Minecraft: 50 Unofficial Minecraft Books in 1 (Minecraft Diary Deal, Minecraft Book, Minecraft Storybook, Minecraft Books, Minecraft Diaries, Minecraft Diary, Minecraft Book for Kids)

by Billy Miner

  “Yes, sir.”

  I walked away, wondering how he was going to get out of that plant and not stand out in the crowd, but he would find a way. He always did.

  Entry 2: Party Pooper

  I arrived at the party that was being held in Ender City. The queen’s birthday was a big day for celebration.

  “Good,” I thought. “It helps me to stay unnoticed. Nobody is focusing their attention on the disc.”

  I was dressed up in fancy attire. A black tuxedo, red bow tie, and an expensive pair of shoes were my choice that evening. Just like all the other people there, I followed the crowd up the outside stairs into the ballroom of the palace. Cameras were watching me, and I immediately spotted them, noticing the angle at which they were turned. There was a blind spot in each room, which could come in handy.

  The ballroom was elaborately decorated with gold and mirrors, showing fancy crimson red and royal blue patterns in the curtains and table cloths. A chandelier was hanging above the hall, with a hundred diamond crystals that reflected the incoming light, setting the sphere for the entering guests.

  Waltzing couples moved on the sound of old-fashioned, classical music. Beautiful gowns and ballroom dresses displayed every color in the rainbow, and distinguished gentlemen acted more posh than ever to make a good impression on those they talked to. People socialized, drank, and munched on the snacks that were being passed around. None of the high-class inhabitants of this magnificent city were aware of the fact that they were about to get robbed by me.

  “What do you think about the new statues in the courtyard?” a woman asked.

  “Lovely. Simply marvelous,” a man said.

  “Who was the designer again?” another posh lady asked.

  “The duke of Endington,” the man said.

  “I heard it was just a little boy who had nothing to do with his life, got bored, and drew a funny figure to go along with his toys,” I said, suddenly joining the conversation I overheard.

  “And where would you hear such preposterous nonsense, young man?” the gentleman in the suit asked.

  “I talked to a little birdy,” I said. “I’m sorry, sir. I was only joking. The designer must be a genius, I’m sure. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Finnigan. Ladies…”

  I nodded at the four women surrounding the gentleman who just became a lot less popular.

  “Well, you certainly show a distinct sense of humor,” the man said.

  “Unlike yourself, I presume? I’m glad you are laughing so hard though, because I forget to laugh when I’m in the presence of such eloquent beauty.”

  Some of the ladies were blushing. One of them grabbed a fan and started fanning her face, secretly hiding behind the object so she could look over it, thinking it would help her fade into the background.

  “Now, if only I could decide which of you fine ladies to ask for a dance…” I said.

  I saw the desire on their faces. One of them giggled and stepped back. Another’s pupils got very big.

  “Ah, I know,” I continued. “I forgot I was being late. The king asked me to accompany his lovely wife and daughter to introduce the party and the birthday of his wife. I’m already late. Excuse me, ladies, I…”

  I paused. I sniffled. I looked a little weird, got out my handkerchief, and was about to blow my nose.

  “Hold on a second, I have to… Whoa! Whoops!” I said as I dropped my handkerchief on the floor.

  “Oh, my… I’ve never seen such terrible manners,” the gentleman said, looking the other way.

  “Ladies… sir. If you could please excuse me…” I said.

  “With pleasure,” The gentleman said, sticking his nose up in the air.

  I left the awkward situation and smiled. I didn’t do anything without a plan. I hadn’t really dropped the handkerchief on accident. Before I went to them, I had observed several guests, following the guidelines in the information I had received from Commissioner Randolph. The arrogant gentleman in the suit who thought he was so high above everyone else, was actually carrying the access card to the room behind the throne room, the one in which the cat disc was hidden. If only the information were correct, it would help me acquire the disc in a heartbeat, because all I was doing when I “accidentally” dropped my handkerchief, was bend over and snatch away the card from the gentleman’s pocket in a quick, unnoticeable move. During my training as a spy, I had developed skills like that, skills that were excellent for those who want to pickpocket in a fancy ball like this one.

  “What an odd young man,” the man said, watching me walk off, not realizing I had just lost the important access card in his pocket.

  Everything went according to plan.

  Entry 3: The Truth

  Satisfied with the way I handled the situation in there, and especially with the slick trick I used to steal the access card, I left the ballroom and snuck behind the scenes into the small hallway behind the throne room. A high tech system showed that a code was required to get in. I glanced around, making sure I wasn’t being followed.

  Nobody there.

  The coast was clear.

  Ready to enter the correct room to complete the mission.

  I took the access key out of the left chest pocket in my blouse and inserted it into the alarm system.

  “Access granted,” is all I heard.

  I opened the heavy door and saw nothing. It was pitch black in the room. Where was the light switch? I put the access card back in my pocket and felt the surface of the walls to find the light switch.

  “Don’t bother,” a voice in the dark said. “The light switch is on the other side.”

