“Many people came here before, but none of them managed to find a node of Laka crystals. Ah Feng, you try,” Song Qiao said. He looked at Lei Xinfeng expectantly. Up until now, he hasn’t been disappointed yet.

Lei Xinfeng looked at the wall and scanned the entire area in an instant. He shook his head. “There’s nothing… it’s strange, why?” He hung his head and saw a flash of green accompanying the movement of his head. He immediately investigated it.

There was a layer of ice below everyone’s feet, and the entire mountain was also buried under a thick ice cover. The green light was coming from below them. He got excited. “Follow the wall and dig down. Shatter the ice layer.”

Song Qiao was pleasantly surprised, asking, “There’s something below?”

Xin Zhaolun didn’t waste time talking and began to attack the ice layer immediately.

Soon, they dug a hole in the ice. It didn’t take much effort. Soon, the group arrived at the appropriate height and the green light was coming from right in front of them.

Lei Xinfeng pointed at the wall, smiling. “That should be the node!” The wall before him glowed green. However, he was the only one who could see it. No one else could have found this node just by looking.

With a single blow, Song Qiao shattered a large chunk of the wall, revealing dense clusters of crystals.

Everyone was stunned, and even the way Xin Zhaolun looked at Lei Xinfeng turned strange. “My heavens…what the **? We, we’re too lucky! Hahaha, haha, hahaha!”

Song Qiao couldn’t help but shake his head. He’d come here several times after mining for Qianye silver, but he only managed to find a small amount of Laka crystals even with great effort. He’d never thought that such a big vein was hiding here. It was surprising.

“Let’s mine this quickly. It’s practically hard currency. You can trade it for anything.”

The group began to mine vigorously, advancing into the mountain.

This trip, they were splitting the gains equally. Because Lei Xinfeng had three others with him, he got far more than his share even if he didn’t embezzle crystals.

Even though this was a comparatively small vein, it was extremely rich in crystals. After finding it, all one needed to do was collect it. Cluster after cluster, they dug ever deeper, and each of them was rich in crystals.

After just the start, Xin Zhaolun gathered enough to construct his Hidden Gate, and the rest were all extras that he could use to trade for other materials. Up until now, he hadn’t closed his mouth; he was so happy he couldn’t keep a wide grin off his face.

This kind of luck was unreal. With one trip to Hanya Castle, he crossed so many items off his list. He began to remind himself that when he needed to go gathering material, he must take Lei Xinfeng along no matter what. That boy was practically a walking good luck charm.

Although Song Qiao already had no more need for Laka crystals, who would decline to get more? With this kind of gathering speed, he had confidence that he could construct a second Hidden Gate. Even if he couldn’t, he could still create his own weapon using materials traded for with Laka crystals. After they exhausted this vein, he believed that he would have enough.

After twenty-four days, they’ve cleaned out the entire vein. With Lei Xinfeng present, they didn’t miss a single cluster of Laka crystals.

Lei Xinfeng scanned the place one more time and was satisfied. “Good, there’s nothing left. We got it all.”

Song Qiao nodded. “Let’s go find a relaxing place, eat, and rest.” Even though he was a Monarch, this kind of mining was still tiring. On the other hand, Lei Xinfeng’s group were even more pitiful; they had dark bags under their eyes.

“Yeah, I’m dead tired,” Lei Xinfeng said. “I’m hungry and cold. Let’s build a fire and make some soup.”

Jin Daya agreed. “I concur. We definitely need rest, even if it’s for a day.”

Song Qiao nodded. “Follow me, then. We can rest on our way to the heather gravel site.”

Everyone voiced their agreement and followed Song Qiao out of the Laka crystal mining site.

It was a large ice cave. The roof and the floor were about a hundred meters apart. It was clear, and let a lot of light through, brightening the entire place. It was almost blinding, especially to people who just came out of the dark depths.

A blue glow with red rays lit the surroundings. It was an oil wood fire, heating a giant copper pot. This pot was big enough to comfortably fit an entire person inside. Meat and various vegetables boiled within. It was the specialty of Lei Xinfeng that he pioneered in this world. Everyone who ate it thought it was good.

Everyone surrounded the fire, each wrapped in thick blankets and sleeping.

Lei Xinfeng already slept a while. He wasn’t as tired as everyone else since he didn’t overexert during the Qianye silver mining. It was only the Laka crystal gathering that tired him out. After a short rest, he felt much better. Now, he stared at the big pot and add vegetables and meat every now and then. He found that the food he stored, although large in quantity, was quite limited in selection, especially when cooking this kind of meal. It was better when a large variety of different materials were put in.

He also realized that there are several kinds of materials that shouldn’t be placed together. He was still finalizing the recipe for the most delicious chowder dish.

