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Interesting factoid that had been completely absent from my mind for years: the villager purifier has not worked since Minecraft 1.11.

I realized this in the last session when I needed to capture several zombie villagers. This means that we can close off the exit point for zombie villagers and eventually turn this back into a regular zombie farm. It still exists as stage one of the Tetraquin Project, because it did work for a hot minute three years ago.

The other two stages (iron and gold farms) are working well, but there is an overdue fix we need for the Gold Grinder that has been a nuisance for a while. I don’t know why I haven’t fixed it yet.

Feathers from jockeys end up clogging the system after long AFK sessions, resulting in the chests backing up with swords and drops ultimately being lost because they just sit atop the hoppers. This prevents me from doing true AFK sessions (overnight, for example). The solve for this is easy:

I just need to sort out feathers, too. I am also not going to replace the furnaces with blast furnaces because otherwise it would not be able to process the chicken we get from the jockeys. Regular furnaces keep up just fine, you know, when feathers are not clogging it.

With these tweaks amended, it’s time to focus our energy on the next step of the Tetraquin Project – and it’s a big one.

A witch farm is one of the most important and most useful resource farms that I think exists, right up there with iron and gold (and in some ways superseding them). It provides a wide-range of resources: sticks, bottles, sugar, glowstone, spider eyes, gunpowder, and most importantly, redstone. These drops are incredibly useful for potions, but they all have wider uses as well. Considering that we have been churning through our redstone supply as of late, it is time that we erect this farm properly.

I know what you might be thinking: “You already have a witch farm!” This is really only half true. Let’s take a look at the current “witch farm”:

We have the prerequisite groundwork for a witch farm. The spawning spaces are enclosed, the item sorter is built, the swamp is drowned, and most of the caves underneath are lit up.

The issue is that we don’t have a way to automatically move the witches. Currently I rely on them to walk off the sides, which does not work effectively if you’re more than 32 blocks away. Since building this farm back in Session 143 (this was almost five years ago), it has not been touched. I now have the resources and knowledge to turn this into the proper, maximum-efficiency farm it should have always been. Welcome to stage four.

For this farm, I’ll be using a somewhat expensive design by ilmango, which automatically causes the witches to glitch through the floor immediately upon spawning. Then, I can utilize the entity cramming rule to kill them almost instantly, opening room for more to spawn.

The way the farm will work is based on tripwires. String covers the entire top block of the 7x9 spawning space for the witches. This is multiplied by two because there are two total layers (since this witch hut was generated prior to 1.8, there can only be two spawning floors).

Once the witches spawn, the tripwires will cause a sticky piston to move an observer which triggers the bottom layer of pistons to move the floor back and forth, allowing the witch to glitch through.

^ Here, the repeaters are set to three ticks only on one side – this is how the floor will be pushed back to the correct position after being moved by the other side.

In order to correct the floor whenever glitches occur (witches may not glitch through immediately), we will need to install a hopper timer to automate this movement whenever a witch is present.

Above, you can see the hopper timer. It will always be running, as it isn’t necessary to turn it off. The witch farm is the only build in this area.

The killing area is quite simple, identical to that in the Gold Grinder to be exact. The witches will fall below and be funneled into a single block which will contain 24 minecarts. Since this is the maximum number of entities that can be crammed in a single space, the witches will die very quickly. Using cobblestone walls allows two to fall at once.

Next, I need to cover it up properly. This means destroying the ugly spruce slab roof that currently mocks the farm underneath.

I find that burning is an appropriate approach for a roof this large.

I am using purpur slabs to denote the 7x9 spawning area for the witches. This will also help me find the center of the farm and keep the roof symmetrical.

Yeah, it never needed to be nearly as big as the version I previously built. Blocks only need to extend fourteen blocks from the spawning platform to keep a light level of zero. This design is much prettier, too.

The ideal AFK spot is right up here, and it actually means that the lighting of the caves underneath is almost pointless. From up here, there is not a single spot other than the witch farm that mobs can spawn. This makes it ideal for an overnight AFK.

Time for a test run!

I spent an hour testing the farm’s rates, and here is what we got:

Not too bad! For the next test, I am going to run the farm overnight for seven hours.

I won’t go through all the chests, because the yield is roughly the same (doubled for sticks). What is that yield? Magnificent, that’s what:

Damn, I may not even need another AFK run for a while. What am I going to do with all those spider eyes?

This farm is, without a doubt, one of the most important developments so far this season. We now have renewable (and fast) ways to get sticks (which we use for lots of different things), redstone (which we use for everything), glowstone (no more needing to find it in the Nether, which is honestly a pain), sugar (speed?), and gunpowder (I mean, mass amounts of TNT anyone?).

As such, it deserves an official name of its own: the Alchemy Farm. Starlight HQ is going to love this addition.

With the Alchemy Farm complete (with relative ease, might I add – this farm was quite easy to build compared to some of the other major builds like the Gold Grinder and guardian farm), I’ve decided to touch on an overdue update needed for Starlight HQ’s multi-purpose mob farm: killing witches.

Currently, the drop tower is only 24 blocks – it kills all regular mobs sans armor. Extending the tower lower has always been a challenge because a lot of redstone for the farm’s features is directly underneath. I always decided it just wasn’t worth it. Now, however, I think it’s possible.

I’m making this hatch a feature that you can toggle, so that you still have the option to use the farm’s old functionality (plus, if you do the Starlight Parkour, then you don’t want to fall all the way down to the bottom).

Fence gates are the only option here because you cannot move hoppers with pistons (in fact, they wouldn’t even fit here).

^ Indeed, I’ll need to move this redstone so that it goes around the 2x2 space. This will require important considerations as I don’t want to mess up the timing (a crucial part of some of the features).

You can already see some of the challenges associated with this renovation. This farm has eight different features – all of them are wedged into this small space.

The main challenge, ergo, is trying to wire another four redstone lines throughout here to activate the fence gates, which themselves are right beneath four pistons that toggle the farm’s XP mode.

I have to move some of the torch towers so that we can fit the repeaters underneath these pistons. That is the only way to power the fence gates without powering the pistons above.

^ Here is one of the gates being powered – I have to use more repeaters to keep the redstone lines separated. I have a headache.

Above, you can see two more of the gates being successfully powered. Getting wires there wasn’t easy though – I had to move most of the redstone. The area is quite cramped now:

^ The last gate to power is in a weird position, and again it requires me to use more repeater/torch combinations than I would like.

Unfortunately, it looks like I broke something. The ‘XP farm’ trigger has just activated a timer that pushed both sides back and forth continuously. I have no idea why that happened.

I have also caused the lava kill switch to break, the water sweeper to stop working, and the bottom gates not to power. That’s a lot of bugs. Lol.

Thankfully, I managed to follow the wires one by one and amend these bugs. The timing is a little off from its old design, but every feature still manages to work as intended. Now we’ve got one more.

With the ‘kill hatch’ feature, we can choose whether we want the mobs to fall the 35 blocks or 24. Advantages of the former are obviously that it will kill witches (we already sort their drops, but of course those chests are mostly empty since they have had to be killed manually until now). However, we may still want to keep the 24-block floor, not just for Starlight Parkour but also to kill mobs manually (say, if we want to get potions from witches or certain armor pieces from mobs that fall and do not die, without the worry of creepers).

That is a lot of accumulated mobs that I’m about to drop.

Such is another advantage of the new kill hatch – I can safely drop mobs that are held above without worry of blowing up the entire farm (again).

Voila, our new kill hatch feature is complete! This feature is a big deal, because for years I had claimed it wasn’t possible to implement due to space restrictions. Once again, I have upgraded the multi-purpose mob farm in a big way, making it even better than before. The next upgrade will be some sort of timer that periodically opens the fence gates, because if you have them closed, drops can still rest on top of them. That will be for another day when I can figure out where it will go.

This took long enough.

Candyland is more than just a haven for clay collecting. In fact, over the course of the past several months, this purpose has been re-delegated to the new Utopia we found a while back, about 6,000 blocks directly south of Quintropolis Island. What does this mean for Candyland?

It’s time to repurpose the soon-to-be city. And I know just how to do that.

One of my favorite ways to designate a location in this world is with... you guessed it: a parkour course! For Candyland, I have had a very particular thematic course in mind.

This entire peninsula is actually not the Candyland you know, but rather a small sub-section of the same mesa biome, just a short flight north across the bay which separates the two sides. With this biome segment being separated like this, we have the advantage of transforming the entire peninsula into a course. That’s exactly what we’re going to do.

It is more than just a course, though. This peninsula hosts a beautiful river gorge running straight through it. We’re going to utilize this scenery to construct a playful course that incorporates the entire landscape. It’s going to be very fun.

For this course, therefore, I’ll be using a hefty stockpile of materials, including most clay colors. That’s because this course will also serve as a fitting monument for LGBT pride. Hey, Quintropolis can celebrate, too!

Welcome, friends, to Gravity Gorge.

Our lobby will consist of two features that we’ll build later. The first will be a book/quill denoting some information about the course. This will be hoisted upon a lectern for visitors. The second feature will be a shop wherein you will be able to purchase goods from the bonus coins you’ll obtain throughout the course (in the form of emeralds). Oh yeah, there are going to be collectibles. Ever played Ty the Tasmanian Tiger?

The course will feature various genres, but a signature component will be its wavy ice-rink paths designed for speedrunning. I am not looking to build a difficult course. In fact, this will be one of the easiest courses in Quintropolis, if we are referring strictly to difficulty. It’s undoubtedly going to be the largest, though.

I am keeping a zombie villager trapped here, because I’d also like to eventually turn the lobby area into a small village. As of yet, we have no way to access Gravity Gorge aside from flying over the bay.

Jack-o-lanterns will be a fine light source, mostly because I do not have enough glowstone or sea lanterns to support the stacks of sources we will need!

^ You can see the first ice path finished, situated on the tip of the peninsula. Ideally, I’ll have you climb up the initial mountain, at which point you will race and hop around the gorge to the other side of the peninsula. It will very much be setup as a speedrunning course.

The climb portion takes up just a small portion of the course, and is not particularly difficult.

^ I wish I could clean this up a bit, and what I may do is swap the packed ice for regular ice to prevent mob spawns (in this way, I won’t even have to light it up). But alas, you can begin to capture an idea of how this course will be designed.

I am using torches to lay-out the rest of the course, which will be linear in nature rather than exploratory. Though, because I will be featuring collectibles throughout the course, that means there are going to be certain... tangents, if you will, from the straightforward path.

^ Above is the largest valley on the peninsula, and I have some ways I’d like to utilize this.

Bouncing is one of the ways in which you’ll hop across the gorge. You won’t get a lot of height from it, but I can work around that.

I’ll clean up the borders later (because that will be a whole task), but for now, I’m going to focus on just building the principal elements of the course. Dialing on the minute details this early will just make the whole process a headache.

After bouncing across, you’ll take another ice race around the slope towards the other end, where you will make another bounce.

I went ahead and began using regular ice to prevent having to light up certain parts of the course, such as this tunnel, which will take you through the next mountain and out towards the big valley we looked at earlier.

^ Above, I’ve skipped to the other side of the big valley to construct the next part of the ice race, which is also the most iconic aesthetic section of the course, being bordered with rainbow roads.

I’d say the curves are looking good, if not completely symmetrical. That’s okay because we are mostly interested in keeping with the shape of the mountain.

Skipping to what the end of the course will look like, I’m building a large ice road which will be a sort of “victory lap” once you complete the rest of the course. I’ll decorate later.

Leading up to the final ice ramp is something of a wall-bumping challenge. Since this is a speedrunning course, I thought it might be fitting to feature a winding road that will make it challenging for you not to hit any walls (which will slow you down).

Here we have some more segments of the “perfect run” idea, wherein the goal is not necessarily just to beat the course, but to beat it in the shortest amount of time.

Leading up to the large valley which itself precedes the rainbow road, we’ll do an ice-hopping challenge.

We’ll be working on the big valley in the next session, because it is going to feature some particularly unique elements. Starting off, I’ll begin building some of the platforms that it will feature.

And now to finish the colorful curve.

Candyland is starting to look a little more like, well, Candyland! Some of the colorful aesthetics that constitute Gravity Gorge’s construction are going to make their way throughout all of Candyland. Eventually.

We still have two major parts of the course to complete before we get to the additional features. Oh yeah! There are going to be additional features.

First is the completion of the rainbow cliffs here in the gaping valley, connecting the ice hopping challenge to the rainbow road.

Second is the large valley section directly following the rainbow road which connects to the end of the course.

Take a look here – I’m hiding from the phantoms! Hmm, this could have been a neat mechanic to utilize in the course. But maybe for a different one.

^ I’m going to erect a few “bryce” canyons if you will, following suit on the color palette we have chosen for the course.

