Standing on the newly constructed wall, everyone looked out at the first wave of incoming attackers.
Perhaps because it was the first wave, there weren't too many powerful monsters.
All in all, there were eight Pillagers, plus one Ravager.
Honestly, it wasn't very difficult; even if Jiang Xuan and the others didn't act, the Millelith could easily handle them.
But this was, after all, the first wave, the most basic attack.
Moreover, in a normal MC world, villagers would only hide in their homes when attacked by Pillagers.
But now, there were hundreds of people in this base who could fight, and Jiang Xuan couldn't guarantee that the difficulty of subsequent attacks wouldn't increase significantly once this change was discovered.
Everyone looked at the Pillagers, feeling somewhat amused. They had all been prepared for a massive attack with dozens or hundreds of powerful enemies.
But now, seeing this...
No other actions were needed; a group of Millelith standing on the watchtowers could shoot arrows, and the Pillagers couldn't even get within fifty meters.
After a moment of silence, Ningguang waved her hand and said:
"Regardless, weak enemies are a good thing, but we can't always rely on the enemies being weak."
"Prepare to attack!"
Hearing this, the Millelith immediately straightened up and drew their bows.
Jiang Xuan suddenly said softly:
"Focus the arrows on the Pillagers. As for the Ravager, don't worry about it; let the Iron Golems handle it."
"Don't attack carelessly; you might hit the Iron Golems, and that could cause trouble."
Everyone nodded seriously, feeling somewhat strange.
The enemy's threat wasn't significant; the real threat came from the Iron Golems?
That was truly absurd!
But everyone had to believe it, as they had all witnessed the 27 power of an Iron Golem's punch.
It was truly a one-punch golem.
"Also, send a team to constantly watch the sky. Attack any creature coming from the sky, regardless of its alignment."
With that, Jiang Xuan said no more, and the Millelith immediately dispersed.
Some were on alert, others ready to attack.
Hu Tao poked Jiang Xuan's waist curiously and whispered:
"Jiang Xuan, did you see a hidden Evoker? Did he summon Vexes?"
Hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and their gazes swept across the slightly dark jungle.
Unlike Pillagers, which drop limited good items,
Evokers carry Totems of Undying.
No matter how strong he was, everyone wouldn't mind chasing and killing an Evoker.
The rewards were definitely worth the risk.
Jiang Xuan chuckled and shook his head, saying softly:
"What are you thinking? An Evoker hasn't appeared. At the very least, it's impossible for one to appear in this first wave of attack."
"I'm just worried about Phantoms spawning; those things are annoying."
Jiang Xuan hadn't forgotten that, by his calculations, they had been in The Nether for two days.
Today was the third day since they returned.
This meant that Jiang Xuan and Ningguang's group had met the conditions for Phantoms to spawn.
These things could attack from the sky at any moment.
Coincidentally, it was now dusk, and at this rate of attack, Phantoms were very likely to spawn tonight.
If they weren't prepared, with the Pillager army outside and Phantoms and Vexes in the air,
They could easily be caught off guard.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xuan softly explained:
"Phantoms are a special kind of hostile airborne creature."
"If we don't sleep for three days, Phantoms will spawn in the Overworld at night and attack from the air."
"These things aren't particularly damaging, but they are very annoying."
"If you don't sleep, Phantoms will continue to spawn, and with the current attack, it's generally not good."
"How long do you think it's been since we slept?"
Hearing this, Ganyu paused.
"Including today, it's exactly the third day!"
Jiang Xuan shrugged.
"Each person can spawn one to six Phantoms. None of us five have slept, so if we're unlucky, that's thirty Phantoms at once."
At this, Ganyu and the others were stumped.
Normally, thirty Phantoms wouldn't be a problem.
But now there were constant attacks from outside.
Their forces couldn't be too dispersed.
But asking Ganyu and the others to go to sleep now was too absurd.
They were in the middle of a battle.
Seeing everyone's strange expressions, Jiang Xuan waved his hand with a smile.
"Don't worry, just pay attention in advance. After all, we have strength in numbers."
"Besides, the drops from Phantoms, Phantom Membranes, are good items."
"Phantom Membranes can not only repair Elytra but also be used to craft Potions of Slow Falling. Drinking this potion means even without a Wind Glider, falling from a great height won't be dangerous."
"Actually, I was quite keen on farming them, so this works out perfectly; I don't even need to find cats to do it."
What Jiang Xuan said seemed completely unrelated to the others.
Talking about Phantoms, then bringing up cats.
But everyone was already used to it.
"So, should we farm more Phantom Membranes tonight?"
Ningguang glanced at the Millelith who had started attacking and asked softly.
Jiang Xuan didn't object.
"Ideally, we should use a Looting (Enchantment) pickaxe to kill Phantoms to get more Phantom Membranes."
"But this isn't a very urgent issue."
Jiang Xuan paused, found an open space in the base, and said softly:
"Once the Redstone Cannon is built and confirmed to be fine, we can wait for Phantoms to spawn."
