The refined iron mine was located on a barren hillside. The soil around it was so dry and hard that not even a single weed could grow. There was a mine cave about the height of a man at the bottom of the hillside. Even from afar, Lin Li could feel the scorching heat coming from the entrance of the cave.
Looking from afar, one could even see the flickering red light in the cave. Beside the entrance of the cave was a pile of mining tools. Because the temperature in the cave was too high, the mining work had temporarily stopped. Most of the miners had already dispersed. Only a few of the bolder ones were still standing at the entrance of the cave, peering into the cave …
"That red-haired one is Duncan, the head of my miners. He's in charge of most of the mines that the Rosen Union has been mining for the past few years." Kaman introduced the red-haired youth who was looking into the cave to Lin Li. He looked to be less than 30 years old, and his red hair was especially eye-catching. After the introduction, Kaman shouted from afar, "Hey, Duncan, come over here."
"Boss Kaman, why are you here?" Duncan was stunned when he heard Kaman's voice from afar. Then, he came over with the two miners beside him. "Boss Kaman, this place is very dangerous now. You'd better not get too close."
"I brought Mage Felic here to take a look …" Kaman said as he looked at the flashing red light in the cave. "Say, Duncan, what's going on now? Can we continue mining here? Why do I feel that the temperature in there is higher than before? "
"The temperature is much higher now. I just went in to take a look, and it's even hotter than the mouth of a volcano. If a human were to go in there, they would be roasted in no time. Boss Kaman, I'm afraid we can't continue mining this refined iron mine …" The young miner shook his head helplessly.
"You've been in there?" Lin Li could not help but be surprised. Although the red-haired youth was strong, he did not look like he was proficient in martial arts, much less level-10 Combat Energy. With the current temperature in the cave, unless a Warrior above level-10 had Combat Energy to protect himself, he would be burned by the high temperature if he was not careful.
It was only at this time that Duncan suddenly realized that the boss had actually brought a mage with him. For a moment, he couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. It's already like this, why did the boss bring a mage with him? Does he think that he can rely on a mage to mine the fine iron ore vein?
However, this person was personally brought by his boss. No matter how disapproving Duncan was, he had no choice but to answer honestly, "I went there once three hours ago, but the temperature was much lower at that time. I'm afraid it won't be easy to go in now …"
"Yes …" Lin Li nodded, and did not say anything else.
Only a Lava adamantine vein would behave like this. When it was buried underground, it was no different from an ordinary vein. However, once it came into contact with the air, the fire magical elements contained in the vein would be released at an increasing rate. If it was not mined, the fire magical elements would be completely exhausted in three to five days, and this precious magical metal vein would become a pile of ordinary stones …
"Kaman, get two people to bring me down to have a look."
"Mage Felic, isn't this too dangerous?" Kaman jumped in fright. The mine was already so hot, and yet Mage Felic still insisted on going in? What if something went wrong?
"Don't worry." Lin Li smiled. Although the temperature of the Lava adamantine was terrifying, it was only for ordinary miners. It was nothing to him, who was both an Archmage and a Master of Mining. He had too many ways to withstand the high temperature. Not to mention the others, just the Flame Shield alone was enough to keep him safe and sound in the mine.
Of course, if he wanted to bring someone in, the situation would be more complicated …
"Alright then …" Kaman hesitated for a while, but did not continue to persuade him. After all, this Mage Felic was indeed omnipotent. The danger that he was worried about was nothing to him. After some thought, Kaman called Duncan over. "Duncan, accompany Mage Felic down to have a look."
"Alright." Although Duncan had yet to figure out the identity of this young mage, since the boss had already spoken, Duncan naturally couldn't say anything more. After nodding, he picked up a shovel from the ground and prepared to walk into the mine with the young mage.
"Wait, Duncan …" Just as he took a few steps forward, Kaman stopped him again. He whispered to him, "Once you're in the mine, you must be careful to protect Mage Felic. Nothing must happen to him, or else you and I will be in deep trouble, understand?"
"Understood …" Duncan glanced at Kaman. Although he did not ask, his heart was filled with doubts. What was the background of this Mage Felic? How could he make his boss so nervous? Could he be the son of some big shot?
Kaman's group of miners were really good. After more than 10 days of mining, they had already dug very deep into the tunnel. Lin Li and Duncan entered the mine together. There was a long slope in front of them, and the flashing red light and scorching heat came from the end of the slope. With the waves of heat, countless sparks flew, turning the dark mine cave into a volcano.
