Amber Sword-Chapter 593 - 45th Scene Silver Mine (6) (1 revision, seeking support, will die without support) _2
But Ben and Joka weren’t the only ones who went underground. Workers entered the tunnels from several main entrances and soon dispersed. He glanced around and, seeing Yuta, Medisha, and Qian silently merging into the crowd, felt a bit relieved. Then he withdrew his gaze and followed Joka ahead in silence.
The place Joka mentioned was far from the surface but not the deepest part of the mine. According to Kevan, the deepest part of the mine connects underground with Jogen Digan; however, Ben thought it might be the uppermost layer of Jogen Digan, the so-called ’Big Beehive’.
The paths there are intricate and widespread; once lost within, it’s hard to find an exit. This is one of the biggest barriers between Jogen Digan and the surface world. Moreover, the Big Beehive itself is a place of turmoil, a habitat for many monsters, far from peaceful.
Most of the mining operations are concentrated in the middle and upper layers. Ben and Joka took a simple elevator deep underground and followed a low tunnel for about ten minutes before reaching their work area.
But as they went deeper underground, the events that followed shocked Joka, who walked ahead.
The young man initially thought Ben would be uncomfortable in the oppressive environment of the mine. He was ready to slow down to let Ben catch up—the tunnels here weren’t as spacious as the upper layers and a slight misstep could lead to a head injury.
But the reality was entirely different. Ben seemed to adapt to the surroundings like a fish in water. This young man walked forward with ease, using techniques more skillful than Joka’s, some of which Joka had never heard of.
The young man was almost stunned. To him, Ben’s skills were akin to those of a veteran miner with decades of experience.
As they moved forward, they took less than half the time Joka usually needed. By the end, even Joka didn’t know how he kept up with Ben. The underground was incredibly hot; Joka couldn’t help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, panting heavily.
Joka never imagined he would one day be out of breath chasing someone underground. It had been a long time since he felt that way after he stopped being an apprentice.
Then Ben lit the light source.
The air here was quite thin, making natural flames impossible. Ben took out a fluorescent crystal for illumination—the mine used the cheapest kind to cut costs, which cost only a few copper coins in the market. The crystal’s light was so dim it could be described as barely functional, even less than a weak candle’s flame. However, the pale grey light still cast the surrounding stone walls in uneven shadows.
But Joka had chosen a good spot; the rock was coated with a faint light purple hue. This color was not typical of silver ore itself. Ben guessed it might be due to a magical ore contained within the rock.
This wasn’t uncommon. In Vaun mines, various magical companion ores are often present. With Ben’s extensive experience, he assessed that behind this rock layer there should be a rich vein, with high-quality ores, potentially containing some valuable companion ores.
As a veteran miner with over ’ten years’ experience, Ben naturally trusted his judgment.
At this moment, he heard a string of footsteps approaching from behind. Looking back, he saw it was Kevan, Maher, and their group. They were surprised to see Ben and Joka: "Joka, you’re here so fast?"
Joka glanced at Ben with a tap and nodded to his companions.
"You’ve picked a good spot," Ben said to the teenagers while looking at the rock wall.
"Hmph," Maher snorted lightly, "You can tell?"
"The light purple rock indicates that the ore layer contains cold iron, a rare companion ore," Ben remarked, looking at the inclined textures of the rock. "Have you found any diagonal quartz here?"
"Diagonal quartz?" Maher was taken aback, "What’s that nonsense?"
"Also known as light blue crystal," Ben replied.
"That’s false crystal, isn’t it? How could there be such thing in a silver mine?" Maher shook his head disdainfully, "If you’re here for that, then you’ve come to the wrong place."
But Ben shook his head.
Diagonal quartz is not quartz but a micro-magical ore that can produce a moonlight effect, thus also known as a type of moonstone. These ores are widely found in various mining veins. While low-grade diagonal quartz is worthless, the highest quality is known as Magic Eye Gem, often used as the core storage in Magic Rings.
Diagonal quartz in silver mines is typically low-grade, yet they are a companion ore to cold iron. Ben looked at the glowing rock wall and said, "You’ve dug in the wrong direction. If you continue digging this way, you might find cold iron ore."
Maher and the other teenagers exchanged glances. "How do you know? Why are you so kind to tell us?" If it were before yesterday, they certainly wouldn’t believe Ben. But now, things seemed different, and Ben appeared to have no reason to deceive them.
Ben indeed wasn’t lying; he merely spoke out of his experience as an old miner.
"Then, how should we dig?" This time a girl behind Kevan asked.
(PS: Tragedy, in the last Chapter, I mistakenly wrote the name of the King of Flames incorrectly. Please ignore it if you saw it, 233... I will pay more attention next time...
Also, I need support; I seem to have a condition where I will die without support. Watching the stagnant tickets, subscriptions, favorites, etc., makes me feel weakened.)(To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log on to www.qidian.com for more Chapters, support the author, and read legitimately!)
