There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

"Do you know what a fanatic is? These people are just like the gay guys in hardware groups. No matter what, RGB is right. Light pollution is justice. They only buy the flashiest ones, not the most practical ones!"

"So our motto is: Not the most effective, but the most dazzling!"

The water elemental's blurry head remained motionless for a long time, staring in disbelief for quite some time before finally looking at me with lingering curiosity and asking, "Is...is there more?"

"You're a water elemental who can't even speak properly, so don't get involved in this mess. Tell me, are you planning to be taken into custody by the police or go to the police station to explain the situation?"

“Oh…” The water elemental twisted its body and said apologetically, “But I can’t leave here right now. My true form is trapped on a special artifact and can only exist in places with water.”

"A divine artifact? Where is it?"

“There is a crystal artifact underwater right here. Could you help me retrieve it? The waves here are too big, and I can barely maintain my shape, let alone restore my divine power.”

"Hey! It's a water elemental from a tower defense game! Why don't you just have the mage dispel the summon?"

Even as I said that, I still went to the lake and retrieved the so-called crystal artifact. This water elemental, though overly silly, did genuinely help me find the Rainbow Sword, so I'll keep it in a safe place.

Luckily, I managed to control it first. If it had been the unscrupulous priest Carter, he probably would have taken it home as a treasure and locked it in the washing machine every day to wash dirty clothes.

Soon, a transparent vessel was retrieved from the lake. In appearance, it was a transparent container about the size of a dinner plate, extremely similar to a glass plate, with a slight sky-blue luster. It felt smooth and delicate in my hand, and it dissolved into nothingness when submerged in water.

As I picked up the plate, the water element's body rapidly shrank, eventually becoming a translucent shape in the shallow pool of water in the plate, barely resembling the outline of a human face.

Can't it maintain its form without water? No wonder it said it can only live in water. If the water dries up or I accidentally spill it, then I might be the most innocent god-killer, right?

So, only a goddess would believe that!

"Please be gentle! If the crystal artifact breaks, I will disappear completely and may not be able to be reborn from some corner of the world for hundreds of years..." The water elemental lay obediently in the dish, giving me very serious instructions.

I shouldered three swords, lifted my robes, and strode back as fast as I could.

"This setup of yours is really familiar. Don't worry, if anything goes wrong, when you reappear, I will find you along with the Water Spirit Orb."

"Really...really? Why are you looking for me..." The water elemental sloshed around in the plate.

"Don't move around, or you'll spill it on the ground and it'll be all over. I found you to contain you, of course. I really wouldn't feel at ease if I didn't keep this strange thing by my side."

"I'm not a strange thing..."

You just called yourself a goddess! What's wrong with that?!

I mentally grumbled to myself as I quickly made my way to the hot spring inn. Containing this kind of creature definitely couldn't be done on the ranch. I was already barely managing to hide my poor kappa; adding another water elemental would probably cause a fight in the river. It was better to keep it near the secret base. Even the Deep Ones had been hidden in Mount Mads for so many years; a few more waves wouldn't be a problem.

"Pick a spot! Do you want to go to the hot springs? Wouldn't it be great to soak in the pool and enjoy a sauna every day?" I recommended.

"No, the hot spring water flows too fast and there are too many impurities in it. My divine power will be exhausted as soon as I go in."

I looked it over and locked onto my target again. "So what do you think of this pool? This is a pure natural spring that I personally dug out. The water is sweet and clear, with a naturally weak alkaline pH and small molecular clusters. It contains a balanced amount of natural minerals. We don't produce water; we're just nature's porters!"

"Uh... this place is fine too."

The water element remained stunned for a long time before finally giving in.

As I placed the plate into the spring, I explained, "From today onwards, you are our ****** number 003 containment object, and your code name will be..."

After thinking for a long time, I decided that the code name should be misleading. "Since you are a water elemental, let's call you Dry Earth! No one would want to associate these two things together, right?"

I announced triumphantly, while the water element weakly objected, but I ignored it. "From now on, you're not allowed to appear casually. We'll use a divination stick as a signal; you can only appear when I throw a flower into the spring!"