The wall above them seemed to have been reinforced with logs, making the whole structure of the mine extremely sturdy. After entering the mine, Lin Li recited a spell to wrap himself in the light of the Flame Shield.
As the Flame Shield was released, the heat in the mine was immediately isolated. Even the splattering sparks seemed to be blocked by a force, and disappeared before they could reach Lin Li. This strange scene fell into Duncan's eyes, and the red-haired miner was stunned. Could this be the legendary magic?
"It's just a kind of magic to protect myself." Lin Li chuckled, and recited another incantation. Before Duncan could regain his senses, a sky-blue light enveloped him firmly. It was a level-15 magic, Frost Barrier. Although it could not absorb any elemental damage like the Flame Shield, the powerful ice magical element could still protect Duncan from the scorching heat.
The slope wasn't very steep. The two of them walked down for about 50 meters before they saw a raging flame. In the center of the flame was a fiery red boulder. At a glance, it was about a meter tall. Rays of sparkling red light were gently flowing on the boulder …
"F * ck, that's a big one …" Even Lin Li was shocked. This Lava adamantine was at least 500 kilograms, and from the flowing red light, it was of high quality. If it was used for forging, it could be used to forge at least 10 magical weapons, and each one of them would be of rare quality.
"Duncan, go out and inform the other miners. Get them to bring their tools and come here in five minutes."
"Alright."
After watching Duncan leave, Lin Li took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the Aether Staff. Then, he began to recite a long spell. As he recited the spell in a low voice, a cold aura filled the whole mine cave …
…
In less than five minutes, Duncan brought his men. When the 40-odd miners entered the cave with their shovels, they looked as if they had seen a ghost. They could not believe that the previously scorching hot cave was now filled with a bone-chilling chill. There were thick layers of ice everywhere in the cave, and crystal icicles hung on the walls. It was as if the whole world had suddenly turned into a world of ice and snow.
"Duncan, what's going on?" Kaman followed behind the group of miners, his mouth wide open. The scene before him was too unbelievable. It was as if a burly man with a full beard had suddenly turned into a charming beauty …
"Boss Kaman, I really don't know …" This was the third time Duncan had answered like this. In fact, he was even more confused than Kaman. There was clearly a fire in the cave before he left. How did it become like this in the blink of an eye?
Just like that, the group of people walked down the icy slope with a stomach full of questions. At the end of the slope, there were no more blazing flames, nor were there any demonic mineral veins surrounded by flames. There was only pure white snow and a young mage with a magic staff in his hand.
"Mage Felic, why … Why is this place like this?"
"It's nothing. I used a spell to seal this place temporarily. There should be no problems in the short term. Hurry and get your men to start mining, I'll find a place to rest …" Lin Li's face was pale, and his voice sounded tired. He had no choice. He had used the Thousand Miles of Ice five times in a row. Even a man made of steel would not be able to take it …
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Lin Li shook his head, and continued to instruct, "Oh, yes. Get them to be careful when mining. Do not damage the layer of ice outside. When they're done, get someone to send it to the Tower of Dusk. I'll get someone to handle the rest."
"Alright."
…
In less than an hour after returning to the Tower of Dusk, Kaman sent the frozen boulder over.
Now, this frighteningly large piece of Lava adamantine was lying in the basement of the Tower of Dusk. It was emitting an unbelievably high temperature, and was gradually melting the layer of ice on the surface. Lin Li stared at this piece of Lava adamantine, feeling a little hesitant.
Such a large piece of Lava adamantine was extremely rare. Even Lin Li, who owned a large number of mines in the Endless World, had never seen such a large piece of Lava adamantine. Lava adamantine itself was a rare magical metal, and even a fist-sized piece of it contained an astonishing amount of fire magical element. When forging magical weapons, just a little bit of it would be enough to improve the quality of the magical weapon. Those weapons that were purely made of Lava adamantine were even more powerful, and any one of them could fetch at least a million gold coins on the market.
The piece of Lava adamantine in Lin Li's hands could be used to forge at least 10 magical weapons. In other words, this piece of Lava adamantine was worth more than 10 million gold coins …
But that was also the reason why Lin Li was hesitant.
There were many uses for Lava adamantine. Smelting it to forge weapons was undoubtedly the most wasteful. For example, one could use a mageweath to extract the fire magical element contained within it. This extremely pure fire magical element could even replace the Legendary magical crystal of the Salamander as the new source of mana for the Tower of Dusk.
In addition, Lava adamantine powder was one of the best spellcasting materials. For example, if some Lava adamantine powder was used to cast level-18 spells such as Endless Flames, not only would it prevent the possibility of mana backlash, but it would also increase the power of the spell to a terrifying level.