  Who was that? I was shocked to hear another person in the room. I was nearly desperate to find out who beat me to the punch, or who figured out I would come here. I reached out to the other side and hit the light switch. The lights in the room turned on. On a big chair behind the desk sat a shady figure with a brown hat and sunglasses. He leaned backward comfortably and didn’t seem to care one bit about what was going on. Confidently, he left his dirty boots on the desk and smirked before Dexter walked over to him.

  “Who are you?” I demanded. “And how did you know I would be here?”

  “Oh, I see a lot more than the cameras do,” the guy said.

  He got up and took off his sunglasses. Standing behind the desk, he continued his explanation.

  “Looking for this, aren’t you?” he asked, holding the cat disc in his right hand.

  “How did you…? What is going on here?” I asked.

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to know, which is why I broke in before you did. Unlike you, I am not from Miners Village. Actually, I just live around the corner, two blocks away from this palace. Sorry, I didn’t mean to confuse you, so I’ll let you know what’s happening here.”

  I still didn’t trust this suspicious individual, but I was anxious to hear what he had to say. So I stood still and listened patiently.

  “I totally forgot to introduce myself. I go by many names. I am a spy like you, but I work for Ender City. For now, you can call me Jeremy. You may wonder why I am in this room, since I work for the other side. Well, let me tell you what I found. First of all, do you have any idea what’s on this disc?”

  “No,” I admitted. “I was just given the assignment to steal it. That’s all.”

  “They sure know how to cover up their sleaze,” Jeremy said in a cynical way. “I hope I can convince you to see things from a different perspective. I mean, you probably know just like everyone else that the people in Ender City and Miners village aren’t really fond of each other. But the truth might shock you. Neither of these towns are without corruption. Tensions have been high for the past few decades, each of them claiming that the other one is a threat to their beautiful society. Both cities have been about to declare war a dozen times.”

  “Then why didn’t they?” I asked.

  “Well, the reason they wanted to declare war is to take each other’s resources. You’re
most likely aware of the gold near the city here and the coal and gas near Miners Village, aren’t you?”

  “Of course.”

  “Right. So there’s your motive, but to the average citizen, this is not enough. They have to believe they are the good guys, that the others have a legitimate reason to be overthrown. And that, my fellow spy, is what they have been working on for years.”

  “I’m starting to get it,” I said. “Why should I believe you?”

  Jeremy took his belt off and drew a gun from his pocket, after which he placed it on the desk and put his hands up in the air.

  “I’m here. You can just kill me now if you think I don’t speak the truth. I know you have a diamond sword in that bag, so go ahead.”

  “Okay,” I said. “Even if I were to trust you, what do you want to do about it? Propaganda is everywhere. In Miners Village, the plaques and posters are all over town, portraying Ender City as some evil monsters. Not everyone is sure about the validity of the government’s claims, but most people are starting to lean towards the war attitude.”

  “I’ve been wondering about that myself,” Jeremy said. “We have to come up with a plan, you and me.”

  “So what’s on the disc?”

  “Oh yeah, the disc. I forgot to tell you. Are you ready for this? Soldiers of Miners Village blew up their own mine to make it appear as if there was a menace. They made sure to leave behind enough evidence to show that Ender City soldiers did it, even though they had nothing to do with it. You know, Ender army pieces, flags, and small items from this city… to indicate that they had done it and sloppily left behind a few objects. This disc, however, contains secret footage from a bypassing civilian who put the whole attack on tape. When he was discovered, he ran for his life and handed the tape to the Ender king, who had one of his servants put the video on this disc.”

  Jeremy put his belt back on and his gun in its holster.

  “This disc could disclose the fact that Miners Village soldiers blew up their own mine and tried to blame it on Ender City. Don’t you see? Your commissioner is just trying to cover up their tracks so they have a reason to start a war!”

  I thought for a moment. I saw the seriousness of the situation. After a second or two, I said, “But if the Ender king shows this video to Ender City, they will feel angry as well! They will discover that Miners Village is making an attempt to blame for something they didn’t do.”

  “Exactly, and that’s why none of these rulers can use this against the citizens of their cities. I just barely found out, but I saw you in the ballroom and I just knew you weren’t from around here. That’s why I just waited here after I got through security myself.”

  “Are you thinking what I am thinking?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. How can I know if I’m thinking what you’re thinking if I don’t know what you’re thinking?” Jeremy asked, returning the question.

  “Well, I just thought we were thinking the same thing,” I said.

  “How do you know if you don’t even know what I’m thinking?” Jeremy asked.

  “Never mind,” I answered. “This is going nowhere. So here is what I was thinking… If I’m correct the hatred towards the Ender people is bigger in Miners Village than the hatred towards the miners in Ender City.”

  “Exactly. So what?”

  “So the one more likely to change their minds and become friendly and peaceful again is the king of Ender City, not the mayor or commissioner in Miners Village.”

  Jeremy nodded. “I’m still following you,” he said.

  “We need to give the Ender king a sign, a token of friendship. That way, it will trigger a generous response in him, and the threats will be over.”

  “Maybe,” Jeremy said. “It’s worth a shot. What do you have in mind?”

