Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 34: Method for Mining Mithril Ore
The next day, Lori, the little maid with dark circles under her eyes, did not drink her breakfast milk. This was because all the milk in Winter Fort had already been consumed by Ruo Yi, and it would take time for the next batch of fresh milk to arrive.
However, it was not a big problem. There would be plenty of fresh milk in the future, enough to drink for a lifetime.
She had already learned many new skills and was confident that her excellent performance would earn her more milk as a reward.
…
It was now September.
Eagle Territory experienced significant temperature fluctuations between day and night. It was quite cold in the morning and evening, but by noon, the sun would be blazing overhead. The scorching sunlight shone on Xi Wei’s face, waking him up from his sleep.
Xi Wei groggily opened his eyes.
The lingering fragrance still tantalized his nose, and the sweet and sour taste of strawberries remained in his mouth.
The soft, boneless beauty in his arms had already left. He looked around and found the room to be meticulously tidy.
As expected of Ruo Yi…
Looking at the lipstick marks all over his body in the mirror, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
She was too intense.
In fact, Ruo Yi’s physique was only slightly better than Lori’s, but she couldn’t resist her high skill level. Xi Wei used to think that “20,000 times” was just a number.
Now, he didn’t think so.
Those 20,000 times had truly exploited all his sensitive points. Ruo Yi’s various maneuvers had directly shortened the cooldown of all his skills, causing him to use a large number of skills in a short period.
Therefore, he was a little tired this morning. He could probably still use skills twenty to thirty more times. Don’t think that’s a lot, considering he had used skills over sixty times last night.
And he had also confirmed something. Ruo Yi might also believe in Poseidon, and her level of faith was no less than Lori’s, perhaps even higher.
Lori’s scent was sweet, like honey.
Ruo Yi’s scent was like strawberries, sweet at first, but with a hint of tartness in the aftertaste.
In short, each had its own unique characteristics.
Xi Wei smacked his lips and took a sip of coffee.
After washing up and donning his daily attire, he proceeded to the castle hall. He decided not to wipe off the lipstick marks, planning to have Ruo Yi personally clean them up later that night, just as they were made.
“Your Majesty, the two special envoys finished washing their underpants and socks this morning and have already departed.”
Gudbad had been waiting in the hall for a long time. He looked in good spirits, clearly having had a very enjoyable night.
“Oh?”
Xi Wei raised an eyebrow and sat majestically on the throne, asking casually:
“Didn’t you entertain them properly? Invite them for breakfast, or a banquet? What if word gets out that we in the Wintery Empire are a bunch of bandits?”
“No, Your Majesty. We did as you said. There was a banquet with dozens of dishes served with the highest standards, but…”
Gudbad’s shoulders trembled slightly as he suppressed a smile and reported:
“But when the two lords left, they were already green in the face from vomiting and couldn’t eat anything else.”
“Then it’s none of our business.”
Xi Wei nodded with satisfaction, then said with a look of disdain:
“Just washing their underpants isn’t enough, which means training needs to be strengthened. Don’t you agree, Gudbad?”
Xi Wei’s words were loaded with meaning, and his sinister gaze fell upon the gloating Gudbad, causing the latter to immediately cease smiling, stand tall and straight, with his feet together, and adopt a serious demeanor.
“You are right, Your Majesty. I believe I should dedicate my life to washing underpants and socks, and find my life’s enlightenment through it.”
“Good, you have spirit!”
Xi Wei nodded with satisfaction. He liked subordinates like Gudbad who were full of energy.
“Where is Clemon?”
“Your Majesty, Clemon has already organized manpower to begin mining the Radium Gold ore. However, an effective method for mining the Mithril ore has not yet been found. After all, Winter Lake is too vast, and draining the lake is not very feasible.”
Xi Wei stroked his chin upon hearing this. Mining mithril was indeed a significant problem.
Should miners work underwater?
In this era, very few ordinary people knew how to swim.
Even if they could swim, the cost in manpower and resources would be too great, yielding a very low cost-effectiveness.
But he couldn’t just abandon the mithril ore, could he?
After much thought, Xi Wei decided to ask Xing Hai for advice, as she had spent time in the lake and should have a solution.
…
“Mining mithril ore underwater?”
Xing Hai, with half her head emerging from the fountain, wore a coral statue of Sark on her head, looking rather dazed.
“I’m sorry Lord, oh no, you are the King now, Xing Hai should call you Your Majesty…”
As she spoke, Xing Hai took out a small shell, and a faint blue light emanated from her hand. Soon, a small row of words was etched onto the shell.
She smiled sheepishly, sticking out her tongue, and apologized:
“Things have gotten better recently, but I still forget sometimes.”
“Regarding how to collect the underwater mithril ore, Xing Hai has no good methods. The only way is to drain Winter Lake, but Xing Hai does not have the strength to do that now.”
“Alright,” Xi Wei said with some disappointment. He pondered for a moment and rephrased his question:
“Then do you know of any intelligent creatures that can move underwater and also live on land, and that these creatures are relatively numerous?”
“Amphibious, intelligent, and numerous?”
Xing Hai tilted her small head, thinking for a moment. However, her little brain was empty, and she hadn’t remembered anything except for the resurrection materials for Sark.
After thinking for a long time, she couldn’t recall anything. She could only dive underwater and bring up a pile of shells, starting to search through them one by one.
“Ah! Found it!”
After searching for a while, Xing Hai held up a shell triumphantly, exclaiming with joy:
“It’s this one, the Koutao Merman.”
“Your Majesty, this is a humanoid creature with scales covering its entire body, grayish-blue skin, and adults can live an amphibious life. They are also quite intelligent and perfectly fit your requirements.”
“Koutao Merman?”
Xi Wei frowned. His knowledge of the monsters on the Cain Continent was very limited. Even after reviewing a lot of information before, it was mostly related to demi-humans and elves.
Besides, he was a knight, not a mage. Knights did not need to learn about monsters.
“Yes,” Xing Hai nodded and continued to explain:
“These merfolk usually inhabit the seaside. But Winter Lake is so large, you can also try to find a group of Koutao Mermen. Their habitats will have a large amount of aquatic plants. These merfolk mainly feed on seaweed, shrimp, and crabs.”
“If you can find the Koutao Mermen, Xing Hai has a way to control them, thus solving your difficulty in mining mithril underwater.”
