Free Web NovelChapter 2384: Chapter 2376: The Straightforward Angler
Feng Jun was unaware that bringing a wave of Golden Core Masters to mine had sparked some controversy.
However, he didn’t think it was a big issue because he had his own standards of judgment—everyone involved believed that the mine was already his. How he wanted to mine it was none of their business.
Indeed, outsiders can’t just enter the Insect World, but this is my property, and I am arranging the relevant operations. Is there a problem?
I must admit, he really had a knack for stirring up trouble—at least, he wasn’t a person who liked to stay put.
There’s no need to dwell on this. When he was surveying the twenty-fifth planet, it finally blew up—an explosive discovery.
This was a planet mostly composed of gas, though due to its high density, the core area was liquid, and further in, it became solid. However, this solid core was less than ten thousand kilometers in diameter.
In fact, the diameter of this core was not much smaller than that of Earth, but with the addition of the liquid and gaseous layers, it was much larger than Earth.
This is the grandeur of nature. Although finding such a large planet is a bit rare, it’s not entirely unexpected.
What was surprising was that one-fifth of this planet was composed of Energy Blocks, half of which were of extremely high purity. Feng Jun couldn’t help but exclaim, "We’re rich!"
However, there were challenges in mining, primarily due to the immense gravity of this planet. The gravitational acceleration was at least five times that of Earth. When Feng Jun landed, trying to fly brought a sense of heftiness.
For cultivators at the Emergence Stage arriving here, flying would likely be extremely strenuous.
Feng Jun calculated that if the Golden Core Masters were to mine here, twenty of them would need at least a hundred years.
The mine was excellent, yet too vast. Feng Jun was not so arrogant as to think that he could just summon a hundred Golden Core Masters, and Xuanhuang and Yuangang could continue to endure it—forging relationships is key, and boundaries are crucial.
So, after marking this planet, he continued his search for other planets.
This planet seemed to bring him abundant luck. Over the next ten days, he discovered three more deposits, two of which were on the same modestly sized planet.
Combined, these three deposits, mined by those twenty Golden Core Masters with full effort, would take at least around two years.
Calculating the time, he had been away from the Energy Stone Mine for a month. Those Golden Core Masters should have nearly mined it all.
So he returned, finding Qu Jianlei on guard, who upon seeing him said that the mining would be completed in about three days.
Feng Jun took a day to collect everyone’s mined stones, with payment made in insect corpses. He stated that the Energy Stone Mine obtained in the following days could be kept by them, either for use in this world or taken away.
However, everyone was concerned about whether new mines would be discovered after this one was finished.
Mining isn’t considered a prestigious job, but these Golden Core Masters, having frequently interacted with the Energy Stones, could naturally sense some truths about their own world. Although they couldn’t incorporate them into their Dao, they could use these insights to hone their understanding of the rules.
Moreover, the compensation Feng Jun offered was substantial. Each person received one Golden Core Insect and over a dozen Emergence Stage insects. While these Golden Core Masters wouldn’t have trouble confronting such numbers on the battlefield, there were always risks and higher costs associated with combat compared to mining.
Most crucially, without Feng Jun, they wouldn’t even have the qualifications to enter the Insect World.
So, if there were new Energy Stone Mines, they didn’t mind staying to mine for a while longer.
In essence, these Golden Core Masters might not be notable in the face of a True Immortal and couldn’t become the main force against the Insect Race, but in Kunhao and even Tianqin, they were heroes of their time, with countless individuals seeking their protection.
The greater their harvests in this world, the more resources they could bring back for their tribe and disciples.
Feng Jun indicated that finding new deposits was feasible, but first, he needed to meet with the True Sage, as he hadn’t yet informed them of bringing everyone there.
Then he went back to the Mining Star of that star system and used his Divine Sense to scan the area. Immediately, Ren Tu True Sage appeared and whisked him away, saying, "The decisive battle is near, and it’s unsafe here."
Reinforcements from the Human Race steadily arrived, forming the setup for a grand battle. The Insect Race also received reinforcements—numbering only a little over a million, but including four to five hundred Nascent Soul Bugs, with a possibility of Emergence Stage insects.
The safehouse modified by Big Stone was relocated over a million miles away; otherwise, it might have been noticed.
Upon reaching the safehouse, Feng Jun called out, "Where is the True Sage of Angling?"
Within ten seconds, the figure of the True Sage of Angling appeared. "The chef is also here. Why are you looking for me?"
Feng Jun answered in a deep voice, "There are two things. The first thing is that I’ve already mined the entire site and brought some energy stones over to see if you have any needs."
"So quickly?" Ren Tu True Sage asked with an impassive expression, "I heard that the mine isn’t small."
"I invited a batch of Golden Cores from White Pebble Beach," Feng Jun answered matter-of-factly, "This is my industry, and it’s no problem to bring people over, right?"