"understood……"

"Dry Earth" answered listlessly, then suddenly asked, "Why is my number 003? Are there any other containment objects ahead of me?"

"Number 002 is a green-skinned guy; I'll introduce him to you another day."

"What about containment item number 001?"

I awkwardly pretended to look around at the scenery and asked, "How about I recite a poem for you, 'Waiting for Ding Da at Master Ye's Mountain Lodge, but He Doesn't Arrive'?"

Chapter 240 Something's Wrong

Before I knew it, I was back at the starting point.

I checked repeatedly to make sure that no one who passed by would ever imagine that there was a containment object hidden inside before I left with peace of mind.

After all, I'm a reasonable person. Although this Yashiro, codenamed "Dry Earth"... his water element isn't quite right in the head, constantly claiming to be some kind of goddess, I'm professionally trained, and no matter how funny it is, I won't laugh unless I can't help it.

Therefore, it is my duty to give these eight heroes the respect they deserve. I also have a green kappa on my ranch that only knows how to eat cucumbers, and I've never discriminated against it!

I'll talk to Gray about this another day. Just keep an eye on this containment object. If an escape attempt is discovered, kill it on the spot; further interrogation doesn't require approval.

"Water element, you stay put, I'm going into the mine."

Now that we've come this far, there's no reason not to go in. The ore I owe Sebala still needs to be mined out, pickaxe by pickaxe; this step is imperative…

…………

The first impression of walking into the hot spring mine with a miner's pickaxe is its darkness.

I have never been inside a mine, so I have no idea what it's like inside.

My impression of mines is that they are places where the ceiling is covered with electric lights, or at the very least, the walls are covered with torches, illuminating the surroundings. The precious ores should be inlaid on the walls of the mine like tiles, so that you can identify their type at a glance, without any impurities, and they can be used as soon as they are thrown into the furnace.

Precious ores should be larger than others, adorned with glowing and dazzling effects, and prominently marked with a level 999 icon. You can forget about getting anything if you're even one level lower. Even more advanced are specialized ores that grow in lava zones, ice caves, and rainforests; you can't even get in without a VIP membership.

Such mines are simple, clear, and orderly. Anyone who wants to mine there has to obey and won't have any crooked thoughts.

But the mine in front of me looked like a dusty, gray place. Relying on the sunlight shining through the entrance, I could see that it was full of dust that had accumulated over the years, forming a thick layer on the ground, where footprints were clearly imprinted.

The wall was covered with chisel marks from the excavation, some so deep they were embedded in the soil, like a gruesome scar. The person who wielded that pickaxe must have realized they hadn't found the vein and decisively moved on to another spot, never to do anything more.

As I looked around, my thoughts drifted back to the era when miners landed on the island to build the town. Those pioneers first chose this place and began one attempt after another, seeking breakthrough after breakthrough.

But I also recalled the untold horrors that had unfolded in this mine. Groups of rioting miners, accompanied by a haunting, ethereal song, embarked on their ascent up the mountain. Each step was a stumble, yet not a single one fell behind. Their eyes were blank and unknowing as they headed towards their destination, step by step entering the mine and vanishing forever…

As the people in front began to disappear, some of the people behind might suddenly come to their senses, stop at the mine entrance, and desperately try to figure out why they were there.

However, this resistance was ineffective. The invisible suction in the cave gradually pulled them into the darkness, where they would wander aimlessly, never finding peace.

Those missing miners were different from the unfortunate souls embedded in the walls of the lake mine. Their traces were never found again, and the mine entered a state of spatial distortion, with the staircases connecting each level changing positions erratically, as if the laws of the world had completely lost their power here.

As I hesitated here, I thought of this long-ago story. Even though old Yorkson and old man Hook assured me that the "final calamity" that had lurked on the island for who knows how long had been driven away, and that those indescribable phenomena would also disappear, their parting words emphasized that there were still some taboos on the island that could not be investigated, which remained a source of unease.

