Underground Supermarket

The mine strike, which had been going on for several days, collapsed without a fight after Roy set his price.

Roy didn't care what was happening below, nor did he care how the elven prisoners and Gray Dwarf were fighting. All he needed to do was fill the Wooden Box with Gemstone Mine, and then, according to the food list hidden beneath the Gemstone Mine, he would send fruit and honey down into the mine.

Roy even nailed a wooden board to the large Wooden Box, on which the words ' Underground Supermarket ' were written in dye.

Low-quality ore may require a large quantity to exchange for a single green apple, while high-quality ore will have a significantly higher price tag on the price list and can be exchanged for other fruits. Top-grade Spinel Ore can even be exchanged for a small cup of honey.

On the third day, the large Wooden Box was hoisted up again. The ore inside was clearly sorted and arranged, with each pile of ore labeled with what it was to be exchanged for. Low-quality ore and high-quality ore were clearly separated.

This time, Roy saw a small pile of high-quality Spinel Ore in the large Wooden Box. The color was as bright as congealed blood, and the crystals contained countless fine threads. They were piled in the most conspicuous place in the Wooden Box, with a tattered leather piece the size of a palm underneath, on which was written ten cups of 'Ale'.

According to the price list, only high-quality Spinel Ore can be exchanged for barley wine.

Roy presented the ores to the Old Elf in charge of appraising Gemstone Mine. The Old Elf was extremely thin, with a large head on a thin neck and sunken cheeks, which made his eyes appear large as well. It was unclear how many years he had lived in this mine. His hands were covered in calluses, and his nails were unkempt and shaped like chicken claws.

The Old Elf's gaze fell on a Spinel Ore. He ran his fingertip across the ore, almost pressing it against Carbide Lamp to let the white light shine through the jelly-like dark red crystal threads. He said to Roy, "Guardian, this is a top- Spinel Ore. Look at this exposed side; the gem is a dark red, like jelly, and the crystal threads inside are so fine. It's a rare and top-grade ore."

Then the Old Elf said to Roy:

"This kind of high-grade ore is not abundant in the vein and is not easy to mine. When the mine was operating normally, only a few pieces of this Spinel Ore would be produced per day."

After saying that, he hunched over and led Roy into Second Warehouse, which contained a large quantity of unprocessed Spinel Ore.

These Spinel Ore crashed into the Wooden Box, stacked neatly like towering walls.

The Old Elf patted the Wooden Box and said to Roy, "These are all low-grade spinel ore, and there are the most of them in the warehouse. There are also some mid-grade Spinel Ore over there, probably a few dozen crates. As for high-grade Spinel Ore like this, the Grantham mine owner has only accumulated less than four crates in the past two years..."

The Old Elf walked to the end of Second Warehouse and stopped in front of a large Wooden Box. He stretched out his bony hands and pushed the crate lid open with force.

"I'm getting old, and I can't even push this box lid open anymore. Please help me open it..."

The Old Elf said to Roy as he lifted the lid of the box with all his might.

Roy helped him open the box, and inside it was filled with all sorts of irregularly Spinel Ore, each one as clear and translucent as jelly...

If this thing were polished and refined, its value might be even higher.

Roy thought to himself, no wonder he saw the Grantham mine owner loitering outside Second Warehouse that night; it turns out the warehouse contained so many good things.

After leaving Second Warehouse, Roy found Captain Jones and reported on the day's mine production. He then mentioned the need to supply fruit and ale to the prisoners and Gray Dwarf in the mine. Roy could get fruit from the mess hall, but the ale required Captain Yalige's special approval.

Drinking alcohol is forbidden in the elven army, so the Cavalry Vanguard Regiment does not serve ale.

Although there wasn't one in the Vanguard Regiment, the mine's basement had a dedicated cellar containing over a dozen barrels of ale.

These were all sealed-up spoils of war. Roy needed Captain Yalige's approval to run into the cellar and move those ale.

"Jones, what brings you here?"

Captain Yalige is reading a list. The Logistics Regiment will arrive at the mining fortress tomorrow, and he needs to prepare the list of supplies for the mine before Logistics Regiment arrive. He will then hand it over to the Logistics Regiment along with Mine Owner Grantham and his private army. After that, it will be the Logistics Regiment's responsibility to transport them from the Pagisto Plateau to Padesto City.

Before that, Captain Yalige had to verify the supplies at the mine.

Captain Jones leaned closer and said with a smile to Captain Yalige, "Captain, you asked our Tenth Reconnaissance Squad to guard the mine exit and try to resume daily Gemstone Mine. Now the prisoners and Gray Dwarf in the mine have started working, and we need to keep our promise and provide food to the mine... and ale."

Captain Yalige looked up and placed the list of supplies on the table.

"Ale? Why did you agree to provide that?" Captain Yalige asked, frowning.

"Let Roy explain this to you," Captain Jones said slowly, glancing at Roy beside him.

Roy took a step forward and said to Captain Yalige:

"In order to resume Gemstone Mine in the mine, I have made a list of exchanges for the prisoners and dwarves in the mine. Since the dwarves are addicted to alcohol, I have added ale to the list. I hope that Captain Yalige will agree to let me use the ale stored in the mine's cellar."

Captain Yalige hesitated for a moment, then asked Captain Jones, "Are the prisoners in the mine willing to mine ore again now?"

"That's how it is right now," Captain Jones replied truthfully.