"Later, we'll build a glass trap, and if all goes well, we'll use Looting to farm enough Phantoms in the glass trap tonight."
Seeing Jiang Xuan's confidence, everyone stopped asking questions.
Although they were still curious about Phantoms, overall, they weren't paying too much attention to them at the moment.
Phantom Membranes were good, but it depended on what they were compared to.
The upcoming attacks might involve Totems of Undying!
For flesh-and-blood humans, what could be more important than immortality?
"I suddenly realized... many monsters in this world seem to drop very useful materials."
Ningguang mused aloud.
"Endermen drop Ender Pearls for teleportation, Skeletons drop Bone Meal for accelerating growth, Evokers drop Totems of Undying..."
"Thinking about it this way, perhaps we shouldn't avoid monsters but actively seek them out to collect their materials."
Jiang Xuan nodded with a chuckle.
"Exactly! That's why I always say that monsters in this world are also a resource, and a very important one."
"Otherwise, why would I build Mob Grinders and Slime Farms?"
"After this attack ends, we'll rest a bit, and then head to The Nether again... Pfft! The Nether!"
Noticing Hu Tao's teasing gaze, Jiang Xuan ignored it and said:
"Later, when we go to The Nether, I'll organize the Blaze spawners there to ensure safety, and then we can have people go in daily at fixed times to harvest Blaze Rods."
Ningguang immediately understood Jiang Xuan's intention and added:
"I can requisition some Millelith from Liyue who are good at playing badminton, train them, and they can collect Ghast Tears."
"Magma Cubes' Magma Cream is also a good item, and we can't neglect the Gold trading with the Piglins..."
Seeing Ningguang planning half a month ahead, Jiang Xuan chuckled and shook his head:
"These things aren't urgent. The Nether is vast, and we've only found a Nether Fortress; there's a more important place we haven't found yet."
"After that, I also need to look for Ancient Debris. Netherite is a material even stronger than Diamonds."
"Let's take it one step at a time."
Jiang Xuan stretched, gently rubbed Nahida's still confused ear with one hand, and naturally embraced Ganyu with the other.
Enjoying his domestic bliss, Jiang Xuan said leisurely:
"Now, we need to deal with the attack, harvest Phantoms, then tomorrow plant Nether Warts to start mass-producing potions."
"After that, after modifying some Redstone devices, we'll plan The Nether's development."
"There's still a lot to do, and the next module is about to open, so we won't be idle for long."
Thinking of this, Jiang Xuan was also looking forward to the new module.
He now had ninety-three Diamonds in hand.
He had gained a lot from mineshafts and abandoned mines during this period, but that alone wouldn't have been enough.
What really accelerated his progress...
Were the Diamond Equipment traded with Piglins and the Diamond Horse Armor found in the Nether Fortress.
Jiang Xuan had never expected that even Diamond Equipment would count towards the progress bar.
But it was understandable; after all, Jiang Xuan had crafted many Diamond tools. If those didn't count,
He would only have about a dozen Diamonds left.
Ningguang smiled faintly and said softly:
"The previous Vein Miner Mod is mostly used by Cloud Retainer for digging mountains now."
"Huh?"
Cloud Retainer pouted and said softly:
"Isn't it because you all think it's too dangerous to mine extensively with Vein Miner enabled?"
"Besides, that small elite mining team is always using Vein Miner, aren't they?"
Ningguang didn't deny that.
Watching the Pillagers mostly dealt with, with only one Ravager left being ganged up on by two Iron Golems, about to be defeated.
Jiang Xuan turned and went down from the wall, saying:
"Let's go, prepare to count the spoils and build some Redstone Cannons."
"Also, find someone to get some Iron Ingots. The Iron Golems took some damage and need to be repaired."
Everyone followed Jiang Xuan down from the wall. As soon as they reached the ground, a team of Millelith opened the main gate and rushed out excitedly to clear the battlefield.
Arrows would be retrieved if possible; though free, they were important military resources.
As for something more important...
That would be Emeralds.
Jiang Xuan didn't pay much attention, just surveyed the surroundings at the gate.
Ningguang and the others stood by him. After a glance around, Jiang Xuan pointed to the positions on both sides of the gate.
"Remove the walls here and replace them with wooden fences. People can operate the cannons from inside to attack, which is very safe."
As soon as he finished speaking, the waiting miners immediately gathered to knock down the tall cobblestone walls.
And replaced them with wooden fences.
In a short while, the area was cleared.
One section on each side of the gate, plus one Redstone Cannon in front of the iron gate.
The principle was that people inside on both sides could operate the cannons outside, and one person controlled the cannon at the main iron gate. If they couldn't hold it, they could call for help from inside and retreat through the gate at any time.
They could advance or retreat, focusing on being cautious.
Jiang Xuan casually crafted a Crafting Table and, under everyone's gaze, took out the Redstone.
Just as he was about to craft, he suddenly looked up and asked:
"What do you say... should we make a rapid-fire bomber, or a single-shot mortar?"
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