by Zhuang Bifan
Chapter 178 - Abyss Fiendish Iron Mineral Vein
That was about it. Both Elijah and Lin Li were wise enough not to touch the topic of the content of the task. This was no joke—it was a mission that involved Alanna's six major mercenary corps at the same time. Elijah could not possibly have talked about it even if they shared a deep friendship. If news were leaked, he'd never be able to seek a living in Alanna ever again.
Lin Li was puzzled after sending Elijah away. With the position and strength of the Sword Sage of the Storm, what could he not do? He had actually gone so far, gathering the six major mercenary corps…
However, it was merely puzzlement. After contemplating for a while and not getting any answer, Lin Li put the matter behind temporarily. For him, although the private entrustment of Sword Sage was sensational, it did not involve his own interests. In Lin Li's view, it was not even as important as Thuzadin's last words before he died.
What the six mercenary corps wanted to do was their own business; as long as they didn't hurt those black lotuses, even if they leveled the Fire Plume Ridge, it had nothing to do with Lin Li.
What he cared about at present was when he could get the black lotuses.
The effort he had spent in Blackhills Town was not in vain. With his position as their captain's savior, Lin Li's life in the camp could be said to be quite nourishing. The whole Silver Hand was grateful to him, and they responded to almost all his requests. During lunch, Lin Li just said casually that he wanted to get a map of Fire Plume Ridge; as soon as he turned around, a deputy head of logistics had sent the map to him. Before leaving, he even inquired warmly whether Lin Li needed any other help, then thanked him again and again for his generous help in Blackhills Town, making Lin Li feel slightly embarrassed over it…
After lunch, Lin Li stayed in the tent, studying the map over and over.
This was a map specially for the Silver Hand; it was many times more detailed than the ones sold by ordinary adventurers. After all, one was drawn by a single adventurer, and the other was continuously improved and supplemented by thousands of members. These were two different concepts.
This map was too detailed. From magical beast infested areas, to the origin of various herbs and minerals—all was labelled in detail on the map. Even some shortcuts that only the Silver Hand knew were completely drawn out.
Having learned that there were black lotuses growing on the Fire Plume Ridge, Lin Li had made a lot of preparations. He spent at least 10,000 gold coins just buying information from adventurers. But even so, he did not realize that there were so many things hidden on the Fire Plume Ridge until he got this map.
The Fire Plume Ridge really couldn't be mentioned in the same breath as the Nightmare Mountains.
Granted, magical beasts that were found at the foot of the mountain were really weak. Most of them were just about the level of the Fire Crow, which was very suitable for adventurers at the level of Sean and his father. However, once one got to the mountainside, it would immediately become dangerous. There were often groups of magical beasts above level-ten, and they'd occasionally have the opportunity to enjoy the heroic bearing of magical beasts above level-15.
As for the peak of the Fire Plume Ridge, it was the most dangerous of places. Without the strength nearing level-20, one should never even dream of going up to that place. Should a legendary magical beast appear, one would be swallowed whole, with not a chance to escape.
It was unknown what kind of luck Sean had had back then to escape all the way from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside. He had not even encountered any danger, and managed to escape in the dark.
If Sean's luck was slightly worse, his corpse would probably be decomposed now with his strength at that time.
Lin Li felt fortunate the more he looked at the map in his hands. Luckily, he had stayed in Blackhills Town for the night; luckily, he had rescued Serena from Thuzadin. If not, who knew what kind of trouble he'd encounter if he had gone to the Fire Plume Ridge on his own.
But now that he had the map, everything would be much easier.
After studying the map, Lin Li went to Serena again, and told her that he needed to go out and might not be back until evening.
After all, the map was simply a map. Some things needed to be seen in person before the safest route could be planned.
Of course, these were things that he couldn't tell Serena…
Otherwise, just wearing the label of a level-five warrior and monkeying about on the mountainside of the Fire Plume Ridge alone would take him half a day's time to explain himself.
