Chapter 84: Overnight Wealth, The Helm of Noxus
Charles immediately issued an order: "Catherine, have some of our people escort the injured back to the territory. The rest of you, secure this area and prohibit anyone from entering."
If the Mana Stone Vein here were exposed, it would undoubtedly attract many sharks from the vicinity.
Charles was well aware of the opportunistic nature of the Overlords in the Realm of Chaos and wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Without delay, he personally led Medusa and the others to the deepest part of the valley.
The group pressed on through the valley.
Before long, they arrived at a deep, dark cave.
The cave entrance was about ten meters wide, pitch black inside, making it impossible to see anything.
However, Charles could clearly sense that the Mana Stone aura was much stronger here.
Even the power within his own body had become more active.
The others also noticed the lively energy particles in the vicinity.
As they gazed at the mysterious cave, there was a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
They knew very well what finding a Mana Stone Vein here would mean for their territory.
It would undoubtedly accelerate their development by several times!
Charles's eyes were also filled with anticipation.
But he remained much calmer than the others.
He did not rush into the cave blindly. Instead, he first scanned the interior with his mental energy.
If there were any dangers inside, charging in recklessly would certainly lead to casualties in such a confined space.
To his relief, although the energy from the Mana Stones blocked most of his sensing abilities, reducing his range significantly, he was still able to get a rough idea of what was inside.
"Let's go." Charles said. After confirming that there were no significant dangers within the cave, he led the group inside.
At first, the cave was pitch black, and they couldn't see their hands in front of their faces.
But as they ventured deeper, the cave walls began to sparkle with faint, bluish-green luminescent crystals. These crystals adorned the corners and walls of the cave, making for a beautiful sight.
"It's Magicite!" Medusa's voice carried a hint of excitement.
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Magicite is an associated mineral of Mana Stones. It can block the aura of Mana Stones and is a rare mineral in its own right, often used to craft equipment and items that isolate magical energies.
Seeing the Magicite here essentially confirmed that there was indeed a Mana Stone Vein!
"You've done an outstanding job this time." Charles said with a smile, the earlier heartache now completely gone.
Even the lowest grade of Mana Stone Vein would be enough to alleviate his resource concerns for a long time.
Compared to the Mana Stone Vein, his previous losses were insignificant.
Everyone quickened their pace. As they ventured deeper, the number of glowing crystals on the cave walls increased, and the once-dark cave was now illuminated by a bluish glow.
The surrounding energy also grew denser.
When they rounded a corner, their view suddenly opened up.
In front of them was a massive cavern, the size of a football field!
"So beautiful!" Little Green exclaimed.
The cavern was illuminated by a breathtaking blue light, filled with crystal-like Mana Stones. These stones were piled together, emitting a dazzling and enchanting glow that made the entire cave look like a dreamlike fairyland.
"We've struck it rich!" Charles thought as he gazed at the Mana Stones before him. His only thought was about the wealth they had discovered.
The raw Mana Stones in this cavern alone could yield tens of millions of Mana Stones.
Charles estimated that this was at least a small vein capable of producing a billion Mana Stones.
Possibly even a medium-sized vein with a yield of up to two billion Mana Stones.
The thought excited Charles.
A small vein could easily sustain a diamond-level territory, and a medium vein could even build a king-level territory from scratch!
Charles immediately instructed the others, "Go inform Catherine to have the army set up camp here. No one is allowed within a 50-kilometer radius!"
Extracting the Mana Stone Vein was now the top priority. Although the Zerg were absolutely loyal to him and there was no risk of information leaking, delays could lead to complications. Only by quickly bringing the vein under his control and converting it into his strength could Charles be at ease.
"I understand, Master!" Medusa knew the gravity of the situation and immediately went to inform Catherine, who was waiting outside.
Under Charles's command, the army in the valley sprang into action.
Karman and Wilton had already been driven out earlier.
Now, Charles instructed Catherine to clear out all monsters and animals in the vicinity to ensure absolute security.
Catherine led the troops to clean up the area.
Meanwhile, Charles contacted Eve back in the territory, asking her to dispatch Noxus and 30,000 regular worker bees.
Charles intended to have Noxus oversee the mining operations on-site.
