Free Web NovelChapter 252: Chapter 246: Sure Enough, There’s Good Stuff
Inside the Meditation Room, Allen opened his eyes. A deep blue light flashed deep within his pupils before vanishing.
The construction of his Fourth Core Matrix had progressed by a sliver, but the further he went, the more tedious and drawn-out the required Spiritual Power refinement became.
He stood up, smoothed the wrinkles on his robe, and pushed open the door, heading for the control room.
"Jarvis, status report."
"Commander. Two ’Earthworm Volcano Type’ prototypes have completed final assembly and enchantment testing. All parameters meet design specifications."
The holographic sand table in the center of the control room quickly switched its display.
On the shore of the lava lake, two dark-red machines were on standby.
They retained the basic structure of an Earthworm, but their outer armor was made entirely of costly Molten Titanium Crystal.
It was a model specialized purely for operating in extreme environments, even more heat-resistant than a Flame Demon.
"Submerge," Allen ordered remotely, his gaze locked on the screen.
The two prototypes were pushed into the boiling lava by Factory Servants.
"Submersion depth: fifty meters. Temperature: 2,300 degrees. External pressure is normal."
"Submersion depth: one hundred fifty meters. Temperature: 2,700 degrees."
"Submersion depth: three hundred twelve meters. Bottom contact. Temperature: 3,400 degrees."
The Earthworms stopped above the rock stratum at the lakebed. The lava here had taken on a viscous, bright yellow hue, and the concentration of fire elements was extremely high.
"Initiate topographical mapping and begin high-frequency Magic Power scan." Allen sat upright in his command chair as Jarvis automatically relayed the instructions to the Earthworms.
The Earthworms began to work in silence.
To Allen’s surprise, the bottom of the lava lake wasn’t the funnel-shaped terrain he had imagined. The holographic projection showed that the entire lakebed was exceptionally flat, shaped like the bottom of a massive, shallow pan.
In the very center of this "pan" lay a massive fissure, over a hundred meters long and a dozen or so meters wide.
"Commander, data analysis indicates this area was once a small basin," Jarvis’s voice echoed in the control room. "We project that the fissure connects directly to the depths of the earth. The entire lava lake, along with its Fire Elemental Magic Power, is erupting from this fissure."
Allen’s gaze narrowed as he stared at the pitch-black fissure.
"Take a closer look."
Earthworm One slowly explored the edge of the fissure. As it drew closer, the color of the lava grew more blinding, gradually shifting toward a white-hot incandescence.
"Abnormal high-energy reaction detected."
The probe spotted an unusual glint of bright red on the dark-red rock stratum at the fissure’s edge. The light was still clearly discernible amidst the blinding lava.
The Earthworm moved in for a closer look. It discovered something stuck in a crevice of a protruding black reef-like rock at the edge of the fissure.
It was a Crystal Stone, only about the size of a thumb. Its entire body glowed a heart-stopping, vivid red, and it was shaped like a teardrop on the verge of falling. A dancing flame seemed to be sealed within it.
Even submerged in 3,400-degree lava, it continued to emit powerful Fire Elemental Magic Power fluctuations.
"Jarvis, check the database."
"Searching the Witchcraft School’s High-tier Materials database..."
"Comparison complete."
"Item Name: Earth-Core Flame Marrow."
"Properties: An extremely concentrated Fire Element Crystal, containing a faint trace of the very source of Fire Magic Power."
"Uses: A High-tier Material used by Witchcraft Schools to construct fire-type Core Witchcraft and to accelerate one’s training."
"Market Value: Approximately 100,000 Low-Level Magic Stones per unit. Note: This item has a listed price but is almost never available for purchase."
100,000 Magic Stones.
The net profit from one of his ordinary, well-run mines for an entire month was only about 100,000 Magic Stones.
And now, a single small stone stuck in a crevice on the lakebed was worth an entire month’s output from a mine.
"Both Earthworms, conduct a carpet search along the edge of the fissure. Don’t miss a single corner." Allen’s voice remained steady, but his speech had noticeably quickened.
They scanned and searched inch by inch along the four-hundred-meter edge of the fissure.
Then, they slowly expanded the search radius, covering the entire lakebed.
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The search concluded.
Inside the Earthworms’ small storage compartments lay seven Earth-Core Flame Marrows of varying sizes.
’Only seven?’ Allen was a bit disappointed. This was the easiest money he had made since arriving in this plane.
"Commander, according to geological model projections, these Crystal Stones were not formed on the lakebed."
"They are byproducts brought up from the extreme depths of the fissure by the lava, carried along by violent tectonic activity."
Allen tilted his head back slightly and closed his eyes.
’This meant that below this fissure, in the unknown regions deep within the earth’s core, there were absolutely more Earth-Core Flame Marrows.’
’Tens of millions of Magic Stones? Hundreds of millions?’
’It was a treasure trove of terrifying proportions, enough to support him comfortably through his time as a Second-level Wizard and even help him charge toward higher realms.’
’Beneath the fissure was a gold mine.’
’But he couldn’t go down there.’
The Molten Titanium Crystal was the most advanced heat-resistant metal he had access to—indeed, the best that could be bought on the market. 4,000 degrees was its absolute limit. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
"Knowledge is money," Allen murmured softly.
Right now, that phrase had materialized into a cruel barrier. Without more advanced high-temperature Rune technology, without higher-tier materials, he could only gaze at the fissure and sigh at his own powerlessness.
This greatly fueled Allen’s hunger for knowledge and strength.
He hated this feeling of staring at a mountain of treasure yet being utterly powerless.
"Jarvis, since we can’t enter the fissure, have both Earthworms drill vertically into the rock stratum from a safe area on the lakebed."
"Drilling and survey module activated."
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
Forty meters.
"Drilling depth: 48 meters."
"Probe feedback: Large-scale Magic Power vein detected."
The geological cross-section on the holographic screen was instantly filled with vast swaths of dark-red light.
The specks of light were densely packed, embedded deep within the rock stratum like a galaxy of stars, and they extended far beyond the probe’s maximum range.
"Component analysis."
"Analysis complete. A rich deposit of high-purity Fire Elemental Crystal Stones."
"Preliminary survey indicates extremely high reserves. Estimated value is high."
Gazing at the dark-red mineral vein that took up nearly half the screen, Allen finally allowed a hint of a satisfied smile to touch his eyes.
The seven Earth-Core Flame Marrows were an unexpected windfall, but this rich fire-element deposit was the stable foundation he needed to climb his technology tree.
"Standard Mining Golems can’t handle large-scale excavation. We need specialized ones. Codename: ’Volcano Miner.’"
"They’ll use the same heat-resistant design as the Earthworms, but implant a spatially compressed ore-storage bay in the abdomen. Make them larger for higher mining efficiency."
"Projecting design parameters..."
"Projection complete. A single ’Molten Miner’ will cost approximately 20,000 Magic Stones. An estimated twelve units will be required to achieve optimal mining efficiency."
"Mark the coordinates. Designate this as Mining Site 20." Allen turned and walked toward the control console. "Coordinate with the newly produced heat-resistant Factory Servants to build a dedicated underground transport line to the shore of the lava lake. I want this mine producing ore by the beginning of next month."
