When Herta saw the effect, her eyes twinkled as she stared intently at the Explorer's Compass in Fu Zhu's hand. She had originally found its appearance rather ugly, but now, the more she looked at it, the more pleasing it became.
"Fu Zhu, Fu Zhu, how do you use this compass?"
"Simple. Just give me the name of a place, and I can use it to find that location's coordinates."
After explaining to Herta, Fu Zhu suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned to Silver Wolf and asked casually, "By the way, Silver Wolf, where does Elio usually stay?"
"Him? He's basically always at..." Silver Wolf subconsciously started to reveal Elio's whereabouts, but halfway through her sentence, she snapped back to her senses and clamped a hand over her mouth.
Seeing that he had failed to trick Elio's location out of Silver Wolf, Fu Zhu clicked his tongue in disappointment. He then turned back to Herta and the others. "Do any of you have a place you want to search for?"
Herta immediately shot her hand up, saying eagerly, "Fu Zhu, search for the Path Interstice! Especially the one belonging to that machine head!"
If the Explorer's Compass in Fu Zhu's hand could find the location of Nous, she wouldn't have to go through the immense trouble of building a device to meet him!
"Hang on, let me see if I can find it."
Fu Zhu didn't have high hopes for finding the Path Interstice, as in a sense, the name didn't really refer to a physical location.
However, when Fu Zhu used the Explorer's Compass and tried to input 'Path Interstice', a searchable option actually popped up. This surprised him, and he quickly selected it to begin the search.
The compass needle began to spin wildly. But after a long while, the needle still hadn't stopped.
Herta watched for a moment, and seeing no results after a good while, she couldn't help but look at Fu Zhu.
"Is this compass broken?"
Fu Zhu didn't answer, still waiting for the Explorer's Compass to yield a result.
A few seconds later, the compass finally displayed its findings.
[Cannot locate Path Interstice in the current world]
[Search Range: ∞]
"So that's the problem..."
Fu Zhu understood immediately after seeing the result. It was just like searching for a Nether Fortress in the Overworld; the Explorer's Compass wouldn't find anything if it was searching for a location that only existed in the real world while inside this simulated MC.
He explained this to Herta and the others. The result left them feeling a little disappointed, and they let out a soft sigh. However, their spirits quickly lifted again.
Fu Zhu had said that it was just impossible to locate the Path Interstice's specific position in this world, not that it was impossible to locate it at all. As soon as they returned to reality, they would immediately know where Nous's true body was!
At this thought, Herta grew excited and grabbed Fu Zhu's wrist.
"Let's go, Fu Zhu! Let's hurry to The End and finish this trip to the Simulated Universe!"
Fu Zhu, with a helpless smile, freed himself from Herta's grasp. "You really do have a short attention span... but don't be so hasty. Before we can go to The End, we still need to locate the Stronghold. Long story short, let's head back to the Overworld first. Only there can I pinpoint the Stronghold's location."
"Alright."
The group did a quick pack-up and prepared to go through the Nether portal back to the Overworld. Before leaving the Nether, Screwllum specifically handed the Nether Star, dropped by the Wither they had just killed, to Fu Zhu. However, Fu Zhu pushed it back, giving it to him instead.
While the Nether Star was rare, its uses weren't that great. If Fu Zhu ever needed one, he could just go to the Nether and farm for it anytime. But for Screwllum and the others, it was different. Obtaining a Nether Star would be extremely difficult for them. It was better to let them keep this one as a memento or for research.
The group passed through the Nether portal they had arrived in and returned to the Overworld. Fu Zhu immediately took out the Explorer's Compass to search for the Stronghold's location.
Unlike the previous search for a location that didn't exist in this world, the position of the Stronghold was found in less than two seconds.
Fu Zhu glanced at the direction the compass was pointing and said to the group, "The Stronghold is 8957 meters to the southwest. Let's get going."
The others naturally had no objections and prepared to follow Fu Zhu's lead.
Just as Fu Zhu took the Elytra from his inventory and was about to equip it, he saw Herta controlling her staff, hovering horizontally in mid-air and sitting on it sideways.
After settling onto her staff, Herta noticed Fu Zhu looking at her and tilted her head in confusion. "What's wrong? Is there anything else we need to prepare?"
Fu Zhu's gaze shifted to the staff beneath Herta, and he silently put the Elytra in his hand back into his inventory.
The Elytra's durability wasn't high. Even with Mending and Unbreaking enchantments, it wouldn't last through a long flight, and he'd have to use up a few firework rockets. What a waste!
Fu Zhu sidled up to Herta, his face suddenly full of solicitous charm.
---o---
"The brilliant and incomparably beautiful Ms. Herta, may I have the honor of sharing your staff?"
Hearing Fu Zhu's request to ride with her, Herta was initially reluctant. But after hearing such "sincere" praise, she couldn't help but lift her smooth chin, an irrepressible smile playing on her lips.
"Very well, then. Since you've asked so nicely, this genius shall grant you an opportunity to bathe in the light of my wisdom."
"Thank you."
Fu Zhu immediately walked over and sat down behind Herta, his right hand quite naturally wrapping around her slender waist.
Herta, who had never had such physical contact with anyone before, suddenly felt an arm around her waist. Her face instantly flushed red, and her voice became a little frantic.
"What are you doing!?"
Fu Zhu peeked his head out from over Herta's shoulder and explained with a serious expression, "The brilliant and incomparably beautiful Ms. Herta, one must be mindful of safety while traveling. Besides, this is my first time riding a staff. You wouldn't mind me holding on to your waist, would you?"
"Hmph, just this once. And no funny business!"
"You got it."
Fu Zhu agreed readily, while inwardly marveling at how easy Herta was to deal with, despite her arrogance.
Besides Fu Zhu, who didn't want to waste his Elytra's durability, the rest of the group was capable of flight. Once everyone was ready, they set off toward the southwest under Fu Zhu's direction.
Along the way, Screwllum, who was flying beside them, couldn't help but look at Fu Zhu sitting behind Herta with his arm around her waist, and asked.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, besides the Explorer's Compass, is there any other way to find the Stronghold?"
"Of course. You can also find it with a 'key'."
Fu Zhu combined an Ender Pearl and Blaze Powder from his inventory to create an Eye of Ender. After showing it to the group, he tossed it into the air.
After leaving his hand, the Eye of Ender automatically flew forward, leaving a trail of deep purple particle pixels before stopping mid-air.
Just as Fu Zhu was about to explain the effect of the Eye of Ender, Herta, who was controlling the staff, and Screwllum and the others flying alongside, suddenly shuddered. Their bodies went rigid, and they stopped in place.
With his arm around Herta's waist, Fu Zhu could clearly feel her body trembling slightly.
"Herta? What's wrong with you all?"
Herta gnashed her teeth, a trace of fear on her face, but the curiosity in her eyes was impossible to hide. She stared intently at the Eye of Ender floating in front of them and said to Fu Zhu in a low, ghostly voice.
"Fu Zhu, just now... I feel like... It was watching us!"