Before long, Noxus, the leader of the Battle Armor Bugs legion, led 30,000 worker bees and his army out of the Zerg territory in a grand procession.
The commotion was too large to conceal, attracting the attention of many Overlords.
"Charles is mobilizing his troops again!" The other Overlords watched as the tank-like Battle Armor Bugs marched past. Though curious about what Charles's Zerg army was up to, they assumed he had encountered some formidable creature in his conquest of the Serene Forest and thought little of it.
"Rumble, rumble!"
Soon enough, at the entrance of the valley, truck-like black armored bugs carrying squads of worker bees poured into the valley.
"Noxus pays his respects to the Master!" The burly figure clad in golden armor stood before Charles, his rugged face full of respect.
"When did you change your armor to gold?" Charles asked, puzzled, as he noticed Noxus's shiny golden armor.
He remembered this fellow used to wear black armor.
Noxus scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly. "I dyed it, Master. What do you think? Doesn't it look mighty and imposing?"
Seeing Noxus in golden armor but still wearing a black helmet, Charles fell silent.
Did this idiot forget his helmet?
Noxus was a super unit born from the golden-tier race and blessed by the Altar of Elements. He possessed the innate ability to manipulate metal elements and had reached mid-tier level 4, making him the strongest in the Zerg territory under Charles and Eve's command.
His combat prowess was unquestionable, but he often did inexplicably bizarre things.
Charles decided not to dwell on it and said directly, "For now, stay away from the battlefield. Your task is to guard this valley. No outsiders are allowed near. If anyone gets through, you'll answer to me personally."
"Understood, Master!" Noxus responded solemnly and immediately took the order.
Charles then instructed the worker bees to start constructing barracks and mining facilities and organized the deployment of nearby troops.
Once he ensured everything was in order, Charles led the others back to the Zerg territory.
"Are you all okay?" As soon as Charles and his group returned, Eve and several high-ranking members of the Forest of Elves hurried over.
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They had been busy with administrative work and only just learned about the major incident outside.
"The problem has been resolved, but Medusa and the others are injured and need medical attention." Charles explained.
Hearing this, Eve's gaze quickly turned to Amy, whose face was pale.
Seeing that Amy was injured, Eve instantly flew into a rage.
"Damn bastards! How dare they hurt Amy! I'll scatter their ashes to the wind!"
Eve fumed, rolling up her sleeves and storming out with the Forest of Elves members, clearly intent on exacting revenge on Hel.
Charles quickly stopped her and said, "I've already scattered his ashes. There's nothing left of him!"
Amy hurriedly added, "Queen Majesty, the King used a healing potion. I'm fine now."
After much persuasion from Charles and the others, Eve finally calmed down.
Once Eve was reassured, Charles instructed Medusa and the others to go back and recuperate.
The undead energy within their bodies couldn't be resolved with just a bit of medicine, they needed proper rest and healing.
Charles then ordered Catherine to speed up the production of troops to replenish the forces lost in the battle against the undead army.
He also tasked her with developing new equipment and items.
These were, of course, intended for the other Overlords.
While the discovery of the Mana Stone Vein meant that resource concerns were temporarily alleviated, Charles did not let his guard down.
He still didn't know when the Elf King would arrive. Given the distance between the Void Mirror Domain and the Realm of Chaos, it could be just a few months.
Time was of the essence, and Charles needed to quickly strengthen his forces to be prepared for the enemy's arrival. Otherwise, he might not even have a chance to fight back.
Charles had two main paths to enhance his strength.
One was to quickly conquer the Serene Forest and meet the conditions for fusing the Heart of the Undead, allowing his territory to break through to diamond level.
The other was to rapidly mine the Mana Stone Vein, trade Mana Stones with Rose for high-level materials and items, and use these resources to boost both his territory and his combat power.
These two methods were not mutually exclusive and could be pursued simultaneously.
However, the leaders of the Zerg army were either recovering from injuries or had been dispatched elsewhere.
After some thought.
Charles realized he might have to take the lead himself.
This made him feel a bit exasperated.
Dealing with administrative affairs was one thing, but now he had to go to the battlefield to kill enemies as well.
As an Overlord who worked as hard as he did, Charles thought he could probably be considered a model Overlord in the Continent of Overlords.