Facts proved that not every discussion about "we will win" ends in utter defeat.
This time, Lawrence, burdened by his punishment, perfectly completed the development of the Woodland Mansion.
Not a single elf was lost from start to finish, and the Woodland Mansion was cordoned off for future large-scale development.
While bringing back a batch of Totems of Undying, they also gained quite a few Allays.
Although the importance of obtaining Totems of Undying in the wild decreased significantly after the Raid Tower was built, the Redstone Research Institute had a very high demand for Allays.
Especially for the technological iteration of material organization, the Redstone Research Institute welcomed Allays without reservation.
Plus, Su Lin also wanted to raise a few Allays.
Overall, Lawrence's merits and demerits balanced out.
He successfully returned to the fourth layer, ice and fire legend, just in time for the glacier exploration two days later.
Two days.
On Aetheram Continent, it was just a blink of an eye. For elves with long lifespans, it was not a memorable duration.
But in MC Dungeon, a lot could be accomplished in two days.
The first generation Redstone Tank and the spiral-propelled mining machine of the Redstone Research Institute on the first layer were completed.
Tashiniya and the others quickly mastered the characteristics of MC Dungeon through repeated learning.
They could now follow the elves for short-distance rock shuttles.
Breakthroughs were made in the development of the Sky-based Dragon Slayer Cannon; an evolved automatic farm was put into experimentation; the second Raid Tower was officially constructed...
Like the information revolution, in the blink of an eye, it felt like one couldn't keep up with the times.
As for the fourth layer, progress was also very fast.
Thanks to the guidance of Aelita, the Elven Kingdom's top dragon midwife, the dragon breeding, gestation, delivery, hatching, and accelerated maturation industrial chain was further improved.
Not to mention forming a Dragon Rider Army, at least many Council of Sages elders now had their own dragons.
The Elven Kingdom entered a dragon-rearing craze.
The elves also completed their equipment changes, ready to step onto the glacier at any time, officially declaring the conquest of the fourth layer, ice and fire legend, and ushering in an era of grand construction.
In two days, it seemed everything had happened.
On the third day Tashiniya and the others entered MC Dungeon.
The sun rose in the east.
Golden light draped over the snow-capped mountains, like a divine realm descending.
Su Lin rode Nidhogg, who was also clad in dragon steel armor, wielding the dragon thunder steel axe and carrying an enchanted Dragonbone Longbow on his back.
Behind him were Aelita and others riding dragons into the sky, along with three hundred unstoppable Hippogryph cavalry.
Looking at the glistening white, jade-like snowfield glacier, Su Lin smiled contentedly.
"Nice weather."
"Advance!"
Over a dozen dragons of various colors flapped their wings and flew towards the snowfield, while the faces of the three hundred Hippogryph cavalry, encased in enchanted armor, were as cold as ice.
A few hundred people flew out with the oppressive feeling of a volley of arrows.
The elven soldiers in Adventure Town looked up at the army that was about to end the ice and fire legend, simultaneously raising their hands and striking their chests.
Again and again.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The elves' war drums always beat from the heart.
Flying through the clouds, the cold air of the glacier rushed towards them.
Su Lin looked down.
The boundless ice plain was cut by a striking large river, and from time to time, sea serpents could be seen leaping out of the water to hunt.
Occasionally, on the ice crystals, in oval-shaped caves, tall Cyclops could be seen counting their woolly possessions.
Flying a little lower, ethereal singing could be heard from the Siren's Reef in the bay.
There were no lyrics, but it somehow calmed one's heart. This looked like a beautiful continent, but no one would think that.
Those so-called beauties, upon closer inspection, were merely man-eating devils.
"Su Lin, the first Crypt is about seven thousand meters to the northwest."
Flying her dragon beside Su Lin, Aelita pointed at the map and said, "How do we attack? Should we just build a Redstone Cannon and bombard it?"
"No."
Su Lin shook his head.
"This time, we will strong-arm it!"
"Strong-arm it?!"
Aelita was a little surprised.
"Enter the Crypt and hack at those monsters face-to-face?"
That was the idea, but couldn't she phrase it less crudely?
"The blocks of the Crypt are indestructible, and besides, we can't always rely on tricks."
Su Lin looked at Aelita helplessly and patiently explained, "Firepower coverage cannot solve everything. Many structures in MC Dungeon themselves have high value. For example, the Pillager Outpost. If we had just bombed it back then, where would today's Raid Tower be?"
The elves were now somewhat reliant on the convenience of Redstone Technology, after all, with the Raid Tower, Redstone Tanks, and other brilliant examples preceding them.
Su Lin didn't deny that this was a good thing, as it would encourage the elves to actively research Redstone Technology.
But—
Combat was fun!
It was also the mainstream of MC Dungeon.
Su Lin had to take this opportunity to conquer the Crypt and cure the elves of their fear of insufficient firepower.
Moreover, the Crypt itself could not be destroyed.
Su Lin explained softly, "The Scourge Rider's Blade is a very powerful piece of equipment, and this type of equipment cannot be crafted; it can only be dropped."
"Therefore, the teams that farm the Crypt in the future will also need to be fixed."
The Scourge Rider's Blade itself had seventeen points of attack damage. Without armor, one strike was no different from instant death.
This weapon was still valuable even after dragon steel equipment was introduced.
However, Aelita didn't understand these things.
So Su Lin was direct: "The Crypt cannot be destroyed. Just remember that."
"I see..."