I will reiterate that Gravity Gorge is not going to be a difficult course. In fact, it will be one of the easiest courses in this world, because it is designed as a speedrunning course. That means you should try to complete it as fast as you can!

As such, in designing each segment, I am leaving room open for shortcuts if you are brave enough. The fall damage should not kill you if you miss.

Following the cliffs, you will follow the ice path through the mountain, finally connecting to the rainbow road we built in the last session.

^ Here is an overview of this segment of the course, from the ice hopping challenge to the rainbow road. We still need to connect the first half of the course to the ice hopping challenge.

A bridge here and there should do it.

And the force of gravity is put to the test as I fight a swarm of phantoms tonight! I’ll be giving them a taste of their own medicine.

I am jumping to the end of the course to design the finish line. You can see that I am going for something a bit grandiose. A big course deserves a big finish, right?

A view of the finish line from afar:

The last segment we need to build is the section connecting the rainbow road to the final ice run! And I’ve been saving the best for last…

This will be the exploration village of the course. A key element, as you can see above, is that the entire segment will be elevated two blocks, such that while you cannot enter the course from outside, you can accidentally fall outside the bounds of the course. So, explore at your own risk, but don’t fall off!

I LOVE these big arrows! They will point you in the right direction.

^ I may have gone a bit crazy with the arrows. I just love how they look here. But now we need to make the village!

From the village, you will hop across towers up to the final ice race.

…but now it hides the beautiful arrow I just spent a lot of time building. Let’s move it!

Ah, that is much better!

The village will feature the signature ice roads that comprise the rest of the course to help you along.

A couple small buildings here and there, and then I’ll use lanterns to give it a more complete feel.

What is behind the door, you ask? You will have to explore the village and find out!

I am cleaning up the look of the village, adding some spruce trees, and a definitive landing pad, so that you can see exactly where to go.

Next, we need to fix the final ice race.

The construction of the course is finished! Oh wait, you may have forgotten that I mentioned “additional features.” Yes, those features are actually integral to completing this course. Let’s take a look.

Certain segments of the course, specifically the rainbow cliffs and exploration village, will include these tipped arrow dispensers. When you cross them, you will get shot with either an arrow of slow falling or of jump boost, or both! These will help you complete these sections of the course.

^ For the end of the rainbow road, you will simply jump off and be stung with slow falling on your descent! It’s very fun, trust me. Just follow the big arrows.

The final ice race is going to be spruced up, no pun intended (because there are spruce trees).

First, you will get a dose of Speed II as you enter the final race.

Then, you will cross a tripwire that will activate two dispensers at the end of the ice path. These will shoot out a lingering potion of slow falling and a lingering potion of jump boost. You’ll need to hop through both in order to make the final jump…

…to the finish line!

Upon completing the course, you’ll be celebrated with fireworks!

Now, once you complete the course, you will be asked a very important question: Did you find all eight bonus coins? “Huh?” I hear you asking. I never mentioned those! Well, that’s because they are hidden throughout the course.

Because this is an easy course, I wanted the option of an additional challenge. Scattered throughout the course are eight bonus coins in the form of emeralds. Finding them will require you to explore the course. Speedrun, explore, and then speedrun for all the coins. Running the course with the coins is a very different experience than doing it without them, and it will give you a nice challenge indeed.

And that, my friends, is Gravity Gorge. One of my favorite builds so far this season, and possibly in this world. When the next world download releases, you will get the chance to play this course yourself. In the meantime, let’s take a moment to celebrate by putting the course on the Parkour Wall of Fame.

It has been a hot minute since we have explored brand new territory here in Quintropolis. In fact, I believe the last time was back in Session 241 when we discovered Utopia south of Quintropolis Island. However, we did not do much exploring beyond that region. And those are 1.12 chunks.

Today, we are preparing to take a deep dive south of Utopia into brand new 1.15.2 chunks in a quest to explore some new oceanic biomes! The goal for today’s adventure is to find and collect every new type of block/item that exists in these new chunks. Can we do it? I think so!

Coming from one mesa to another, here is the exit portal to Utopia. This will be grounds for a new base at some point in the future because it sits on a fruitful corner bordering a mesa, desert, and savannah. Oh, and not too far away is the new ocean.

I am starting a map for Utopia, but it looks like we will need a few. As we explored much of the desert area south of the mesa back in Session 241-242, we did not head too far north. This is where the new territory lies.

Do you see it? I do!

We’re diving in the deep end as we greet our aquatic friends and the kelp forests of this new ocean system.

Check it out! It’s my first shipwreck discovery. What ancient treasures could lie within? Let’s find out.

A buried treasure map!

Hmm, it looks to be not so far away after all.

Wow! There is so much life under these waters. I will have to come back here once we find the treasure.

So, it appears that the treasure is buried underneath this sand dune. I wonder how long it will take me to find.

Don’t mind me; I’m just going to collect some kelp while I am out here. Seagrass too.

And hey! We have some turtles! It’s a good thing I brought shears, because I’m about to get some turtle eggs.

Indeed so! And I found the treasure underneath. What did we get inside?

A heart of the sea! Perfect – I can already speculate how we will be using this in Starlight HQ.

Hey, a Utopian village! Let’s check it out and see what we can harvest. This is, in fact, the very first 1.14+ village in Quintropolis, which makes it currently the only working village.

“Welcome to the village of Utopia,” he says.

“Thank you, kind sir. Now I am on a quest to find some new aquatic gems. Where do I have to go?”

“Head off the coast into Witherquin Waters!” he states emphatically. Witherquin Waters? Of course, it would be ominously titled.

Right off the village is a HUGE coral reef! Forget what I found earlier – I’m about to get all up in here.

It’s so colorful! I will plan on taking all types of corals. This stuff is going to look great in the Aqua Lounge.

Another shipwreck! Is this the equivalent of Bermuda? I hope not, but at the same time it wouldn’t be the worst thing.

^ An overview of the desert village and Witherquin Waters as we search for more treasure. This entire area is beautiful – I hope the village welcomes the opportunity for expansion.

What’s this? An underwater chasm? That is new.

Diamonds underwater? Since when did underwater caves descend this deep? I must have missed a lot.

An underwater ravine – also new!

I have found the best hiding spot at the bottom of the ocean, tucked underneath this rock. I am certain that I would win at hide and seek.

Check it out! A cave spider spawner here in the ocean.

Sorry buddy, I have already won this battle.

Sea pickles – underwater torches!

Organizing the corals I have collected, I can see that each type of coral has three variants – a regular coral, a coral fan, and a coral block. My goal is to collect a stack of each.

I caught myself a triggerfish!

Clues to an underwater voyage gone wrong… I am starting to get mildly suspicious of these waters.

This one has bamboo inside! With just a few pieces, I believe I can start a bamboo farm back at HQ without having to locate a bamboo jungle. This would be fantastic news.

A hoard of drowned approach me from the underwater ruins!

From that hoard, I have collected yet another trident.

I have also located a Mending fishing rod.

An ocean monument greets me – I might as well explore it. I need to stock up on prismarine blocks anyway.

This particular monument features TWO sponge rooms! I’ll be taking all of them once I take down the elder guardians.

One thing I am learning about turtles: they do not stop making eggs! Usually there is a cooldown, but not today. I already have half a stack of turtle eggs.

I think we have collected every block out here, so let’s make our way back to HQ. We now have to come up with an area to store them!

I have three shulker boxes full of aquatic blocks and items. So, I am planning to build an aquatic arsenal right here in Mushroom Cove to replace the old storage area for meats (since we no longer have animals here). This also means I am getting all those hoppers back.

Using prismarine and coral to decorate the space, I’ll have three sections for storage: one for prismarine blocks, one for corals, and one for everything else.

For the floor, all I need to do is fill the area underneath with water. I am learning that coral needs to be attached to a water block, whether still or flowing, in order to stay alive.

I am using kelp blocks for the first time, as they accent the back wall nicely.

There you have it! All coral blocks will be stored on the bottom layer of chests, while all coral and coral fans will be stored on the top layer. I have organized prismarine storage (which includes all slabs, stairs, etc.), as well as using the remaining chests to store kelp, seagrass, dried kelp (and blocks), nautilus shells, turtle eggs, and sea pickles.

The last two unlabeled chests will be for sponges (top) and other rarities like our buried treasure maps and hearts of the sea (bottom).

Next, I am switching out dark oak signs for oak signs on the Parkour Wall of Fame. It is easier to read from afar.

Keeping an aquatic theme, remember when we captured these two skeleton horses back during our Starlight Castle reconstruction? Well, as I’d like to keep them in the Aqua Lounge since you can ride them underwater, I need to build for them a proper home.

^ Here, we are at the exit gate into Starlight Bay. The area for the horses will be small but spacious enough.

Now, to get them there, I’ll need to temporarily break down the corridor to prepare a 2-wide space.

Indeed, I got them in with few problems, and now I can ride these guys out into the bay!

Finally, I am adding four turtle eggs to the Gold Grinder in order to attract zombie reinforcements. This should significantly improve our rates in the farm as no longer will zombies simply linger on the platforms.

Ah, it feels good to be back in Starlight HQ after our recent adventures! We have lots of work to do.

Upon returning to Starlight HQ, there was one glaring issue that I took notice of almost immediately.

STAS is broken in some form, and after some considering I think I have identified exactly where that fault is coming from.

This issue only occurs after returning from the Nether – i.e. when I leave the loaded chunks. What happens is that I’ll take STAS to Starlight Station, disembark, then jump straight into the Nether before the minecarts have finished making their rounds. This is most likely causing them not to update when I return from the Nether, which in turn causes a backlog of carts on the track.

The solution? We need to connect all the STAS stations together, such that when you leave one station, every other station leaves as well. This will create a synchronized loop.

In order to connect all the stations together, we will need to implement two-way redstone lines. This requires a specific redstone repeater setup, as you can see here:

Using this two-way setup, we will be able to have the STAS stations all connect to one another. It won’t matter what station you start at – all will activate at once (well, with a slight delay). Below, you’ll see that I’ve toggled the lever on the left side. All sides still activate.

Likewise, if I toggle the right-most side, all sides will still activate.

The blue line will follow a similar suit, except that we have six stations to connect rather than four. Its setup will look like this:

No matter which station will use as the input, all six will activate at once. This is exactly the intended behavior for STAS that we need to implement, such that it functions as a true subway. It will be a complete re-engineering of how it works that will effectively be bug-free.

The levers indicate where the I/O of STAS stations need to be placed. Effectively, we need our two-way line to run laterally to the station redstone lines themselves. We have to be careful and make sure that both the input and output can stretch the 15 blocks to reach each two-way repeater.

For some stations, like the tangent station, we must power specific blocks because the wiring is already very tight (denoted with the glowstone and concrete blocks). This makes the job a bit challenging, especially since we have only an economy of space with which to work.

The red line is certainly simpler to tie together, because I have a single central web to which we can connect all four stations, like in the diagram at the top of the post.

Interestingly, redstone wires will not transmit power downward if they are on top of upside-down stair blocks. I’d like to think this will be changed.

And just so we are all on the same page, yes I did have to run a two-way wire all the way up to Starlight Treehouse station, which ate up roughly a whole stack of repeaters (since each two-way repeater takes four repeaters).

However, I am executing a bundling tactic when running wires to the outback, trying to keep all the wires close together so that I have more room to efficiently expand underground. This lessens the chance of us running into wires down the road.

All the wires are run the exact same way, so it is not necessary for me to show you every single repeater setup. However, some notable bugs came up during the testing process that do warrant some exposition. First, observe the following:

Even after the initial takeoff, the stations actually run on a perpetual loop for several cycles until eventually coming to a standstill. I watched every station for a while in order to determine why this behavior was occurring. At first, I thought that perhaps a bogey signal was repeating itself throughout the two-way redstone line.

In fact, the culprit is this:

The old way STAS ran was by having two sets of detector rails spaced apart preceding each station. The first detector rail would activate the station to send the next minecart outbound, while the second detector rail would halt the inbound train. With this setup, STAS would only move one cart at a time, like a domino effect. This takes forever to loop, and it is why the system would lockup upon leaving chunks.

What is happening here is that the first set of detector rails is causing an additional input on the two-way redstone line, creating a perpetual loop. The solution is to remove all these detector rails. We still need the second set to stop the inbound trains. But since we are now activating all the stations together, we no longer need the first set as all trains will be moving in succession.

Removing these detector rails will also help me to test each station and verify that all minecarts are leaving their station. In testing this, I am happy to see that the red line runs perfectly from all four stations! As you can see above, the inbound train to Starlight Treehouse is visible from the outbound train.

In testing the blue line, however, I ran into problems. Notably, the southbound Tetraquin Station was not activating from any station except its own, causing a buildup of carts. Why? The answer is because I was negligent in noticing that the incoming redstone line was longer than 15 blocks. As such, I had to install another two-way repeater.

