Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Two days later, the work in the mine officially began.

Liu Xingmo, as Su Mali's assistant, helped with the physical labor.

Sumali, as a specially appointed expert, helped to provide suggestions for improvement to the entire steel industry.

To be honest, Heilongzhai has always been dismissive of science and technology. While other places have embarked on the Industrial Revolution, this ancient mountain town is still using looms.

Among the elders and stewards, there were many insightful individuals.

However, in this environment where there is no shortage of labor and illiteracy is widespread, some development measures are finding it difficult to proceed.

The steel plant at Yinqian Mountain was a large workshop where a large group of blacksmiths gathered and used ancient blast furnaces.

As for steam engines, they don't exist. Those loud, rumbling contraptions would disturb the mountain goddess's peaceful meditation.

All Liu Xingmo and Su Mali could do was explore deep mineral veins and try to improve the traditional blast furnace.

On this day, the two put on loose work clothes, sat on the back of the old turtle, and followed a team of workers deep into the mine.

The dense darkness stretched endlessly ahead. The air was so stuffy it was suffocating, with only sections of hollow bamboo held together by resin allowing fresh air to pass through small holes.

Even lighting was a problem; the leader held up the only spirit stone lamp, which emitted a faint white light to illuminate the narrow cave.

The stones above, below, left, and right were cold and hard, while in front and behind was endless darkness.

At that moment, Liu Xingmo understood what claustrophobia was.

The shirtless miners, however, were used to it and chatted loudly without a care in the world.

"Who are those two fair-skinned newcomers? And they're riding a turtle!"

"I heard he's a blacksmith from out of town, skilled in forging iron and steel."

"That brat knows how to enjoy himself, bringing his wife along even when he goes down into the mine. Hmm... wait a minute! He's got that bloody aura, just like us, how could he be a weapon refiner?"

"It's not that pretty boy, it's that woman, I heard she's at the second level."

"Tsk tsk! How come this poor, shabby scholar is so popular with girls?"

……

Liu Xingmo felt extremely embarrassed, which made him angry. He hugged his wife tightly and rubbed against her affectionately.

I'm a gigolo now, you guys can just stand there envious and jealous.

Speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear, Su Mali whispered, "Xingmo, everyone says you're fair-skinned."

"Stop pretending, you know what a pretty boy means, right?" Liu Xingmo said, pouting.

"What? After being a man for two years, you've learned to put on airs?" A barely perceptible smile appeared on Su Mali's face. "Speaking of which, ever since I came to your house eight years ago, I've been the one taking care of the household chores. You're the boy I've watched grow up."

Liu Xingmo hugged his wife even tighter.

The surrounding miners became even more boisterous.

At this moment, an experienced craftsman shouted directly to Liu Xingmo, "Young man! You're novices; there are many things you don't understand. Remember, the underground is not like the surface; don't touch anything recklessly! Especially don't light a fire, or we'll be buried alive!"

Liu Xingmo nodded knowingly: "I know, gas explosions. And there are also toxic gas leaks, underground river flooding, landslides..."

"Oh, you know quite a lot about this, then I'm relieved." The experienced worker walked to the end of the line to inspect the mine's support panels.

Liu Xingmo knew these things because he had worked for a newspaper for many years and had to report on similar accidents every now and then.

Mines are indeed dangerous places, in both past and present lives.

As we walked downhill, a strange smell began to fill the air, making us feel dizzy. Every now and then, there were small horizontal holes along the roadside, leading to unknown places.

That's about it.

The leader, holding a spirit stone lamp, crawled into a small hole, and the others followed in single file.

Liu Xingmo picked up his pickaxe, jumped off the tortoise shell, and tried to follow.

Immediately, someone stopped him: "No, no, no! You two stay here! We'll dig out some ore and show it to you, but please don't go down!"

Liu Xingmo leaned on his pickaxe and couldn't help but sigh. He had truly been treated like a useless pretty boy.

Sumali calmly sat on the tortoise shell and made a request: "I don't care what kind of ore I want. Please mine a portion of all the stones for me. Don't just focus on the common iron ore."

"All the stones? Got it."

Once the miners had all entered the cave, darkness enveloped the enclosed underground space.

It was pitch black, and the air was stuffy and damp.

My head was spinning and I wanted to doze off, but a strange excitement was raging in my mind, making my heart pound.

Liu Xingmo sensed Bao Hei's fear through the soul imprint. He groped in the darkness and found the old turtle's head, holding it in his arms and gently stroking it.

Darkness and silence amplify the fear in one's heart endlessly.

Suddenly, a faint white light appeared.

The light came from Sumali's palm, which held half a piece of snow-white jade.

The darkness receded like the tide, revealing the original outline of the mine.

Liu Xingmo asked in surprise, "Mary, you can make spirit stone lamps too?"

"A simple lighting magic, which I cast using the magic within the stone."

Sumali jumped off the tortoise shell and used the light from the jade in her hand to illuminate the pitted walls of the mine.

As she walked, she identified the minerals in the area: "Apatite, barite, fluorite... what a vast mineral vein."

Liu Xingmo couldn't make sense of these colorful stones: "Would they be helpful to your alchemy?"

"Yes, it can save a lot of money."

"That's good."

Silence returned to the quiet mine.

From a great distance, a tinkling sound seemed to drift in.

Stones cannot speak; they only repel enemies invading from the surface with their heavy, oppressive presence.

Sumali suddenly turned her head, the spirit stone in her hand illuminating her dignified and solemn face: "Xingmo, this place is indeed too dangerous. Promise me you won't let Baohei use its dark magic, okay? I'm afraid it might cause an accident..."

"Okay, then." Liu Xingmo looked at his wife's serious face and agreed without much hesitation. "If we don't find a gold nugget, we don't find one. The world is so big, there are treasures everywhere."

"Thank you, Xingmo." Su Mali smiled, her smile possessing an ethereal beauty under the white light of the spirit stone.

"What's wrong, Mary? Something's not right with you."

"I grew up with my father, who disappeared without a trace during a mine exploration trip." Sumali's voice was unusually pained. "Since then, I have had no choice but to seek refuge in Silvermoon Keep and live in the vampire territory."

"Huh? Well, although I might be saying this too late, let's get over this soon."

"Xingmo, you've always been so considerate." Su Mali smiled faintly. "You were just like I was back then. We were both people without a home."

Liu Xingmo smiled and said, "Now we both have homes."