Lin Li's statement was that he was just taking a walk around the foot of the mountain. He heard that there were many herbs and minerals around there. After that, of course, he had to reveal a little knowledge of mining and herbs in order to prove that he was not spouting nonsense…
The Fire Plume Ridge was a place with abundant resources. Many adventurers who knew a thing or two about herbs and minerals would come to this place to make money. After listening to him, Serena did not doubt it, but showed a little surprise. "You are a talent in this field as well?"
"What kind of talent is mining and picking herbs…" Lin Li muttered as he exited the tent. He considered it for a while, and decided to call Sean to go with him. After all, Sean had spent a much longer time in the Fire Plume Ridge than himself. Now that Sean was at least level-10 in strength, it should be a lot easier to bring him along.
The camps of the six major mercenary corps were set up on the borders of the Fire Plume Ridge. Lin Li came out of the Silver Hand's camp, and only walked forward for ten minutes when he felt the peculiar scorch of the Fire Plume Ridge.
To enter the Fire Plume Ridge from the south, one had to first cross a barren plain. This was the place where the Fire Crows liked to gather. Back then, Sean and his father hunted the Fire Crows here, and exchanged their feathers for the money necessary for their living. After crossing this barren plain, the terrain would slowly become complicated. There were several mountain roads leading to the mountainside, one of which was a shortcut only known to the core members of the Silver Hand.
This was the shortcut that Lin Li wanted to take.
However, for some unknown reason, when the Silver Hand drew the map, they were vague about the introduction of this shortcut; especially for one of the caves, which had no introduction at all. They directly marked it with a black line, which made Lin Li very dejected. He had to take a look at it in person. If there was no problem with it, then he could decide on the route after returning to the camp…
Lin Li had released a Mana Detector when he was crossing the plain. The Fire Plume Ridge was a place rich in natural resources. If he missed some precious mineral veins on the road, it would not be worth it…
The two men set out from the Silver Hand camp, and crossed the barren plain. It was quite calm along the way. Apart from several flocks of Fire Crows, there was hardly anything alive.
For these two guys, the Fire Crows were no trouble at all. Not to mention Lin Li, even the present Sean had at least the strength of a level-10 warrior. His body was emitting a cyan Combat Energy as he held the huge double-edged sword in his hand; coupled with his amazing natural strength, when he waved the double-edged sword, the surroundings were suddenly filled with plumes of blue flame. The Fire Crows were often turned into ashes before they even managed to go near them.
It could be said that their journey was without hindrances. About half an hour later, they had crossed the plain, and followed a rugged mountain road upward. Soon, they saw a withered yellow forest.
As soon as Lin Li saw the forest, he knew he had found the right place.
The shortcut marked on the map was near the forest. When he was studying the map earlier on, Lin Li had been wondering about something—what was the meaning of this area marked in yellow? If red meant danger and green meant safety, what did yellow mean? Did it mean e.r.o.t.i.ca 1 ?
Now that he got to the place, he could see that the meani
ng of yellow was "barren".
It was indeed a barren forest; everything in it seemed to be listless. Although the trees had not completely died, they did not show any vitality at all. A few pitiful leaves hung on the branches, swaying around and making a clattering sound when the hot wind occasionally blew by.
This lifeless feeling seemed to be contagious—Lin Li constantly felt drowsy walking in the forest.
It was the activity transmitted by the Mana Detector that refreshed his spirits—there was a weak magical wave.
"There's something!" Lin Li was too familiar with the magical wave. Back in the Endless World, he loved using this method of prospecting, but at that time, he had used a necklace with mana detection property, and this time, he had really mastered this spell.
The magical wave from afar was slightly weak, but Lin Li could judge almost immediately by experience that it was absolutely a magical wave emanating from the mineral veins, and it was most likely an Abyss Fiendish Iron vein, for only the Abyss Fiendish Iron could dye the surrounding land dark red.
Currently, the earth beneath their feet displayed a hoodooing dark red, which looked to have been soaked in blood. This was the most obvious growth feature of the Abyss Fiendish Iron. However, it was a pity that the soil was still not thoroughly red enough. If the color was darker, it could probably breed Demonsoul—an important ingredient of the Truth Elixir!
