The night was calm, with the faint sounds of crickets filling the air. The village chief had been kind enough to offer us a place to stay. He had warned us about the dangers of traveling at night, something I didn't need a reminder of. From the monsters spawning in the night to the potential ambushes by mobs some of us didn't fully understand yet, we were better off taking his advice. Plus, it gave me more time to think about the mission and what needed to be done.
As dawn broke, the village slowly came to life with the sound of villagers starting their daily routines. I knew we had to move soon. The village was nice, but we couldn't stay here indefinitely. We had a mission to complete, and judging by the world's mechanics, I assumed it would involve defeating the Ender Dragon, just like how It's in the game. We needed supplies, and we needed them fast.
In the early morning, I approached Tatsumaki. "Tatsumaki, mind giving me a hand? We need to gather some wood."
She raised an eyebrow. "Wood? You could easily handle that yourself, right?"
"Sure, but why do it alone when I have help? Plus, your telekinesis makes it easier," I replied with a smirk.
"Fine, fine," she muttered, rolling her eyes but floating up regardless. She might pretend to be annoyed, but she knew the faster we got the wood, the sooner we could get to the real challenge.
Together, we managed to gather a few stacks of wood in no time. I needed these to trade with the Fletcher for emeralds. I spotted a blacksmith earlier who had some shears, and though they were priced at 5 emeralds—kind of expensive by my standards—I needed them to gather wool. While the village was nice, I didn't plan on making it our permanent base. We needed beds for everyone, and since we were in the plains biome, there were bound to be sheep nearby.
"Got enough wood?" Tatsumaki asked, floating beside me as I stacked the wood into my inventory.
"Yeah, this should be enough," I said, glancing at her. "You good?"
"Of course, I'm always good," she said confidently before flying off. "I'll scout ahead and see if there's anything useful nearby."
"Alright, meet back here once you're done," I called after her as she disappeared over the village walls.
With enough wood in hand, I made my way toward the Fletcher, who was already busy working. Trading with him was easier than expected. A few sticks made from the wood I'd gathered were enough to get me three stacks of emeralds. Not bad for a morning's work.
Next, I made my way over to the blacksmith. His shop was small but well-stocked with basic materials. As expected, the shears were there, along with a flint and steel and a bucket. I wasn't sure how much use I'd get out of them right now, but they were essential in this world.
"Here you go," I said, handing him the emeralds. He passed me the items, and I added them to my inventory.
"Anything else you need?" the blacksmith asked.
"Not today," I replied, but something about his tone made me think he had more to offer down the line. I'd keep that in mind.
As I returned to the center of the village, I saw Rose and Megumi were already waiting for everyone. Megumi had been out hunting for food, using his Shikigami to assist him. His inventory was stocked with chicken, beef, and eggs, while Rose's inventory had bread, potatoes, carrots, and some watermelon.
"Nice haul," I said, giving them both a nod of approval.
Megumi shrugged. "It wasn't that difficult. The Shikigami did most of the work."
Rose smiled, wiping her hands. "At least we won't starve."
Tatsumaki floated back down to us, her expression unreadable. "There's no structures nearby. I flew in every direction for quite a distance. All I found was a different biome."
"That's a bit of a letdown," I muttered. "But it's good to know the layout. We'll need to move on soon, once we have enough supplies."
A few minutes later, Bruce, Peter, and Hinata arrived. They had gone mining, and judging by their inventories, it had been a successful trip. They managed to gather half a stack of iron ore and six stacks of coal. Peter and Bruce even had iron tools in their inventory, and Hinata looked pretty pleased with her findings.
"We found a cave nearby," Bruce said as he stretched. "Might be worth exploring further for more resources."
Peter grinned. "It was like playing a real-life video game. Except it was... real."
"Good work, all of you," I said, inspecting their inventories. "We've got a decent amount of supplies, but we're far from done. Today's main goal is to make beds. After that, we'll explore the cave Bruce found and see what else we can gather."
Hinata glanced at the wool in my inventory and tilted her head. "How are you going to get enough wool for all of us?"
I held up the shears I'd just bought. "These should do the trick. There are sheep in Plains biome. I'll shear enough wool to make beds for everyone."
Bruce nodded. "Good call. We'll need to be prepared for nightfall, especially if we run into trouble. It's better to sleep through the night than face whatever creatures might be lurking around."
Megumi crossed his arms. "What about the cave? We need more materials if we're planning on surviving long-term."
"Don't worry, we'll get to the cave after we have the beds sorted," I reassured him. "We need to prioritize sleeping arrangements first. We don't want anyone going without rest."
Tatsumaki floated a little higher, looking impatient. "This better not take too long. I don't like wasting time on trivial tasks."
I smirked. "This is all part of the experience, Tatsumaki. You'll see soon enough that every little thing counts here."
Rose laughed softly. "It's strange, though. This world looks so simple, but there's so much complexity hidden beneath it."
Bruce nodded in agreement. "It's like there's a logic to it, even if it doesn't follow the natural laws we're used to."
"Exactly," I said. "That's why we need to adapt. This world has its own rules, and if we're going to survive, we need to play by them."
With that, we split up. Bruce, Peter, and Hinata went to organize their stuff and melt the iron ore into iron, while Megumi went off to hunt for more food. I headed toward the plains biome in search of sheep. Tatsumaki, though annoyed, floated beside me, likely out of boredom more than anything else.
It didn't take long to find a small flock of sheep grazing near the outskirts of the village. Using the shears, I quickly gathered enough wool for everyone. Tatsumaki floated idly beside me, occasionally glancing at the sheep like she was considering tossing one into the air just for fun.
By midday, we regrouped at the village center. I took out the wool, and started crafting beds for everyone. It wasn't much, but it would do for now.
"Alright," I said, addressing the group. "We've got the basics down. Beds, food, tools. Next, we're going to explore the cave Bruce found. It's time we started looking for more valuable resources. Iron, coal, maybe even diamonds if we're lucky."
Megumi nodded. "Let's just hope it's not infested with monsters."
Rose grinned. "If it is, we'll take them down. No problem."
Hinata smiled, her eyes full of determination. "We've got this."
Peter adjusted his iron pickaxe. "Lead the way, Shiro. We're right behind you."