Starting from The Witcher, he slaughtered his way across the world.

mine.

Marcus led a dozen or so convicts, who had filled their stomachs, to the work site, while Lovan followed at the end of the group.

The road was rugged and uneven, barely carved out, with rubble and withered grass roots crisscrossing the sides. Further ahead, a bare rock face could be seen.

As dusk fell, the world became dim and gloomy, making the scene ahead appear even more somber.

The air carried a faint, earthy, and mineral smell, and the vegetation along the road had been cleared away, giving it a desolate appearance.

By this point, Luo Fan already knew what awaited him next.

Mining.

As they approached the mine, they could faintly hear the clanging and banging sounds coming from inside. Trucks were parked outside the mine, and two people dressed in cloth clothes, yawning, sat behind two tables, looking extremely bored.

Upon seeing Marcus and his group, the two immediately perked up, quickly rising from their seats and respectfully asking, "Lord Marcus, are these the new miners?"

"good."

Marcus nodded slightly: "In a bit, you'll tell them about the work. Also, keep a close eye on them and don't let them slack off."

"No problem, sir. I guarantee they won't dare to slack off!"

One of them immediately nodded and said ingratiatingly, "The smell of earth and rocks is strong here. You should go back and rest if you have nothing else to do."

"Yeah, keep an eye on them."

Marcus remained indifferent, leaving the person behind before departing.

"My name is Leif, and I'm in charge of recording your work points, which are very important to you."

Leif then stopped smiling and took over the conversation, glancing at everyone before continuing:

"What you see before you are Lord Nolan's mining assets, and your task is to help Lord Nolan mine and quarry."

"Each of you must dig at least 1,500 jin of stones every day. That's the bare minimum. If you don't complete that..."

As he spoke, he swept his fierce gaze across the crowd, his eyes full of warning.

"Not only will you not get any food, but you'll also be whipped. Your lives now belong to Lord Nolan. Even if you die here, no one will care. Do you understand?"

He brandished the long whip in his hand, a cold smile on his face.

Everyone trembled with fear, secretly lamenting their misfortune.

Luo Fan was equally astonished. 1,500 jin (750 kg) is almost equivalent to a ton. With their frail bodies, they would have to work themselves to death to complete that.

"Of course, as long as you meet the daily standards, you won't be punished or go hungry."

"Similarly, if you exceed the quota, you can earn one work point for every 100 jin (50 kg) you add. These work points are valuable; they can help you eat better food, sleep in better beds, and even help you get a higher position."

"If you do a good job, you might be able to stand on equal footing with me."

"As mentioned before, the ore in this mine is much harder to extract than the rock, so every hundred pounds of ore is equivalent to five hundred pounds of rock."

While speaking, Leif didn't forget to offer empty promises to everyone.

Upon hearing that they could earn work points and even get promoted, everyone's face lit up with excitement, and their previous fear and apprehension vanished.

Even Luo Fan couldn't help but be tempted. The first thing he wanted to do now was to get rid of this lowly status.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to go anywhere and would have to stay here mining for people his whole life.

But he knew that things were definitely not as simple as Leif had made them out to be. Leaving aside whether they could exceed their targets, even if they could... how many work points would they need to get promoted?

"Also, don't even think about slacking off. There are people there specifically watching you. If you dare to slack off, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

Leif calmly sat back down, pointing to a row of iron pickaxes not far away.

"This is your first time here, so please experience the work environment first. Each person only needs to dig up 600 jin of ore to complete the task."

"Alright, get back to work!"

He waved his hand, too lazy to even glance at the crowd.

The dozen or so convicts looked at each other, and one of them took the lead, picked up a pickaxe, and walked into the mine.

The others followed suit, and Luo Fan examined the iron pickaxe immediately after receiving it.

[You can consume 1 upgrade point to upgrade an iron pickaxe to a steel pickaxe]

"So, strengthening iron only requires 1 strengthening point?"

Luo Fan was surprised. He still didn't understand where the limit of enhancement points was. Currently, everything he could access only required one enhancement point to enhance.

After a quick glance, he closed the panel and followed the team into the mine.

The mine was dug to an unknown depth. As soon as they entered, they heard a constant clanging sound coming from the depths, and several dark and indistinct tunnels appeared before them.

Snapped!

As everyone stood there in a daze, a loud bang startled them. A patrolman holding a long whip stepped forward and shouted sternly.

"Everyone push a delivery cart, let's get to work!"

A row of small carts loaded with ore were parked nearby. Without hesitation, everyone stepped forward, each pushing one, and headed deeper into the mine.

......

At the same time.

Within Shigu City, a luxurious manor occupies a large area of ​​the city.

The butler passed through without hindrance and entered a mansion within the estate, then proceeded to a room on the second floor.

He pushed open the door and entered. Inside the lavishly decorated room, a brown-haired man of about thirty years old was flirting with a young maid beside him, one hand roaming up and down her full, round buttocks.

The maid, her face flushed with shyness, playfully pushed the man's arm away.

"Young Master Nolan, the new convicts have arrived."

The butler entered the room without looking to the side, and stood respectfully at the door with a slight bow.

The man before him was none other than Nolan Jord, the master of Stone Drum City, a man of noble status and the most precious son of the lord of Cangyuan County.

How many people were sent this time?

Nolan, with a casual demeanor, flirtatiously teased the maid beside him with a smile.

The butler replied, "Fifteen people in total."

"Fifteen people?" Nolan's gaze shifted to the butler, his brow furrowing slightly. "Why so few?"

The steward said, "According to the report from the guards in charge of escorting them, they were attacked by bandits during the journey, and many people died."

Nolan pondered for two seconds after hearing this, then frowned and said, "Too few. Continue to gather manpower from the surrounding towns and villages. No matter what methods they use, send all those commoners to mine for me."

The butler hesitated for a moment, then said, "Recently, we have forcibly conscripted a lot of poor people. If this continues, it may cause discontent among the lower classes."

"What's it to me?"

Nolan's cold gaze fell on the butler. "The common folk can complain all they want. It's their good fortune to serve me. Tell me, which is more important, their business or mine?"

The butler immediately replied, "Of course it's for you, Young Master Nolan."

"That's it then. Keep hiring. The current efficiency is terrible. When will we ever find that thing?"

"Continue to do as I instruct, understand?"

Nolan said calmly.

"Understood, young master," the butler replied immediately, then added, "What should we do with the mined ore? Stone Drum City already has enough ore reserves; any more would be useless."

"Do with it as you please. You can throw away those unimportant things. All I want is for you to dig that thing out as quickly as possible. Nothing else matters. Do you understand?"

"Alright, get on with your business, don't bother me."

Nolan waved his hand impatiently, signaling the butler to leave.

"Yes, young master."

The butler respectfully stepped back and slowly closed the door. Nolan's teasing laughter and the maid's coquettish cries could be heard from inside the room.