20: Chapter 20 Ore Vein Ownership

As dawn broke, Zhao Tieshan opened his eyes from his meditation.

He exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, his complexion looking much better than yesterday.

"Elder Zhao, how are you feeling?" Lin Muchen had been keeping watch by his side.

"I won't die." Zhao Tieshan stood up and stretched his muscles and bones. "The internal tremors have stabilized; I just need a few more days of recuperation."

He walked to the entrance of the mine and looked into the pitch-black tunnel within.

"How are Manager Zhou and Wu Hai doing?" Zhao Tieshan asked.

"A Disciple just came by to give an update," Lin Muchen said. "Manager Zhou is awake, but he's still a bit dazed. As for Wu Hai... the Senior Brother from the Medical Hall took a look and said his soul-consciousness is damaged. Whether he can recover depends on luck."

Zhao Tieshan nodded and didn't ask further.

He turned around and looked at Lin Muchen.

"Lin Muchen."

"Present."

"You handled the matter of the Ore Vein and the Secret Realm very well this time." Zhao Tieshan's tone was formal. "You didn't panic or lose your head. Saving people, scouting, and stabilizing the situation—you did it all well."

Lin Muchen didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

"Therefore," Zhao Tieshan pulled out a black token from his robes and handed it over, "the mining rights for this Spirit Iron Vein are officially transferred to you. From today on, you are the manager of this mine."

Lin Muchen took the token.

The token was cold to the touch. On the front, the two large characters 'Qinglan' were engraved, and on the back were the two smaller characters 'Mining Affairs'.

"You personally take twenty percent of the mining proceeds, and the rest is handed over to the Sect," Zhao Tieshan said. "You arrange the manpower yourself; you can mobilize the Zayiyi and Outer Sect Disciples according to the rules. Report the mining progress once a month, and the accounts must be clear."

"Understood." Lin Muchen tucked the token away.

He felt a little excited inside.

Could this be... considered a long-term meal ticket for his first pot of gold?

"Shen Yueru." Zhao Tieshan looked at Shen Yueru nearby.

"Elder Zhao."

"Assist Lin Muchen in taking inventory of the items obtained from the Secret Realm this time," Zhao Tieshan said. "Hand over what should be handed over, and keep what should be kept. Once the inventory is finished, give me a list."

"Yes."

After Zhao Tieshan finished his instructions, he glanced at the mine again.

"I'm heading back to the Sect to officially report this matter," he said. "Hurry up with the inventory."

With that, he turned and left.

Only Lin Muchen and Shen Yueru remained at the mine entrance.

"Manager Lin," Shen Yueru looked over with a smile, "I should call you Manager Lin now."

"Senior Sister Shen, please don't tease me." Lin Muchen also smiled. "Let's hurry and take inventory; there's a mountain of things to do."

The two of them walked into the nearby temporary tent.

The tent was piled with items brought out from the Secret Realm yesterday.

Three pieces of rusty, damaged Magical Artifacts, a pile of shimmering Star-patterned Steel Ore, and that Jade Slip recording the origin of the Ore Vein.

"The Magical Artifacts are basically ruined." Shen Yueru picked up a broken sword and examined it. "They're too rusted, and the Materials are ruined too; it'll be hard even to melt them down."

"Then just hand them over," Lin Muchen said. "They're useless anyway."

"What about the Ore?" Shen Yueru pointed at the pile of Star-patterned Steel. "Elder Zhao said you can take thirty percent."

Lin Muchen had already made up his mind.

"System," he said in his mind, "exchange all this Star-patterned Steel Ore for points, then invest it into the Origin Star for refining."

[Scanning Star-patterned Steel Ore...]

[Total weight: approximately twenty catties.]

[Exchange rate: 50 points per catty.]

[Total exchangeable: 1,000 points.]

[Exchange all and invest into Origin Star?]

"Exchange!"

[points +1,000.]

[Current points balance: 1,140.]

[All Star-patterned Steel Ore has been invested into the Origin Star Ore Vein zone.]

[System Prompt: Initiating 'star iron' refining process... Refining... Estimated time: twelve hours.]

[Upon completion of refining, the Origin Star metal resource System will be strengthened, increasing subsequent metal resource development efficiency by 20%.]

Done.

Lin Muchen was in a great mood.

A thousand points credited, and he could strengthen the Origin Star.

"Senior Sister Shen," Lin Muchen said to Shen Yueru, "I'll just keep thirty percent of the Ore. Register the rest and prepare to hand it over."

"Okay." Shen Yueru took out a notebook and began recording.

Lin Muchen then picked up the Jade Slip.

"System, analyze the contents of this Jade Slip to see if there's any hidden information."

[Analyzing Jade Slip contents...]

[Primary information: Records the origin of the Ore Vein, left by a mining manager of the ancient Qinglan Sect.]

[Deep-level information analysis: The Jade Slip material is special, with a faint Divine Sense imprint remaining inside.]

[Analyzing imprint...]

[Analysis complete.]

[Additional information acquired: The Cultivator sensed 'Earth Core Fire Vein' fluctuations deep within the Ore Vein and suspected a small Earth Fire Spiritual Vein was connected below, but was unable to investigate deeply due to insufficient cultivation.]