From Starlight Station, another interesting property is observed. Since a redstone wire runs directly into the block which serves as the output (from the two-way repeater), this takes precedence and locks the input repeater. The system should actually look more like this:

…in which the redstone can receive output but not generate input to the block.

^ The same behavior is observable on two other stations, which is why they were not behaving properly.

Alas, in testing all six blue stations, I can verify that they now work as intended! All six stations toggle all six stations. Perfect! We have just created a subway system, and I cannot help but wonder how we might be able to utilize two-way redstone lines in the MISC later.

Some attention now needs to be drawn to the Starlight Station, which has remained incomplete in terms of its aesthetics. When I first built the station, it effectively took over the old horse stables. I never bothered to fix that.

I am also installing an entrance to STAS from the Nether Temple. It is annoying having to exit the Nether and travel all the way through the plaza just to get to STAS.

This will no longer be an issue, for I am putting an underground tunnel right inside the temple, taking over the original location for the transport pod.

The transport pod will be moved to the wall, of course, so that it remains accessible. But now I have a shortcut to STAS which will save on time exponentially.

I might as well finish the aesthetics of the station while I am here.

Much better, and it remains a mystery why I never bothered to finish it sooner. I suppose my priorities have been tossed around quite a bit.

With STAS effectively complete, I am itching to finish another very important feature for its transport pods. If you forgot, Starlight HQ currently features four transport pods that serve the purpose of transporting items around different parts of the base. The central rendezvous point for all pods is in the Starlight Resources Facility.

However, what happens if you spend so much time gathering items from the SRF to send to the Nether Temple (to bring into the Nether) and find that the cart is not even here? It’s a disappointment, because that means you need to make two trips to the Nether to get all your stuff transported. Transport pods are supposed to eliminate that hassle.

The solution is to utilize the two-way redstone system to make both ends of the transport pods activate each other. In practice, this means you will be able to call the cart from the other end if it is not on this one.

Oh, and it also means I need to redo the Starlight Room pod, because the cart needs to rest against a solid block.

Again, the exact same redstone is being installed here, so there is not much to show. Getting redstone underneath the powered rails in the SRF is a bit tricky and requires some tricks, but it is possible.

I installed this two-way call system to both the Nether Temple and Starlight Room transport pods. I have not yet done the Starlight Treehouse pod because I am almost out of repeaters, and I will probably need a stack or two for it. And I do not need to elaborate on why I am not doing the Mob Processing Hub pod today.

In reviewing my work today on STAS, I have decided that I will not be installing express lines, at least right now. Doing this will require additional redstone lines running throughout the base, and it will complicate the current system we have just bug fixed. For now, the current system will work fine, and I may revisit the possibility of implementing express lines later. I simply don’t think the work for that minor feature justifies its benefits.

So, that is STAS all completed! The only thing left for us to do is to connect it to the MISC so that I can use the subway to complete tasks throughout the base. The best place to do this will be at the four-way or six-way junctions, I think, but that work will be reserved for another day. I am very STAS-fatigued at this point!

That means we are moving onto a new base project. I mean, I was not going to leave this wall untouched forever! In thinking about how I want to tie up modular functions in this base for v3.0, I have realized that one major feature is missing from this base.

It should be pretty obvious at this point.

I cannot believe that I have gone this long now without a proper automated potion brewing system. For a while, it was in the back of my mind – after all, we have already automated almost everything else. Potions seem a no-brainer, except that I hardly use them. But then I started thinking about why I hardly use them: because they take so much time! I noticed this most expressively back in Session 255 when I crafted bountiful amounts of lingering potions to make tipped arrows. I am amazed at how long that process takes! Well, it will happen no longer.

The potion brewing system we are building today is going to be a slight modification of Mumbo’s design, and it is also only the first part of what we will fully realize with it. This is because the potion brewer will be the last major component of the modular system that we have spent the last couple years building within Starlight HQ. It will also be the first modular component to utilize the two-way redstone lines we made full use of in the previous session. Essentially, with this functionality, brewing potions will subsequently trigger other events in the base, and vice versa, based on the settings we prescribe in the MISC and other plugins.

This is therefore a two-step construction. Today, we will be focused on the first step: the potion brewer itself.

Its location will be in the tangent floor east wing – a new segment of the Power Museum we are about to dig out.

The system utilizes some very compact redstone, but it is not too complicated. Wooden buttons will select the potion you want to brew on the pink panel, and you can use the levers on the blue panel to select modifiers. The ingredients will filter into the brewing stand in the correct order to produce the potion of your choice.

The glowstone lamps here are indicator lamps to tell us when there are no more potion ingredients of that type in the dropper we’ll use to store them. This will help us avoid problems down the road.

^ The pulse extender here is used to dictate when to unlock the hopper underneath the brewing stand and remove the completed potions. As long as there are ingredients left in the hopper above the brewing stand (say, gunpowder to turn it into a splash potion, or dragon’s breath to turn it into a lingering potion), the pulse extender will not activate, and the potions will stay lodged until brewing is complete.

^ Here are the modifier options. When a potion is selected, its modifiers are also simultaneously dispensed. The levers out front simply use a piston/block system to select which modifiers we want.

For instance, above I have selected redstone and the fermented spider eye. The pistons are extended to allow power to reach those droppers once a potion is selected to brew.

Say goodbye to this old clunky storage room!

The order of modifiers is important, because we cannot negate a potion after turning it into a splash, for example. And we first need a splash before we can brew a lingering.

You will notice that one ingredient is missing an item frame – that would be the turtle shell. I only just obtained turtle eggs in this world, and I have yet to hatch them. So, for now, we have no turtle heads.

^ This chest will be used to store additional gunpowder because we have so much of it.

Here is the location of the chest that will contain the water bottles. But, how will we get water bottles into here? Surely, I do not plan to go through the troublesome process of manually filling and emptying bottles into this chest repeatedly. The goal of this entire project is to eliminate the tediousness associated with potion brewing.

My creative solution requires the destruction of the old mob drop storage room adjacent to the multi-purpose mob farm – a relic that has been collecting dust for at least five years!

The reason why I have not yet removed it is because every single chest is full of mob drops. So, I first need a place to move them.

On the SRF control floor, I’m thinking that I can just dig out an extra storage cellar for all these excess drops. After all, it is primely placed next to the mob drop item sorter.

Using some shulker boxes, I can quickly and efficiently move all the drops downstairs. And you would be right to conclude that I filled up every single one of those chests. Ugh, I never thought I would dread the day of having too many resources. But I am struggling to keep up at this point. Even the principal mod drop storage is about to fill up completely.

In place of the old storage room, I will be building a station specifically for refilling water bottles.

A simple setup, it will be grounds for a new generator later. Empty glass bottles will be stored in the four double chests. Using the pool of water above, you can quickly fill as many bottles as you want and let them pour out of your inventory into the hoppers! See below:

A perfect system, a considerable line of hoppers will take these bottles all the way down to the water bottle storage in the brewer.

Later, we will come up with ways to have this refilling station automatically initiate the brewing process and other events within the base. For now, however, this is perfectly fine.

Looks like it works! Now, we should test the brewer.

A success! We now have some night vision potions.

I am finishing the aesthetics of this hall but note that the empty wall is being prepared for further development. Indeed, there is a reason I have a total of five 3x3 spaces marked!

The next stage is to remove the old potion storage room that has ruled a plagued existence since its conception more than five years ago. It does look pretty, but it is terribly misplaced now.

I am temporarily moving all the current potions down to the SRF control floor until I expand a proper storage room for them, the location of which will be right here next to the modular farms and excess mob drop storage (which, conveniently, is also right beneath the new brewing system).

This prime real estate is now going to be used for something far more integral.

So, we are nearing beta phase for Starlight HQ 3.0, which means that the modular system is getting close to being completed in some form. As we conclude construction of the brewer’s modular functions and tie up some other loose ends, the modular base will be ready for testing (that means I will need people willing to test it, but more on that later).

In preparation for this, we need a central power source for the entire base – a source of power that can effectively act as a master switch for the entire modular computer we have buried within Starlight HQ.

This is the inception of the tesseract – the sixth and final stage of the Tetraquin Project.

Our potion brewing system works beautifully, and I am quite satisfied with how it fits into the base so far. But its ability to brew any type of potion is just the first of its many potential functions. Today, we are going to transform this brewer into one of the most versatile modular components of Starlight HQ. Its potential is unrivaled because of how many different options it has.

We could, for instance, set up a situation in which every entrance/exit from the Nether brews a batch of only fire resistance potions. Or speed potions. Or both! Or, I can have a batch of healing potions brew every time an iron golem is killed in our iron farm. Or, I can have both slow falling and regeneration potions brew every time the villagers harvest crops in our modular farms. Perhaps I decide to also switch things around and have the SRF farms harvest their crops every time I brew a batch of night vision potions.

See what I mean? The possibilities are endless with this machine. And we’re going to fully explore that today, with three major components.

The first component is a multiplex modifier that will be the liaison between the MISC and the potion brewer. This is what we will use to direct the MISC towards a specific set of potions to brew. The second is an automatic dispensing system for potion ingredients, identical to the manual one we built in the previous session. We have to use a separate set of droppers with their own potion ingredients in order to automate the process. Finally, we’ll construct two-way redstone lines between the potion brewer and MISC as the third component, such that we can use it as both an output from other operations and an input for others.

First and foremost, though – let’s build a storage room!

Situated on the SRF control floor adjacent to the modular crop farms (above Redstone Room), I have a large array of chests – three for each potion type, with each of the three representing the regular, splash, and lingering variants.

Currently, I do not have a way to sort them automatically, but I am determined to find a way to do this as it’s the only part we will not be able to automate as of today. Once we can automate the sorting and storing of potions, then we will have a truly lossless system.

For now, let’s begin the wiring components for the automated version of this farm. We effectively need to build a second set of droppers/hoppers like the ones above. We cannot use those because they are too ingrained within the wiring of the brewer.

The MISC will also need to power this redstone line running underneath the brewer, as this is how the potions will be brewed.

^ I am using the only available hopper in the line to connect the second set of droppers. All twelve of these need to be activated by separate redstone lines. That means yes – we need to construct twelve individual redstone lines up here.

Where will they originate? Well, next to the potion storage cellar, I will build the Starlight Generator Brew Selector. This selector (and potion storage) is located directly beneath the potion brewer, which will make it easy to connect both.

I am building a staircase to connect the two, which also means we now have another means of accessing the control floor from the tangent floor.

Alright, so this selector will utilize an item frame’s ability to produce a different output signal depending on its position. On the right side, we have the primary eight potions. The left side will be OFF by default, but once you change its position, the right side will become inactive and you can select among the seven potions over there.

How we create the individual lines is by juggling a torch/repeater setup based on the item frame’s comparator output (from one to eight).

^ The lit redstone torch indicates which potion is selected. The key challenge now is how to get all fifteen lines up to the brewer, while still keeping them separated.

This piston above is how we will disable the right side once we move the left side away from the OFF position. Any comparator output larger than one will retract that piston, keeping the comparator on the right side from transmitting power.

I am duplicating the setup on the left side; however, things will be slightly different since we are also using this side to brew negative potions (slowness, harming, invisibility, weakness). This will require a different type of setup.

The best way to keep these redstone lines separated is by not using redstone dust. This will induce more lag when the system becomes active, but it is also the most compact way of achieving what we want.

The pistons up top will retract when active, allowing power to enter through them.

^ The MISC will send power to all the repeaters above, but as you can see, only one will get through (the retracted piston), which means only one type of potion will brew.

Here are some photos of the redstone torch towers that inevitably need to be constructed for the next part:

It is a whole mess! But, I think I am keeping it well organized for the most part. Every line is so far separate, and I am successfully getting power up to the individual droppers.

In extending the dropper lines, I notice that I am quite close to the surface! Just how close, you ask?

****! That’s how close.

Here, you can see the other side of the selector, which will brew any among the last seven potions. Four of these are negative potions, which will require me to connect their respective lines to existing lines (i.e. slowness will just activate the speed + fermented spider eye droppers).

^ This torch tower is dedicated to the fermented spider eye dropper. Currently, I have both the slowness and weakness potions sending power into it. Slowness is also powering the speed torch tower, as you can see above.

Things are getting cramped very quickly, forcing me to find creative ways to move redstone around. As expected, I need to use more repeaters/torches than I would like. More of these always induces more lag, but we have no choice here.

Above, I have setup the invisibility potion selector, which simply lets power through both the night vision and weakness droppers.

Having setup all the potion selectors, we now must initiate some tests. This means heading into the MISC and establishing link options!

