Chapter 318: Mining Area Information
"Hey, something in the mine shaft just moved..."
Leo suddenly said.
He wasn't digging;
he had been watching the surroundings. He had just seen a shadow flicker deep in the shaft but couldn't make out what it was.
"I saw something moving in the dark when we were driving in earlier, so I didn't want to go deeper into the shaft."
Lin Ye kept digging without stopping. He had noticed the movement in the shaft as well, but since whatever it was didn't dare come out, there was no need to worry.
"Why don't we move to a brighter spot?"
Neil looked toward the pitch-black depths of the shaft not far away, feeling a chill run down his spine.
Some of the main roads in the mining area were dimly lit by mining lamps overhead;
their spot was relatively remote and underlit.
"The better-lit spots are already taken by those old miners. We just arrived, so it's best not to get into a fight with them. You can turn on your headlamp."
Old Arthur said sensibly. Lin Ye dug at the ore with effort. He had ten simulation attempts and could try multiple times. He didn't expect a one-life victory;
this time he intended to improve his mining technique.
While Lin Ye was concentrating on mining, a silhouette quietly approached them from the shadows behind.
Because of the earlier shadow in the shaft, they were all on edge. Leo had been watching with his peripheral vision, so the moment the silhouette closed in they noticed it.
None of the four made a sound;
they watched the figure with peripheral glances and were surprised to find it was a little girl under one meter forty tall, with hair that was a pale yellow-green.
Her hair color was striking. She carried a brown backpack, was skinny, wore shabby white clothes that looked like a uniform.
They exchanged looks, then turned in tacit agreement. Leo took a few quick steps and surrounded the girl in the middle.
The girl was clearly startled, but she did not flee or make any other move.
"You must be new miners. I can tell you some information about this place, but you have to give me a fresh battery."
The girl put her mouth close to a device that looked like a phone, and an electronic synthesized voice came out of it.
With the system assisting, Lin Ye could understand both languages. The device appeared to be some kind of translator.
"What language did you just speak? I've never heard it before."
Neil looked at the girl with curiosity. He could understand most major languages and had some knowledge of minor languages, but he had never heard the language she spoke.
"This mining area connects to different worlds. I'm not from this world of humans. I collect your languages through this device. I know the information you need."
Seeing Neil sense something was off, the girl did not hide her origin. She had wandered the underground mining area for a long time and had met many humans from other worlds. At first she hid her identity, but later she became too lazy to keep hiding, which saved her a lot of trouble.
"Different worlds? Seriously?"
Leo grew excited. He wanted to escape the organization's control, and going to another world sounded like a good option.
"We can give you batteries, but you have to tell us useful information first."
Old Arthur did not intend to freeload. The girl's calm demeanor suggested she had some backing;
he just wanted to verify the goods. A battery was nothing—Leo's headlamp had one.
"What color ore does the organization want you to mine?"
the girl asked.
"Ten pieces of white ore per person."
Neil answered truthfully.
"...Is this organization insane? You'd dig until you die and still not get enough... No wonder there are so many miners here, they're all forced..."
The girl's muttering was accurately translated by the device for the three men.
"What do you mean by that?"
Neil tensed. As a professional con artist, he could tell the girl's emotion was genuine.
"White ore is one of the rarer ores here. This area was certainly mined out long ago by your people. You can only get it by going deep into the shaft, or by using an ore converter."
The girl looked at the pitiable people before her with pity.
"Miss, can I go with you to other worlds?"
Leo suddenly cut in.
"No. You're not a spiritual energy user. Your body might not adapt to environments in other worlds. If you run off to other zones, you'll die quickly. The deep shaft is very dangerous. I can only take care of myself. You alone can't go far."
The girl answered Leo naturally and without offense;
clearly she had answered this kind of question many times.
"What are 'miners'? What's an ore converter? How deep do you have to go to directly mine white ore?"
Lin Ye asked.
"Huh? How do I say this... Long-term exposure to ore or consuming ore can cause a disease called ore sickness. As ore sickness progresses, it modifies the patient's body into structures similar to the shaft. Patients with severe symptoms are called miners. Miners are extremely dangerous. Not only do they often go mad, they also periodically split off ore monsters made of mineral mixed with flesh from their bodies.
An ore converter is a device widely deployed throughout the mining area. You can use it to convert ore types: one hundred pieces of gray-white ore can convert into one piece of gray ore;
one hundred pieces of gray ore can convert into one piece of white ore.
To directly mine a large quantity of white ore, you need to go at least a thousand meters deep into the shaft. This mining area that connects worlds is on the periphery;
white ore is already scarce here, and you’ve been mining it for so long..."
The girl answered all of Lin Ye's questions concisely.
"One hundred thousand pieces..."
Neil's face went very ugly. He did not want to mine here until he died or become one of those miner monsters.
Lin Ye did not expect the system's translation to have this kind of quirk. The girl had clearly noticed Lin Ye was using her mother tongue while the others had no reaction, which said a lot.
The system's translations normally make everyone hear their own mother tongue and even match lip movements—that is the system's power. But when two or three people speak different languages at once, it gets strange.
The system probably didn't care about such small issues, but Lin Ye needed to pay attention;
this detail could reveal his connection to the system.
"Looks like this won't be solved in a day or two. Is there anything edible here besides ore?"
Old Arthur was not as upset as Neil. The organization would not send them here for a simple task;
he was already mentally prepared for long-term mining and for dying here.
"Give me a battery and I'll tell you where to find food."
This time the girl did not directly answer their question.