Chapter 129: Harvesting The Rift Tide Alloy Mineral Vein

Three figures could be seen several feet deep in an earthen pit of their own making as they continued to dig.

Brandon stabbed the flaming shovel conjured from a mild activation of his second gene skill into the earth.

His head swung back, staring at the pristine blue sky, and he let out an exhausted sigh.

"Remind me why we’re doing this again?" he asked in half lamentation.

Seth continued digging with a makeshift shovel alongside Jack. He glanced at Brandon from the corner of his eyes and replied, sighing helplessly, "For the sixth time, there is a mineral mine beneath us that contains a rare alloy we would be needing in case of emergency to activate our full strength."

Brandon kicked at the wall of earth before him. "That’s my point. Why the hell would we be needing to activate our full strength? We just cleared a freaking corruption zone in ten minutes. I don’t believe the difficulty of eradicating some cult would be any tougher."

Seth frowned and paused in his actions. "Didn’t you hear the agent warn us about Variants? And even if you feel they wouldn’t stand a chance, what about the force behind them?

Remember, the so-called gods they serve are living, breathing beings, and I don’t think they would sit on their hands and watch as we wipe them out."

Brandon let out a long sigh, unable to argue any further. Grabbing his shovel, he continued to dig.

Seth shook his head, wearing a helpless smile. The others didn’t see things the way Seth did.

Which was understandable. Seth still hadn’t found the time to tell them about the fact that there were Awakened-ranked beings among humanity.

If they knew this, they’d be a little bit more on edge, becoming more cautious. After all, if the humans could have such figures, surely these races that had originated from the planet for longer definitely did.

And the facts spoke for themselves. They would definitely be stronger, better, and more experienced than the pathetic bunch he had slain in the Duskreaver estate.

Besides, the Origin had made it clear humans were at the bottom of the food chain.

Seth didn’t take those words lightly. There had to be a reason it stated so. After all, it had to be clearly aware of Adam and other hidden figures of the human race, right?

Right now, Seth wasn’t really sure of anything, and it was precisely because of this he decided to be extra cautious.

With that, the three continued to dig, and with their Awakened physique and efficiency — even suppressed — they got to their target pretty quickly.

Clang!

Jack felt a rebound against his shovel, causing him to reel back a bit.

The other two glanced his way. He turned to them. "Yeah, I think that’s what we’re here for."

Seth smiled, and he and Brandon walked over and started delicately digging around the mineral vein.

A bright sheen of emerald bled into the air, lighting up the pit, as the oracle was summoned.

"How do we extract the Rift Tide Alloy?" Seth got straight to the point.

Brilliant lights flashed...

[Due to the lack of appropriate equipment and delicate extraction methods available to the current Tier archive, I request permission to begin quick manual extraction process...]

"Go ahead."

Immediately Seth felt the pull on his essence as the emerald crystal shone a brilliant light. The three subconsciously stepped backward.

The cadence persisted for a few minutes, and the essence never stopped flowing, until a while later it dimmed.

All that was left was an emerald crystal bobbing in the air, flashing with dimmer shades of emerald, and beneath it, a deep gaping hole.

The entire mineral vein had been extracted. Seth stared at the void.

[Rift Tide Crystal (389)]

’Nice. I just have to gather the rest, distribute this, and we can begin the mission.’

Feeling the stares of the other two, Seth flashed them a satisfied smile and nodded. "We are done here."

He didn’t need to say it twice. Brandon, letting out a huge sigh of relief, immediately began to scale out of the hundreds of feet deep mining pit, Jack following behind.

Compared to the hours they spent digging, within seconds all three had already scaled back to the surface.

The fresh cool wind of the surface brushed against their sweaty skin. Brandon took greedy breaths of fresh air, the refreshing wave flushing his system. He could feel the rapid cooling in his veins. "Now that’s more like it."

From the distance, the remaining three slowly walked their way.

"We’ve gathered all refugees we could find. We briefed them on the situation and the fact that this is now a safe zone. We are done on our end," Uriel announced as he and the two girls got closer.

Seth turned their way and nodded. "We are also finished."

He waved his hand, and numerous dull grey metallic alloys appeared in the air, whisking their way in groups.

"Take these. Do not forget how to use them, and do not hesitate to use them if necessary." Seth grimly warned.

He shared about thirty-some for each of the five of them. Trisha didn’t need it; she was still at the Shackled Rank.

[Rift Tide Alloy (33)]

Looking at what was left, Seth felt quite satisfied. According to the oracle’s calculation, one single crystal should be able to bear the weight of his full might — gene skill and all — for twelve seconds.

So with this, he should be able to go at it for at least six minutes plus.

With everything settled, it was time for them to locate their main target of the mission.

Everyone turned to the only person capable of doing so — Trisha.

Though she was already on it, beneath the obscuring black fabric over her eyes, a pair of arcane orbs pulsed brightly.

Seth and the others felt a pulse of essence ripple out, and the earth responded in kind.

Eyes wide in shock, the five watched as the essence in the atmosphere manifested into ethereal, shimmering tiny orbs of light.

Akin to a trail of a mystical fairy, the orbs lined through a path stretching across the horizon.

The five turned their shocked gazes back to the silent Trisha. What she just did was clear. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"How did you do that!" Brandon asked, still doubting his conclusions.

An enchanting smile graced the lips of the beautiful blindfolded Trisha. "I just asked the world, and it responded."

Brandon leaned closer to her out of curiosity. "Woah, so the world just replies to your request just like that? Don’t tell me you are like a goddess of some sort..."

Glancing at her up and down, he added with a mischievous smirk, "Well, you definitely got the beauty and proportions of a goddess. I wouldn’t be surprised."

A rush of heat surged upon Trisha’s face. Fortunately, her complexion did well in masking her blush. She replied bashfully, her voice stuttering out of shyness. "N-no, it’s just because of a title."

Brandon smiled, glancing at the flustered lady. He felt proud inside. ’Hehe, still got it.’

By the side, a pair of cold eyes watched this scene play out.

For some reason, Elaine felt irritated by the exchange before her eyes.

"Quit it with the jabbering. We have a mission to complete. Lives are at stake." She announced coldly.

Not waiting for a response from the others, she already took Trisha by the hand and stomped away.

Not forgetting to throw a disdainful glance and snort as she brushed past Brandon.

Staring at the silhouette of the girls as Elaine led Trisha away, Brandon frowned in confusion. Glancing at Seth and Jack beside him, "The fuck? What’s wrong with her?"

Both parties just shrugged. Brandon raised a brow, whispering to himself, "Maybe it’s that time of the month? Tsk tsk, even undergoing the evolution of life didn’t—"

He barely finished his words when he felt a cold, deathly stare rest upon him. He shivered, swallowing his remaining words.

And like that, the cohort of six made their way down the trail of glistening essence.