After confirming the method for acquiring gems with the system, Fu Zhu felt relieved. He no longer had to worry about having nowhere to find gems after leaving the Simulated Universe.
On the contrary, based on the system's description, the efficiency of finding gems in the real world might be even higher than in the MC world.
After all, non-player-owned storage items were everywhere. Even if the quality of the gems he found was low, he could make up for it with sheer quantity.
Once the mods finished installing, Fu Zhu had originally planned to start developing the Apotheosis mod in the Nether. However, after a moment of thought, he realized that the Apotheosis mod contained an enormous amount of content, and for a moment, he wasn't sure where to begin.
After some deliberation, he decided to take it one step at a time, or perhaps just skip the Nether and head straight to The End to obtain better items.
The loot from the Apotheosis mod was tiered. The Overworld had the lowest-tier loot, while The End had the highest. If he wanted to be efficient, going to The End was naturally the best choice.
Having made his decision, Fu Zhu temporarily put the Apotheosis mod aside. He took a furnace out of his inventory, placed it on the ground, and began smelting stone inside it.
Herta noticed his actions. Puzzled, she walked over and glanced at the furnace. Seeing that he was smelting ordinary stone, the confusion on her face deepened.
"Fu Zhu, why did you suddenly start smelting stone?"
"I'm preparing to make a divine artifact with this stone. You'll know in a moment."
While Fu Zhu was waiting for the stone to finish smelting, Silver Wolf and Screwllum successfully finished off the Wither.
Now that they understood the Wither's special mechanics, and with Screwllum present, killing it was remarkably easy. However, due to their earlier carelessness, both of them were currently in poor condition.
---o---
Screwllum walked back, inspecting the aged components of its left arm with one hand while using its right to support Silver Wolf, who looked a dozen years older.
Seeing them return, Fu Zhu didn't hesitate to offer his praise. "Incredible! You killed the Wither so quickly."
Screwllum, however, shook its head in embarrassment. "If I hadn't happened to overhear your conversation with Herta, I would probably still be studying the Wither's attack patterns… Let's dispense with the praise."
Fu Zhu smiled but didn't press the matter. Instead, he took two golden apples from his inventory and tossed one to Screwllum and the other to Silver Wolf.
Silver Wolf, of course, knew the effects of a golden apple. She immediately accepted it and cast a grateful look at Fu Zhu, surprised that he would give her something so precious.
Screwllum, on the other hand, caught the golden apple with its right hand and examined it for a moment before looking up at Fu Zhu.
"Ah, Fu Zhu, I am not a being of flesh and blood. I am unable to absorb nutrients from organic food. Nevertheless, I thank you for your gift."
Screwllum was about to hand the golden apple back to Fu Zhu, but he pushed it away and offered an explanation.
"Don't worry, a golden apple isn't so inconvenient. As long as the process of 'eating' occurs, you'll receive its effects."
Skeptical, Screwllum brought the golden apple to its "mouth". It didn't actually have a mouth; the part that resembled one was merely a protective housing for its vocalizer that could be opened and closed.
However, as Screwllum placed the golden apple inside its "mouth," a miraculous scene unfolded. Despite making no human-like chewing motions, the golden apple, which was slightly larger than a fist, began to rapidly shrink the moment it was placed inside the opened vocalizer housing.
In just one or two seconds, it was completely "eaten."
What was even more miraculous was that Screwllum's left arm, which had aged due to the Wither effect, began to rapidly self-repair, at a rate far exceeding its own built-in repair capabilities. Within a few breaths, it was restored to its most perfect state.
The same thing happened to Silver Wolf beside him. Her once-withered skin became supple and full again, and her entire being was revitalized.
"This is a truly miraculous food! Fu Zhu, might I be able to purchase some golden apples from you?"
After marveling at the apple's effect, Screwllum couldn't help but ask to buy some from Fu Zhu.
Fu Zhu glanced at the remaining stock of golden apples in his inventory and decisively refused Screwllum's request.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. I don't have many golden apples left myself, so I can't sell them to you for the time being."
He could have spared one or two, but it was clear from Screwllum's request that it wanted to purchase far more than that.
However, with the Apotheosis mod, it would be a while before he could supply as many golden apples as Screwllum desired.
This was because the Apotheosis mod allowed him to mine a spawner with a Silk Touch pickaxe, and one of its affiliated enchantments was called [Capturing].
The effect of this enchantment was simple: it gave a chance for a slain creature to drop its spawn egg. All Fu Zhu needed to do was go to the Luofu, kill a few Abundance-folk, get their spawn eggs, put them into a spawner, and endlessly farm the materials dropped by the Abundance-folk to convert into golden apples.
Hearing Fu Zhu's words, Screwllum felt a pang of regret. The fact that a golden apple could affect a mechanical lifeform was simply incredible. Its value for both research and medicinal purposes was immense. It truly wished it could bring some back for its people on Planet Screwllum.
"Is that so? That is truly a pity. However, Fu Zhu, should you have a surplus in the future, I hope you will spare a portion for me."
"Mm."
Fu Zhu agreed, then looked at the materials that had finished smelting. He walked over, took them from the furnace, and placed down a crafting table.
---o---
Screwllum and Silver Wolf, having just returned, had no idea what Fu Zhu was up to, but they didn't dare interrupt him. They could only turn their questioning gazes toward Herta.
Herta, her eyes filled with anticipation as she watched Fu Zhu, explained without even turning her head, "He said he was going to use stone to make something amazing. I don't know what it is either."
Seeing that Herta was also in the dark, Screwllum and Silver Wolf could only stand by and wait for Fu Zhu to finish.
The recipe for the Explorer's Compass was quite simple. It only required four cracked stone bricks, four cobwebs, and one compass, all of which he had.
"Done."
It didn't take long to arrange the materials. Within a few breaths, a compass with several web-like protrusions appeared in Fu Zhu's hand.
"What does this do?" Herta looked it over twice but couldn't discern anything special about the compass, so she asked him directly.
"Its ability is simple. It can search for the location of specific structures and provide precise coordinates."
Fu Zhu's explanation was simple and clear. No one present was a fool; they all instantly understood how ridiculously powerful this compass was.
After hearing the explanation, Silver Wolf couldn't help but let out a curse.
"Holy shit, that's broken!"