From the color of the soil, it should be a poor mine.
"Let's go and have a look." Nevertheless, Lin Li was not going to let it go even if it was a poor mine. The Abyss Fiendish Iron was a rare magical metal. Adding a little of it while forging could greatly enhance the power of a weapon. For a humanoid magical beast such as Sean, weapons integrated with the Abyss Fiendish Iron were especially powerful. If they could dig up some this time, Sean's equipment set would be settled.
By virtue of his superior mental strength, Lin Li had always been the most s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to magical waves. He took Sean through the withered and yellow forest, and within a few minutes, he found the exact location of the mineral vein.
Looking from where Lin Li stood now, it was clear that there was a dim metallic l.u.s.ter in the dark red soil.
"It's indeed a poor mine…" The mineral body was only slightly exposed on the surface, and Lin Li knew at once that it was a poor mine. If it were a rich mine, at least half of the mineral body would be exposed instead. In specific contexts, "yellow" can refer to e.r.o.t.i.ca. It's a sort of cultural connotation in China. Ask Uncle Google for more details.
Chapter 179 - Mine Robbing
"Sean, lend a hand." Lin Li sought out two shovels from the Ring of Endless Storm.
"Orh…" Sean nodded, and took one of the shovels, but did not know what to do. He looked at Lin Li with a blank face.
"Dig from here, until you reach this point." Lin Li drew a line on the ground, and signalled him to dig along that line. He still felt not quite at ease after thinking about it, so he reminded Sean, "Use little strength. Don't you damage the mine…"
Lin Li took out only two ordinary shovels. If it were others, he would not need to deliberately remind them. Perhaps only a humanoid magical beast like Sean needed to be told to use little strength…
"Yes, Mr Felic." Sean's comprehension ability wasn't that good, but his execution was meticulous. Just as Lin Li finished speaking, he swung his shovel and began digging. As soon as this humanoid magical beast started to work, there were only clumps of soil spattering all around. The shovel was like a bulldozer, digging up a large area with loud clangs.
This fellow was a born miner; the shovel in his hands swung rapidly and furiously. While Lin Li was still stunned, Sean dug a deep and long trench along the edge of the vein. And in the middle of the trench, the dark red Abyss Fiendish Iron vein was revealed…
Lin Li was flabbergasted as he held the shovel.
There was indeed a distance between human and magical beast…
Lin Li did not even have the time to move his hands, and Sean had finished the job for him. He stood there with the shovel in his hand, not knowing whether he should dig or not. At last, he saw that there was no need to, so he threw the shovel on the ground, and took out two Air Bomb scrolls from his pocket.
It couldn't be helped…
Blast mining was primitive and backward, but the Fire Plume Ridge was a remote place—there was no manpower nor tools. Lin Li had countless mining methods at his disposal, but could only settle for blast mining first. Moreover, he could only use two scrolls. Andoine wasn't around, and two scrolls were his limit.
Fortunately, this was a poor mine, unlike the one found in the Nightmare Mountains, which needed five Air Bomb scrolls at the same time. That was a great work—without a figure like Andoine around, he could not even think about it.
Two Air Bomb scrolls were inserted at both ends of the vein. There was nothing to study about it—unlike the Eternal Adamantine, the Abyss Fiendish Iron wouldn't produce accompanying precious gemstones. Thus, when blasting Eternal Adamantine mines, one had to be cautious so as not to damage the accompanying gemstones within, but there was no such concern for the Abyss Fiendish Iron. So, he could just blast the mineral vein directly.
After inserting the scrolls, Lin Li slowly took a few steps back.
But just as Lin Li was trying to detonate the scrolls with his mental strength, there was a sudden rush of footsteps in the woods behind him. "You two, get out of that place at once!"
Lin Li frowned, and looked back into the woods. He saw several people hurrying from afar; two archers were the fastest. As soon as Lin Li turned his head, they had rushed over with their bows drawn and arrows set just less than 30 meters before where Lin Li stood. The hostility in them was obvious even to the blind.