To start, we are going to build four link options:

1B – Crop farms > Potion brewer

2B – Furnace room > Potion brewer

3B – Nether Temple > Potion brewer

4B – Iron farm > Potion brewer

Links 1B and 4B will make the potion brewer into a very efficient potion farm because the crop and iron farms are almost always active. This means that for every output signal from these farms, a batch of potions will brew (potions will always be brewing). Links 2B and 3B rely on manual input. Once we use the furnace room or access the Nether Temple, only then will a batch of potions brew. This way, we have some options for how we want to automate the system.

Creating new links is actually quite easy to do at this point – the main problem we always run into is limited space. All we must do is build an AND gate that requires our link settings in order to become active. So, for instance, above you see two torches active on the MISC output side. This indicates Link 1B – the input from button 1 and the output from button B.

Once both are active, we’ll send that output to another AND gate which will produce output only when the crop farms become active. In the above photo, the line in the back is coming from Link 1B in the MISC. The line on the left is coming from the crop farms. The resulting output line will head back to the potion brewer.

Very important: grounding the redstone lines with stone brick or another building material. Just placing them on stone or dirt is a recipe for disaster, as I will accidentally break it later. I can’t tell you how many times this has already occurred.

Above is another important function for the MISC. Because we are brewing negative potions separately, we need to disable the fermented spider eye modifier from the manual brewer. This is just in case we happen to have it selected on the manual brewer. We don’t want two spider eyes jumping into the system and clogging it.

Alright, before we plug in the brewer to the MISC, we need to do some test runs. I’ll be using a button inside the brewer where the MISC input line will be coming in to perform these tests.

The good news is that part works… but the rest does not. Why? So begins the bugfixing phase.

BUGFIXING PHASE:

FINAL PHASE / NOTES

For a while, I have been very narrowly focused on modular development within Starlight HQ. And don’t get me wrong – this is a very essential part of the base, and probably its binding element at this point. However, it should go without saying that modular features are already auxiliary by nature. Starlight HQ has become a giant experiment – one that is going very successfully.

But we need to take a step back and look at the base as a whole. In doing so, we see an incomplete canvas! Indeed, we have been shaping the base up to prepare for its third unveiling, and we’re so close to having it at a stage ready for beta testing! But aesthetic features are just as important as the functional stuff. That’s what we’re going to look at today.

First, we need to complete the iron farm! Functionally, the farm is complete. But aesthetically, we still need to cap it off. And I’ve been holding off because of how exactly I want to do it.

Basically, I’m building a giant ball of iron. And no, it is not hollow.

Cool, right? But there is more incoming.

Even cooler! This is always what I wanted here, and now I have taken the time to design the rings exactly as necessary to fit them atop the iron farm. Now, I know the next photo that you’re waiting for…

Starlight HQ might as well be a space explorer’s fantasyland. Haha, the base is starting to look so much more complete. Indeed, we are closer than you may think to the completion of v3.0.

Today’s main project is, in fact, a brand-new build that will be placed in front of the iron farm. Why, you ask?

Well, this entire area has left Starlight very exposed at night, and this is the number one area where mobs infiltrate the base. I figure we can have a new build right here as a natural wall that actually accomplishes another goal: having an area in the base devoid of redstone.

With the entirety of Starlight HQ now a fully operational redstone computer, that means there is nowhere to hide from the system. It’s infiltrated everything! Sometimes, you may want a space to get away from all the busy activity that is constantly happening within the base.

Introducing the Starlight Solace Center (SSC), which will be the equivalent of our zen garden within HQ. A place to relax. A place to do nothing at all.

Believe it or not, the SSC was one of the first build ideas I had conceptualized many years ago when initially planning v3.0 and the outback faction. The reason it has not been constructed sooner is because we really needed the entire modular system in place before having a zen garden would be necessary.

A key element in the construction of this build is that I am using materials from all Starlight HQ’s constructions. Purpur from Starlight Castle. Iron/quartz from the Power Museum, black clay from the SRF, dark oak logs and wood from the treehouse and outback, and then I have a whole plan for the floor.

In this way, the build will be a full representation of every build, which is kind of the point.

In terms of entrances, I am giving the SSC two.

First, you’ll be able to enter directly from outside through a large opening. That part is fairly simplistic.

The second entrance will also provide another means of access to the Power Museum and outback faction.

It means I need to tear down the Sunset Balcony. Old piece of **** anyway.

From here, I’ll build a very long corridor crossing over top the Farmlands. Those are still obsolete, by the way.

^ It will connect to the SSC here, at this checkerboard pattern of carpets I have yet to discern.

Today, I do not plan to work on the large floor of the SSC, mostly because we actually don’t yet have the resources for it. I know – that’s hard to believe at this point. We’re 5,600 days into this world and still we are missing some significant resources.

That’s okay, because pretty soon we will have them all. Before the end of the season, anyway.

In the meantime, we can still enjoy a new sunset from the SSC interior.

Hmm, I also think gold doesn’t work in here.

Much better, and this follows suit with Starlight Castle’s theme colors of light blue and purple.

Although we cannot yet complete the SSC, we can construct an important build next to it that I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

Is it a parkour course? A game? A piece of pixel art?

Nope, it’s just a labyrinth. It’s not even a maze.

Back in January, I visited a labyrinth in Wilmington, DE, which was effectively just a long winding path that you were intended to follow as you contemplate whatever thoughts you so desire. It is this guiding principle which makes the labyrinth a perfect addition to the SSC, and why we will be building it here.

That being said, it is not a small build by any means – it requires stacks on stacks of red concrete, black concrete, and… coal blocks.

I am using coal blocks for the walls and roof to give the labyrinth a very secluded feel, even though it is an exterior build on the surface. This is the first time that I have used coal blocks in a build.

And with some red glass panes, the labyrinth is done! To be honest, I find it quite mesmerizing to look at, let alone play.

A true zen garden indeed. Perfect for us to use as we contemplate the massive new project that comes next.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about one glaring oversight I made several years ago when contemplating exactly what happened the day Techtropolis fell. The council of Techtown was somehow able to tamper with ancient redstone lines inside the jungle temple and embed a recorded message for me to hear. I never even stopped to deliberate on this facet of the event.

They recorded this message… but when? It could have been months, even years, before I ended up finding it. I need an answer to that question. I need an answer to all my questions.

After much deliberation, I have decided that I will extend a formal invitation to the council of Techtown. The last time we met, in Session 200, they threatened to shut down Starlight HQ. Clearly, that hasn’t gone well for them. But even Violet could not help me understand exactly what happened after I left (she was a bit insane). If any council members are still alive, then I am willing to bet they have some more insight. Violet cannot be the only one who was left.

Before I extend this invitation, however, I need to prepare a place for them to reside. Indeed, I need the council to see that I have everyone’s best interests in mind. I do not want to destroy civilization – quite the opposite. Perhaps the best way to prove that is to build a civilization. Above, you can see the entirety of Quintropolis Island, with Starlight HQ on the right and Totem Run barely in the top-left.

I will propose a new home for the council, the Inner Circle, right here on Quintropolis Island, just a few hundred blocks from Starlight HQ. This will become the first neighborhood of Starlight City, which will be the next proposition to the council once I showcase Starlight HQ in its proper form.

See, the council’s beliefs operate under the idea that I have no self-control. They think that I am going to eventually cause the destruction of everything. Even Violet, who claimed to be full of prophetic visions of the future, told me that I would beckon the destruction of everything. I do hold that information with a grain of salt, but I cannot see a version of this story which ends this way. After all, I have already defeated Enderquin.

For the Inner Circle, I plan to construct a large monument in the center, with six to eight homes surrounding it. The circle will be one large village.

I did not initially realize just how varied the terrain was in this area. It is initially reminiscent of the leveling process I had to do in Vax Valley.

This time, though, I am going to be smarter and set up a Haste II beacon. This is a beacon I stole from Starlight Outback to borrow temporarily. I’ll give it back once we are done.

Surrounding the monument, which will be made entirely out of gold blocks, I’ll build a two-wide and two-deep moat. This will keep anyone from being able to access the monument, including mobs.

A view from above:

About the gold part – I never said the monument would be completed today! I do not have nearly enough gold for this. I have already designed the monument in a testing world, and I can tell you that building it entirely out of gold would require a well-stocked 401(k), which I do not yet have.

Just this flat platform here is somewhere around 3-4 stacks of gold blocks. And… the monument will be much more than a platform in case you were wondering.

Here is a view of the Inner Circle from Emerald Hills:

As I am leveling out the mountain adjacent to the circle, I am thinking about turning this area into the main shopping area of the village. I’ll set up some shops into the mountain, similarly to how Leangreen has built his Chunk Plaza. It’s either that, or I have to terraform the entire thing, which will get quite cumbersome and unnecessary.

First, we will establish a direct railway link to the Inner Circle from Starlight Station. This is not really for us – we already have elytra and can get here in seconds. It is for the villagers.

This railway will have an official station set up later, once I figure out how I want to design the shops. For now, just having the railway is important.

This is now the third railway from Starlight Station that exists, but I already have all eight planned out. Whether we get to them all this season just depends on how much we get done.

Okay, I leave Starlight for a minute, come back, and the entire crop farm storage has completely overflown. This has been an issue since we first built them because it produces too quickly. I have yet to find a suitable solution.

But for now, trading the hell out of them will do.

Yet another reason we are bringing the council over to Quintropolis Island is to improve our trade network. Currently, I only have the few villagers downstairs that are operating the modular farms. They are also artificial villagers made from zombies.

A few chorus fruits here and there will decorate the circle nicely.

Here is the Inner Circle as it exists right now. Before we visit Techtown to get the attention of the council, we need to have a plan already set up. I would like to bring the members of Techtown over to the island the day I visit if they will be willing. If they are even there.

It is a bit strange, isn’t it? Quintropolis has been way too quiet since the day Techtropolis fell. That is strange.

The Inner Circle is going to be more than just the first neighborhood of Starlight City – it needs to be a haven for immunity from the dangers of the surrounding island. I do not plan on bringing the council over just to kill them.

The moat will be properly lit, as will the monument in the center once we get to erecting that.

For right now, I’m going to keep my plans for the neighborhood quite simple, so as to not get too far over my head. I do want a fully developed village, but first I need a place for the council members to safely reside. This will be our focus today.

The neighborhood’s first home will be situated on the southern coast, in-between the jungle and Emerald Hills.

I would like to keep some of the original terrain to avoid the area being so flat. However, some leveling will be necessary to ensure a stable foundation for the house.

I’ve been in a toss-up regarding the materials I would like to use. But in general, I am planning on clay, wood, some stone, and quartz. We are not looking to build mansions here – just nice houses with some degree of modernity.

Ha, poor zombies can’t touch this!

Lanterns will be a principal light source, while I am using stripped logs for a change.

What do we have here in the distance?

An army of PILLAGERS? I have never caught those in Quintropolis before. They speak a broken language that I cannot decipher. I wonder if they used to be villagers.

But they are not friendly! So, they must be removed from the island!

Milk does a good job removing the Bad Omen I received – I wouldn’t want to linger on what possibilities that holds for Quintropolis’s future. Arguably, we already have plenty of bad omens.

This house will consist of two rooms – one living space and one “dining” (but really trading) space. I am trying to maintain a rather diverse palette of building blocks for the modern theme.

^ I’ll place a sunroof overhead.

^ Here, you can see a view of the first home on the coast. The exterior needs some work yet, but we can always touch it up here and there.

A porch on the back provides a beautiful view of the jungle on one side and Emerald Hills on the other.

Where are you going, ugly phantoms? To hell, that’s where.

I am acutely focused on the outside even more so than the interior. I’d like to develop the yard and road so that the construction feels much more complete.

^ Eventually, we will construct a large array of hedges surrounding the circle so that zombie sieges like this will not happen.

What’s this? Another army of pillagers? They nearly killed me!! How is that possible? I have no clue where these guys are coming from, or how they invaded Quintropolis Island so easily. I guess I just don’t get out much.

A nice fountain, some lanterns, and hedges should complete the road quite nicely. I want to keep this area open for the villagers to roam, but to do that I need to ensure the area is safe enough.

Haha, the fireplace caught the tree on fire. It was in the way anyway.

Okay, I think the home is secure. I’ll take down my temporary beacon and return it to Starlight HQ. Then it is time to visit Techtown.

Damn, it has been a long time since I traveled on the Great Northern Railway. But this is how I am getting the villagers to their new home.

Welcome back to Techtown, the oldest organized civilization in the world. It may as well be a ghost town now!

“Hello!” I exclaim upon actually seeing some sign of human life!

“Halt! Who are you??” inquires a curious librarian. Actually, they are all librarians.

“Why, my name is Joey. I come from –“

“Joey San? The antichrist?” the council members step back.

“Huh?? I am no such thing!” They clearly have no clue what’s going on.

