Minecraft: Is this still the Minecraft I used to play?

Those without stars live in perpetual daylight, their bodies so bright they are like light bulbs, making it impossible to see any faces.

Their method of attack was to walk up to the Etcher, remove their armor, and blind the Etcher.

Over time, the etched beings evolved ways to cope with this.

Their eyes are no longer fragile; their gaze has gradually become sharper, and they have even evolved "mental attacks" little by little.

That is, the kind of ability that makes Shi Qian's head ache.

Moreover, Shi Qian also learned that he had wasted a lot of potions to finally kill the "Hell Rock" creature.

Actually, it wasn't an enemy at all, but a creature called "Ju Xing Beast".

They're just a bit bigger, and they don't eat people; they're herbivores. They'll lie on the rock walls looking for moss to eat.

Shi Qian felt ashamed...

No wonder that thing didn't drop anything after I killed it...

Emotions are a friendly thing; it was only because its self-destruction triggered the passive protection device left by the Etching Man that it was subjected to the mental attack.

You broke through their protective formation, and they still have to thank you for letting it see the light of day again.

After all, they've been dead for hundreds of years...

How weird, what a melodramatic plot...

Thinking of this, Shi Qian shook his head.

The mask seemed to sense his agitation and soaked his brain in mint water again.

It feels so good to have a clear mind!

The etched people are those who live under the dark moon and never see the sun, their bodies turning grayish-white and bluish due to lack of sunlight.

Their bodies were corrupted by the eternal night, but this did not bring them any further harm.

Instead, it left those engraved words on their bodies, and it was these things that enabled them to mobilize some spiritual energy.

Otherwise, they would not have been able to evolve the ability to resist the invasion of the Starless Ones.

Araya speculated that the Starless Ones were actually the same, corrupted by the eternal day.

The writing on those lacking stars may be the main reason why their bodies can glow.

One group's abilities are internalized, while the other's are externalized.

Shi Qian thought it made perfect sense.

The city of Xiyue where they lived did not have a position similar to a city lord. Instead, elders were appointed by older people with rich experience in history, military affairs, and other fields.

The elders' residence wasn't too far from Ara's home, as it was in the inner city; they arrived after walking less than a quarter of the way around the altar area.

It's still quite fast.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Elders' Residence, Ala Ya asked Shi Qian to wait a moment while she went in to explain the situation.

Shi Qian nodded in agreement, and after he went inside, he began to look around.

The Elders' Residence is built in a grand style, but not in a luxurious way; it is more dignified in a relative sense.

The architectural style is the same as other houses, with stone bricks and water-stone bricks, and a small number of black stone bricks.

It is somewhat similar to the deep slate of the Overworld, and is probably a rock-like block found in a relatively deep stratum in this dimension.

Shi Qian is currently standing at his main entrance, where a large archway stands, with etched figures in armor on either side inside.

The archway here is not as tall as the one leading to the altar, but the interior buildings seem to be taller, though they should not be taller than the altar itself.

Shi Qian couldn't recognize the material of the guards' armor, but he guessed it was probably made of some kind of copper-sulfur ore alloy formed from the hydrothermal ore layer and magma, combined with other basic armor.

Outside here is the fountain plaza, and you can see the altar directly from the entrance of the Elders' Residence.

Those four sharp teeth were still very conspicuous.

If we take into account what Araya said earlier, this altar should be used to worship the Dark Moon.

but...

The underground is pitch black, and we can't even see the moon. Should we still maintain these sacrificial practices...?

Although Shi Qian didn't quite understand, he respected it.

After all, Araya didn't explain why they were underground now.

Just tell him that the elder will tell him when he sees him.

Shi Qian didn't wait long at the door before Ala Ya returned, accompanied by several people.

It seems they brought the elders with them.

As soon as the elders saw Shi Qian, they ignored Alaya, who was leading the way, and rushed over to surround Shi Qian and pull him inside.

"Outsider, Shi Qian, are you really from the future?"

What will the future be like? Will we really cease to exist a long time from now?

The elders bombarded him with questions, and Shi Qian was struggling to keep up. He looked to Ala Ya, who was following behind him, for help.

But she shrugged, indicating that she was also helpless and had no other choice.

Shi Qian could only try to keep up with what the elders were saying, but they were so noisy that he really couldn't hear them.

Things got a little better once we got indoors, probably because the elders were tired of shouting and started talking less.

They led Shi Qian to a meeting room or something similar, where the chairs were made of rattan and wood. Soon after, an etched figure came in carrying a bowl.

Inside was something similar to the juice Araya had given him, one bowl for each person, even Araya, who was sitting at the very end of the conference room.

However, this time there was another garnish in the bowl, and Shi Qian could smell a faint lemon-like fragrance.

After Shi Qian accepted the bowl and thanked them, he turned around and found that all the elders were looking at him expectantly, and a huge question mark appeared above his head.

?

what's the situation...

Araya couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he picked up the bowl, took a sip, and then raised it towards Shi Qianyao.

"Please try it, the juice from Elder's Residence is the best."

"...If you may, could you please describe the taste you perceived?"

Shi Qian keenly noticed the change in the way Araya addressed people.

Why did it suddenly become honorific...? Did those elders say something? It's strange, I feel like I'm being used as a guinea pig.

Shi Qian narrowed his eyes, glanced at the elders, and seeing that they were still the same, he drank it anyway.

The first bite still had no taste.

why?

Shi Qian took a second and a third bite, just like he had at Ala's house.

You can only truly taste the flavor on the third bite.

He wasn't mistaken; it smelled like lemon.

But it's not lemon juice; it should be a spice that tastes like lemon peel.

He didn't see any yellow items in it; the fern roots were pale green to white, and the salted berries were purplish-red. The only difference in this bowl was the presence of green fragments.

But as Araya said, it really does taste delicious.

Shi Qian truthfully expressed his feelings, and with each additional sentence he spoke, the expressions on the elders' faces visibly grew more joyful.

After Shi Qian finished speaking, the elders could no longer contain their excitement and stood up one after another.

Two of them even hugged each other and cried with emotion.

This was the first time Shi Qian had ever seen an etched human shed tears; their tears, like their skin, were gray.

It looks a lot like the crying moment in a certain My Little Pony animation.

However, Shi Qian still didn't understand why they were so excited, and looked at Ala Ya with a question in his mind.