Chapter 22: Redstone Technology

Spider eyes can be used to brew deadly potions, which are incredibly useful for fighting monsters. Of course, they can also be eaten. Spider silk, on the other hand, has endless uses; four strings can be crafted into wool, and it is also essential for making bows, fishing rods, and more.

Chen Fan gathered all the items on the ground into his inventory. He sent Ram to the cave to scout for minerals, while Rem returned to the wooden cabin to guard the seeds from being stolen. Chen Fan then opened his inventory to test if the title function worked as he had hypothesized.

【Monster Slayer: Deals double damage to monsters.】

As expected, this title shared the same properties as an enchantment book. Excited, Chen Fan equipped it, and an icon of crossed swords appeared on the right side of his character profile, accompanied by the attribute. He clicked on his iron chestplate; the shimmering texture confirmed it was enchanted with Protection III and Fire Protection I. Dragging the chestplate into his equipment slot, six white icons appeared above his ten hearts. At that moment, he felt a subtle, indescribable connection between himself and the armor.

He looked at the iron chestplate in his equipment menu, then instinctively glanced at his own body in reality. He was still wearing his ordinary white T-shirt, a stark contrast to the character image on the interface now clad in iron.

"Interesting," Chen Fan muttered to himself.

With his gear sorted, Chen Fan grabbed a bucket of water and headed toward Ram’s location with Yang Keli. As for the gift packs, he would open them later; for now, it was mining time. The path ahead flickered with torchlight—naturally placed by Ram and Rem—ensuring they wouldn't get lost in the cave system. Passing over some uneven ground, Chen Fan’s obsessive-compulsive tendencies kicked in, and he filled the gaps with cobblestone. The floor looked neat and tidy, which not only made it aesthetically pleasing but, more importantly, made walking easier. Beside him, Yang Keli just shook her head; this man was beyond help.

They reached a fork in the path where the torches led to the right. Chen Fan thought for a moment and decided to explore the left; after all, splitting up was the best way to find more ore. This natural cave was massive and labyrinthine; if not for Chen Fan’s map, it would be easy to get lost. The map had a useful feature: any path he walked would light up, much like the map in *Terraria*.

Based on where he had descended, they were currently at level 49. The ideal depth for mining was between levels -16 and -56, so Chen Fan planned to use his previous method of excavating a man-made tunnel downward—a project that consumed a significant amount of hunger. They dug the mine shaft neatly, placing a torch every eight levels because he had a fondness for the number eight.

He was a perfectionist, so he paved the entire descending path with stone stairs. They dug at a width of four blocks when, suddenly, a streak of vibrant red ore appeared before Chen Fan. He froze, his face lighting up with pleasant surprise, his eyes filled with excitement. In *Minecraft*, most ores have limitations, but Redstone is uniquely versatile. Known by players as "Redstone technology," it could be used to craft a vast array of items.

He mined it without hesitation. His luck wasn't great—only three Redstone ore blocks, yielding seventeen pieces of Redstone dust. Usually, one block drops four to five, though a pickaxe with Fortune would increase the yield. Chen Fan reopened his map to check his position while Yang Keli continued digging downward. He was at level 20, still quite a distance from the target level of -16; he had to keep pushing.

Chen Fan sealed off the side tunnels and continued to dig frantically alongside Yang Keli. A few hours later, they had found coal, Redstone dust, Lapis Lazuli, and raw copper, but not a single piece of iron.

"I can't believe this luck. We're already at level -2 and still nothing," Chen Fan complained helplessly. His iron pickaxe had already broken, and he was now resorting to his diamond one. Yang Keli’s iron pickaxe had also shattered, leaving her with only a stone one. It was truly a situation of wanting to cry but having no tears left.

Yang Keli patted his shoulder. "Calm down. Maybe you'll find some the next second."

Chen Fan gave a hollow laugh, a smile that looked worse than crying. He didn't complain further and kept digging. A few minutes later, Chen Fan mined away a block of cobblestone, and the familiar texture of iron ore caught his eye.

"Finally found it!"

He swung his diamond pickaxe with excitement. With a single chain-mining action, five iron ore blocks instantly entered his inventory. To check for more nearby, he mined the surrounding cobblestone and was pleasantly surprised to find even more. This was a well-known trick among *Minecraft* players: iron ore isn't always connected; there’s a chance it appears in the gaps between blocks.

After mining it, he sealed the hole. He placed a crafting table from his interface, crafted two furnaces, and placed eight iron ores into each, along with a piece of coal. In *Minecraft*, one coal could smelt eight iron ores; while it might be slightly inefficient, it was faster.

They continued to dig downward. Mining was exhausting and tedious work, but finding the ores they wanted made it incredibly rewarding. They had come this far; they couldn't head back without at least a stack of iron—it wouldn't be fair to their good luck.

Because of the chain-mining, Chen Fan’s hunger and thirst levels dropped to just six points. He switched to cooked pork to replenish his hunger and drank two bottles of water, filling his bars back up. Feeling satisfied, he continued digging. As they went deeper, the sound of falling stone and their tools striking the rock echoed through the tunnels.

After some time, the durability of Chen Fan’s diamond pickaxe began to drop. To conserve it, he reluctantly ran back to retrieve the smelted iron ingots, crafted two iron pickaxes, returned to their spot, and tossed one to Yang Keli.

Upon reaching level -20, Chen Fan and Yang Keli began digging forward in a 2x2 pattern, splitting off to the left and right. Two hours later, Chen Fan checked his inventory; he had 26 iron ores. While not a full stack, it was enough to craft a set of iron armor. And with Yang Keli, Ram, and Rem, they might have enough for everyone.

Thinking of this, he opened his friends list and messaged Yang Keli: "Keli, meet at the split point."

"Okay, be there in a sec. Let me finish mining this diamond."

"..."

Chen Fan looked at her reply, shook his head helplessly, and waited for her. In the meantime, he opened the trading platform to see if anyone was selling iron, just to check. After all, there were certainly many people playing this game, and there were bound to be some power players.

He entered the keyword and search results popped up immediately:
1 Iron Ore for 10 Bread.
1 Iron Ore for 8 Cooked Beef.
1 Iron Ore for 128 Logs.
...