Day 168 With the immediate need for iron solved by the quick trip into the mine, I finally had the resources to start thinking bigger. I dedicated a day to clearing and carving out a new space in the first workshop room and adding a small, efficient 5-furnace smelting bank. Each furnace has a double chest dedicated to feeding both resources and charcoal, which should allow for much longer, hands-off smelting sessions. Next to that, I built a large wall to serve as a Project Wall, where I can list all the huge tasks ahead and the corresponding materials I need. It’s a good feeling to finally organize the future!

Day 170 The project wall revealed just how quickly I’m going through cobblestone. I decided to tuck a small, simple Cobblestone Generator into the corner of the smelting room. It’s noisy, but the proximity to the furnaces makes it incredibly convenient. I can already see the future need for a massive, efficient generator, but for now, this little machine is a godsend for patching floors and crafting stone bricks.

Day 175 Not much has happened the last few days. I visited the village to the north again, did some trading with the Armorer there as well as the Cartographer, and now have an upgraded map of the Savanna Villa Area. I also have a treasure map, but I cannot seem to locate the treasure, and think I might have been scammed. I need to get back to exploration soon, but the lure of iron production is strong.

Day 176 I just got back in from a small excursion today. I wanted to revisit 0,0 and harvest some mushrooms I remember along the way. I took my chest boat north along the river, and into the sea, for as far as I could go, then portaged to 0,0. Along the way, I encountered a pillager bastion I had not seen before. Not being geared for a battle, I snuck around a hillside and was not seen, thankfully. I noted its location to be near -138, 68, 172. I made it to 0,0 and found the giant mushrooms I was looking for after climbing a tall tree on a big hill. I was able to harvest 3 Red, and 2 brown mushrooms in their entirety, and have enough to replant now for future projects and food sources.

Day 177 I decided to explore to the east today by way of boat, and located a mangrove swamp biome just a few hundred blocks east, and I was extremely excited because I had yet to explore such a biome. The way the mangrove trees grow with their roots high in the air, devoid of soil gathering nutrients from the tides and air. It's an astonishing thing to see, but the best discovery of the whole trip was FROGS!!! This means I now have half of the resources needed to make Frog Lights! A trip back to the mangrove swamp is needed to bring a breeding pair of frogs back to the villa.

Day 179 I decided today was the day that the Savanna Villa gained 2 new residents, and took a regular boat over to the mangrove swamp, and quickly located my first frog. Using the lead I bought from the wandering trader a while back, I was able to lead the frog to my boat, and paddle him back to the Savanna Villa where I had a nametag and glass enclosure awaiting. I did this once more, and now have 2 frogs, Bartholomew and Gretchen, residing outside waiting on their forever home.

Day 182 While farming sand on a small beach about 400 blocks north of the savanna villa, I was struck by lightening today, and somehow did not die. I had half of a single heart left. Fearing another strike, I quickly dug a hole and covered myself up, and waited out the storm and night before returning home this afternoon. That was close...

Day 186 It's finally time to build the Iron Farm, so many of my planned builds require hoppers, rails, and other iron adjacent things, that farming iron the old way is not feasible anymore. I need just under a stack of hoppers for the next few projects, and I have mined all of the cave iron within 1000 blocks of the savanna villa, at least it feels that way. So now is the time to begin planning for the iron farm. The biggest requirement for it will be 20 villagers. So I need to acquire 2 more villagers, very soon, and get their portion of the farm built so they can begin breeding. The location - the small island I scouted far off the dock - remains perfect.

Day 188 I have amassed all of the blocks I will need to build the Iron Farm, including several stacks of stone bricks, which were a task within themselves to gather resources for and to craft. Today, just before dark, I ventured into the village, and was able to persuade 2 villagers, who were young and in-love to move to the iron farm island to begin their new family, locked forever in the confines of my iron farm...

Day 190 It has taken me 3 days, but the iron farm construction site has been excavated, and the first stone bricks have been laid. Tomorrow I begin adding the 20 beds, and building the fletching chamber, where the villagers will live forever.

Day 197 The iron farm is nearly complete. It took 6 stacks of carrots for the villagers to breed all 18 of their children, filling the iron farm's available beds and fletching tables nicely. With all of the villagers in place, I sealed up their portion of the iron farm, and constructed the iron golem spawn and dispatching mechanism, and then built my AFK / resource collection room. I AFK'd for the last 2 hours and got just under 2 rows of iron ingot stacks, and a bunch of poppies. I am going to AFK this farm overnight and see what happens.

Day 198 I was only able to AFK for about 6 hours, but it resulted in nearly a complete double chest of iron ingots, and about a quarter that many poppy flowers. I would say that our iron problems are now over! The amount of iron produced is staggering. The next stage of building can finally begin!