Dividing the Spoils
"The mine has been almost completely inspected. Since no one has found anything, let's head back now!"
Although the curse is malevolent, it is also subject to many limitations. So many years have passed; perhaps the curse's power has long since been exhausted.
Hudson said calmly.
All of this was within his expectations. If the problem were so easy to discover, the Viscount Autumn family wouldn't have ended up in this state.
With abundant resources, even an average person can become a genius. Despite the limitations of lifespan, Viscount Autumn's family has produced many outstanding individuals.
The decision to abandon mining magic crystals now is a last resort after generations of failed efforts.
Whether it will be effective remains to be seen. In any case, Hudson has never heard of anyone in the Viscount Autumn family celebrating their 60th birthday.
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
Viscount Autumn said with a bitter expression.
Without finding the source of the curse, there's no way to lift it. If things continue like this, even if they survive this crisis, the family's demise is only a matter of time.
Without a word, Hudson led his team away. Although he hadn't found anything, his intuition told him something was wrong.
After exiting the mine and taking a breath of fresh air, Hudson used his mental power to inquire:
"Beldens, Maxim, have you noticed the problem?"
In terms of understanding mysterious forces, long-lived races clearly have an advantage.
The Blood Moon Cult, which existed more than 300 years ago, is an ancient history for humans, but for extraordinary beings it is only a small part of their lives.
Neither Bear Beldens nor Maxim were particularly knowledgeable, yet they still reached the Holy Domain level and stood at the pinnacle of the continent.
Even beings of the same level would find it difficult to hide from them.
"There is an evil aura hidden beneath the mine, much like that horn-shaped milk bottle, as if they were born from the same source."
However, it was sealed by someone, which firmly locked this evil aura underground.
It's best not to act rashly; if we release something powerful, things will get complicated.
Beldens said with a serious expression.
However, her adorable expression ruined the solemn atmosphere.
"You mean this magic crystal mine wasn't naturally formed, but rather created by humans?"
Hudson asked in surprise.
The news that magic crystals can be artificially manufactured will cause a dramatic change in the entire world.
Magical technology, which was originally limited by the high price of Magic Crystal Stone and could not be promoted, will surely become popular throughout the continent in a short time.
Even the mode of warfare will be rewritten from this point on.
"I didn't sense any crystal source, so this magic crystal mine is most likely not naturally formed. But saying it was man-made isn't quite right either; it's probably just a coincidence!"
My inherited memories mention that the burial grounds of the fallen supreme beings may form magic crystal mines.
However, certain conditions must be met for it to be born, and the probability is not very high. Otherwise, Dragon Island would probably be full of magic crystal mines.
No sooner had Beldens finished speaking than Maxim, not wanting to be left out, jumped in to complain:
"Big Bear, you do have some knowledge. But you're wrong about one thing: Dragon Island has the world's largest magic crystal mine."
Hudson, what are you looking at me for?
I'm warning you, don't get any funny ideas.
Most of the magic crystal mines on Dragon Island are concentrated in the Dragon Tomb; anyone who dares to approach will be killed without mercy.
Even if we Giant Dragon approach, we will be severely punished. Only the ancient Giant Dragon and Dragon King are allowed to establish their lairs there.
Hudson rolled his eyes in annoyance. He wasn't stupid; why would he possibly set his sights on Dragon Island?
Let alone magic crystal mines everywhere, even if there were divine artifacts everywhere, he wouldn't dare to go and pick them up.
Giant Dragon are a long-lived race; who knows how many ancient beings exist within them? After these freaks moved to Dragon Island, they were simply invincible.
Even if we gathered the strength of all the races on the Aslant Continent, we might not be able to even reach their doorstep. Organizing an expeditionary force would be like sending snacks to the Giant Dragon.
"Maxim, I know that your Dragon Island is the richest place in the world, but that doesn't change the fact that you are a poor dragon."
Instead of flaunting your wealth, why don't you think about when you'll be able to pay off the debts you owe me?
Learn from Beldens. He was still a child, yet he already owned hundreds of thousands of acres of land, thousands of cattle and sheep, and had an endless supply of honey and animal milk every day.
And look at you, a dragon hundreds of years old, still a complete failure. You even have to borrow money to gather the resources for your daily cultivation.
At this rate, your future as a dragon will be ruined by just finding any monster to settle for! No female dragon would ever want a penniless wretch like you!
Hudson retorted without holding back.
Anyone who dares to provoke him will have to bear the consequences. When it comes to witty comebacks, the inexperienced Maxim is still too green.
"Hudson, don't go too far. Maxim is still young, only a few hundred years old, and his future holds endless possibilities."
It would be more appropriate to say these things to him when he's over a thousand years old. But given your human lifespan, it's highly unlikely you'll live to see that time.
