My Pokémon Story of Seasons

Chapter 264 Introduction to Mining

Meanwhile, Tong Hua and his group had arrived at the entrance to Villa Volcano Park.

"Terrifying—"

Chinchilla somehow got hold of a towel and wrapped it all over its body to protect itself from the volcanic ash.

It's a bit of a stretch to put a clean little mouse like him in a place like this.

"Oh my~" Sweet and cold beauty didn't feel anything, but was even a little excited.

Even though Orion and Celebi are not by my side, as the captain of the fairy tale adventure team, I must continue to explore even if I am alone!

Sweet and beautiful, she strode forward gracefully, her crown still shining brightly in the volcanic ash-filled air.

"Whoa!"

Having worked mining here for so long, the Soul Reapers are already very familiar with the environment.

Suddenly stopping work really does trigger a withdrawal reaction in the body.

The Soul-Eyed creatures unconsciously scratched at the ground with their claws, their jewel-like eyes gleaming with a longing for ore.

One of the Soul Reapers couldn't resist using Shadow Claw on a roadside rock, skillfully chipping off a small sample.

"Whoa!"

Feeling the heavy weight of the ore in his hand, the Soul-Stealing Eye felt an unparalleled sense of pleasure.

Turning your hobby into a job is a dream come true for so many people!

Looking at the seven of them, Tong Hua felt their heartfelt joy and couldn't help but be infected by their emotions.

"Great! I want to mine ore too!"

This is also to collect materials for alchemy research, you'll help, right? Tibrim?

"Bree————"

Tibrim initially wanted to accuse Tong Hua of not studying alchemy properly these past two days, but upon closer reflection, he realized that what Tong Hua said seemed irrefutable.

Alchemists do indeed need various ores as materials. For example, when Tong Hua made the tanning magic book, he also used copper ore sand to make enchanting ink.

Ultimately, alchemy has always been a study of ores since its inception.

In order to transform low-value base metals such as copper and iron into high-value precious metals such as gold, people pursued "alchemy," or in other words, turning lead into gold.

As for other pursuits such as potions, the Philosopher's Stone, omniscience, and eternal life, these are merely branches that arose during the development of alchemy.

Tibrim's curly hair swayed gently, and she finally nodded: "Tibrim—since it's for gathering materials, then I'll reluctantly give you some guidance."

Tong Hua smiled happily and turned to the others, saying, "Is there anyone else who wants to experience mining?"

"Ooh!" "Waaaah!"

Sweet and cold was the first to raise her hand in agreement, and the seven bewitching eyes immediately echoed her sentiment.

"Ooh." "Kuku."

Seeing this, Riolu and the Forest Lizard thought for a moment and also expressed their desire to join.

"Then I want to go too!" Jessica joined in enthusiastically, and the others could only nod in agreement.

"Terrifying—"

Chinchilla was extremely reluctant, but since everyone else was going, he had no choice but to wrap himself tightly in a towel and follow the group with small, quick steps.

The pickpocket cat couldn't help but chuckle at Chinchilla's antics. It nimbly hopped to his side and gently brushed his cheek with its tail.

"Meow~"

"Tear!" Chinchilla was so angry at the pickpocket cat's prank that he jumped up and down, but he was wrapped in a towel and could only watch helplessly as the pickpocket cat nimbly dodged away.

"Speaking of which, do you have to go down into the mine to collect ore?"

Imagining the group digging in the dark mine tunnels, it seemed quite different from the initially planned pleasant trip.

No, that's not it.

Tong Hua explained with a smile: "What's actually counterintuitive is that many ores are actually found in larger quantities on the surface, making them easier to mine."

This is especially true near volcanoes, where certain minerals are carried to the surface by volcanic eruptions, forming sedimentary deposits.

"I see." Feng suddenly understood. "So, to mine ore here, we don't need any qualifications, permits, or licenses?"

"Whoa!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the seven bewitching eyes standing to the side immediately puffed out their chests proudly.

"No need to worry, although the work has come to an end, our collection permits still have a remaining period."

After hearing Lucario's explanation, everyone was relieved.

Tong Hua looked around and pointed to an area scattered with black basalt.

Let's start from there.

If you're lucky, you might find some peridot, agate, or copper ore.

Led by the Soul Reapers, the group arrived at a hillside covered with volcanic rocks.

"When mining, you should try to use skillful force. Here, these are the pickaxe and hammer used for mining."

As the Night Demon explained things to everyone, he distributed the tools he had been using over the past few days.

"Are there any tips or tricks? Like how to find ore or something?" Jessica picked up a pickaxe, which suited her quite well.

"Hmm—" Tong Hua touched his chin, unsure how to answer the question.

"For beginners like us, there's really no need to pursue any skills."

The most practical tip is definitely choosing the right gathering location. But in places like this, even if you just randomly tap around, I think you'll still find something.

"Oh my!"

After listening to Tong Hua's advice, Tian Lengmei was immediately filled with confidence!

She took the hammer and walked gracefully around the area, lightly kicking each rock she passed, carefully discerning the subtle differences in the sound of each stone.

Suddenly, the sweet and cold queen stopped in front of an inconspicuous rock wall.

She gracefully raised her long legs and gently tapped the rock face, producing an echo that was distinctly different from any other place!

The sound was crisper, with a metallic quality.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the rock face and raising her sledgehammer.

"Wait a minute!"

Tong Hua quickly stopped her and then walked over.

"Let me do it!"

Tong Hua took the mining hammer from Tian Lengmei's hand, gently tapped the rock wall, and then used waveguide power to carefully sense it.

A few seconds later, his eyes lit up. "There might really be a mineral vein here."

He gestured for everyone to step back a few paces, then raised his mining hammer and aimed it at a crack in the rock face—

"clang!"

After a crisp sound, a crack appeared on the surface of the rock wall, revealing ore that shimmered with a metallic luster.

"Wow!" Jessica exclaimed, "They actually found it!"

Tong Hua carefully pried open the crack with a pickaxe, and several pieces of copper ore, which were entirely green, rolled out.

"What beautiful stones! What kind of mineral is this?"

I picked up a piece of green copper ore; its shape resembled a delicate, small pillar.

"This is malachite, a type of secondary copper ore," Tibrim, sitting on Tong Hua's shoulders, explained.

"Although it has many impurities, it is still a relatively easy material for novice alchemists to use."

It's a great material for making inks or reagents —

Tibriam described at length the properties, functions, and recipes that could be made from malachite.

But Tong Hua seemed completely indifferent, as if she wasn't listening at all.

Just as he unearthed several pieces of malachite with his pickaxe, the familiar achievement notification popped up in the cheat menu—a welcome surprise.

[Three successful ore extractions!]

[Unlock Achievement: Getting Started as a Miner!]