"Let us warn you again, leave that place immediately; otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!" A warrior caught up and stood with the two archers. There came a "clang" as a sword was pulled out. The shimmering cold light on the sword blade made evident to everyone that he was not kidding. If Lin Li and Sean continued standing there, a battle would be imminent.
"What do you mean?" Lin Li's eyes skimmed over the two archers, but he had no intention of moving his feet. He merely looked at the warrior from afar, and smiled. "What's wrong with where we are standing?"
"That vein was first discovered by us!" Before the warrior answered, an archer stood up. While he spoke, his arm was lifted slightly upward. The sharp arrow was pointed directly at Lin Li's c.h.e.s.t. In the midday sunshine, a faint blue shimmer was shining on the iron arrow. It was obvious that the arrow had been smeared with poison.
A hint of fishy sweetness wafted in the air, and it made Lin Li frown. It was not a pleasant thing to be aimed at with a poisonous arrow.
"You've discovered it first?" However, the archer's words wavered Lin Li. After all, robbing mine was a dishonorable thing, and he couldn't do it. It hardly seemed justifiable if they had really discovered the mineral vein first and he had come up from behind to mine.
"Yes, I found this vein in the morning, but I didn't have enough manpower, so I went back and called two friends with me."
"Morning?" Lin Li came to understand as soon as he heard these two words. The reason why it was named the Abyss Fiendish Iron was that it shared some similarities with the Abyssal Demon in some aspects. For example, the strength of the Abyssal Demon varied with time—it was the weakest in the morning, and the strongest at night. The same was true for the magical wave emanating from the Abyss Fiendish Iron. It was the weakest in the morning, and the strongest in the evening; especially when the first ray of sunshine appeared at dawn, the Abyss Fiendish Iron magical wave was almost the same as a piece of ordinary iron.
And it was a poor mine before him; the whole mineral body was almost buried underground. Without a mastery knowledge of mineral veins, it was impossible to find it.
Granted—nothing was absolute in this world.
Even without a mastery knowledge of mineral veins, there was stil
l a chance of discovering the Abyss Fiendish Iron mineral vein in the morning with a perverse mental strength like Lin Li. After all, as long as it was not in the first ray of sunshine, the Abyss Fiendish Iron mineral vein would emit subtle magical wave at other times.
The problem was that these guys didn't look to have perverse mental strength.
Of course, they couldn't be masters of mineral veins, either. Otherwise, why did he need to go back and call upon more people? He could have finished mining by himself instead of having to share the benefits with others.
"Right… then may I ask, what mineral vein is this exactly?" Lin Li still had a smile on his face, but a wind blade quietly gathered in his hand. Since this was a vein without ownership, Lin Li needed not be polite with them.
"This…" The look on the warrior's face froze when he was questioned by Lin Li out of the blue…
"Why do you ask so many questions?" The archer at a side saw that something was wrong, and tautened the bowstring further. The sharp arrow that was smeared with virulent poison was aimed at Lin Li's c.h.e.s.t. His eyes faintly revealed an intention to kill. "Get out means get out, stop f*cking spouting nonsense here. Do you really think I don't dare to kill you?"
"…" Lin Li was taken aback. He had seen a lot of arrogance, but it was the first time he saw someone this arrogant. "Get out means get out"—what a heroic declaration this was!
Lin Li felt that if he didn't cower, he'd be letting the archer's bravery down.
"Sean, the warrior is yours." The wind blade in his hand was just about to be released when suddenly something occurred to Lin Li.
Recently, Sean's progress speed was so sick that even Lin Li could barely judge that his present strength was at least above level-10. Lin Li had been wondering how far the boy had improved. But ever since leaving Alanna, Sean hadn't had a chance to show his skills. He'd killed some Fire Crows when they crossed the plain earlier on, but that was it. How could a low-level magical beast reflect the strength of a warrior above level-ten?
