AK - The Alchemy Kingdom

Chapter 133: What lies beneath

Year 3, Winter, Second Month, Second Week.

How are they doing this?

Heidi gulped down another cup of water before answering her irritated brother.

Probably a Spellcaster I heard rumors they can locate specific elemental crystals, but I cant imagine how they afforded one. What we pay here is definitely not enough Either way, you should give up figuring them out, I cant bear your annoyed expression any longer. Im rather enjoying here, we never made so much profit, except last time, of course How about you?

The Fighter was talking to a comrade, who was failing miserably in flirt with an Adventurer sitting at another table. He coughed awkwardly and answered:

I dont care how they do it The food is great, the accommodation is acceptable and we dont have to care about poisoning. Theyre just missing some entertainment, otherwise, I wouldnt mind living here

Another Fighter, who was sitting at their table, didnt wait to be asked to voice his opinion.

Yeah But I think the entertainment problem can be solved Yesterday, that Merchant was talking about bringing liquor and beer I think he wouldnt mind bringing a few more things

Heidi glanced at Lew and Keller holding a conversation by corner, before adding:

I also wouldnt mind if we could negotiate our loot here, transporting a lot of things back isnt convenient I wonder if this is what they were aiming for

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A few meters from their table, Lew and Keller calmly discussed their cooperation over a perfectly prepared steak. The Merchant savored a small piece of earth meat, carefully tasting the rich minerals that gave the meat a slightly salty and spicy flavor. When he finally opened his eyes, he couldnt remember what he was talking about. It took some effort, but the memory returned.

And how would this work?

Right now, what we need most are resources, and the Adventurers can get them for us. However, we dont have the money to buy, not the amount we need anyway. So, we need to improve their spending here and extend their stay as much as possible You know them better, what would they spend on?

Hmm The Adventurers are usually pretty simple-minded, they enjoy being free from contracts and usually dont like to deal with nobles, otherwise, they would have joined a private force or a mercenary group. They like challenges and new experiences, so expanding your beast locating reach would help Besides that, they mostly spend on entertainment and new gear. The Mages are an exception, though. Most Mages who join Adventurers parties, either hate or are hated by the nobles. Their main goal is to earn enough money to pay an instructor or gather the materials needed to advance, youre already providing something for them

Lew tried to think of an angle to improve their profits, but nothing come to mind.

I see, theres not a lot we can do to get more of their money

Maybe The trading route Karl proposed should already keep them here longer, but we could do a few things to make this place more interesting I can take care of the entertainment, and also brought a few subordinates who could offer some repairing and maintenance if you allow them to open some shops.

The Fighter stared at Keller curiously, the Merchant had risked a lot coming here, apparently, he was prepared to make a large investment.

I have to talk with the Council, but they should approve it.

Thank you. Where are they, by the way?

Very, very far

***

Will it hold?

Diana trusted Karl, but the image of horrible ants was still fresh in her memory, so she kept her sword ready to strike anything that might pass through the barrier.

Yeah Unless therere some MT beasts here too The ants actually helped us, with this level of energy it wouldnt be strange if a few MT beasts appeared. So, the ants are probably keeping them away from here. Its ironic how they can even threaten MT beasts but cant break through the barrier, they just dont have enough concentrated power

Two weeks ago, Karl, Diana, Oliver and the recovering wind Mage arrived at the cave that leads to the crystal mine. Surprisingly, the energy inside the cave was higher than Karl expected, which meant that either the vein was close or it was bigger than his initial estimation. Both possibilities would benefit them greatly. With more available energy they would be able to set up powering Arrays to keep some effects going non-stop. A barrier and lighting would be essential to start the mining operation.

Another reason why Karl was excited was the possibility of encountering more crystal caves and magic ores, a bigger underground vein would probably have dozens of those.

Done!

The last section in the path to the crystal cave lighted up as the bubble layer pushed through the cave's walls. With the path to the crystal cave secured, the Council could start the mining operations at any time. Unfortunately, they still had to transport the mined crystals through the forest, which would require a security team and weeks of travel.

Karl stepped into the cave and was shocked by its natural beauty. While Oliver busied himself with drawing the Arrays to secure the room, Karl took out the energy reader and began to follow the higher readings. With luck, he would be able to find the energy channel that was supplying energy to this cave.

It took some time, but he finally located some small cracks in the cave ceiling next to a bluish shining rock that had readings two times bigger than the other places. With some difficulty, he broke through cracks using the small excavator and found a tunnel over it The tunnel was wide enough to fit a crouched person but looked very unstable and creepy. Diana argued against it, but Karl insisted until she reluctantly allowed him to investigate the tunnel. With the ants' threat, they couldnt risk entering an unsecured place without proper protection.

Before she changed her mind, he activated the personal barrier and dived into the dark path. Although the ground was slippery, the barrier offered a stable footing, so Karl kept going forward. After walking for almost an hour, he finally saw a difference in the tunnel, but he hesitated.

The path seemed to end in a bigger cave, which was strangely illuminated. Karl had a lighting effect on his coat, so his surroundings would become clear, but whatever was lighting the cave room ahead was unrelated to him. The Alchemist took a deep breath before pushing himself forward, whatever it was he had come too far to just leave without knowing.

Karl got close to the end of the tunnel and slowly peeked inside of the cave. He felt a strong breeze and his heart skipped a beat. What he saw inside wasnt a cave room, but a huge and wide hole that probably went hundreds of meters deep. He looked down and saw energy waves furiously rotating around a rift. It was the energy vein! Smaller than the one on their capital but much more oppressive, probably because it was surrounded and repressed.

Through the walls around the vein, he saw hundreds of passages giving paths for the energy to escape. But the biggest surprise was below the vein, Karl stared for minutes trying to comprehend what it was. It was only after Master AI explained, that he could finally understand, it was magma!