Chapter Forty-Eight: Racing for the Population (3)

“Zhang Lingyun, what are you doing!”
Mo Fangyuan’s face was blank with confusion as he found himself being pushed toward the little grove by Zhang Lingyun, utterly baffled.
“Blockhead’s bewildering behavior!”
“Zhang Lingyun, stop messing around. We still have a journey ahead—let’s not waste time. I remember there’s nothing worthwhile left in that grove.”
Mo Fangyuan lightly patted Zhang Lingyun on the head, intending to curb her mischief and get her to listen.
Clutching her soft, fluffy head, Zhang Lingyun looked at Mo Fangyuan with her bright, watery eyes, helplessly as if to say: Weren’t you the one hinting I should do this?
With that one pat, all the unspeakable thoughts swirling in Zhang Lingyun’s mind were dispersed. If Mo Fangyuan knew what she’d been thinking, he would’ve cried out about missing a fortune!
“The skeleton forces’ invasion of the west is only growing stronger! You’d better be careful from now on—use your head more…”
Zhang Lingyun had grown stronger, but her wits seemed to have dulled.
Mo Fangyuan feared that if things went on like this, she would land herself in trouble sooner or later.
After all, Zhang Lingyun was, for better or worse, an excellent tool—some kind guidance was necessary.
“All right, let’s keep moving toward the target village!”
The faster they acted, the less likely they were to be discovered by the skeletons.
“King! The number of those shadow fiends keeps increasing! Though their power has been weakened, regular elite skeleton knights still can’t deal with them!”
“King! Scout skeletons have found scattered, partially corrupted monsters in the deep mountains. The shadow fiends may have established dark node assimilation devices deep within!”
One intelligence report after another was transmitted to the Skeleton King’s soul fire through the mental link.
“It seems these shadow fiends have explored and assimilated a new ‘module.’ Their technology is advancing…”
Within the black-and-gold helmet that concealed his skull, the Skeleton King’s subordinates could glean nothing from his expression.
“Don’t worry, we’ll catch up… Those utterly foolish shadow fiends will be destroyed for their actions!”
A clear, icy voice echoed through the grand hall.
The many skeletons present began to simmer with excitement.
After over seventy years, they had finally grasped the key to that powerful and mysterious module!
In just a decade or so, the skeleton forces would fully master that formidable ‘module’!
They had spent years trying to beguile the ‘module’s’ consciousness, and now, success was within reach—their days of hardship were nearly over!
When that time came, with its power, the skeleton forces would undergo a transformation—becoming the strongest force in the world!
By then, the shadow fiends, the creeper faction, the spider faction… all would tremble under the skeletons’ might!
Blockhead faction?
A joke! They were so weak now, little more than tools!
“Achoo!”
Something foreboding seemed to be stirring…

Rubbing his nose, Mo Fangyuan sensed things were far from simple.
“All right, let’s go inside!”
He and Zhang Lingyun had arrived at the first village.
The village was extremely primitive—the fences meant to defend against monsters were nothing but hastily piled dirt, barely two blocks high.
The houses within were equally rudimentary, no more than five or six in total.
It was Mo Fangyuan’s first time seeing such a village—the rural homes of his previous life were heaven compared to this hell.
Perhaps it was due to the sparse population, or the poverty, or perhaps chronic hunger—whatever the reason,
Mo Fangyuan persuaded the villagers to join him with little more than a few words, some sugarcane juice, and roasted potatoes.
After countless interactions, his eloquence had grown remarkable.
“Blockheads are so poor—it must be the monsters’ fault!”
Now, Mo Fangyuan was a staunch believer in the doctrine that monsters must die.
He even subtly instilled this worldview in the children he taught.
He could never have foreseen that, because of this,
the near future would give rise to an utterly terrifying Blockhead Republic—no, it should be called a Blockhead Empire!
A resolute, fanatical, ruthless, blockhead supremacist empire…
It would lead the blockheads in unleashing a storm upon the world of blocks,
making monsters feel, for the first time, what it means to tremble in fear under blockhead rule…
“Zhang Lingyun, you stay here and take care of the citizens of the Blockhead Kingdom. I’ll visit the other villages!”
Mo Fangyuan still didn’t trust Zhang Lingyun to wander alone—what if she got lost or separated?
Because she now looked so delicate and frail, so easily toppled, he forgot that she had once been the Kingdom’s second bravest warrior, after himself and Lin Ye.
Zhang Lingyun felt wronged, but dared not complain.
“You’re always right…”
Mo Fangyuan left quietly, without a trace of reluctance.
If the positions of the other four villages were mapped with this one at the center, then two lay to the west, one to the east, and one to the north.
“Your tool has arrived! Army, your lord is here!”
Driven by lofty ideals, Mo Fangyuan worked with the energy of a man possessed, wearing out a fishing rod in half a day.
Thus, he quickly won over all five villages.
In the past, Mo Fangyuan might have strolled leisurely, enjoying the scenery, flirting with Zhang Lingyun along the way.
But now that he knew just how powerful the skeleton faction truly was, he could no longer afford such ease.
He was no longer alone—any misstep could cost the lives of the three hundred-odd blockheads that now followed him. Every move had to be calculated with utmost care.

“All right, it’s getting late. Let’s spend the night here!”
With that, Mo Fangyuan glanced at the villagers seated on the ground around him.
“We still have plenty of food—let’s treat everyone to a good meal tonight! That way, they’ll have energy for the road tomorrow!”
“Er, something sounds off about that…”
Realizing his words sounded wrong, he quickly amended,
“A hearty meal before the journey—everyone get ready for tomorrow!”
That sounded even stranger.
But Mo Fangyuan couldn’t be bothered to care.
The night passed quietly; a few scattered monsters appeared, but he dealt with them all.
The sun rose in the east as always, an eternal omen of luck and celebration.
On major festivals and important days, people would hang lanterns and banners, covering everything in red and images of the rising sun…
“All right, let’s get moving!”
With twenty-seven new immigrants in tow, Mo Fangyuan began the journey home.
The road was long—astonishingly, it took another two days to return to the Blockhead Kingdom!
With this and the previous groups, plus the occasional refugee who joined along the way, the kingdom’s population now reached nearly four hundred.
There was even better news: the kingdom’s mine had reached the sixtieth underground level.
According to the “Miner’s Book,” the Blockhead Kingdom could now extract three new ores—flint, lead, and gold.
Though these were not especially useful, at the hundredth level below, they could mine redstone!
As he’d mentioned often, redstone was the very lifeblood of technology—like bronze in the Bronze Age, iron in the Iron Age, or oil in the industrial era…
Below the hundred-thirtieth level, they could find diamonds—the hardest mineral in the original Minecraft, used to craft the sturdiest armor and sharpest weapons, their value self-evident.
Fresh blood flowed into the Blockhead Kingdom, fueling its social and economic development.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty… Lin Ye has returned, but…”
“But what?”
Upon hearing Lin Ye was finally back, Mo Fangyuan was thrilled.
The rascal had finally returned—he’d been waiting a long time!
Let’s see if I don’t pin you down and teach you a lesson!