directions, and the Holy Law Emperor Country was facing a power struggle over the Pope's succession... The entire Aetheram Continent was in chaos.
To be honest, before he had fully developed, it wouldn't be good for the MC Dungeon if any other faction discovered it.
The Elven Kingdom was the best choice.
Firstly, the Elven Kingdom's former Dungeons were almost depleted, so their desire for a new, magical, high-level Dungeon like the MC Dungeon was undeniable.
The Elven Kingdom's own situation was not very friendly; they would surely seize every possibility and turn it into a life-saving straw.
Secondly, the citizens of the Elven Kingdom were naturally professionals. Although their population was small, their strength was not weak, which was completely sufficient for the early development of the MC Dungeon.
For example, Aelita, even without Su Lin loading some of Steve's characteristics into her, a squishy mage, could wield Su Lin's iron pickaxe, which weighed two or three tons.
Most importantly, although the Elven Kingdom was currently surviving in the cracks, the Verdan Eternal Forest was still considered a sanctuary.
The MC Dungeon could have stable development time here.
They needed the MC Dungeon, and Su Lin also needed them to work for him.
A perfect match!
He glanced at Aelita. She held a staff in one hand and an iron pickaxe in the other, tapping everywhere she went.
As she delved deeper into the mine with Su Lin, and Su Lin briefly told her some information about the MC Dungeon, her eyes sparkled with excitement wherever she looked.
The more she understood this peculiar, block-filled Dungeon, the more Aelita felt she had grasped the future of the Elven Kingdom.
"Crack..."
A sound of bones colliding echoed, and Aelita instantly became alert, the tip of her staff glowing with a dazzling green light.
It wasn't until they rounded the corner and saw the square-shaped Skeleton that Aelita exclaimed.
"Undead? This Dungeon has Undead!"
The Undead held a unique position on the Aetheram Continent. Farato, one of the four high-ranking cadres of the rampant Demon Lord Army, was an Undead Mage.
Farato had once inflicted severe damage on the Aetheram Continent with his Undead Legion. In the hearts of the Aetheram people, the appearance of the Undead always heralded disaster.
"It's just a simple Skeleton."
"Simple?"
Aelita stared at Su Lin with a suspicious look.
"How do you combine that word with the Undead?"
"You'll get used to it... Didn't you see a Zombie earlier?"
"That's different!"
Aelita responded casually, her eyes filled with worry as she gazed at the Skeleton.
Everything about this MC Dungeon was mysterious: Bone Meal that instantly matured crops, any stone block that could float in the air... These characteristics were enough for all the factions on the Aetheram Continent to rush into the Verdan Eternal Forest to develop the MC Dungeon.
Aelita clearly knew that this nascent Dungeon would bring the Elven Kingdom the hope of renewed greatness.
But... why were there Undead here?
Aelita couldn't afford to think too much, after all, it was said that Farato also emerged from a Dungeon under the Demon Lord Army.
What if... The Aetheram Continent aside, at least the Elven Kingdom couldn't withstand the emergence of another Farato.
The more she let her imagination run wild, the more Aelita's heart sank.
She considered whether she should quickly take Su Lin and leave, return to the Kingdom to send a message, and if possible, bring the elders of the Council of Sages to nip the Undead in the bud.
It's just... "Bone Meal drops from this Skeleton."
"Shine! Breath of Nature!"
With Su Lin's casual reminder, Aelita suddenly burst into action as if injected with a stimulant.
The long-brewing nature magic from the tip of her staff roared out, tearing through the air, striking the Skeleton.
The next moment... the Skeleton, which hadn't even noticed Su Lin and them, slowly turned around.
"Thwack!"
A wooden arrow struck the shield.
Aelita's face flushed red, not daring to look at Su Lin, fearing his questioning and disappointed gaze.
"Is that the magic you brewed for so long... the Breath of Nature?"
Su Lin looked disappointed.
What roaring out, what tearing through the air... Just now, this girl had aggressively shouted a slogan, and a fingernail-sized wooden splinter shot out from the tip of her staff.
Not very damaging, but extremely insulting.
It shouldn't be called the Breath of Nature; it should be called Nature's Suffocation.
"Damn it!"
Aelita retorted with a red face:
"Who knew this Dungeon was so strange? My spell's power is greatly suppressed!"
Su Lin didn't think Aelita was making excuses, after all, he still hadn't loaded Steve's characteristics onto Aelita.
As his dad said, only magic can defeat magic.
It was normal for Aelita's magical abilities to be weakened in the MC Dungeon without Steve's characteristics.