"But Hudson, don't worry, I've recorded what I just said using Projection Stone. I'll show it to him on his 1000th birthday."
Perhaps noticing Hudson's darkening expression and realizing things were going badly, Beldens quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Hudson, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything by it; I just wanted to remind you to work harder on your cultivation."
Throughout human history, there have been individuals who lived for hundreds of years. With your talent, there's still hope if you work hard.
That Bear Kid is Bear Kid; he offended two people at once with just one sentence. Fortunately, Hudson has developed the ability to remain calm even when faced with a collapsing mountain, and can strongly control his emotions.
Maxim, standing to the side, was devastated. The successive blows had made him doubt Long Sheng. If it weren't for his master Hudson, keeping him in check, he would have definitely fought Beldens to the death.
"Enough with the nonsense. If it's sealed, then what's with the curse power?"
Hudson asked with concern.
The "sixty-year Lifespan Curse" may seem like a trivial matter, but the Viscount Autumn family has been unable to resolve it for over a century, so he cannot afford to take it lightly.
If there's no way to solve the curse problem, Hudson would rather throw the magic crystal mine away than touch this hot potato.
"Don't worry, Hudson."
The guy below is in terrible condition. He has been worn down by the power of time for countless years and could die at any moment. He has no energy left to release the curse.
The so-called curse is nothing more than the Evil Energy they emit. Although this energy is very weak, it can still affect lifespan over time.
Those fools made their homes in the mines, constantly exposed to Evil Energy influences. They were lucky that they only lost some of their lifespan and didn't degenerate into dark creatures.
If they stay here indefinitely, they'll probably all turn into dark creatures in a few hundred years.
However, this is not absolute. Once you break through the limits of life and reach what you humans call the Holy Domain, you will be basically unaffected by these Evil Energy.
After hearing Beldens' explanation, Hudson felt relieved. The Evil Energy influence was spreading so slowly; there shouldn't be any problems in the short term.
Anyway, mining isn't something he needs to do himself. Just transferring some of the slaves from building the defenses will solve all the problems.
Even if there really is a curse, it is the Beastfolk who suffer, what does it have to do with Lord Hudson?
The sixty-year lifespan limit only applies to nobles. Ordinary free people and serfs rarely live that long anyway, so they don't even experience this kind of trouble.
Pollution of the bloodline is a minor issue. As long as one leaves this place, the effects will be eliminated in a hundred or two hundred years.
If the research continues, the Viscount Autumn family will eventually discover these secrets.
Unfortunately, the location of the magic crystal mine was exposed, and whether it was nationalized or divided among the nobles of the Southeast Province, this windfall had nothing to do with them.
Outside Blood Moon County, inside a luxurious tent, the issue of dividing the spoils was brought up directly.
Watching the endless arguments, Hudson simply closed his eyes to rest. His emphasis on aristocratic etiquette was merely a sign that the temptations weren't great enough.
The reserves of this magic crystal mine are exceptionally abundant. If mined at full capacity, it could easily yield a net profit of millions of gold coins annually.
No one would be willing to give up such a large fortune. Moreover, Magic Crystal Stone are not ordinary commodities; they are also an important cultivation resource and a strategic resource.
"Alright, everyone. News of the magic crystal mine is hard to keep secret for long. Instead of worrying about its distribution, we should think about how to deal with the kingdom first."
According to the kingdom's laws, all magic crystal mines belong to the central government; we have no right to possess or mine them.
Governor Pierce said with a grim expression.
Driven by self-interest, even the unresolved issue of the curse couldn't dampen people's enthusiasm for magic crystal mines.
The biggest problem facing everyone now is the kingdom, which is a major obstacle.
In the past, the discovered magic crystal mines were not within their own sphere of influence, so everyone naturally supported nationalizing them.
Now that the magic crystal mine has come to their doorstep, involving their own interests, everyone is no longer able to be so magnanimous.
"Your Governor, we cannot hand over the magic crystal mine!"
My Southeast Province has transformed from the rear area into the front line. If war breaks out in the future, the demand for Magic Crystal Stone will be enormous.
Relying solely on the kingdom's allocation would likely be insufficient to meet the demand.
An impatient young nobleman spoke first.
No matter how absurd the reasons are, they are better than no reason at all. However, these reasons are clearly insufficient and cannot convince the kingdom at all.
If they were to forcefully seize power from the central government, ordinary nobles might not feel much of a difference, but Governor Pierce would face considerable pressure.
"No, the kingdom's laws clearly stipulate the ownership of magic crystal mines. It is legally untenable to forcibly refuse the kingdom's nationalization of them."
If things escalate, the kingdom's Standing Army could simply march in and forcibly nationalize the magic crystal mines. We can't exactly raise an army in rebellion, can we?
Viscount Cayou hurriedly jumped out to object.