“The secretary of Techtown was seen dead during our last visit to your home. The wretched civilization called Starlight.” Now, they seem upset. I don’t blame them.

“I… I had nothing to do with that! I wasn’t even there.”

“But… you had given him a full tour. We remember. Drexel here documented everything.”

Ah, so they do have names.

“Yeah, ya’ll were together and then… poof! You’re gone and he’s dead. Coincidence? Likely not.” Drexel acts like he has everything figured out.

“So what, are you here to murder us, too?” the nameless one responds.

“What? No! I am not a murderer! Look, I know tensions have been high since that day. I am here to offer amends.”

The council laughs.

“Amends? Boshtok, what do you think of that?” Drexel asks the nameless one, who I suppose does have a name.

“I think it’s moot! Haha! Get out of town.”

“You call this a town?” I consider taking a different approach. “What quality of life do you have?”

“We have protection from-“

“Protection from what? Mobs? Who do you think built you this wall?”

Boshtok and Drexel remain silent. I figure this is as good a time as ever to make my point before they chime in.

“I have spent the last several years building a civilization to foster that protection. And I am here to offer you that protection. To live at Starlight.

“You think we trust you?” Boshtok quickly asks. “Look at what happened the last time we were there!”

Actually, that’s the part I never found out…

“So, something did happen. Why don’t you tell me?”

“Ask Violet, she never wanted to leave that cursed island anyway—”

“Violet’s dead.”

There was a suspicious silence. I know they probably insist that I killed her, too.

“She died protecting whatever secret she couldn’t tell me. A secret that maybe I could help prevent. A secret that Starlight is designed to fight against.”

“Where exactly did she die?” asks Drexel, who is all too keen now to know.

“She died… by Enderquin’s hand.” A gasp is shared among the villagers who now whisper to one another. I postulated that it was likely best not to disclose the location of Enderquin’s portal. Clearly, they don’t know it exists. I think I will keep it that way until I understand the gravity of the situation.

“Okay,” the third nameless council member chimes in. “Boshtok and Drexel will go with you to Quintropolis Island. They will see your argument through. However, you are always to remain in their sight.”

“If what you say is true, that you want to protect us, and Quintropolis, then you will not have a problem with these conditions,” adds Drexel. He is becoming a pain in my ass, although he offers a charming Efficiency V book.

“Fair enough,” I add with a sigh. “I built you a nice house anyway.”

And so, I once again received no answers to my questions, instead beckoning more questions. I know that something is going on, and ironically, I am the only one out of the loop. That is a problem that must be remedied, though I remain confident that reintroducing my presence into Techtown was the smart move.

It seems like the council wants to work with me, though they remain highly suspicious of my work. I will do everything I can to win them over, to prove that Starlight HQ is the protection that Quintropolis needs. That I am their protector. Their god. And they will worship me as such.

For a while, I kept my scope fairly narrow regarding exactly what features that the MISC would be in charge of controlling. From the beginning, I was very clear on key farms/features: iron farm, mob farm, Night Lights, crop farms, and now the potion brewer. All of these (excluding the mob farm) were built this season with modular functionality in mind. I had been operating under the assumption that I needed to build new farms and builds specifically for the MISC (like the villager-powered crop farms). But thinking this way really narrowed how I was looking at the base, and as a result left me unable to conceptualize more creative ways of linking it together.

As I step back and look at Starlight HQ as a whole, I am realizing that we have way more that we can do with the farms and features we already have. Everything we built in Season 2, and even in Season 1, can be hooked up to the MISC. I didn’t even think about using the slime farm as an input! What about the chicken farm? And the sugar cane farm? All of these are automatic farms and work just as well as the iron farm.

Let’s not forget about other player-controlled farms like our nether wart farm, which we can use to automate the potion brewer.

How about using the giant mushroom farm?

…and the colored wool farm? ALL of these are fantastic options for MISC inputs, yet before now I hadn’t even considered using them.

Our primary objective today is to link everything together and complete the MISC’s final few features, which are very important for the base to reach its fullest potential. Once this is done, we can then enter beta phase and test all our modular links and features! Exciting times!

MISC FEATURES

INSTALLING THE FARMS

And that, my friends, is the completed MISC. Starlight HQ 3.0 is officially in beta phase. Time for testing!!

I’ve been fixing a lot of bugs that showed up throughout my testing of the many different setups we can build with the MISC. Fun fact: we can now use Starlight HQ in more than 15,345 different ways! That’s absolutely insane. The same base can be customized at its core level in that many ways, which is why we need to do testing! I am expected to test all these combinations to make sure there are no bugs. And I’ve got a long way to go! Bugs will show up even after 3.0 is released.

Also, that number only reflects the current plugins, which consist of one generator (MISC) and four modifiers (Starlight Balancer, Starlight Inverter, Starlight Compressor, and Spectrometer). Once we start adding more plugins, and more options for those plugins, we will see this number increase exponentially. That’s the plan going forward, since the framework we have built will make it much easier to install new plugins.

Today, we will be constructing the base’s second generator, which will also be the first proper generator. See, the MISC is already somewhat unique because it only bridges the gap between input and output. It relies on core features of the base to function.

The generator we are building today will have a specific function in the base and will be customizable based on that. It won’t be a universal system like the MISC, because its function will be more specific. Hopefully, you will be able to see how we can get more creative with our modular options.

Called the Dropbox, this plugin will be an automatic item drop-off point for shulker boxes, which will sort out heavy items like cobblestone, stone, stone brick, dirt, etc. All the rest will go in a holding array of chests down in the SRF to be sorted manually.

Here’s why we need the Dropbox:

Among all the disorganized chests I have in the Essentials Room, many of them are full of heavy-set items like cobblestone, stone, and other materials I tend to accumulate large quantities of. The purpose of the Dropbox is not only to create a new storage area for these items, but to eliminate the work of dealing with them. I can deal with sorting all the other stuff. I hate dealing with large quantities of items.

Now, why is this a plugin for the modular system? Well, the Dropbox will simultaneously be able to modulate all the farms in the Starlight Resources Facility depending on which items it is receiving. In this way, we can use the Dropbox to effectively toggle/harvest all our main crop farms, without doing any work at all. And it will be sorting all our items, too. Sounds great to me.

Take note that this is a separate plugin from the MISC. It will not be connected to the MISC in any way – all its functions will be independent of what is happening within the MISC. This is a core characteristic of our generator plugins – they run independent of one another.

The Dropbox will also have a separate channel in the modular mixer, with all our modifiers being capable of modifying it separately from the MISC. This is why we have a mixer.

Its location will be quite conveniently near the Essentials Room – over here adjacent to the powerhouse chamber where the old zombie tower used to exist.

The functionality here is quite simple and automatic – you can place a shulker box full of items (ideally the aforementioned types) above any of the four hoppers (or, all of them if you have multiple shulker boxes), and all items will be pulled down a hopper chain to a storage room.

^ Here, I have constructed the storage room for these mass items in the SRF control floor, right next to the tree farm as you can see from the viewing window.

This is a very long hopper chain, yes.

Okay, the item sorters are not unlike any other, but there are some key characteristics of the Dropbox that make it unique as a plugin. What you can see above is that I am using comparators to detect specific items from the sorting system. These side outputs will go on to perform specific automations in the base.

Each item gets its own side output, so that they can be separated later if desired.

The principal architecture of the Dropbox is done, but now I am clearing some space so we can construct its modular capabilities.

One of these will be its ability to force activate all the farms in the SRF – this includes the sugar cane farm which previously did not have an option to force activate. I needed to construct a new line of redstone for this to occur.

Behind here in the control area, I’m taking advantage of our new redstone line by adding the option to keep the sugar cane farm powered on or off. Our supply has overflowed, as with most other resources in this base – so, having a way to toggle the farms on/off is becoming more essential. In this way, we can effectively reverse the behavior of the Dropbox (so, if the sugar cane farm is off by default, it will toggle it ON, and vice versa).

The Dropbox’s functions are effectively wired, so now we can get a little more creative by applying its modifiers:

^ What you’re seeing above is the Starlight Inverter at work, now plugged into the Dropbox. It’s a XOR gate, which in this case will have a more targeted function. If the Inverter is plugged in, then the Dropbox will only automate farms if un-sorted items are detected (i.e. any item that isn’t in the sorter, such as stone, cobblestone, dirt, stone slabs, or stone brick).

Next is Starlight Balancer. If this is plugged in, then the Dropbox separates all the item outputs to control different farms. Normally, the Dropbox will toggle all farms at once if any of the sortable items are detected. But, as the point of the Balancer is to reduce activity, we can choose to have only the melon farm harvest if stone is detected, for instance. Useful!

The Starlight Compressor will do the same as it does in the MISC – limit the length of the incoming pulse so that the farms do not remain in an OFF position. Recall that the goal of the Compressor is to maximize efficiency. Well, if there is a large quantity of stone being processed at once, then the side outputs will remain active until there is no more stone to sort. This means that all farms connected to that output will remain in a “harvested” position (pistons extended, for instance), reducing their ability to grow more crops.

^ Here is an example of what would happen if Starlight Compressor was not plugged in. Because stone is consistently being funneled through the Dropbox, these pistons will remain extended, causing a decrease in the efficiency of these farms. The Compressor will reduce the pulse, so that it resets until a new pulse is detected.

The Spectrometer does as you would expect – prevents the Dropbox from working when it’s night, or vice versa if the ‘Invert’ option is selected.

Finally, I’m adding options behind the Dropbox interface to enable/disable hoppers. This is important if you want your shulker boxes back.

The Dropbox’s final UI:

You have the option to enable/disable links, so that you can either use it as a modular generator or as just an item sorter. The choices are all up to you! Or, me, rather.

WEAKNESS POTION SELECTOR

Okay, so I keep putting off a very important addition that should have been added for Starlight HQ’s beta test – however, better late than never! We are missing the integral potion of weakness brewer that needs to be built separately from the primary brewer.

Why? Well, potions of weakness do not require nether wart to brew, and our primary brewer cannot bypass that principal ingredient. So, we just need to install a separate brewer, which we will then be able to toggle from within the MISC.

First, I’ll make sure to reset all links currently connected to the potion brewer, as I do not want any activity taking place there while I work on it.

We will want the option to brew these manually, of course, so I will put this brewer right here next to the mushroom storage. Perfectly suited, I think.

Credits to OceanPhoenix for this stellar design! It is a wonderful brewer specifically for splash weakness potions, which is exactly what we would be brewing.

Now, you are wondering: how do we get the selector hooked up to this?

Easy. We build another one.

When ‘weakness’ is selected, the regular potion brewer will be blocked from activation by the MISC. Note that you can still use it manually. The system then works normally, brewing a batch of weakness potions in the dedicated weakness potion brewer.

Perfect! With that all done, there’s really only one efficiency issue left to tackle:

What a silly oversight!

Well, that’s all fixed up.

Starlight Plaza is known for Starlight Arcade, let’s be honest. As such, I don’t see the harm in turning the entire faction into an arcade. I mean, we already have a damn trampoline and a scavenger hunt out here. Why stop there?

Starlight Arcade does need some updating. First, I’ll start by expanding the “light snake” that plays along the roof

whenever you enter the arcade.

This is a simple process, and I am designing it ever so slightly differently to break up the monotony of the arcade.

The Sandbox has become a project that I work on in bits and pieces, which is how it will continue throughout the rest of the season. This is because building the puzzle requires a lot of brain work, and it would be foolish to limit my progression of this world’s projects simply to force my brain to work. Still, I won’t allow this season to end (and for the

world download to be released) until it’s done (check out Session 239 for an overview of this project).

What you see above is actually a failed attempt to integrate “The Floor is Lava” into Starlight Arcade. I botched this project due to lack of space, instead considering that I could build a separate parkour course based around this concept. That would be quite fun! Indeed, “Landing Pad” already features some elements like this.

So, basically, I didn’t do much work on Starlight Arcade, except improve the token dispenser.

BUZZ BLAST

As if Starlight Arcade was not enough, I see an amazing opportunity here to utilize the Starlight Bay.

We are going to implement a new parkour course! It will be located right here on the water of Starlight Plaza, nicely bright and colorful.

A unique element about this course is that you need to figure out how to access it… legitimately, that is.

Yay! What a fun course. It honestly deserves to be on the Parkour Wall of Fame.

And, it adds such a colorful element to the Starlight skyline! Just looking at it brings me satisfaction, which is the whole point. But what’s inside the pink flower? Well, you’ll need to play it and see.

I can provide replay value, too, by adding some challenges/patterns to how you complete the course. These will be available in the Starlight Castle library, above the second floor.

Cleaned up the plaza beach, too. Eventually, I'll need to find a way to remove all the torches! One step at a time.