[Prompt: An Earth Fire Spiritual Vein can significantly improve the quality of spirit iron Ore and has a probability of producing rare Materials such as 'Earth Fire Fine Gold'.]

An Earth Fire Spiritual Vein?

Lin Muchen's eyes lit up.

This was good stuff.

"Junior Brother Lin?" Shen Yueru saw him dazing and called out.

"Oh, nothing." Lin Muchen snapped out of it and handed the Jade Slip to Shen Yueru. "Hand over this Jade Slip as well; it's just some mining insights inside."

Shen Yueru took the Jade Slip and put it away.

The two finished the inventory and listed it on a sheet.

At that moment, Zhao Tieshan returned.

He was holding a new Storage Pouch in his hand.

"Finished the inventory?" Zhao Tieshan asked.

"Finished." Shen Yueru handed over the list.

Zhao Tieshan glanced at it and nodded.

"Fine, I'll take the items." He put the list and the items to be handed over into a Storage Pouch, then handed a Storage Pouch to Lin Muchen. "This is for you; it contains some basic tools for mining, as well as this month's Menial Servant deployment list."

Lin Muchen took the Storage Pouch.

"Furthermore," Zhao Tieshan lowered his voice, "the mining rights have been given to you, but the Sect might send people over for an inspection."

"An inspection?" Lin Muchen was taken aback.

"Yes," Zhao Tieshan said. "It is a spirit iron mine, after all. Though it's not large, it's still a resource. According to the rules, after new mining rights are transferred, the Internal Affairs Hall will send someone to have a look, confirm the value of the Ore Vein, and incidentally... see if you have the ability to manage it well."

He patted Lin Muchen's shoulder.

"You don't need to be too nervous; it's just a formality. But the accounts must be clear and the mining must be standardized. Don't let anyone find a reason to complain."

"Understood." Lin Muchen nodded.

"Also," Zhao Tieshan added, "be careful when mining. This Ore Vein might not be simple underneath. Although it wasn't explicitly stated in the Jade Slip, I feel that Senior had more to say between the lines."

Lin Muchen's heart stirred.

Zhao Tieshan had noticed it too?

"I'll be careful," Lin Muchen said.

"That's good then." After Zhao Tieshan finished speaking, he turned and left.

The two were left in the tent again.

"Junior Brother Lin," Shen Yueru said, "how do you plan to start mining?"

Lin Muchen thought for a moment.

"First, organize the manpower to dig out the Ore that has already surfaced," he said. "Mining must be steady; safety first. As for deep within the Ore Vein... we'll talk about that after gaining some experience."

What he was actually thinking was to wait until the news of the Earth Fire Spiritual Vein was confirmed before considering going deeper.

Moreover, he had to save up enough points first.

"System," he asked in his mind, "if I want to investigate the Earth Fire Spiritual Vein deep in the Ore Vein, what do I need?"

[Option 1: Exchange for 'Earth Vein Detection Technique (Basic Version)', Price: 800 points. Can detect Spiritual Vein fluctuations within a hundred zhang underground.]

[Option 2: Exchange for ten 'Fire Avoidance Talismans (Intermediate)', Price: 500 points. Can withstand high temperatures from Earth Fire.]

[Option 3: Exchange for two 'Mining Puppets (Basic Type)', Price: 1,200 points. Can replace human labor for mining in dangerous areas.]

[Suggestion: Prioritize exchanging for the Earth Vein Detection Technique. Confirm the existence and location of the Spiritual Vein before making subsequent plans.]

Eight hundred points.

Lin Muchen checked his points balance.

One thousand one hundred and forty.

Enough.

But he wasn't in a hurry to exchange.

He had to straighten out the matters at hand first.

"Senior Sister Shen," Lin Muchen said, "I'll have to trouble you to help me for a few days to get the mining team organized."

"No problem," Shen Yueru agreed readily. "I know a few reliable Junior Brothers in the Outer Sect who work hard and don't talk much."

"That's great then," Lin Muchen said. "Wages will be paid according to Sect rules, with bonuses for good work."

The two discussed more details.

As they were talking, the System prompt sounded in Lin Muchen's head again.

[star iron refining complete.]

[Origin Star metal resource System strengthened.]

[New resource added: 'Star Iron (Mortal Realm Prototype)'.]

[Effect: Mining and refining efficiency for all metal resources within the Origin Star increased by 20%.]

[Subsequent exchange prices for metal items reduced by 10%.]

Efficiency had increased.

Lin Muchen felt a bit more at ease.

At least the development of the Origin Star wasn't falling behind.

"By the way, Junior Brother Lin," Shen Yueru suddenly remembered something, "you're a mining manager now. Do you want to change where you live? The Zayiyi... is a bit beneath your status now."

Lin Muchen smiled.

"Let's not change for now," he said. "It's better to keep a low profile. Besides, I'm used to living in the Zayiyi. Moving away suddenly would attract attention instead."

"True," Shen Yueru nodded. "So you'll be the 'Mining Manager who lives in the Zayiyi' from now on. That contrast is quite something."