In short, this was a treasure through and through …
Lin Li thought about it, but could not think of a way to deal with it.
"Eh, Lava adamantine!" Just then, an exclamation came from behind. Lin Li turned around to see Apophis' old face. He did not know when the old man had arrived, but he was now standing behind Lin Li, staring at the huge piece of Lava adamantine in shock. "Kid, where did you get such a huge piece of Lava adamantine? What the hell, this piece must weigh more than 500 kilograms … "
"Of course I got it from the mines …" Lin Li saw the old man's expression, and immediately knew that something was wrong. Damn it, how could he forget about this old man? If he had known, he would have hidden the Lava adamantine in a more secluded place …
"Pfft!" Apophis was obviously in disbelief. This was a priceless item. How could you get it from the mines so easily? Then why didn't I get smashed to death by a pie falling from the sky when I was walking?
"I'm telling the truth …"
"Bullsh * t, you little bastard, you never speak the truth …" Apophis scolded angrily. Then, he rolled his eyes, and a fawning smile appeared on his face. "I say, kid, how about I discuss something with you?"
"What is it?" When Lin Li saw the smile on the old man's face, he immediately became wary. He spread his arms wide and protected the adamantine behind him like a hen. "Let me tell you, anything can be discussed, but this won't do. Not even if you beat me to death!"
"Damn it, little bastard, why are you so stingy? You're just like that bastard of a teacher of yours. I'm a Sanctuary Master, why would I take something from you for free? Besides, I don't want much, just a piece the size of a fist … "The old man was so embarrassed that he flew into a rage. After complaining for a while, he said angrily," How about this, you give me a piece of Lava adamantine, and I'll give you a blueprint so that you can make good use of it. You won't be like those idiots out there who use such a precious magical metal to forge weapons and armor. It's a pure waste of food! "
"I don't need any blueprints …" Lin Li rejected the old fellow without even thinking. He thought to himself, I have a lot of blueprints, and any one of them is an artifact. Why would I want you to give me a damn blueprint?
"Kid, don't regret it. I have the blueprint of the Sky-breaker. In the whole of Anril, I'm the only one who has it!"
"I won't exchange the blueprint of the Sky-breaker either …" Lin Li felt that something was amiss as soon as he finished his sentence. Wait … Sky-breaker? Could this old man be talking about the legendary Sky-breaker that was even more ferocious than the Magical Crystal Cannons, the one that destroyed the Sky Castle in the war during the Dark Age? Damn it, isn't this a big joke? The Sky-breaker was the secret of the Dwarf Kingdom. In the war back then, a total of six Sky Castles were destroyed by the allied forces, and one of them was a miracle created by the Sky-breaker of the Dwarf Kingdom.
There was no magical light that made the sun lose its color, nor was there an overwhelming army of Wyverns. There were only hundreds of Sky-breakers roaring at the same time, and then the Sky Castle that was said to never fall fell just like that …
However …
Wasn't the forging technique of the Sky-breaker completely lost after that war? Even the Dwarf Kingdom did not have the relevant blueprint, so where did this old man get it from?
"Why do you have the blueprint of the Sky-breaker?"
"Of course I got it from the Dwarves …" The old man did not seem to be willing to talk about the origins of the Sky-breaker blueprint, and only gave a vague explanation. "Anyway, you don't need to know how I got it. I'm only asking if you want to exchange. If you do, I can give you something else …"
At this point, the old man took out a ring from his pocket. It looked very ordinary, and was made of ordinary silver. There were no magical waves on it, either. Apart from its age, it was no different from the rings on the streets that cost a few silver coins each. If Lin Li hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that such an ordinary silver ring would be kept by a dignified Sanctuary Master.
"Take this ring to the Dragon Kingdom, and find a dwarf called Genn. Pass this blueprint to him, and tell him that you're an old friend. He'll help you forge this piece of Lava adamantine into a Sky-breaker …" With that, the old man stuffed the ring into Lin Li's hands without waiting for Lin Li's reply. "You've had this blueprint for more than 1300 years. It's time to return it to the Dwarves. You're lucky, kid. I took a piece of Lava adamantine from you, but I've given you such a huge favor …"
"Heh heh …" Lin Li knew that the "favor" the old man was referring to was this blueprint. Compared to a Sky-breaker, this blueprint was actually more important. This was something that had been lost in the Dwarf Kingdom for more than 1300 years. Now that someone had finally returned it, and with the honest character of the Dwarves, they would probably agree to any conditions that Lin Li raised.
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