“Buzz Blast” has been on the agenda for a while – much longer than “The Floor is Lava.” However, I do plan to continue my trend of game-building to implement the latter at a later date! For now, this will do.

STARLIGHT OVERDRIVE

I can’t help but look at a serious plugin opportunity that’s missing in the base and choose today to build it. Up until now, production in Starlight HQ has followed along a linear and predictable pattern. I know approximately how long it will take to get a stack of iron ingots from the iron farm. I know how long it will take for the crop farm chests to fill up (not very long). I have a generally well-rounded idea for the level of efficiency that exists in the base’s principal production farms.

I see the potential to add some variance to this level of production.

Introducing Starlight Overdrive, a modifier that will allow the unique ability of overdriving the production targets of the generator plugin it is modifying. In essence, this plugin will give the modular plugins an ability that you cannot replicate outside of using them – they will be able to overdrive the production of resources in the base.

How is this possible? Well, it isn’t a linear process that we can complete today. There are two main parts of installing this plugin: (1) building the pulse multipliers at certain outputs to multiply the number of output pulses, and (2) multiplying the physical size of all farms in the base to allow higher production output.

Here’s the plugin’s UI:

The key is the “Multiply by” item selector, which will be the single parameter responsible for controlling exactly how much production output is multiplied. In order to implement this correctly, I would need to, for instance, build a total of eight additional melon/pumpkin farms, with this parameter controlling how many of those eight additional farms are enabled within the base operations. These additional “overdrive” farms will only be toggled by modular activity and would otherwise be inaccessible.

For instance, say we build a link in the MISC for the iron farm to toggle SRF farms. As you already know, this means that for every iron ingot that is detected from the farm, a pulse will be sent to all farms in the SRF (that’s melon, pumpkin, cactus, sugar cane, nether wart, flower farms) that will harvest them automatically. If we plug Starlight Overdrive into the MISC and set the “Multiply by” selector to 5, this will mean that all SRF farms will be multiplied five-fold. So, I need to build eight additional flower farms, eight melon/pumpkin farms, eight nether wart farms, etc.

Obviously, I can’t do all this work today, and indeed installing these farms will need to be done off-site, as they won’t all physically fit within this space. I would need to build a separate hub for all these farms, then funnel them back into the SRF with long hopper chains. This process is going to be a major addition that I don’t plan to construct today. My goal today is to get the UI and principal wiring installed for Starlight Overdrive. We’ll work on the “overdrive” part later.

We can, however, build the pulse multipliers that will be useful for certain other functions in the base, mostly the potion brewer. For this, I’ll use Starlight Overdrive to multiply the number of cycles that potions will brew. So, “Multiply by” set to 3 will set the potion brewer to run three times per single input. So, you will get nine potions total.

To install this functionality, we need a variable pulse multiplier in addition to some very specific pulse extenders. I’m using this hopper/dropper design that will let me make fine adjustments to the pulses and the length of multiplication.

Ideally, yes, we would build eight additional potion brewers as the ideal behavior is for multiple sets of potions to brew simultaneously (otherwise, it isn’t much different from the potion brewer being triggered three times in a row). But doing this would be far too complex and large for the space with which we are working. So, I’m installing it this way, and I can always build upon it later on if I so choose. With the potion brewer already working around the clock due to receiving inputs from everything else, this addition may eventually be the logical next step.

For now, though, I’m happy with this, and that I’ve wired up the “AUX in” gates for Starlight Overdrive to both the MISC and Dropbox generators.

The other features will be implemented after we build the new farms, but essentially we will get the following:

• Color – will add randomization and give some variance to the production levels (i.e. if “Multiply by” is set to 5, enabling “color” will render the outputs sometimes at 4, sometimes at 6, etc.
• Lowpass filter – this feature will require a certain pulse length in order to enable multiplication. Having this filter will keep the base from lagging too badly every single time an iron ingot is detected, for example (since those pulses are very quick, it would cause an overload). Whereas, if this feature is enabled, you would need a decent stream of iron ingots to keep the pulse alive long enough to trigger multiplication.
• MAX OUT – Yup, this is going to do exactly what it says. If you enable this, it will maximize everything. I am actually thinking of turning this into a button that, when pressed, will harvest all nine of all farms that are hooked up to it. In this way, it will be a one-stop way to get a huge influx of resources in an instant. Still undecided on that, as I still want to keep the features of this plugin as a modifier exclusive to generator inputs. Having this feature as a button would turn it into a hybrid generator/modifier (nothing wrong with that, but it would detract from the plugin’s purpose as being exclusive to the modular processes of the MISC and Dropbox).

And that’s how easy it will be to overdrive the production of EVERYTHING in this base. I need a new storage system, badly.

But what’s the deal with the Secret Switch?

Just you wait and see… this entire base will be chock full of fun and games by the time you get to play in it.

You already know that I’m a completionist, as was clearly evidenced when I built a full storage room just to organize all the types of tipped arrows, despite the fact that I rarely use them (because they are difficult to acquire). But, I always make sure to build everything at the appropriate time, in the appropriate place. Today, that trend continues as we finally address a significant chunk of blocks that have so far been completely missing from Starlight HQ, and Quintropolis as a whole: glazed terracotta.

There are a few places in which I have used glazed terracotta, but they have not been widely acquired throughout this world, despite being in Minecraft for a long time. Why are we finally getting around to them today? Obviously, I have some specific uses for them.

For this, we need to build a separate storing/smelting room for the glazed terracotta. I’m looking to build it close to the original clay/glass storage room down in the SRF storage cellars.

To do that, I need to move the paper mill which I have been using for paper storage.

I can easily squeeze that storage room on the bottom floor, directly underneath the stairwell to the Diamond Mine. This keeps it completely out of the way, so that we can fully utilize the space for other builds. Such as the smelter we’ll build today.

This is not a very complicated build – it simply takes space and resources to construct. I’ll simply be sorting all the clay colors before they go into the smelter, so that there is one furnace per color (I don’t expect we’d be using this contraption that much wherein we’d require faster rates).

Two chests for each glazed terracotta color is more than enough – I don’t even have more than one chest for each regular stained terracotta.

Voila, a beautiful colored way to denote the chests!

Since the storage is on the bottom layer of the cellars, I can use the top layer for input. The stained terracotta storage is just next door – so, I can select which blocks I want to smelt and simply throw them into the hopper column here. They will sort through the system, smelt, and automatically store into the correct chest. Nice and easy.

Next, we’ll need a way to send items from Starlight Compressor to the glazed terracotta storage. Recall that all items that funnel through Starlight Compressor will head into a chest minecart, at which point they will be extracted in the regular furnace room. That furnace room sorts out all smeltable items, except stained terracotta, because that would make for too many sorters (additional sixteen of them).

So, I’ll install an option to have the minecart go directly to the glazed terracotta smelter, which would be ideal for when you return from a mesa, for instance, and you want to smelt all the terracotta into glazed variants. Return home, take STAS right here to the compressor, and drop off all terracotta for smelting. Everything else is done automatically!

Installing this feature is a simple track switch mechanism. You can see how it works above – pistons will simultaneously change the track layout, forcing the corner track to change directions. Easily, we’ll have the minecart rest atop the hopper column (the same one that extends from the terracotta smelter), so that it’s quick and simple. You can see that I’ve chosen the location for this smelter quite meticulously.

I ran some tests with Starlight Compressor and found it to work beautifully, even if getting additional wires installed back here was a healthy challenge. And, I’ve gotten a good head start on my glazed terracotta supply, which requires a stained terracotta supply, which requires a regular terracotta supply. So, I’ve gotten a mesa trip or two down, and there will be more to come!

Next, I’m itching to construct another modifier. I can’t help it, because we almost have all the plugins that are on my roster for Starlight HQ 3.0. So, let’s fill up the modular mixer and get to it.

We’re finally getting down to this unfinished segment of the tangent floor, which has been reserved for three modifier plugins: Starlight Limiter, Starlight Corkscrew and Starlight Echo. The first two can be built together within a day, and I know exactly what they will do. So, we’ll do those two together in a later session, and choose to knock out Starlight Echo today.

This is a ridiculously simple modifier, compared to the absurd scale that Starlight Overdrive is going to be. Very simply, all this plugin will do is offset the time between input and output (cause an “echo”, if you will).

It will enable this repeater chain I’ve built above (to the right under the red clay), at the beginning of the modifier chain (you can see other modifiers above), which will cause a delay between when input is received and when output is created. This can be useful for some scenarios. For instance, say I toggle the nether wart farm, but I don’t want the potion brewer to start brewing potions until I get there (as it takes roughly 10 seconds to get there from the nether wart farm, sprinting). Maybe I decide at the last minute that I want to change the potion it brews. Well, having a delay will allow me to make this change before brewing begins.

To create this behavior, obviously we need to make sure that the MISC is linking the nether wart farm to the potion brewer (I don’t remember the link number off the top of my head, but it’s in the link map). Then, we’ll just plug the Starlight Echo into the MISC via the modular mixer. Easy! Two AND gates, and the modifier is installed into the mixer.

The only limitations of this plugin are that we cannot adjust the length of the delay without getting deep into the underground wiring (which the UI is supposed to prevent us from having to do). That’s why I think five repeaters is a good option, and later on I can conceptualize ways to build a way that we can adjust it from up here (that’s the biggest limitation for most plugins right now).

With that project done, yet another plugin (three sessions in a row, now?), we’ll finish up the session by looking at why I wanted the glazed terracotta smelter.

Back in Session 267, we began building the Starlight Solace Center. I mentioned that I had a plan for the floor, but I never divulged much of this plan. Today, I share it with you, and I think a few pictures are all that will be necessary to showcase what I wanted to accomplish:

A full block party down here! I’m really looking forward to finishing this build, which mostly will involve the roof. I haven’t figured out exactly what type of roof I want to build, so we’ll wait to complete this another day.

For now, it’s time to enjoy a bit of solace as we embrace a new day in Starlight HQ.

Only recently did I ever venture into new chunk territory to acquire the new 1.13 blocks and items (I say “new” like they came out yesterday, but recall that I’m among those who tend to wait years before updating – so for me, they are still new). That was in Session 263, when we explored the new aquatic terrain. We built a storage area and collected as much as we could from the new biomes.

But now, we need a way to farm all those items so that we can expand the supply. Today, we’ll be turning our attention to these tropical updates!

By nature, these farms are niche projects, and not very necessary in the bigger scheme of our developments. But, they are still resources, and I pride Starlight on being a hub of resources. As such, I’ll be working to include two principal farm projects in today’s work: the kelp farm and the sea pickle farm.

First, however, I’m setting up an area deep in Starlight Outback near Vax Valley, which will be our turtle farm. With all the turtle eggs I’ve acquired, it’s time to introduce turtles to the base, so that we can begin collecting the turtle shells.

Maybe “farm” is the wrong word here – it’s a turtle sanctuary, as I don’t intend to kill them.

That done, we are moving onto the kelp farm, which is quite easily an observer-based farm. I have torn out the old “squid shooter,” which gives me plenty of hoppers that I can now reuse for something more useful.

The kelp farm now replaces this inside the Aqua Lounge.

Of course, I have two sides of the kelp farm: one side smelts it into dried kelp, and the other leaves it alone. Both funnel into the minecart hopper, which can then be called up to the pantry like the other items to be sorted appropriately.

The kelp farm is purposefully designed small. First, it’s completely automatic, so it will always be harvesting just like the sugar cane farm, as long as we’re in the chunks. As such, having a slower farm is best as it will prevent the storage from getting overloaded too quickly. The second reason is because I plan to include the kelp farm as part of the “overdrive” farms that will be enhanced by Starlight Overdrive. That is to say, I will be building a carbon copy of this farm eight more times, underneath this area, which means we will have the option to multiply its output. Not today, of course. I’ve already picked out a session that will be dedicated to the overdrive farms.

The sea pickle farm will probably not be included in the overdrive farms, because I’m already going to build one of the fastest designs out there by Ray. Nice job on this design, because it will fit succinctly underneath the beach behind Starlight Castle.

The collection spot will be housed in the snow lounge, right next to the rabbit farm and water breathing potion storage.

To activate the farm, you just press the lever and leave it on. It produces a whole chest’s worth of sea pickles in a relatively short time, so you really don’t need to leave it on very long (this is also why I don’t need to add this farm into the overdrive farm unit later).

It literally just hides underneath the beach out behind Starlight. I may consider having an access chamber up here if not just to protect it, should a creeper or something else blow up right here. But for now, it’s in the back of my mind.

Really, the last thing I want to do today is spice up the look of the Starlight Bay, at least from where the Aqua Lounge is sitting. This means using some of the beautiful new coral blocks we obtained a long time ago!

Corals everywhere! I’ll slowly expand these colorful additions throughout the rest of the bay, perhaps even integrating a new water-based segment of Starlight HQ at some later date.

