The next day, at dawn, the travelers got up early. They cooked some simple food, washed up a little, and after eating and drinking enough, they continued on their journey.
This day was no different from the previous ones. The journey was very smooth. In addition to learning some general knowledge, Reif and the others also learned some words.
It was the same on the third day, the fourth day, and the fifth day.
On the fifth night, they arrived at Gold-Panning Town.
There was a gold vein near the town, which was where the name "Gold-Panning Town" came from. Many pioneers came from afar, wanting to find gold here and get rich overnight. But in fact, the quality of the gold vein was very poor, and it could not produce much gold at all. It was said that it was eroded by negative energy, and the three gem veins near Pyroxene Town had also become poor for this reason.
The real pillar industries of Gold-Panning Town were copper and iron mines. Therefore, this town was often referred to as the "Ore Town" because ordinary ores were its foundation.
Unlike gold and gems, copper and iron mines were not afraid of the erosion of negative energy, and even these two veins could effectively resist negative energy. So the houses in Mineral Town — oh, Gold-Panning Town — often used ores as foundations. There were also large areas of open space outside the town that used ores to pave the foundations for business travelers to rest.
The leaders of Gold-Panning Town were more knowledgeable. They took advantage of the local advantages to purchase those low-grade ores in large quantities, and then used them to pave the ground, with the town as the center, little by little spreading out.
This was a huge project that had been implemented for more than 20 years. At present, about two or three miles around Gold-Panning Town had been buried with ores. This made the town barren, but it also made Gold-Panning Town not have to worry about the tide of skeletons on the night of extreme winter — a distance of two or three miles was enough to completely cut off the skeletons' perception of living beings. Moreover, even if they wanted to attack Gold-Panning Town, it would not take long for them to become very weak without the support of negative energy. By the time they reached the outskirts of the town, even a child would be able to kick them to pieces.
Among the four northwestern towns, Gold-Panning Town was quite safe. Therefore, the population here was not small. In general, it was slightly more prosperous. Generally speaking, it could be regarded as the hub of the northwest region. It was connected to Rye Town in the south and the Void Mask Amusement Park in the north. Its position was quite important.
It was said that decades ago, the hub of the four northwestern towns was actually the Pyroxene Town, but now the Pyroxene Town was in decline. If it were not for Mayor Felix's vigorous efforts, perhaps the Pyroxene Town would have continued to decline and eventually become completely abandoned.
These things didn't have much to do with Reif. Since he could rest for a day, he wandered around Gold-Panning Town and naturally came to a blacksmith shop.
Copper ore and iron ore could not be sold for much money, but if they were refined into copper and iron ingots, the price would be much higher. If he could take it a step further and turn the copper and iron ingots into metal tools or weapons and armors, the price would be even higher.
There were several blacksmith shops in Gold-Panning Town, and the one he was visiting at the moment, "Old Wrought Iron" was a particularly famous one.
This blacksmith shop was not originally called this name. A few years ago, a dwarf adventurer named "Wrought Iron" came here, bought a blacksmith shop that was not doing well, and ran it himself. This dwarf was highly skilled in martial arts, and his blacksmithing skills were also extraordinary. The most amazing thing was that he was not a powerful mage, but he had a precious magic furnace that could refine fine copper and iron. With excellent craftsmanship and superior materials, he could naturally produce high-quality products.
When Reif came to visit, he happened to see the magic furnace open. The furnace, which looked like a huge ball, slowly rotated on the shelf, and then a gap was opened, from which fiery red copper liquid was poured into a stone trough not far below. When the hot copper liquid came into contact with the slightly cold air, it quickly turned bright purple-red, and then the color became darker and darker, and finally became almost black.
After the copper liquid was poured out, the furnace continued to move on the shelf, to the top of another deep pit. The furnace was completely opened, and a lot of residue mixed with the copper liquid was poured in, piling up at the bottom of the deep pit.
The one controlling the furnace was a stout dwarf. His height only reached Reif's chest, but Reif was willing to bet that his arms were probably thicker than his thighs! This dwarf was wearing a thick insulating suit, and it looked somewhat similar to the protective suit he used to work in the underground tunnels. Reif wasn't sure if it was the same product.
After pouring out the copper liquid and waste, the dwarf controlled the furnace to turn to the bottom of the shelf, and took out a strange-looking thing that looked like a brush. He brushed inside, causing sparks to fly, and then poured out some residue and waste.
At this point, the opening of the furnace was considered over. The dwarf fixed the furnace, then clapped his hands and walked over, taking off the protective suit on his head, revealing a face that looked full of energy. From his appearance, he looked to be in his thirties.
For a dwarf, the appearance of 'in his thirties' probably meant that he was in his seventies or eighties. This long-lived race could often live up to a hundred and fifty or even longer, which was really enviable.
"Hello, do you want to buy anything? Or are you just here to watch the fun? "The dwarf had a smile on his face, and he didn't look as arrogant and stubborn as the legends said.
Reif hurriedly said that he just heard that the smithy was of high quality, and came to visit out of curiosity. He had paid attention to the price of the goods just now, and was sure that he couldn't afford it.
Hmm … It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, it was just that there was no need. It wasn't easy to save up some money, and there was no need to waste it on some things that he didn't need.
The dwarf didn't mind, and said with a smile, "Then look around as you like. I, Wrought Iron, don't mind people visiting my workshop. As long as he doesn't cause trouble. "
As he spoke, he came to the counter and sat down, picking up the herbal tea that the apprentice had already prepared. He took a deep gulp, and showed a satisfied smile.
"Too bad it's not wine …" The dwarf called 'Wrought Iron' sighed.
"Brother Palin said that we can't drink during working hours," the equally burly apprentice said.
"Hey! That kid's been reading so much that he's stupid. We dwarves only have strength when we drink! " Wrought Iron said with some dissatisfaction, "That kid … Back then he was just a little bean, and now he's a big shot, and now he's telling me that I can't drink …"
"But the truth is, teacher, ever since you listened to Brother Palin's advice and didn't drink during working hours, your skills have improved, and you've never made a mistake again."
The dwarf sighed helplessly, "Yes, that's why I can only listen to that kid. Really … Is reading really that useful? This is completely different from the traditions of us dwarves … "
"Traditions aren't always correct." A low but refreshing voice came from the door. Reif turned to look, and saw that it was a similarly short young man. He wore a long robe, and held a wooden staff with a cold gemstone embedded at the top. He also wore a pair of glasses on his face, and looked very cultured.
Behind him, the adventurer who had been teaching Lai Fu and the others how to read and write, as well as a few other adventurers who were teachers in other carriages, followed him with respectful expressions.
Reif was slightly surprised. His intuition told him that this young man was a big shot.
He was about to ask, but the temporary teacher for these days had already noticed him. He hurriedly ran up to him and introduced, "This is our teacher, Mr. Palin, the librarian of the Church of the Void Mask."
As he spoke, he lowered his voice and said to Reif, "A great scholar and an outstanding magician."
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