---o---
"You have a point."
Herta, reminded by Fu Zhu, finally remembered the task at hand. It wasn't that she was forgetful, but rather that the world Fu Zhu had created was simply filled with too many surprises. They came one after another, overwhelming her and making it impossible to focus all her attention on a single thing.
But now, she was back on track. Fu Zhu didn't have much time to spend at the Herta Space Station. The Astral Express wasn't a group that would settle down and live leisurely in one place forever.
Including today, Herta estimated that Fu Zhu had about three days left at the space station. Their business on the Luofu was resolved, and [The Family] of Penacony had already sent an invitation to the Astral Express. It was obvious that their next journey would be to Penacony.
Therefore, the arrangements for the immediate future were critically important.
As Herta pondered, she glanced at Phantylia, who was frozen in time by Fu Zhu. The biggest variable here was Phantylia herself, who had entered the Simulated Universe in her physical body.
"Fu Zhu, can you keep Phantylia frozen in time indefinitely? As for what to do with her, I think we should put that on the back burner. I mainly want to study why she was able to enter the Simulated Universe with her physical body and whether her body will undergo any changes because of it. All of that requires setting up various equipment for detailed research, so let's leave her for last."
"Of course."
Although the executed command wouldn't be canceled, Fu Zhu felt a bit uneasy about this version of MC due to the Ender Dragon's appearance. To be safe, he modified the command in the Command Block and placed a monitor nearby.
If Phantylia made any move, the command in the block would execute repeatedly, forcibly trapping her in place, which would be more than enough to last until Fu Zhu and the others finished their journey to the End.
As for the mob grinder... Fu Zhu now had a better alternative.
He smiled and turned to Herta and the others, suggesting, "I know you're all very eager to see a mob grinder, but building one in the overworld isn't very efficient. Why don't we wait until we get to the End? I'll show you a 'little black tower' then. The principles are more or less the same."
"Hold on."
Herta suddenly frowned and glanced at Fu Zhu. "Why did you suddenly bring up my puppets? What role could they possibly play in the End?"
"Uh."
Fu Zhu paused for a moment before he understood. He couldn't help but grin, only now recalling that the MC world also had its own "little black towers."
"The names are just a coincidence. It's not your puppets."
Although she felt a little awkward about it, Herta didn't press the issue further and instead asked about Fu Zhu's next plan.
"So, Mr. Tour Guide, where do you plan on taking us now?"
"Naturally, we're heading to the Nether. At the very least, you all need to understand its local customs and how to get to the End from there."
Fu Zhu directly pulled the leftover obsidian from his inventory and gave Herta and the others a live demonstration of how to build a portal with his bare hands.
Aside from Silver Wolf, who had already experienced it, the three geniuses watched in amazement as Fu Zhu used a few seemingly ordinary blocks of obsidian and a spark of fire to construct a gateway to another world.
Screwllum walked forward and reached out to touch the Nether Portal. The entire portal was steadily emitting a stable energy, despite having no apparent power supply.
"No matter how many times I see it, the properties of this world's technology are truly enviable."
"Stop being envious. Once we figure it out, we might be able to replicate MC's technology! Now, let's go."
Herta walked past Screwllum, urging him on with full confidence before taking the first step into the Nether Portal.
Fu Zhu and Ruan Mei followed close behind. Screwllum gave the portal one last look before also stepping through, leaving only the time-locked Phantylia and Silver Wolf in the overworld.
Silver Wolf glanced at the portal with some reluctance. Who knew what kind of enemies Fu Zhu threw into the Nether? There was no telling if she'd run into some Emanator in there.
But then she glanced at Phantylia. It seemed staying outside was far less safe than being with Fu Zhu's group. At least on their side, there was Herta, an Emanator!
Screwllum and Ruan Mei, while not having shown their full strength, were definitely not weak. As for Fu Zhu... he was a living cheat code!
With that thought, Silver Wolf plunged headfirst into the Nether Portal.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in a fortress constructed from dark red bricks. Fu Zhu and the others were standing in front of her, looking into the distance and discussing something.
"Fu Zhu, what's the difference between those blackish skeletons over there and the normal white ones?"
"Of course there's a difference. Those skeletons are called Wither Skeletons. Getting hit by one will infect you with a terrifying poison called Wither. You'd best be careful."
Fu Zhu's warning had the opposite effect. The moment he said it, the interest of Herta and the other two was instantly piqued.
Just how terrifying could a poison be that even Fu Zhu would warn them to be wary of?
Herta immediately walked towards the nearest Wither Skeleton. As she entered its five-meter radius, the skeleton, which had been wandering aimlessly, instantly turned its head and charged at her with a stone sword.
Herta didn't get close right away. Instead, she observed its movement speed and maintained a relatively safe distance where its stone sword couldn't reach her, but where she could touch the Wither Skeleton if she extended her hand.
Fu Zhu, watching her repeatedly confirm the Wither Skeleton's movement and attack range from the side, couldn't help but ask, "Herta, what are you doing?"
"What am I doing? I'm testing out this so-called Wither, of course!"
After confirming all the data, Herta decisively extended her right arm towards the Wither Skeleton. Of course, she didn't forget to reinforce her arm to ensure she wouldn't be too seriously injured.
The moment Herta's arm was in range, the Wither Skeleton swung its stone sword. The blade, which wasn't particularly sharp, scraped across Herta's smooth arm but left no mark.
Just as Herta was wondering if the Wither Skeleton's attack had even landed, a piercing pain shot up from her right arm. The smooth skin on her arm began to decay rapidly, soon becoming covered in cracks like the bark of an old tree.
"Ugh!"
Herta clutched her arm and quickly backed away from the Wither Skeleton, constantly trying to use her power to heal herself.
But no matter how she treated it, the decay on her arm only continued to worsen.
"You idiot!"