And… that’s all for today! In terms of aquatic updates, this is definitely a good progress report, and I don’t want to get too ahead into the next project, which is not so small scale.

Our new tropical farms have been a very great success and have given the Aqua Lounge a necessary improvement. As this build continues to grow, we also have more work to do on these farms. Let’s look at the MISC, for instance – we can now use the kelp farm as an automated input, and the sea pickle farm as an output. These can then be connected to any of the other targets we have already set up!

Additionally, we need to begin thinking about the “overdrive farms” I mentioned in Session 272. The sea pickle farm may not be necessary to overdrive, but the kelp farm for sure needs to be included on the “overdrive” list (so, we will make eight more kelp farms underneath the Aqua Lounge and use Starlight Overdrive to control how many of them are active). I think, between new MISC links and all the new farms for Starlight Overdrive, we have our work cut out for what needs to come next in the base.

To start, I’m going to blow up half of the –

KNOCK KNOCK

Huh? Must just be a nosy skeleton. Anyway, as I was saying, the first step is to destroy all the –

KNOCK KNOCK

Okay, maybe a REALLY nosy skeleton. Let’s go take care of that real quick…

“Drexel? What are you doing here? How did you even find this place?” I ask the nosy neighbor.

“To be fair, it’s a small island. We’re adventurous, like you.”

“Fair enough. What brings you by? I’m working right now.”

“We’ve received a letter from Okonopolis. And you need to read it,” he speaks urgently.

“From where? I’ve never heard of that, and I have founded every city in this world.”

“Apparently not, because Okonopolis is the oldest living city in the world. How do you not know that?”

“Disregard my comments. Where’s this letter?” I’ll just act like I know what he’s talking about.

“Come to the Inner Circle.”

I guess Starlight HQ’s updates will need to wait for another day. It looks like we have pressing matters to take care of. Maybe even our first efforts at diplomacy.

“Joey San, welcome sir,” says Boshtok as I make way into the household that I built for them. Apparently, there are two other villagers here as well.

“Just Joey is fine. This isn’t a tyranny,” I attempt to reassure him, knowing full well what the villagers think of me. “Who are the guests?”

“Guests? How silly! These are our children,” says Drexel. It’s funny, because I didn’t even think these two could make children if they tried.

“Joey, meet Staz and Ibram,” Boshtok brokers an introduction to the apparent new residents of the Inner Circle. And Staz is already trading Frost Walker II books.

“I didn’t build a home for them,” I speak to Drexel.

“It’s okay, we can cozy up in here for a while. Besides, we know you’ll return to build more homes later.”

He’s not wrong about that.

“Show me the letter,” I request.

“Right, down to business.”

Boshtok reveals a letter from inside his mailbox, which I never built originally. In fact, I notice a lot of new things around the circle that I did not build. I guess this is what happens when you leave “adventurous” neighbors alone on your island.

TO THOSE IT MAY CONCERN

For the first time in centuries, the wind patterns have shifted in Okonopolis. This behavior is unusual, as we have been able to track these patterns consistently for all time. We request that our neighbors at Delta and Quarica help us to identify the cause of the shifting patterns, as they may indicate a change in Quintropolis’s climate. If this is the case, then further investigation may be necessary to determine the cause. Protecting the natural ecosystem of Quintropolis is our primary goal, and we take these concerns seriously. Any threats to this ecosystem will promptly be eradicated. Please help us to investigate the changes, and we will be grateful for your services.

Sincerely,

The government of Okonopolis

“Hmm,” I ponder for a moment. Why have I never heard of this city, which Drexel described as the oldest in Quintropolis? How does he know about it? And why have I never heard of Delta or Quarica? Clearly, I’m missing some big puzzle pieces about this world.

“So, have you paid a visit to Delta? Or… Quar, Quarica?” No, I didn’t stumble trying to pronounce it.

“Sure, let’s just pack up and go!” replies Drexel, but I sense an uncanny sarcasm in his tone.

“Yeah, all you’ll need is a compass and a map!” adds Boshtok. They’re ganging up on me. I should know why. I don’t.

“Okay… but I can fly. Perhaps I might be able to visit these ancient cities,” I offer.

“Ah, so you know where they are? Perfect, you can take us to them!”

Now, I understand the conundrum. Barely.

“How would Okonopolis, an ancient city, even be able to track wind patterns? I can’t even do that, and I have the most sophisticated tech in the world here at Starlight.”

“Clearly that isn’t true,” replies Drexel.

“I’ve heard, but don’t quote me, that the Okono District has tech from other worlds, far exceeding anything here,” Boshtok adds.

“Okono District?” I am dumbfounded. Completely dumbfounded.

“Don’t tell me you honestly believed that the world revolves around you and Starlight, Joey.”

I certainly will not tell him that. But I clearly have a lot to learn about my world… I mean, our world.

“I have a plan,” says me, but it’s only half true.

“Unless this plan involves tearing down Starlight HQ to correct the wind patterns, I don’t think there’s a way out of this investigation. It’s worldwide.”

“No, no. There is no way that one, highly sophisticated (might I add) metropolis of a base can affect the world’s entire climate. No way,” I am in denial of the most basic facts about climate change.

“Your pride is your weakness, Joey,” adds Boshtok. “It’s your choices that will make for your ultimate demise.”

Wait just a damn minute. Where have I heard that exact wording before? Verbatim? Don’t remind me.

Something is going on here.

I need to take off.

Any more time spent there, and I would have likely lost my mind. So many questions. So few answers. I won’t lie and suggest that Boshtok is wrong about my pride. It’s true – I have literally spent the last seven years building a world in full belief it was my own.

But this could all be a ruse built by Drexel and Boshtok as a way to make me think differently – a façade. I mean, I already know what they think about Starlight HQ – it’s no surprise they directly asked me to tear it down. It’ll take more to convince me otherwise.

I’m taking a flight far north, beyond anything I have personally explored, in search of this ancient city. I won’t believe it’s real until I see it with my own eyes.

A BAMBOO JUNGLE!!

I never thought I’d find one so soon! Wow, this is amazing. This jungle is not much further north from the areas I have explored of Megapolis.

My first encounter with pandas! This is amazing – after all these years, the wonderful world of Minecraft never ceases to put a smile on my face. This is mostly because I practice delayed gratification, of course.

Here we go – a northern village! Let’s see what we have here…

“HELP us!! A zombie siege is approaching!!” I hear tormenting cries of help all over the village! Perhaps I can help.

…or maybe the iron golems can take of these bastards.

“Hello!” I try to make some conversation with the villagers the next morning, but nobody seems apt to talk with me.

I did find an interesting array of underwater ruins right by the shore not far from the village – and inside that, I found a map to another buried treasure. Let’s see where it is!

ICE SPIKES!! This is now only the second time I have found this rare biome. What’s most notable is the rather close proximity between this and the equally-rare bamboo jungle. To have both biomes in such a close range – this needs to be connected to our expressway!

Wow, this is some seriously amazing and strange terrain generation. It’s moments like these that I am reminded why I love exploring. I’m geeking out over all these little discoveries.

A coastal ice village! The first of its kind in this world – I should say, another first discovery for Quintropolis.

^ A beautiful view of the ice spikes from beyond them. I’m already planning how to incorporate this, the coastal ice village, and the bamboo jungle into the current incorporated land of Quintropolis (specifically Megapolis).

“Sir, sir!!” I hear as I return to the village that previously wanted nothing to do with me after I saved them from the zombie siege.

“Hello there, you missed me, I take it?” Yes, I’m getting a bit cocky.

“We want to incorporate! We want to incorporate!” This villager, and several others, join out to meet me. I’m a little confused as to what is going on, but my ears remain open.

“I beg your pardon?”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Joey San.” Again, these villagers treat me like a god. My encounter with Enderquin made me realize this is NOT what I want!

“Just Joey is fine, thanks… Now what do you mean, you want to incorporate? You want to become a city?”

“Yes, yes – we have laid out maps and documents for the incorporation of Megapolis. In fact, we have already taken the liberty to clear space for a government building. Let me show you!”

The villagers take me to a cleared area where they think a government building should go – a perfect spot actually, right at the base of the mountain, on the outskirts of the village.

“Now, maybe you can help us construct the building?” They ask.

You know what? This is the first time I have encountered a village that has actually WANTED to be part of the incorporation of Quintropolis as a country. Every previous encounter has been very opposed, including the current council I have invited at the Inner Circle. It’s like pulling teeth trying to get them on my side. But this village here? Everyone is ecstatic… Was it really this easy? I guess I never really considered that, well, everyone is different! I always assumed it was me versus every village in order to accomplish my goal of establishing a country. This was wrong on my part.

“Here is a map for you to map the lands of Megapolis. We have been focused on developing the village, but maybe you can work on exploring the rest of what’s around us,” they say.

I am filled with positive energy. These villagers are 100% on board with my city development project. They clearly know about it from the Techtown invasion back in Session 200 – this must mean there are other villages which stand with me, too. I must find them!!

And so, I lay out the foundations for what will be the CAPITOL of Quintropolis. The one village which is so adamant of incorporation must be where the capital resides.

“And so, on this day, Day 5775, I now declare Megapolis – comprising this district, the explored lands north of Quintropolis Island, the bamboo jungle, the newly found ice spikes biome, and the incorporation of Techtown – the CAPITAL CITY of Quintropolis, which now erects this day as a republic.”

Here we are, at a new village thousands of blocks north, which I am designating to be the center of diplomatic relations for all of Quintropolis. With the help of these enthusiastic villagers, there is a lot we can get done.

^ I’ve begun establishing a trade network with them, as I will do for every village in the new country. I have mapped out all the explored parts of Megapolis, getting a sense of direction about the new land, which I will host back at Starlight HQ for further research and planning.

BEES, BEES, BUZZY BEES!

East of the capital village are FOXES and SWEET BERRIES – two new introductions to Quintropolis! Foxes I have been unsuccessful in catching, but I certainly stocked up on some of the delicious berries which currently only exist here.

With Megapolis established, we will begin work on expanding the trade network beyond the borders to where I want to construct Starlight City – the one world city which has been in the planning stage for years. Hopefully, we will be able to locate the currently fabled city of Okonopolis in this process.

^ Here, we are flying across Quintropolis Island, now heading west to cross the 1.7 chunk borders for the first time in history.

Creepers Point is the west-most bit of land on Quintropolis Island. In the distance, you can see the chunk wall that has separated Quintropolis Island from the rest of the world. This is not even a thousand blocks from spawn – yet, I have never ventured west across the chunk border in the last eight years.

That changes today.

HERE WE GOOOO!!

I am immediately greeted by a new 1.14+ coastal village on the border – proof that I’ve never explored this land in the past.

I’m a few thousands blocks inland now, and I see this strange structure. What could it be?

Very interesting… but there’s nobody here. I guess I’ll leave it be for now.

Here is a neat taiga village – one of the first I have discovered in this world.

The trade world expands!!

Aha, finally a village in the far west wilderness, which I have never explored. The winds move in this direction, so I must be getting close!

“Excuse me,” I flag down one of the villagers.

“Yes, may I help you?” he asks.

“I’m looking for a place called Okonopolis. Can you help me?”

“Join the club! Everyone is looking for it. We personally don’t believe it exists.”

Hmm, that’s a curious conclusion. But I need more.

“So, where exactly am I now?” I ask the villager, who seems to understand the conundrum.

“You’re in Starlight City,” he surprises me.

“Huh?”

“You should know that. You built it.”

“What do you mean I built this place? I’ve only just found it!”

“Are you Joey San?” the villager asks.

“Well… yes, I am…” again, they can just call me JOEY.

“Then you’re credited as the founder of this city according to our history books.”

I don’t know what is going on. I have never seen this village until now! However, it’s interesting that despite never seeing this village before, this is EXACTLY where I intended to erect Starlight City. As such, the fact that the village claims to already have incorporated – it’s all a bit mysterious. I should put this mystery aside for now, though. I need to find Okonopolis.

I’ll try to change the subject rapidly.

“So, what do you know about Okonopolis?” I ask the curious villager.

“Oh, we’ve been getting letters from that place for a long time – however, these letters would come from different directions. So, this is why we think the city does not exist.”

“Who would be sending the letters then? And what are the contents of these letters?” I’m getting a little pushy – but I need answers.

“Oh, the letters haven’t been anything too special – not besides the recent call to action regarding the wind patterns. In terms of their origin – we think they may come from our neighbors simply disguising themselves under the name Okonopolis.”

“I see… So, these neighbors you speak of… Are you referring to Megapolis?”

“Megapolis? Haha, no, we could just hike there if we wanted to trade with them. Obviously, I’m talking about Delta – our southern neighbor – and Quarica, our neighbor far west. We do also have some relations with a city called Omar which we believe is far north – but, we rarely hear from them. How do you not know this?”

