In the Nether, Fu Zhu immediately scanned his surroundings. The terrain was composed of crimson Netherrack, without a speck of green in sight, though there was a patch of Soul Sand about two hundred meters away.
To be safe, however, Fu Zhu opened his minimap to check the terrain structure, confirming with a satisfied nod that it was a Nether Wastes biome.
"Not bad luck, spawning right in the Nether Wastes."
Fu Zhu took out his diamond pickaxe, about to start collecting some Magma Blocks, when he suddenly stopped, put the pickaxe away, and stepped back through the Nether Portal.
Returning to his guest room, Fu Zhu looked around. The surrounding scenery hadn't changed at all. He then found a cup, filled it with some water, and placed it on the windowsill.
The flow of time in Amphoreus was different from the outside world, but he didn't know how great the time disparity was between the Nether and Amphoreus. To be safe, it was better to measure it first.
If the time dilation was too great, he'd have to give up on using a Piglin farm to grind EXP and find another method.
He didn't want to spend some time grinding Piglins only to come back and find Amphoreus had already reached its finale.
After setting up the cup to measure the time flow difference, Fu Zhu returned to the Nether once more. He took out his teleslate, started a stopwatch, waited for ten seconds, and then returned to Amphoreus.
Fu Zhu turned his head to look at the cup. The water level hadn't changed at all.
"Hm, the time difference isn't too significant?"
Fu Zhu went back to the Nether again, this time choosing to wait for ten minutes.
When the time was up, he stepped through the portal and back into his room. The water level in the cup remained unchanged.
This set Fu Zhu's mind at ease. The two tests proved that the time flow difference between the Nether and Amphoreus wasn't as exaggerated as it was with the outside world.
This was a bit of a surprise to him, though. Back at the Herta Space Station, he and Herta had spent a long time in the Simulated Universe, and at that time, whether in the overworld or the Nether, the flow of time was identical to the outside.
He never expected it to be the same here in Amphoreus.
From the looks of it, as long as it was related to Minecraft, the time flow would be based on his own personal time, unaffected by any external factors. This was good news.
Having confirmed there were no issues with the time flow, Fu Zhu confidently returned to the Nether, took out his diamond pickaxe, and began collecting the large number of Magma Blocks needed to build the Piglin farm.
---o---
Outside the church in Aidonia, Castorice held her [Scythe of Death] and hid timidly behind a tree, watching a group of children about her age playing not far away.
Seeing how happy they were, a trace of envy flashed in Castorice's eyes. She then looked down at the scythe in her hand, hesitating.
Although her big brother had said that with this scythe, she could safely interact with others, she had only been in contact with her big brother—the one who wasn't afraid of her curse—since getting it. She had never tried to touch anyone else, so she didn't know if the scythe actually worked.
Castorice looked around, her gaze finally settling on a wildflower by the roadside. She walked over, crouched down, and cautiously extended her hand.
She couldn't experiment on other people, but she could experiment on a flower. Her curse didn't differentiate between animals and plants.
Castorice's hand moved slowly toward the small flower. This should have been a quick process, but as her hand neared the blossom, she hesitated again.
What if the flower still withered the moment she touched it?
What's harder to accept than despair is seeing a glimmer of hope, only to be plunged back into despair.
Castorice squeezed her eyes shut, and with a surge of resolve, thrust her hand forward. The next second, all she felt was a slightly damp sensation on her fingertips.
She cautiously opened her eyes. Castorice saw the most wonderful sight: the little flower, under her touch, was still in full bloom, showing no signs of withering. The dampness she had felt on her fingertip was just the morning dew gathered on the petals.
Big Brother didn't lie to me! It's all true!
Castorice was so moved she was on the verge of tears, but she sniffled, forcing back the urge to cry. With one hand, she carefully plucked the little flower that had survived her touch, roots and all.
She held it protectively to her chest and ran quickly towards the church.
Although she could finally live the life she had never dared to imagine, to touch others freely and as she pleased, the days ahead were long, and she would have plenty of opportunities.
Right now, the only thing she wanted was to share this good news with her big brother immediately!
Panting lightly, Castorice ran to the guest room where Fu Zhu was staying. She used the back of her scythe-wielding hand to knock on the door and shouted excitedly,
"Big Brother, I have good news to tell you!"
However, there was no answer from within the room.
Castorice waited outside for a moment, then knocked again.
"Big Brother, are you in there?"
Still no answer from inside.
Castorice had no choice but to push the door open herself. She walked in, looked around, but didn't see Fu Zhu.
"Big Brother, are you in there?"
No one answered.
Castorice was a little disappointed, but then she saw the cup of water on the windowsill. There was still water in it, so she figured her big brother must have just stepped out for something.
With that thought, Castorice set the small flower aside, found another cup, poured some water into it, and placed the flower inside. She then walked over to a recliner and sat down, preparing to wait for Fu Zhu to return so she could tell him the good news right away.
She ended up waiting for the entire day.
Castorice, sitting on the recliner, let out a yawn. She glanced at the sky outside, which was still broad daylight, but it was already ten o'clock at night. She had even gone out for dinner in the meantime, but her big brother still hadn't returned.
Castorice sighed, turned, and left the guest room. But not long after, she returned with a small quilt, walked over to the bed, and lay down.
Big Brother must be busy with something. By the time I wake up, I should be able to see him!
---o---
In a room in the church, High Priest Eleusis was still reading a book, but he would occasionally glance at the sky outside the window. Seeing that it was still daytime, he couldn't help but shake his head.
"It was eternal night before, and now it's eternal day. What on earth is happening with the Titans...sigh."
After a sigh, Eleusis closed his book and opened another official document.
As per his agreement with Fu Zhu, he planned to disband Aidonia and lead everyone to settle in the Holy City of Okhema. What he needed to do now was to catalogue all the supplies that needed to be brought to Okhema.
Just as he was about to start working, there was a sudden knock on his door, and a middle-aged male priest walked in.
"High Priest, something has happened outside. A priest who was out on a pilgrimage discovered on his way back that a massive number of souls have left the ruins of Styxia and are rapidly heading in our direction!"