Although the profits from magic crystal mines are substantial, there are too many people vying for a share, so the actual amount that each individual receives is limited.
For the Dalton Family, having this wealth was certainly good, but not having it wouldn't affect their status.
If he weren't the leader who had to protect the interests of his underlings, Governor Pierce might have simply given up.
There's no other reason than that this strategic abandonment is worthwhile as long as it can slow down the Coslo Family's development.
"Raising an army in rebellion is of course unacceptable; handing over the magic crystal mine is equally unacceptable."
Right now, the outside world only suspects that a magic crystal mine has appeared in Blood Moon County, but there is no substantial evidence, so they can't do anything to us for the time being.
As long as everyone insists that the magic crystal mine does not exist, it will be difficult for the kingdom to find out anything in a short period of time.
With Blood Moon County as cover, as long as we are careful and don't sell the Magic Crystal Stone we mine, it will be difficult for the kingdom to find any fault with us.
Or they could simply use the pretext of a plague to seal off the area within dozens of miles of Blood Moon County, prohibiting any outsiders from entering or leaving.
"We'll mine for as long as we can, year by year. No matter how long we can keep this a secret, we'll still profit."
Hudson suggested with a chuckle.
No one is willing to give up until magic crystal mining begins. It will be even harder to get them to let go once mining yields substantial returns.
Once the possession and mining of the magic crystal mine is established, the Governor will still be responsible for dealing with the central government's side when things are exposed in the future.
It can be said that everyone present benefited from Hudson's proposal, except for the Governor was somewhat injured.
"Count Hudson, the kingdom's laws are strict. Mining magic crystals is a serious crime that cannot be easily dismissed with a few words."
Given the wide spread of the anomaly, once the kingdom is determined to investigate, it will be able to quickly pinpoint the target to Blood Moon County.
The more we try to cover it up, the more likely we are to attract the kingdom's attention. Small-scale operations are one thing, but once large-scale mining begins, it will be impossible to hide the truth.
Governor Pierce said with a troubled expression.
The authority of the central government of the Alpha Kingdom remains intact, and even though Caesar IV's authority is far less than that of the deceased Caesar III, it is not easily shaken.
In recent years, the Dalton Family has been so exhausted from suppressing the Coslo Family that they simply don't have the time to go against the Kingdom government.
"As for the issue of clandestine mining, we'll have to ask Viscount Autumn. The fact that they managed to keep it from us for over a century is proof enough of their skill in concealing their activities."
If this beast tide hadn't been completely accidental, it's estimated that we might not have discovered it even a hundred years later.
Hudson said with a half-smile.
This wasn't him trying to make things difficult for Viscount Autumn; it was simply that their problems were far too serious. If they didn't drag all the nobles in the province into this mess, once news of the magic crystal mine reached the Royal Capital, their entire family would be doomed.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Excellency. We do have some experience in keeping secrets."
As long as a completely closed management system is adopted, allowing entry but not exit, and no laborers are conscripted from the local area, and mining is carried out entirely by slaves, the news will not spread.
As for the strange phenomena mentioned earlier, we can simply make up an excuse to cover it up. Or we can release a treasure map to draw outside attention to the Black Stone Mountain Range.
According to the data we have obtained, once this magic crystal mine is fully exploited, it can produce 800,000 to 1 million Magic Crystal Stone per year, of which no less than 100,000 are high-grade Magic Crystal Stone.
With this wealth, everyone can recover and overcome their financial crisis in the shortest possible time.
The future belongs to the warcraft cavalry. The better magic potions available on the market can no longer be bought with gold coins; they must be purchased with Magic Crystal Stone.
"If we don't stockpile some in advance, the limited quota allocated by the Kingdom won't be enough for everyone if we need it in the future..."
A sincere performance is most likely to touch people's hearts. Viscount Autumn's earnest deception quickly took effect.
The theory of the importance of "Magic Crystal Stone" solidified the already interested nobles' judgment, making them even more unwilling to give up.
Even Governor Pierce was now deeply conflicted. The Dalton Family also secretly controlled several magic crystal mines, but those were all small mines, and their combined production capacity was less than one-tenth of that of this magic crystal mine.
In normal times, it's more than enough for my own use. But once the era of the Warcraft Cavalry arrives, the demand for Magic Crystal Stone skyrockets, making it difficult to meet the demand.
Seeing this, Hudson smiled slightly at everyone and said, "The biggest problem has been solved, and I'm sure everyone has made their decision."
Now let's talk about our respective mining investments and the distribution of Magic Crystal Stone. Relax a little, things aren't that serious.
As long as we stand united, even if the message is leaked in the future, it could be the work of Heretical Cult.
Three hundred years ago, this was an important stronghold of the Blood Moon Cult, so it's perfectly reasonable for them to have illegally mined magic crystals here.