Iron Mine?

"Could a basement be built here, around a hundred square meters in size?" Velin pointed to a spot beside the stable and asked.

"Yes, my lord, but if we do that, we won't be able to proceed with the second phase of construction."

"The second phase can wait. Finish the basement first; I have a use for it."

"Yes, my lord."

After some hesitation, Eunice accepted the order.

Then, under Eunice's guidance, Velin began touring the areas that had already been completed.

After the tour, he was glad he had hired an architect to build his castle. There were many intricacies involved, and only by using construction materials properly could the defensive capabilities of the walls be maximized.

At a battlement, Velin drew his longsword and slashed at it with all his strength. Even so, he left only a shallow mark.

"Not bad. My 3,500 Gold Coins weren't wasted. Expensive things had their reasons for being expensive."

Upon hearing that, Eunice's smile stiffened for an instant before she resumed her ladylike demeanor.

"My lord, if you have Magic Materials, I can inscribe simple magic arrays onto the walls to strengthen their defenses."

"Hm? You knew magic too?"

To prove her words, Eunice directly chanted a spell and formed a small flame before her.

Seeing the flame, which could be snuffed out with a single breath, Velin looked at Eunice with deep suspicion. He doubted her actual abilities. Was she trying to get something for nothing, using my Magic Materials to improve her own strength?

Sensing the awkwardness in the air, Eunice hurriedly said, "My lord, I'm not skilled in combat. Yes, my talents lie in inscribing magic arrays and architecture. I also know a little about beast taming."

"Eunice, I can't believe what you're saying right now. Besides, I don't have any Magic Materials for you to use." Velin spread his hands in a helpless gesture.

Hearing this, Eunice's gaze dimmed somewhat, but she quickly recovered and continued leading Velin on the tour.

Along the way, the two returned to their usual calm routine. Eunice explained things ahead while Velin followed behind, nodding in agreement.

From their earlier conversation, Velin clearly understood the Half-elf girl's intentions. She did not want to spend all ten years merely as an architect, wasting the best years of her life.

Velin had previously promised that after Eunice served him for ten years, he would return her freedom.

From her tone and movements, Velin could sense her confusion and unease about the future.

However, Velin had no intention of accepting Eunice as a subordinate yet. At the very least, he would not consider it until the castle was complete.

To assess someone, one had to understand not only the person herself, but also observe the people around her.

After the tour, Velin offered some encouragement to the workers before heading down the mountain and returning to the village.

Looking at the barren terrain around him, Velin sank into thought.

He did not know whether Guidance of Fate's duration would increase after his strength improved.

This question had first arisen when he broke through to Silver Knight. There was no way to know for now; he could only verify it at the beginning of next month.

When Velin returned to his residence, Belder ran over with an excited expression and reported, "Master, an iron mine! We found an iron mine!"

"An iron mine? Where is it?" Velin froze for a moment before reacting and urgently asking.

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"Twelve kilometers north. There's a passage leading more than a hundred meters underground. During today's monster-clearing operation, we found many Goblins coming and going. My subordinates captured a large number of them, and after intense interrogation, we obtained this information."

"Lead the way."

Soon after, Velin and Belder rode north on horseback.

At that moment, more than twenty Goblins sat dejectedly on the ground at the entrance to the passage. A few of them whispered quietly among themselves, occasionally glancing at the human soldiers guarding them.

"Boss, what should we do next?" an ugly Goblin asked softly in Goblin Language.

"Wait for now. When night falls, we'll escape amid the confusion. Once we return underground, we'll be safe." A Goblin wearing leather clothes lowered his head, his tiny eyes darting about as he secretly assessed the surroundings and searched for an escape route.

As a cunning Goblin miner, he was considered someone of importance in the underground world. He had originally planned to come out today to trade with the nearby Goblins for supplies from the surface. Instead, the moment he emerged, he ran into a large group of humans.

The goods were gone, and the Goblins had been captured.

Fortunately, he was clever and could speak the Common Tongue. He had fabricated a lie; otherwise, he would have ended up like his underlings, stabbed full of holes and turned into bloody gourds.

As for any iron mine, that was naturally just something he had made up to fool these humans.

The passage was only one meter high. He refused to believe these people would crawl down to investigate it.

Besides, the Goblins around him were all idiots who could not speak the Common Tongue. As long as he stuck to his story, they would have no way to determine whether it was true or false.

Then, Goblin Geli noticed the pebbles on the ground trembling slightly. He raised his head and looked into the distance, discovering that the human who had left earlier had returned to the camp with an unfamiliar human.

Based on his twenty years of life experience, and as the father of eight children, he easily determined that this younger human had to be the person in charge here.

The Goblins who had vanished without a trace must have been dealt with under this man's lead.

Velin arrived at the holding area, dismounted from the Red Phosphorus Horse, and walked straight over to the Goblins.

"Master, this is the Goblin who can speak the Common Tongue." Belder came to his side, pointed at Geli, the Goblin dressed in leather, and spoke respectfully.

Hearing their exchange, Geli quickly crawled over, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed. "Great lord, Geli had no intention of offending your territory. Please spare Geli's worthless life."

Velin lowered his head and looked at the little creature, which stood less than a meter tall. He released his aura, creating a pressure that forced the Bronze Low-Tier Goblin flat onto the ground, trembling in terror.

"I'm asking you: is there really an iron mine a hundred meters underground?"

Feeling the pressure bearing down on his body, Goblin Geli gritted his teeth and replied, "Great lord, Ge... Geli's words... are true."

Velin's expression remained calm as he heard this, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Geli, sprawled on the ground, was suffering greatly, afraid that his body and head would be separated the next moment.

"Pfft."

"Sorry, I missed." Velin shook the blood from his Knight Longsword and spoke expressionlessly.

Geli touched himself all over, then turned and saw his underling's severed corpse. He was so terrified that he immediately wet himself.

"My lord, what I said is true. There really is an iron mine! If you don't believe me, you can go down and take a look." To stay alive, Geli continued to fabricate lies.

This human before him was so murderous that once he discovered Geli had deceived him, Geli would definitely die horribly.

Even under the terror of death, this Goblin gave the same answer. Velin already believed him more than halfway.