Beating Instances through Words Left by the Dead
Chapter 822 - 359: The Secret of Pine Tree Coal Mine
Raventon sized up Thomas and asked:
"Are you very familiar with the Pine Tree Coal Mine?"
Thomas patted his thin chest and said:
"Don’t look at my current age of twelve, I’ve been going down the mines with my father since I was six and a half. I spend at least fourteen hours a day in the mine shafts, and I know the place inside out."
He lowered his voice and spoke to the two of them:
"The deeper the mine shaft, the narrower it gets. Adults need to crawl forward, but we can move around much more easily."
"When I was young, I was smaller than my peers, so I could easily move through the mines, often tasked with delivering messages between different shafts."
"Esteemed gentlemen, I’m not boasting, but the majority of miners only work in specific shafts. There aren’t many like me who know all the shafts."
Wu Chang looked at Thomas in astonishment. Thomas was only about 1.2 meters tall, with a small frame. He always thought Thomas was only seven or eight years old, not realizing he was already twelve.
In his own reality, before he entered the Abyssal Game, the twelve-year-old boy next door was already much taller than him, almost reaching 1.85 meters, with shoulders one and a half times as wide as his.
But then again, children in the growth period need to consume a large amount of meat, eggs, and milk to supplement sufficient protein and calcium for rapid body growth.
In the slums of Grimland, even getting two stable meals of black bread and mashed potatoes a day is hard enough. Meat, eggs, and milk are luxuries only the middle class can enjoy. It’s understandable why Thomas is so thin.
Compared to Wu Chang, Raventon had more knowledge about the mining operations. Hearing Thomas’s self-introduction, his eyes lit up.
He took out a banknote with a one gold pound denomination, placed it in front of Thomas, and said:
"If you can provide enough useful information, this is yours."
Thomas swallowed, his eyes showing a longing for money. Previously, when he attempted to steal Raventon’s wallet, the presence of this banknote in it could have resulted in a sentence that would keep him from ever returning to Stilan.
But faced with the banknote, he still put his hands behind his back and shook his head:
"No, sir, you saved my sister’s life. I can’t accept this money."
Wu Chang said, "Saving your sister was the will of God. Providing information about the Pine Tree Coal Mine is doing work for me; these two matters are unrelated."
Seeing Wu Chang say this, Thomas cautiously said:
"Sir, I’ll first provide the information you need. If it turns out to be useful, then I’ll accept your money."
Wu Chang nodded, saying, "Alright."
Raventon glanced at the time on his pocket watch and said:
"Time is running out. Can you come with us to the Pine Tree Coal Mine?"
Thomas said, "Of course!"
Returning indoors, Thomas told Gray he was going out and might be back later tonight.
Gray was a bit worried but didn’t stop him or ask why, only telling him to be careful on the road.
Outside the room, Erin also finished today’s treatments.
Upon learning that Erin was about to leave, the residents of the slums spontaneously cleared the roads, creating a clear path amidst the crowded and chaotic slum.
Some things can be pretended, but some things cannot be faked.
Most inhabitants of the slums are from the lower classes; they’re not knowledgeable, but they are no strangers to warmth and coldness among people.
While treating them, Erin completely discarded any sense of superiority. She faced everyone equally and extended concern to all those in need of help.
Even onlookers could sense from Erin that she regarded them as equals, as lives rather than as cheap resources or filthy parasites.
Not to mention the noble gentlemen and ladies of high society, even managers in factories, police by the roadside, or even many people’s biological parents never treated them with such dignity.
Some even found a temporary clarity after meeting Erin, realizing they, too, were human beings, people no different from those living outside the slum.
Anyone who witnessed Erin’s actions was captivated by her charisma, even if it was their first day hearing about the Eternal Light Sect, knowing nothing about its teachings, they still became devout followers.
The reason is simple: if someone as saintly as Miss Erin believes in it, then the Eternal Light Sect must be trustworthy.
As Raventon drove the carriage away from the slums, the Tree of Miracles in the clearing had already grown to human height. If Erin returned two or three more times, it might soon connect to a large-scale Divine Kingdom.
The carriage traveled east along the Hills River, leaving the Grimland City, and drove for another twenty or thirty minutes on the muddy suburban roads before a town began to appear at the edge of their vision.
Wu Chang asked in confusion, "Is that the Pine Tree Coal Mine?"
Thomas replied, "Sir, that’s Pine Tree Mine Village. It’s where the miners rest. The coal mine is further east. If the explosion hadn’t happened, I would usually live here."
"But after the explosion, the entire mine was sealed off by the Police Hall, and the workers went to the city to protest, leading to widespread violent clashes."
"I should have joined the protest too, but they thought I was too small, so they sent me home and only tasked me with message delivery."
Raventon said to Wu Chang:
"Do you remember that document on the desk? The one mentioned in that incident was about the workers’ movement."
The document Raventon referred to was on Prime Minister Ron’s desk when he was assassinated, and he was reviewing it at the time.
"The protest was ineffective, leading to large-scale violence, with over fifty casualties."