Hearing Lin Tian's words, the girls braced themselves and slowly guided the Striders towards the shore.
Before long, the six of them were on land.
The five girls huddled close to Lin Tian, calming their recently shaken nerves.
Nezuko had already let go of Lin Tian, mainly because Mitsuri Kanroji was staring at her.
After resting for about ten minutes, the group began to move forward again.
Seeing that everyone still looked a little nervous, Lin Tian told them about his own first time coming here.
"Back then, when I first came in, I was even worse off than you all are now."
Hearing Lin Tian's words, the girls all pricked up their ears to listen.
"The first time I came in, I was almost scared off by the environment alone, but I still prepared to go deeper. As a result, I saw a Ghast right away. It scared me so much that I ran straight back with my tail between my legs. I had to spend several days in the Overworld before I entered again."
"So, you all have already done an amazing job!"
As he spoke, Lin Tian looked at the five girls with an appreciative expression.
And the five girls, hearing that Lin Tian was willing to share his embarrassing story to encourage them, were deeply moved!
Seeing their relaxed mood, Lin Tian knew he had achieved his goal.
"Alright, cheer up. If you run into a Ghast, just think of it as seeing a fat, flying bird balloon. One arrow and it'll pop."
Lin Tian's words successfully amused everyone.
To be honest, if you didn't look at its face and the swinging tentacles below, it really did look a lot like a balloon.
......
The group continued towards the Nether Fortress. Along the way, they mostly encountered Piglins.
Occasionally, they ran into a few Magma Slimes, which they were able to dispatch with ease.
They even encountered two more Ghasts, but the group had successfully hypnotized themselves into believing they were just balloons. As a result, the Ghasts were shot down by Shinobu and Kanao with a single arrow each.
When they saw the Ghasts really get killed by a single arrow, the girls became excited again. This meant they had successfully overcome their inner fear!
The journey was very smooth, and the group finally arrived at the Nether Fortress.
Looking at the majestic structure before them, the girls were filled with questions.
"Brother Lin Tian, who in the world built this fortress?" Nezuko asked, looking at the fortress.
"I don't know. I only know that it has always stood here, and there are many similar structures," Lin Tian couldn't answer this question well. He couldn't just say that Notch created it, could he?
"Maybe the Piglins built it? After all, there are so many of them. Building a fortress should be easy for them, right?" Shinobu Kocho said with a smile.
Although she was also in the group and knew about this world, she wasn't sure who had built these structures.
"Alright, let's not discuss who built it. The main thing right now is to find a Wither Skeleton. I need its skull."
Seeing that Nezuko was about to ask something else, Lin Tian quickly stated the mission for this trip.
Hearing Lin Tian talk about the mission, the group also began to focus.
"A Wither Skeleton looks a lot like an Overworld skeleton, except it's completely black, and the bow in its hand is replaced with a stone sword."
"Be careful, you must not get hit by it, otherwise you'll get the Wither effect. If you're accidentally hit, you must drink milk immediately!"
At this point, Lin Tian's expression became serious. The Wither effect had a time limit, and if it wasn't removed in time, it could be life-threatening!
Seeing his serious expression, everyone understood the gravity of the situation and nodded to show they understood.
"Hold your Golden Apples and shields. Raise your shield when you encounter a monster, and eat a Golden Apple if you get injured, got it?" Lin Tian said to Mitsuri Kanroji and Shinobu Kocho.
This time, they would be divided into two groups. Shinobu and Mitsuri, the two 'adults', would take Kanao, while he would take Nezuko and Aoi Kanzaki, the two 'kids'.
This could also be considered a training experience for them; they couldn't always rely on him.
Because it was their first time in the Nether, Lin Tian paid extra attention to every detail.
But there was no need to say too much. Shinobu and Mitsuri were also very experienced. Besides, if there was danger, Shinobu could just call him in the group.
.....
"That's all. Be safe."
After a long while, Lin Tian finished speaking and patted the two girls' heads.
Seeing this, Kanao looked at Lin Tian's action with curiosity in her eyes.
Noticing Kanao's gaze, Lin Tian thought she also wanted a head pat and smiled as he placed his hand on her head.
Kanao opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, silently enjoying it.
And seeing the three of them get their heads patted, Nezuko and Aoi Kanzaki also looked at Lin Tian with hopeful eyes.
Noticing their little glances, Lin Tian had no choice but to give them the same treatment.
After doing all this, Lin Tian led Nezuko and Aoi to the right, while Shinobu and Mitsuri led Kanao Tsuyuri to the left.
......
About two hours and fifteen minutes later, the two groups met up here again.
Seeing Lin Tian, Mitsuri Kanroji immediately shouted excitedly, "Xiao Tian! We found two Wither Skeletons, and they both dropped their heads!"
Hearing Mitsuri's words, Lin Tian was stunned. Was their luck this good too?
Looking at the two black skulls in Nezuko's hands, Lin Tian couldn't help but doubt himself.
'Is my luck really that bad?'
But he didn't think too much about it. In the end, wasn't he the one who would benefit!
"Great! You all did great!" Lin Tian praised everyone.
How could he not praise them? This one trip of theirs was worth several of his!
Hearing Lin Tian's praise, the five girls were also extremely happy.
Although they were all helping him voluntarily, it was still nice to receive praise.
"Let's go, everyone. Let's go back and rest for a while. You've all worked hard."
The girls also breathed a sigh of relief. The trip to the Nether was over for now.
Although it wasn't a long time, their hearts had gone through major ups and downs, and they really needed a good rest.
"Everyone, gather around."
Lin Tian said, spreading his arms.
Mitsuri and Shinobu were the first to grab the prime spots. Even Nezuko could only regretfully choose to hug his arm.
(As expected of a Hashira.)
Kanao hugged his other arm. Seeing that all the spots were taken, Aoi Kanzaki could only choose to hug Lin Tian's back.
Seeing everyone gathered around him, Lin Tian activated his teleportation. A flash of light passed, and the six of them vanished from the spot.
When they reappeared, a purple portal was standing before them.
"Let's go, we're going home."
As he spoke, Lin Tian stood to the side, letting the five girls enter the portal first.
After Nezuko was the last to enter, Lin Tian took one last look at the Nether and also turned to step into the portal.
"The sunlight is so bright!"
.....
T/n:
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