  Entry 4: Turned Around

  I did have something genius in mind. After leaving the ballroom and celebrating for a little while, I went home. Jeremy promised to destroy the cat disc and agreed to see me the next day at 20:00 hours in the street next to the palace.

  At home, I drew a map. I made a plan. I put everything on paper I knew about one of the most valuable items in the world: Emerald Ore. I knew they had it. They protected a big block in the main village hall, surrounded by alarm systems and guards. It was so valuable that handing this over to the Ender king would help them ease up immediately.

  If only the king would be generous enough to return something to Miners Village, our scheme would work. If not, the villagers here would claim the Ender people would have stolen it and it would trigger a war anyway. It was a fragile situation, with emotional minds of dumb crowds ready to blow up over nothing. But if I didn’t do anything, the war would eventually be triggered anyway.

  I prepared notes, looked at times, and measured the outside walls of the village hall. The next day, it would happen. I would steal one of their most valuable items, from my own hometown.

  When I woke up, I took a walk. As I strolled through the village streets, I noticed the posters in the back alleys, with words like, “Don’t trust the Ender people,” and “The differences between Ender civilians and rats: None.” Some of them were more extreme than others. This hatred was pure brain washing. I had been to Ender City numerous times, and none of this was true. It was all just a big conspiracy to trigger a war and take their resources and their gold. But I was determined to stop this foolishness. Someone had to show them the truth.

  I had switched sides. I had turned around. Sometimes it felt like I betrayed my own town. But I knew it was right. It was the only ethical thing to do. And it was going to happen that day.

  Entry 5: Laser Obstacles

  I covered up my face like a ninja. I wasn’t going to show anyone my true identity, not when I was stealing something. It would be terrible if anyone found out it was me.

  It was late. I had waited till dark. I put on my backpack and headed to the village hall. It was surrounded by bushes and trees in a beautiful green garden. At first side, none of those things seemed dangerous or potentially alarming, but I didn’t trust it. I stepped closer, little by little, and then I saw it.

  The blocks on the side weren’t just blocks. I blew in the air. The breath from my mouth uncovered what the blocks were really for: Laser beams.

  After searching in my backpack, I took out the prismarine crystal I had always kept with me. Carefully, I placed the crystal between the laser beams. The alarm didn’t go off. The crystal had some reflecting or absorbing effect on the lasers. This was perfect!

  I held the crystal in the middle and like an experienced thief, I cautiously stepped through the laser beams, ducking to avoid the upper beam and lifting my feet to get over the bottom one.

  Fortunately, I was able to do all this without making a sound. I pulled the crystal out of the laser beam and continued to the front door. It only took me minutes to crack the code of the alarm system. The villagers always had an obsession with the number 5, so codes like 555 or 345 were the only combinations I tried. With a little gizmo I had bought, I could put in as many codes as I liked, so that the alarm wouldn’t go off after my second or third attempt. After about 10 different combinations, I did it.

  Slowly opening the door, I kept the lights off and snuck into the hallway.

  No guards.

  Good.

  According to the map and the information I was able to get, the block of Emerald Ore should be in the center of the building. Stepping sideways with my back against the walls, I took caution and I took my time. If anyone was in this building, I would make sure I wouldn’t get caught. After leaving a couple rooms, I entered the designated room.

  There it was.

  It was beautiful.

  It had a black-greyish color and some green specks in it. Certainly this looked like an extremely valuable natural resource.

  The block was protected, however. It was surrounded by a glass tank or container, and it would trigger the alarm if lifted from its pedestal.

  No worrie
s though. I had it all under control.

  Entry 6: Red Alert

  I reached in my bag again and pulled out the piece of string and the diamond sword. I leaned over and observed the object for a minute or two.

  “Okay, okay,” I told myself. “I can do this. Just take it really slow.”

  I lifted the glass container.

  Nothing happened.

  “Nice,” I said. “Now just the weight trigger.”

  I put the glass container on the floor. Then I tied the diamond sword to the piece of string and held it in my left hand. I put the piece of string with the sword on it between the pointing finger and the thumb of my left hand.

  With my right hand, I lifted up the block of Emerald Ore.

  With my left hand, I placed slowly let the sword drop onto the pedestal, replacing the weight of the block. If my calculations were right, the sword would way approximately the same as the block.

  Slowly.

  Slowly.

  Got it! Yes! It was the same weight! I was so relieved!

  I put the block in my backpack and snuck out. This was great! I did it! I got the Emerald Ore! And I did it all by myself. This truly was one of the hardest things I had ever done, but in the end, I succeeded. I just showed them that…

  Waaaaeeeeeeeeeaaaaeeeeee!

  Oh no. What happened?

  I looked down. So that was what triggered the alarm! I completely forgot about the laser beams in the yard. In my excitement, I had just walked out with the block in my bag, being proud of myself and letting my guard down. And this is what I got for it: Trouble… and dozens of guards on the way to seize me.

  I got caught up in my emotions; I panicked. I stood there like a stupid stiff, frozen and baffled by the dire circumstances I had just put myself in. I didn’t know what to do or where to go.