Have these villagers been developing their own nation without me? That’s the only thing I can think of. But then the whole mystery about Starlight City already existing has me confounded. At least I now have some sense about where these so-called “cities” are located.

“I see – alright then. I’m going to continue mapping the Starlight City boundaries to prepare for further development.” I’m getting right down to business now.

“Have fun,” says the villager. But his tone seems somewhat ominous. I don’t like it.

So, as I map the land west of the chunk border, I make notes on my discoveries – including an abandoned fort of some sort, plus some other villages out here. I think that first village comprising my exchange with the knowledgeable villager is a good spot to establish the center of the city’s business and trade district.

^ Here, you can see most of the western segment mapped out, all the way to the coast.

^ Next, we have the map segments just east of the previous one.

And here is the mushroom island we discovered way back in 2015, called Loveland. It’s technically considered within the planned borders of Starlight City, although I do have plans for how I want to develop it in the future. Finally, it is getting mapped.

Back at Starlight Treehouse, here you can see the full map of Starlight City as it currently is mapped:

Notice the green waypoint on the far right located on Quintropolis Island – this is Starlight HQ. Then you see the chunk border created from 1.7, with everything west of that only now being explored and mapped. It’s several thousand blocks across – you’ll notice that the land resembles a diagonal slant. There is further land north and south, but I’ll be exploring this later on.

For right now, I intend to establish a connection to that knowledgeable village in the center of the mainland, which will be the center of the city’s business district. We’re not yet ready to develop the city now – but this is what we have been preparing Starlight HQ to handle for the last eight years. Indeed, once we’re ready to begin, the city’s development will be quite intense. It will not take long to achieve a NYC-level business district in this area, with the current resource farms we have.

This hub will be dubbed Starlight Central, being the first stop off the Q3 highway. It’s not far from Starlight HQ – only a few hundred blocks west. This is also not the final hub at all – I actually want to start developing the Nether expressway terminals like airports! So, eventually all major cities connected to the expressway (Starlight City, Megapolis, Utopia, etc.) will have hubs just like the Nether Hub which covers Starlight HQ. Different amenities and things will eventually be added later on to the terminals.

Let’s look at the current map of all incorporated lands within Quintropolis – this will provide a better idea at the current geography we are working with, as well as how our expressway system will need to be setup:

1 - Starlight City - The center of the world, and the city I have planning to construct for the last several years. Home to all of Quintropolis Island (including Starlight HQ), the Inner Circle, Emerald Hills, Fall Damage, and a vast amount of land which has yet to be developed into a NYC-style first world city.

2 - Megapolis - Our new Quintropolis capital, home to Techtown, Enderquin HQ, and incredible biodiversity. I have specific architectural ideas for how I want to develop this city. This is also the oldest established city in Quintropolis, having emerged from Techtown - the very first original village which was considered an ancient city back in 2014.

3 - Stonewall - The historic land of war, largely undeveloped, home to Aftermath and the Ice Realms, and a very diverse selection of landscapes, which unfortunately have gone mostly unexplored as the city has been troubled by supernatural war.

4 - Utopia - One of the newest and fastest growing cities to be introduced in Quintropolis, Utopia is home to our new clay-mining quarries, Witherquin Waters, and the first of the explored 1.13+ chunks. Most of the marked boundaries remain unexplored.

5 - Rogusta - Conversely, one of the oldest cities with a wide range of biomes in a relatively small space. Rogusta's primary feature is a historic village which served as a base for a while during exploration of the eastern lands, though most of the land is undeveloped.

6 - Stanland - An important agricultural city which is mostly governed by Starlight HQ, home to the SANA, our first explored ocean monument, and the birch wood forests we have almost entirely mined out.

7 - Rainbow Cliffs - Home to the monumental savannah plateau which is the tallest natural feature in Quintropolis. This is technically not a city - not yet, because it has no villages/residents.

8 - Icaria - An oceanic mountain base which was used for mining of stone blocks like andesite, diorite, and granite.

9 - Shavland - A largely undeveloped land which was the primary source of spruce wood and other taiga features during the early game. I intend to develop this area into a 'mountain backwoods resort' type of town, focused on camping and other outdoor features.

10 - Loveland - Newly-named but founded back in 2015, this is the first mushroom island discovered in Quintropolis, home to the first mooshrooms which made their way back to Starlight HQ. This is technically considered part of Starlight City.

11 - Candyland - Home to Gravity Gorge and prior to that our principal mesa quarry (but this has now moved to Utopia), this is currently the furthest city from Starlight HQ, and the edge of the planned Starlight District.

12 - Fort Ficont - This is the first mention of this island which sits between Starlight City and Utopia, and nothing will be disclosed on the island's purposes as of yet. Originally mapped as part of Starlight City, it will eventually become something else entirely...

“Excuse me, sir – what are you doing here?” This villager interrupts me while I’m trying to get things done. Does nobody respect my diligence?

“Hi there – I think I spoke with one of your council members earlier… I’m connecting your village to Starlight HQ so I can begin development of this city.” I figure an up-front approach will be easiest here.

“Do you have a build permit for that?” he asks.

“I beg your pardon?” Build permit? Who does this villager think I am??

“A build permit. You know, to show you have permission to build here…” Okay, guy – I’m not an idiot. I know what a build permit is.

I laugh just a bit.

“I don’t need a build permit; this is my city!”

“Uh huh… wait here please,” he says, before he hurries back to the village.

I can’t believe that now I’m dealing with this garbage. Seriously? Permission to build outside the village?

“Hi there – can I help you?” a second villager asks. Still not the guy I spoke to earlier, but I don’t see him at all. I’m getting annoyed.

“No, actually, you cannot. I’m good, thanks.”

“Do you have a build permit for this?” the second villager asks.

“WHAT IS WITH YOU AND YOUR BUILD PERMITS??!! NO, I don’t have a build permit! I have NEVER had a build permit!! That has NEVER existed! Did I need a build permit to erect the high-tech metropolis of Starlight HQ which is about to give you and your village new life? NO. Did I need a build permit to completely rule the Netherworld and turn it into my personal expressway? NO. Why are you bothering me like this…”

Am I losing control? I might be…

The villagers stare for a moment – all of them in the village.

“Actually,” the villager starts, “if Starlight HQ is on Quintropolis Island, then you do need a permit for that. I’m pretty sure you were unable to show one a few years ago when the council of Techtown came by – is that correct? Do you have one now?”

I just stop for a moment to process what this villager just said to me.

“No…” is all I respond with.

“Uh well that’s grounds for arrest… considering that place has also violated several building laws within the city.”

“What? Do you have a mayor I can speak to? Somebody with some authority that knows what in the world is going on?” I’m losing patience with this conversation.

I wait a while, and I even contemplate running off. But then I remember that’s exactly what I did back in Session 200 and the consequences of that proved to be great. I’ll wait and engage in this conversation.

“Hi, how are you today?” I’m guessing this is the mayor…

“Hello there – are you the mayor?”

“Yes, you can call me Mayor Sensha. So, it seems you have finally come here to address your crimes.”

Well, that’s a big leap forward I didn’t see coming…

“Crimes? I know nothing of these crimes! Are you trying to tell me that you had every village invade Starlight HQ because of some build permits? I built this world from the ground up!”

“That’s just it, Joey – you didn’t. You have so far demonstrated authoritarian control over the villages, lack of regard for the natural ecosystem that has now resulted in shifting wind patterns, and you started a war with gods in the land of Stonewall. These are very big problems that you’ll need to answer for.”

“Wake up, Mayor Sensha. This world you live in has so much more potential than any of you realize. That’s what I’ve been trying to show you from day one! We can make Quintropolis better – together. Megapolis is already on board with the development of the city. Techtown’s principal council members now live on the island which I am building FOR THEM.”

The mayor appears to contemplate my statements. I don’t think he’ll see things from my side, though. I never realized that the Techtown invasion actually originated… from Starlight City…

“You mean Boshtok and Drexel?” he asks me. “Oh yeah – they’ve been reporting everything to me.”

“Of course they have… I guess we’ll need to have a conversation about that-“

“Are you so entitled that you don’t realize the impact your actions have had on the world around you??” the mayor asks with concern. “Put aside the build permits for a moment (though, we’ll need to get back to that) – you started a supernatural war several years ago by fulfilling the Secret of Stonewall. You clearly have no idea what you’re doing. Do you even know where that mythological story came from??”

“I… I found it in a dungeon under the island. I was mining for-“

“IT’S A MYTH, Joey! That’s why it’s called a mythological story. That is NOT the story of Stonewall! For you to believe in that story and take that as the true Secret of Stonewall – you are blinded by your own arrogance.”

“Then educate me.”

At this point, all the other villagers retreat indoors as night falls. Things are tense, but it seems we might be getting somewhere. The Secret of Stonewall was fake? I’m willing to learn more.

“Please. Everyone I meet seems to know so much about this world more than I do – all these ancient cities and stories that I don’t get the chance to understand on my own! Has it not occurred to YOU that maybe I am just trying to understand this world because nobody gives a damn to help me do so?”

Again, a brief silence as Mayor Sensha thinks about my frustrations. Clearly, we’re both in some troubled waters.

“Come inside,” he invites me into the church.

“Stonewall is a land of intense rivalry between ancient villages. While it’s true that it was home to the ancient civilization of kuli aleilm, there is no evidence to suggest that the gods had any interference into the civilization’s eventual destruction. That was always the myth to cover up the truth.”

“Everything started when a specific group of outsiders entered the village. Kuli aleilm had not seen outsiders in a very long time – generations, in fact. These outsiders had interesting quirks, different professions, clothes, and behaviors. But for them, it was all the same. They did not realize that the villagers of kuli aleilm viewed anything outside their borders as potentially dangerous. It was misunderstood by kuli aleilm, and they were afraid, thinking that the outsiders were there to kill them.”

“But the outsiders intended to make kuli aleilm their new home. However, the residents had a particular way of life – and they viewed the outsiders as trespassing on their land. When the outsiders made their way into kuli aleilm, they tried speaking with the villagers, but nobody would acknowledge they were even there. This upset the outsiders, who did not understand why they were being treated so differently. One of the outsiders spoke loudly at a craftsman to get his attention, but only at that point did kuli aleilm acknowledge the outsiders, and with disdain. Fearing for their life, they violently killed the outsiders by stoning them against the village’s outer walls – all just because they were different. This is where the modern name ‘Stonewall’ comes from.”

“The violence at the village borders caused an uproar around kuli aleilm’s borders. Some villagers stood with them – others were wholeheartedly against their violent behavior. A civil war broke out, bloodshed collapsing the village entirely from within. One village spoke of a particular spiritual entity that they would use in the war to destroy kuli aleilm – a power that only comes from the Netherworld. Contained in the nether star, this is the power of Witherquin – the god of death and the underworld.”

“When you awakened the Witherquin demons for the first time, you unleashed the very power that Witherquin wanted you to free. For millennia, all the villages of Quintropolis vowed to protect the world from the myth of the Netherworld. You see, villagers do not enter the Netherworld. It is no place for a villager, but we have understood this fact. Even from the moment you first entered the Netherworld, you brokered a connection between the two dimensions which has never existed.”

“So, you see, Stonewall erupted from civil chaos, and the emergence of Starlight HQ – along with the freeing of Witherquin – has had a rippling effect on all the villages who have sworn to protect Quintropolis from another civil war. We do not understand the impacts of this event, because it has never occurred before. All we have done is try to warn you about what it will cause. You said yourself – that you do not understand this world. That is the one part you have been correct about.”

“…Wow…” is all I can say, as I sit in dismay reflecting on the fact that the Secret of Stonewall was a lie. But was it?? Again, I must remain vigilant. In the back of my mind, I always consider that the villagers may come up with whatever story they desire to get me to change my ways.

…But then, that’s exactly what they’re fighting for. And for me to dismiss what the mayor is saying – that would be both foolish and inconsiderate. This is a very sad story, indeed – a truth I wouldn’t have thought possible among the villages.

“What’s done is done,” I begin to respond to the story. “Maybe I cannot change my actions from the past. But I’m not like the villagers at kuli aleilm. Although I may approach things differently… recklessly, even… I have the same goal as you. Starlight HQ was designed to protect Quintropolis from war – not just civil war, but supernatural war. The gods have kept you captive for so long. Don’t you think it’s time to show them that you are not their puppets?”

I can sense that Mayor Sensha and I have finally hit some middle ground.

“We’re on the same side, Mayor. Enderquin has already been defeated,” I choose to share this fact.

He does not seem surprised.

He responds ominously: “One does not simply ‘defeat’ a god, Joey.”

Then he leaves the church, lights out, as I just sit there alone. Waiting. For nothing at all to come next.