"You are quite justified," Ren Tu True Sage gave him a surprised look, "Shouldn’t you at least give advance notice?"
"Teleportation consumes too much energy," Feng Jun easily came up with an excuse, "I thought I’d just mention it when delivering the energy stones... Why waste precious energy on formalities? Surely, you wouldn’t oppose me hiring people for mining, right?"
"Indeed, I wouldn’t oppose it," Ren Tu True Sage stated earnestly, "but I must say, rules matter!"
"Very well then," Feng Jun nodded begrudgingly, "It’s my fault, and I won’t do it again. Now may I request from True Sage, for my other energy stone mines, how many Golden Core Masters can I bring into this world at most?"
"You indeed found more energy stone mines," Ren Tu True Sage gave him a peculiar glance, "How many Golden Cores do you wish to recruit?"
"At least a hundred," Feng Jun replied seriously, "I assure you they will only mine, nothing else."
"A hundred Golden Cores?" Ren Tu True Sage frowned. With his insight as a True Sage, he wouldn’t pay much heed to a hundred real people, but it’s still unexpected that so many are just going to mine, "Is the mine very large?"
"Very large," Feng Jun nodded, "Extremely large."
Originally, he intended to share this news with the other party. However, since Ren Tu True Sage pressured him with rules, he followed the protocol—first giving a sincere apology, but the information would not be shared. There was no rule requiring him to do so.
Ren Tu True Sage began to feel troubled. He wasn’t trying to make things difficult for Feng Jun with the rules, wasn’t Feng Jun’s apology enough to settle things? He just wanted to gently remind him: don’t act solely on your own impulses.
But this reprimand led to another issue: After finding a large energy stone mine, how should he ask?
Personally, Ren Tu True Sage didn’t need energy stones, but he had to consider the entire Xuanhuang Sect, so he was in a bit of a dilemma now.
However, he was ultimately a Great Cultivator of the Emergence Stage. After a brief hesitation, he decisively spoke up, "There are rewards for information about energy stone mines in both sects."
Feng Jun nodded, "I know that."
Seeing that he didn’t continue, Ren Tu True Sage understood that the man had some emotions — perhaps he had spoken too harshly earlier.
But having become a Great Cultivator, he naturally had an extraordinary mentality. He nonchalantly remarked, "With such a large mine, why not go for the reward? Mining it yourself, how long would that take?"
"I can’t stay idle," Feng Jun replied casually, "That mine is enough to be mined for decades. I can arrange Golden Cores to take turns, and in my spare time, find some smaller mines and go for some rewards... Actually, I also need to attend to the Void side, where there’s also a True Immortal from Xuanhuang."
Do you understand? My relationship with your Xuanhuang Sect is merely collaborative. You limit my quota now, but in the Void, who knows who will limit whom? Don’t you, as a True Sage of the Emergence Stage, understand this?
Ren Tu True Sage instantly understood, and his expression became peculiar, "I was just talking about the rules, yet you seem quite fired up."
"Why would I dare to be angry?" Feng Jun replied openly, "In the future, I’ll just follow the rules."
"Don’t talk nonsense with me," Ren Tu True Sage surely understood the situation, "I’ll allow you a quota of one hundred real people... Plus, ten True Immortals, but they can only mine. They must not proactively attack the Insect Race. They may counterattack if attacked, no problem, right?"
"True Immortals mining?" Feng Jun frowned slightly, but still raised his hand in respect, "In any case, thank you True Sage for your consideration. Actually, I don’t have many connections to worry about, and most of the time, it won’t be fully staffed... If the True Sage has any instructions, just let me know."
"The instruction is about the energy stone mine," Ren Tu True Sage was straightforward, "Are these quotas alright in exchange for three energy stone mines? Of course, you will still receive the reward; rest assured about that."
"No problem," Feng Jun replied without hesitation, "I’ll go claim the reward now, but those three mines aren’t as large as my own... Big mines are not easy to find."
"I..." Ren Tu True Sage almost spat out blood, implying that this guy has at least four mines?
He had also come up from being a lower-level cultivator, knowing quite a bit about mining. At the very least, he knew the difference between large and small mines. The preparations for mining were about the same, but the yield variance was significant.
The key issue with the current Insect World was that human cultivators were still too few. Opening three small mines required a significant defense force. Why not open one big mine, lowering costs while increasing production?
So he shamelessly stated, "You keep the three small mines to yourself. I want the big mine. Your ship is small and can maneuver easily. The Xuanhuang Sect’s needs are too great; small mines can’t meet the demand; it must be a big mine."
As a True Sage of the Emergence Stage, is such shamelessness really okay? Feng Jun gave him a funny look, "If I were opening small mines, why would I apply for so many Golden Core positions? I also know that mining a big mine is less hassle!"