However, for his own safety, Su Lin temporarily had no plans to give Aelita such characteristics, even if it was just one-third... "Su Lin! What do we do? It found us!"
Aelita hid behind Su Lin, peeking out and watching the endlessly shooting Skeleton.
She didn't know where this creature got its arrows from; they seemed infinite, as absurd as this Dungeon itself.
Aelita began to retreat.
"Shall we retreat?"
"Aren't you the genius Elven Princess, the most excellent Royal Candidate, who never takes a step back for the glory of the Elf Race?"
"This is a strategic repositioning! The elders said that sometimes retreating and calling for help is also a discipline that will make the Elf Race great again!"
Su Lin pouted, pulled out his enchanted iron axe, and strode towards the Skeleton.
"Su Lin!"
"Quiet."
Su Lin looked back at Aelita.
"Watch closely, don't blink."
"This next move will be awesome!"
Taking two steps in one, Su Lin, enveloped in his enchanted iron armor, was like a little iron warrior.
At this moment, he was possessed by Erlang Shen and Chenxiang.
A great leap, followed by a powerful cleave, precisely hit the Skeleton.
"Thwack!"
Two arrows and two bones scattered after the Skeleton fell motionless.
"So amazing..."
Aelita looked at Su Lin in a daze, then excitedly rushed to his side moments later.
"Su Lin, what's that move called?"
"Heh..."
Su Lin smiled proudly.
"Heavy sword has no edge, great skill needs no embellishment."
"But you're holding an axe..."
"The important thing is the artistic conception, do you understand artistic conception?"
"No... Where's the Bone Meal?"
Aelita didn't dwell on Su Lin's strength for long.
In her mind, as the guide of the MC Dungeon, Su Lin should naturally possess such strength.
Besides, she had seen powerful warriors like him before.
Praises and flattery would only make Su Lin feel closer to the Elven Kingdom, which was a good thing.
Aelita was more concerned about the Bone Meal.
To other races, Bone Meal was merely for ripening crops, but to the Elf Race... it was life, it was the future!
The Elf Race were all natural beings born from the Ancient Elven Tree!
If Bone Meal also worked on the Ancient Elven Tree, the day the Elf Race rose would not be far off.
"No appreciation!"
Su Lin unenthusiastically pointed to the bones on the ground.
"This is the source of Bone Meal. You can make Bone Meal by putting it on a Crafting Table."
As he spoke, he casually tossed the Crafting Table aside.
Watching Aelita joyfully craft several portions of Bone Meal and carefully put them away.
Only then did Su Lin confirm that even without Steve's characteristics, people from the Aetheram Continent seemed to be able to use the Crafting Table.
This would make things much easier later on.
Perhaps he wouldn't need to add Steve's characteristics to everyone who entered the MC Dungeon.
This would not only ensure his own safety but also allow him to use Steve's characteristics as capital to cultivate factions loyal to him.
But that was for later.
His gaze shifted back to where the Skeleton had appeared; besides a lava pool in the distance.
The few blue-glowing ores hanging above the lava pool were what truly made him happy.
After Aelita, that self-destructing truck, destroyed a few of his Diamond Ores, Su Lin was finally reunited with the Diamond Ore he had longed for.
This damned mine!
He could finally achieve his goal and ascend from the cave.
It was a pity he wasn't some MC pro player; before transmigrating, he was just an ordinary MC player. Otherwise, with a village, he could have pondered over a villager sweatshop instead of going through all the trouble of mining.
However... this kind of technology should be researched. To quickly accumulate Development Points, the legendary automatic farm was ultimately faster.
"Su Lin, This Queen has a bold idea."
Aelita seriously leaned close to Su Lin.
"The Undead in the MC Dungeon can drop bones, and bones can be used to make Bone Meal..."
"If we capture Farato and make him continuously summon the Undead Legion for us to kill in the MC Dungeon twenty-four hours a day, could we quickly gather enough Bone Meal to expand the Verdan Eternal Forest across the entire continent?"
Su Lin gazed at the serious-faced Aelita and slowly formed a question mark.
"Didn't you say the Elven Kingdom is oppressed by the Demon Lord Army and can't defeat any of their high-ranking cadres?"
Aelita smiled humbly.
"The Elf Race... is quite well-off."
"...Don't you Elven Kingdom people least want to confront Farato, who can summon the Undead Legion at will?"
Hearing this, Aelita's face suddenly filled with nobility, and she slapped her flat chest with a *thwack*.
"For the glory of the Elf Race!"
From the moment she witnessed Bone Meal accelerate crop growth, Aelita had a small wish.
She wanted to plant the trees of the Verdan Eternal Forest all the way to the sky!