Chapter 85: A Breakthrough!
"Huh?" Kaiden was caught off guard hearing the excited, childlike voice. He'd just started thinking about reaching out to Ibla for help finding a water source, and hadn't expected her to reach out to him first. It seemed she'd discovered something on her own.
"Calm down, Ibla, and tell me what's this amazing thing you found?" Kaiden stepped out of the Lord's Hall immediately to meet his pet beast. In truth, he was telling Ibla to calm down while feeling just as excited himself.
"Sir, while I was doing my routine patrols underground beneath the Master's Territory..." Kaiden knew perfectly well that what she called "routine patrols" was really just playing around, but he didn't call his pet beast out on it and kept listening attentively to the rest of the story.
"Then suddenly, I ran into an obstacle while moving. It was a large cluster of strange stones of different sizes. This is the first time I've ever felt an obstacle underground — regular dirt and rock never slow me down... Sir, I brought some of it for you to see. I think it'll be useful for the Master." Ibla emerged from the ground in front of Kaiden, opened her massive mouth wide, and began emptying her load.
Ding! Clang! The strange stones rang out as they poured out and clattered against each other. A small pile quickly formed, reaching up to about the waist height of an adult human.
"Damn it! Isn't this iron ore?!" Kaiden exclaimed. Due to the impurities, the ore didn't show any metallic shine, but based on its appearance and the ringing sound, he was certain.
Kaiden stepped forward the moment she finished unloading. He picked up two rough chunks of ore and felt their weight in his hand. Not bothering that Ibla's saliva was mixed in with the ore, he struck the two pieces together several times.
Clang! Ding! The metallic ringing echoed out again. This was the most beautiful sound Kaiden had heard all day — since morning, bad news had been piling up nonstop, and honestly, he'd been under enormous pressure. And finally, some good news! He couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
"Hahaha!" Once he finished laughing, he patted Ibla's hard scales.
"Good girl! I'll give you a whole Rare-rank beast carcass as a reward!"
Ibla's body shuddered upon hearing "a whole Rare-rank beast carcass." "Really?!... Thank you, sir!"
"Then, sir, would it be possible to get the boar beast?... Roasted?" Ibla asked without the slightest hint of embarrassment.
"Heheh, as you wish." Kaiden laughed, granting his gluttonous pet's request, then had her show him the location of the ore vein she'd found.
But before heading out, he hurried back to the Lord's Hall and grabbed a torch, lighting it. Then, the moment he stepped back out, to save time, he climbed onto Ibla's body and sat on her rocky back. They set off without delay.
The ride was smooth, without any jolting at all. In truth, Kaiden felt as though he were sitting on a moving patch of earth. The only thing that slightly affected the quality of the ride was the scattering dust — otherwise, everything else was fine.
The place wasn't far, especially now that he had Ibla as his mount. It only took a few minutes to arrive.
Kaiden climbed down off Ibla's back and looked around at the surrounding area. They were at the edge of the Territory's southern border.
"Ibla, carve out a curved path leading to the ore vein you found."
"The ore vein?... Oh, sir, you mean those strange stones? As you command, sir!" Soil posed no barrier to Ibla. She quickly dove into the ground, leaving behind a dark opening.
Kaiden entered without hesitation. Partway through, traces of iron ore began appearing on the walls. At first there was little, then it grew denser. Kaiden soon caught up with Ibla. The path wasn't long — they were only about ten meters underground.
"My lord, here's the dense source of the strange stones... the ore vein I mentioned. Before I came to you, I checked along its sides and it extended quite a distance, which is how I knew there was a large amount." As she spoke, Ibla carved out a side passage and moved into it so as not to block her master's view.
Kaiden looked at the scene before him. Just as his pet beast had said, the iron ore here was so densely concentrated that the rock and soil formed only a thin layer scattered between the ore deposits. As he'd expected, system notifications and a quest completion appeared one after another.
[System Alert: Congratulations! You have discovered a small Iron Ore vein.]
[Quest "Mine Owner!" completed. Reward sent: ×1 Geology Expert.]
A white flash lit up the tunnel for a few seconds before fading, revealing a man in his early fifties. He wore proper attire and carried small, uncommon-looking tools. His chin was clean-shaven, and white streaked through his hair. He stepped forward and knelt before Kaiden.
"Mardin, greeting His Lordship!" His tone carried steady respect, but his eyes kept drifting involuntarily toward the iron ore behind the Lord, unable to pull away from it.
Kaiden noticed, but didn't mind. Professionals had their own quirks. What he focused on instead was the fact that this professional hadn't arrived in a beggar's rags barely covering himself, unlike today's summon batch. Instead, he wore proper attire and carried his equipment. This meant the units gained through his Regional Talent hadn't been affected by the downgrade! That would ease some of his equipment pressure.
Kaiden quickly shook off his thoughts and welcomed the professional, then opened his information window. Just as the name suggested, the man before him was a technical unit specialized in geology, particularly regarding ore veins. He knew the most suitable methods for extracting different types of ore, measuring purity levels with precision and efficiency, and handling matters like reinforcing ceilings to prevent collapse, and how to arrange lighting, ventilation, and side tunnels in mines.
After reading his information window, Kaiden asked him a few basic questions. He learned that even small ore veins held reserves estimated between five hundred to a thousand tons at maximum. Once he knew this, he got straight to the point.
"This small iron ore vein will be under your management. I'll also provide you with a mining team and whatever equipment you need. I have one request: get this mine running at full capacity as fast as possible."
Upon hearing the Lord's orders, Mardin tapped his chest with confidence. "Don't worry, my lord. I don't know much about many things, but mines are my specialty. I guarantee the job gets done."
He took a breath to think, then continued, clarifying: "My lord, a vein this small doesn't require much preparation. First, we need to widen the entrance, which will take some time. After that, we can begin mining operations right away."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I have a quick solution... let's head out first." Even though Mardin didn't understand what the Lord meant, he obediently followed him back up to the surface.
The moment they stepped out, Mardin looked around curiously at the giant walls nearby and the crowded buildings, then turned back to look at the tunnel. He wanted to see what the Lord's quick solution would be.
Once Kaiden finished his mental exchange with Ibla, he turned and found the expert standing with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting silently.
Kaiden smiled a knowing smile. He knew exactly what was going through Mardin's mind, but simply said:
"I'd recommend stepping back a bit..."
End of Chapter 85.