Halls returned to his Blacksmith and began packing up everything he needed.
Thanks to Steve's "influence," there wasn't much left for him to take—just a few daily essentials and the tools Steve hadn't brought along.
He'd spotted his old anvil in Steve's house earlier, along with a furnace.
If Steve didn't mind, he could still forge his own iron. The only difference was that the forge had moved from town to the village.
So he didn't bother disassembling his own furnace. After securing the oil barrel, he was ready to head out.
"Mr. Halls, what are you up to?" his neighbor called, poking his head out when he heard the noise.
Halls smiled. "I'm moving to Moonflower Village."
Moonflower Village—the same one where Steve lived.
The neighbor's expression changed immediately. He lowered his voice.
"I heard that thing came from Moonflower Village. Someone recognized the people from there—they were traveling with that creature.
"Mr. Halls, maybe you shouldn't go. Living here in town's a lot more convenient than some backwater village, isn't it?"
Halls knew exactly who his neighbor was talking about. Even if they realized Steve was just some kind of puppet, that eerie aura of his would still scare most people.
He offered a vague explanation to calm the man down, then set off toward Moonflower Village without further delay.
He'd wanted to hire a carriage at first, but for some reason, every driver flat-out refused to go there. So he had to give up on that plan.
Time passed, and as evening drew near, a lone figure appeared in front of the Blacksmith.
The man was tall and broad-shouldered, clad in gleaming white armor engraved with the sacred runes of the Holy Cross Church. A longsword hung at his side beneath a heavy cloak.
He seemed to radiate light—so much so that even in the fading dusk, he was impossible to miss.
He raised a hand and knocked. The thud-thud echoed louder than usual.
"Is the blacksmith in?" the man asked.
No answer.
A nearby neighbor leaned out his window. "Who's there?"
"I'm here to have a weapon repaired," the man replied. His tone was humble, yet carried a kind of unyielding righteousness that made people uneasy.
The neighbor waved a hand. "Bad timing. Mr. Halls moved out earlier today—to Moonflower Village."
"Moonflower Village? Is that nearby?"
"That way," the neighbor pointed. "But even if you go, it won't help. I could tell he left on a whim—he definitely doesn't have his tools set up there yet."
The man ignored the advice, thanked him politely, and turned to leave.
"Weird," the neighbor muttered, scratching his head before retreating back inside.
The man slipped through the narrow alleys of the town, then emerged on the outskirts where a carriage waited in a secluded spot far from any road.
Unlike the carriages used by common travelers, this one had its banners removed, but the reinforced plating along its frame gave away its high status.
The driver was another armored man, muscular and sharp-eyed. Though his face remained calm, his gaze constantly swept the surroundings like a hawk.
A lantern flickered inside the carriage, casting the silhouette of a young girl against the window.
"Lady Saint," the knight said, bowing slightly toward her shadow, "the town's blacksmith moved to Moonflower Village. But from what I've heard, that area's been restless lately—plenty of trouble."
"He moved? Ugh, what a hassle…" she muttered.
The man hesitated, then continued, "I suggest we rest for the night and head to Whitecloud City tomorrow. It's the closest city from here, and the lord there's a believer. It'd make things easier for your—"
"I'm not going," she interrupted sharply. "I don't want anyone else knowing what I'm planning."
The man glanced at the driver, both sharing the same uneasy look.
Before he could argue, the girl snapped, "And don't even think about sending secret messages. You both took an Oath, remember?"
The knight exhaled quietly.
As an Oathsworn Knight of the Church, even a minor vow had to be honored. Breaking one meant losing the Holy Light's protection.
All he could do now was hope someone in town noticed.
His armor still bore the Church's emblem, and he'd made sure to walk around enough for people to see him—especially in the guildhall. He'd practically tried to look suspicious.
"Then we're heading to Moonflower Village right now," the Saint declared.
"But Moonflower Village isn't safe," the knight protested. "There was a monster attack recently, and reports say a mysterious mage has appeared—one controlling a strange puppet—"
"But you'll protect me, won't you?" she cut in with a bright, almost teasing tone.
"…Of course."
"Then there's no problem! Let's go!" she said cheerfully, throwing her hand in the air.
The driver reminded her softly, "You haven't eaten yet today, my lady. And your evening prayer…"
"Ugh… forget the prayer. But yeah, I am kinda hungry," she admitted, lowering her arm.
"I can fetch some food from town," the knight offered quickly. "But that means we'll have to camp here for the night."
"Fine, fine. We'll camp here," she sighed, giving in.
That bit of cooperation brought a flicker of relief to his face. As he headed back toward the town, he removed his cloak.
That should draw some attention, at least.
Steve suddenly splashed into water. Climbing onto the shore, he planted a torch into the wall and realized he'd fallen into an underground cavern.
Gray-white stone pillars rose all around him, with jagged stalagmites jutting from the floor.
It was spacious—but he wasn't worried. This world's natural mob spawn rate was set to minimum. No skeletons lurking in the dark with arrows ready to snipe him.
Still, he couldn't be sure whether the mods added anything dangerous down here.
He chipped off a few stalagmites with his stone pickaxe. According to the crafting table, they worked just like the vanilla ones despite looking different.
Apparently, they could even be used to duplicate lava.
Torch in hand, Steve walked deeper into the cavern, following the downward slope. Perfect terrain for mining.
Just as he hoped, the open space made ores easier to spot—and before long, he stepped into an area glittering with gems.
They jutted out from the walls, floor, and ceiling—like an amethyst geode from the original game.
But these weren't amethysts. Nor emeralds. When he struck them with his stone pickaxe, they crumbled into shimmering dust that burst into tiny fireworks before fading.
He switched to an iron pickaxe, dug one out intact, and checked the crafting menu.
[Mana Crystal]: Found in corresponding veins. Contains dense magical energy. A basic material for crafting magical artifacts.
Magic?
Steve flipped through more recipes and quickly realized something shocking—
This stuff could replace Iron Ingots.
There were Mana Pickaxes and Mana Greatswords…
Even Mana Leather—crafted by combining the crystal with regular leather, then stitched into armor at the sewing table. It offered the same defense as iron armor but granted magic resistance.
A single crystal could also be placed like redstone dust to draw out special magic circles.
And there were even higher-grade uses listed further down.
Good stuff.
----
Note: If you are enjoying it so far, please leave a review and some powerstones.