The ethereal song from back then wasn't only heard by the miners. Mrs. Lilia, Poppy's mother, also heard the song decades later and contracted an inexplicable illness.

The source of these anomalies all seems to point to this mysterious hot spring mine.

Admittedly, I cannot explain the strange phenomena here, but I can confirm that this place possesses something extraordinary.

My first ranch visitor, a jay from the Brownpool tribe, claimed to have suddenly appeared at Mineral Town Ranch from here. A mysterious call, seemingly from the Colonizer System, guided her into the caves of her home planet, leading her to the caves of Mount Mads.

Why wasn't the crossing location a toilet, bathtub, ancient well, or Forbidden City? And why wasn't the method jumping into a river, crashing a plane, being struck by lightning, or touching an electric wire? Why did it have to be through this ordinary mountain cave?

I don't believe there's nothing strange about this.

I boldly speculate that this cave itself is a unique point in time and space, a weak point between spaces. By applying some special external force, it is possible to break the restrictions and achieve the phenomenon of space travel.

Unfortunately, I didn't go here with the jays last time to witness the amazing event of time travel. But ever since then, the hot spring mine has been a place that holds a special place in my heart.

Regardless of whether they are allies, enemies, or special visitors, I feel this place must be treated as a point of interest and given special attention. The secret base set up in the cave next door also serves to monitor this area.

So today will be the first time I set foot here.

I carried my miner's pickaxe and walked a short distance further in. I could feel the air inside becoming increasingly murky. As I moved, dust from the cave slowly rose up, obscuring my vision. I could no longer see the path ahead clearly in the darkness and murky air.

I closed my eyes and blinked, trying to protect my fragile eyes, but then I felt something white and hazy appear in my vision.

Oh no... Do I have cataracts?

I glanced around at my surroundings out of the corner of my eye, trying to find a reference point, but I felt that the white phantom was following me.

In my panic, I took an extra step forward and bumped my head against the mine wall, kicking up a cloud of dust. But then, a familiar item description appeared right before my eyes.

Item Name: Buried Steel

Item Description: The ruins of a collapsed ancient building, rich in aviation materials.

Durability: 1500/1500

Mined material: Steel

Cover effectiveness: 75%

Flammability: 0%

here……

Something is wrong!

Chapter 241 Mining Miners

From any perspective, this situation is very strange. I was facing a thick, high wall, covered with countless pickaxe marks.

But in this dimly lit environment, the item description panel unique to the colonist system appeared prominently, enthusiastically introducing the items in front of me.

Buried steel, as the name suggests, refers to steel that has been buried underground for various unknown reasons, forming a special area.

Why would there be such a steel mine at the bottom of a mine shaft?

Could it be that the minerals produced over the years in this mine, which only the first miners to land on the island could enter, are actually iron ore veins formed from such ancient relics?

If old Yorkson were in front of me now, or if I had entered this place earlier and discovered the secret, I would definitely have asked him all the questions and waited for his explanation.

But in my current situation, I am all alone in the dimly lit scene, staring blankly at a steel wall that has existed since ancient times and is secretly buried and never sees the light of day.

No wonder the miners back then signed an agreement to keep this a secret from later generations.

Such high-purity iron ore can almost be considered as a ready-made steel material buried underground. With just a little refining to remove the impurities, it can be exported overseas.

Back when space resources were not yet dumped and the entire continent and islands were undergoing a vigorous urbanization movement, these high-quality steel materials must have also sailed across the ocean with the ships of the Navigators' Alliance, transforming into the skeleton of millions of steel jungles.

This sudden appearance of signs of civilization deep in the mountains gave me an uneasy feeling. Why is there this unique phenomenon of steel being buried on the nameless island where the mining town is located?

I groped my way through the darkness, slowly crossing the buried steel and approaching the adjacent area. Soon, another pale white item attribute panel appeared before me.

Item Name: Slate

Description: A dark-colored metamorphic rock with fine stratification characteristic of slate cleavage.

Durability: 500/500

Mined material: Slate block

Cover effectiveness: 75%