Aelita nodded thoughtfully and then said, "Then our Crypt Master's Keys might not be enough to explore all the Crypts."
"That's not a big problem either. Scourge Witches will always spawn on the periphery, and besides—"
To enter the Crypt, one didn't necessarily need a Crypt Master's Key.
MC Dungeon was all about being unreasonable. The techniques developed by past masters were numerous, such as Chorus Fruit; such as boats and Ender Pearls—
But Su Lin didn't need those methods that easily caused health loss or bugs. The Crypt itself was too dangerous and not suitable for instant teleportation.
Moreover, the Crypt Master's Keys they currently had were enough for Su Lin to clear three Crypts. The subsequent Crypts would be left for the elves to conquer themselves.
While they were talking, the first Crypt had already been reached.
Looking down, there were aimlessly wandering Scourge Witches moving around the Crypt.
Hilulele subconsciously raised her Dragonbone Longbow. A Scourge Witch's health couldn't withstand even one arrow.
But Su Lin stopped her.
Whether for the Scourge Witch's Staff or the Crypt Master's Key, they had to use the Looting enchantment to deal with the Scourge Witch.
This kind of gambling work, of course, had to be left to Aelita.
Dragons and Hippogryphs landed, and everyone, fully armed, walked towards the Scourge Witch.
With Aelita's Dragonfrost Steel Looting enchanted sword, the Scourge Witch was silenced before it even had time to summon its minions.
However, Aelita's luck didn't seem to work this time. There was only one Crypt Master's Key, and the Scourge Witch's Staff didn't drop at all.
But it wasn't a big problem.
Standing before the Crypt, Su Lin turned to look at the soldiers and gave his final commands.
"When you go in, immediately split into two teams, clearing the monsters on both sides, left and right. The front row should hold their shields carefully against the attacks of the Scourge Riders. Keep your Totems of Undying in hand; you don't need to attack."
"The back row should hold Totems of Undying and enchanted swords. When you encounter Scourge Riders, you must kill them with the Looting enchantment."
"For the first attack on the Crypt, go in and destroy the monster spawners directly."
This Crypt, to put it plainly, was just for practice.
Once they were thoroughly familiar with it, they could keep the monster spawners and treat the Crypt as a place to farm experience and Scourge Rider's Blades.
The elves listened very carefully. After all, many predecessors had sacrificed themselves in this place, so it was a matter of life and death.
A moment later, the elves had organized their ranks into two teams.
Handing the Crypt Key to Beixi, who was leading the team, Su Lin and Aelita retreated to the periphery.
As usual...
They would not enter this Crypt expedition.
This was not only Lop's plea but also Su Lin's talent for self-preservation at play.
The Crypt was different from other places; its blocks were indestructible, and the space inside was cramped. Two people traveling together was pretty much the limit.
This was too fatal.
Although they were now wearing dragon steel equipment, dragon steel equipment did not mean invincibility.
Surrounded by dense Scourge Thralls and Scourge Ghouls, plus Scourge Riders ambushing people.
Su Lin felt a little uneasy even with ten sets of dragon steel armor.
Aelita, however, had a slight regret, but she was now gradually understanding the true duties of a princess.
As a queen-in-training, the future spiritual pillar of the Elven Kingdom, her powerful strength was mostly for self-preservation.
Living queens and princesses could bring more hope to the kingdom.
Of course, this didn't stop Su Lin from teasing Aelita about another "true fragrance" moment.
As the indestructible gate of the Crypt collapsed with a roar, the elves marched into the Crypt in orderly rows.
The silence lasted only a few short seconds before the shouts of battle erupted fiercely.
The sound was so loud it almost seemed to overturn the entire Crypt.
Hilulele and the others remaining outside also nervously gripped their weapons.
In the Elven Kingdom's exploration of MC Dungeon, if falling into the void was the most despairing way to die, then the Crypt was the place with the most deaths.
About a week after entering ice and fire legend, a team of fifteen elite elves entered the Crypt.
Only two elves returned in the end, and both were missing limbs.
It was from that day on that the Crypt and glacier area entered a semi-sealed state. Even the most powerful elites only collected Crypt Master's Keys on the outskirts of the Crypt.
"I hope not too many people die this time—"
Su Lin rarely saw a look of melancholy on Hilulele's face.
Aelita, on the other hand, declared confidently, "Don't worry, Sister, I believe no elves will be sacrificed this time!"
"Why?"
"We have Totems of Undying!"
Aelita said with a frank expression.
"And, hasn't Su Lin already made very thorough arrangements? Although this guy is unreliable a lot of the time, he's very trustworthy for this kind of exploration and development!"
Su Lin raised an eyebrow, feeling inexplicably comforted.
"Aelita—I didn't expect you to trust me so much—" "Of course! After all, when it comes to self-preservation, no one is stronger than you!"
This damn flat-faced elf!
He had just been about to be moved by their bond!
Everyone remained silent.
Lop and the other elders stood at the entrance, constantly clearing out monsters attempting to approach.
The shouts of battle from the Crypt seemed endless. To Hilulele, they were long, as if ten centuries had passed.
The clouds in the sky had changed forms several times before the sounds of fighting from the Crypt gradually subsided.
Until finally, it became completely quiet.
Hilulele and the others held their breath, staring intently at the Crypt's entrance.
After a long while, an elite elf with blood still on his face excitedly ran out.
"Mr. Su Lin, we successfully took the Crypt!"
Before Su Lin could speak, Hilulele eagerly pressed, "Were there any losses?"
"No one sacrificed!"
"Good!"