After gulping down a bowl of hot soup, he felt his entire body relax. Although it wasn’t as cold as it was outside, the cold air was still pervasive. It was hard to get rid of once it chilled into the bones. With that bowl of hot soup, it managed to clear away the chill within him.

As the others woke up, they too began to eat. Soon, the air was filled with slurping sounds, making the rest of the people that were still sleeping get up for fear of not getting food. Each of them was starving.

They managed to finish the entire pot of chowder along with giant pieces of bread biscuit.

Lei Xinfeng ate until he couldn’t fit anything more. He alone eat six of the pan-sized biscuits and ten bowls of soup. He was sweating by the time he stopped.

Song Qiao patted his stomach. “It’s been a while since I’ve been this full. Ah, why don’t I have a disciple like you?!” he lamented.

If Lei Xinfeng’s masters weren’t so scary, he’d really have stolen Lei Xinfeng away. He was just too useful be it in mining or cooking. After a few gripes inside, he stowed the regret away. Even if he couldn’t have Lei Xinfeng, they could still be friends.

“It’s been so long, but we haven’t see a single person,” Lei Xinfeng noted.

“It’s better if we don’t see anyone. If we meet anyone, it’s definitely a bad thing,” Song Qiao said.

“Why?”

“If someone is in here, a Monarch is usually with them. Monarchs aren’t easy to talk to.”

“Senior, you’re easy to talk to,” Lei Xinfeng said.

“Only to you. To outsiders, it depends.” Song Qiao never said that he was a good person. If he saw an outside, it was okay if he liked them. If he didn’t, he’ll beat and kill with impunity.

A Monarch was indeed strong, and everyone here knew. They were more dangerous than Sages by far, and almost nothing could stop one except another Monarch or stronger. However, how many Monarchs could be in one world?

Like during the frost, Song Qiao charged in without asking permission, bringing along all kinds of dangers. However, he didn’t care. This was the true nature of a Monarch.

After a rest and a meal, everyone was recharged. Their eyes sparkled, ready to set out. Even though mining is exhausting, the joy from the gains outweighed the exhaustion with no contest. Even during their rest, they were all calculating their gains. After ascertaining the amount, none of them could remain calm. They all began smiling, even Hongjie.

Song Qiao was also excited. “Let’s go!”

It was another long walk, but this time, no one mind. They followed quietly.

Lei Xinfeng had never seen heather gravels before, nor did he know what it’s used for. But if a Monarch wanted it, then it was definitely important. Even if he couldn’t use it now didn’t mean that it would be useless in the future. He thought that he was lucky to come into contact with high level ores so early.

It took four days to reach the site. The distance from the heather gravel to the Laka crystals was quite large.

Heather gravel was at the lowest level in the ice layers, reaching the dirt at the bottom of the ice. The ice cover above was at least three kilometers thick, and did not let a single ray of light in. The ice was just too thick.

Everyone held a oil wood torch. Lei Xinfeng found that there was a large space between the ice cover and the ground. The temperature was fairly high as well. According to his calculations, it would be around zero degrees. To them, it was already too hot for coats.

Everyone took off their coats and replaced it with the clothes they wore day to day. Lei Xinfeng wore the bull leather armor that his little sister Yao Yao made him.

Not far away, he heard the tinkling sound of water. “Is it a river or a stream?” Lei Xinfeng asked.

“Stream. There’s many here.”

The stream was shallow with extremely cold water. However, there was a lot of little fish and shrimp. White algae covered the floor, growing even without light. Under the glow of the torches, it reflected red.

Lei Xinfeng stuck his foot in and the water entered his shoe. He shivered. “It’s so cold!” He floated up.

Song Qiao laughed. “Don’t step on the ground. There’s a mire not far up. If you walk, you might be trapped there.”

Everyone flew up, hovering at least a foot aboveground. This way, no one will step in the water. Lei Xinfeng’s feet crackled with the flash of lightning, drying his shoes instantly. Now he wouldn’t need to change.

“We need to fly a bit higher and faster here,” Song Qiao said.

They all sped up, and finally Song Qiao stopped. “We’re here.”

Everything was pitch black. Even with the torchlight, naught could be seen. Song Qiao flew a little ways to the left, and threw his torch.

Boom!

A fireball rose and everyone saw a groove in the ground, made of stone. It was full of oil wood. After throwing in the fire, the fire began to spread rapidly.

Calling it now that he’s going to get that armor destroyed, and he’s going to flip on whoever did it because he destroyed Lei Xinfeng’s last connection to Yao Yao. He’s going to get a huge power up from his Lightning powered rage and turn the tides against a Monarch that was fighting Song Qiao evenly. You heard it here first! (Didn’t read ahead. Yet.)

Actually, for a moment, I thought the author forgot his sister existed. He did have a habit of putting aside things and never getting back to it.

Rawr!