"Then what are we waiting for? Go and get the ale from the cellar, and let those Gray Dwarf get to work in the well..." Captain Yalige finished speaking, tore off a note, signed her name on it, and wrote a line:

"Captain Jones of the Tenth Reconnaissance Squad is retrieving a barrel of ale from the cellar. All guards are requested to cooperate. Reconnaissance Brigade, Yalige."

With this signed note, Captain Jones could send Roy to the cellar to collect the ale.

Captain Jones received the note and prepared to leave with Roy.

"Jones, send your men to collect the beer. You stay here," Captain Yalige said.

Captain Jones quickly stopped and handed the note to Roy, indicating that he could go to the cellar to get the beer, while he turned around to wait for Captain Yalige's question.

"Has the mine resumed normal operations in the last two days?" Captain Yalige asked.

In fact, he had been paying attention to this matter for the past two days. Although there were some ore productions in the past two days, it was still uncertain whether such production would continue stably.

Captain Jones knew what Captain Yalige was thinking, so he said:

"Although it may not reach the previous mining volume, a batch of Gemstone Mine is indeed hoisted up from the mine every day, after all, we have rescued those Half-Elf miners."

Captain Yalige's face lit up with joy, and she said loudly, "That's good! At least I can hand over the Grantham mine owner to the Logistics Regiment."

He then added, "Leaving this guy in the mine is like keeping a ticking time bomb; he might explode at any moment. The Logistics Regiment will arrive at the mine tomorrow, and I will hand over Grantham and his entire private army then. Our responsibility will be much less then."

"Are you planning to hand Grantham over to the Logistics Regiment? Didn't you say yesterday that Padesto City would send an envoy to talk to the Grantham mine owner?" Captain Jones asked suspiciously.

"If we can get this Gemstone Mine running ourselves, what's the point of talking to the Grantham mine owner!" Captain Yalige said with some disdain, then added, "It seems this Roy has some ideas. When you get back, you should encourage him and help him manage the mine well!"

"Yes, I will, Captain!"

Captain Jones saluted Captain Yalige before turning and leaving.

Roy had already moved a barrel of ale out of the cellar and had the oak barrel transported directly to the side of the mine. Then, he found a large wooden glass in the restaurant, removed the cork from the oak barrel, and poured the ale, which had a strong aroma of wood chips, into the large glass.

The amber-colored liquor swirls continuously in the glass, with a layer of white foam floating on the surface.

Roy placed the glasses filled with ale into the Wooden Box, along with some apples, Breadfruit, oranges, dried fish, and honey.

After checking the exchanged quantity and confirming that there were no problems, Roy and his companions put the large Wooden Box into the well.

This mine is at least 500 meters deep, and it would take a long time to lower the large Wooden Box down.

When the Wooden Box finally reached the bottom of the well, cheers erupted once again from the bottom.

On the fourth day, more Gemstone Mine were delivered.

Roy deduced that the group of Gray Dwarf from deep within the mines had also joined in.

In short, the entire wooden Wooden Box was extremely heavy. If it weren't for the labor-saving crane, Roy and his team wouldn't have been able to lift such a large crate directly up.

As Gemstone Mine continued to emerge from the mine, the Silver Pegasus Legion's Logistics Regiment finally arrived at the mine.

This time, it was still Commander Berkeley the team. He arrived at the mine with a large amount of supplies and went ahead to check on the Mine Private Army in the warehouse. He needed to ensure that the private army in the mine would not riot along the way.

The elves in the storeroom were somewhat dispirited, huddled together, and sat quietly.

Accompanied by Captain Yalige, Commander Berkeley entered the warehouse, only to find it packed with over two hundred private soldiers, causing Commander Berkeley to frown repeatedly.

The number of these elven private armies exceeded his expectations; his Logistics Regiment numbered less than two hundred men.

The thought of escorting these Mine Private Army back to Padesto City is fraught with danger...

Captain Yalige, looking at the disarmed Elf Warrior, couldn't help but lean close to Commander Berkeley's ear and whisper:

"Since this place is functioning normally, let's take them back to Padesto City!"

The Commander Berkeley gritted his teeth. There was no way to avoid this, so he had to bite the bullet and say, "We're leaving tomorrow. If you need any special supplies from us, be sure to give me a list before we leave tomorrow."

The Commander Berkeley was worried that things might get complicated and some unexpected changes might occur.

So he proposed to take the Grantham mine owner and his private army to the Padesto City tomorrow...

Seeing that the Commander Berkeley was leaving in such a hurry, Captain Yalige thought for a moment and added another item to the list of requirements.

Captain Yalige said to Commander Berkeley:

"Then bring a few more barrels of ale, rum or whatever."

Although Commander Berkeley hesitated for a moment, he still agreed, "Oh, that's no problem. However, you need to provide a reason for applying for alcoholic beverages, otherwise the Chief Commander won't approve it."

Captain Yalige said, "This ale and rum are for the Gray Dwarf down in the mine. Only by giving them alcohol can we get them to mine the Gemstone Mine."

"Make sure to note this reason under the material requisition form."

Commander Berkeley gave Yalige another few words of advice.

That night, the Mine Private Army, who were confined there, sat obediently on the floor in the warehouse, awaiting the Silver Pegasus Legion's decision.

The Elf Warrior sat together in a circle, with some simple food in front of them.

Apart from the lack of freedom, everything else is fine.

Just as everyone was eating in silence, the warehouse door was pushed open from the outside.

The Grantham mine owner walked in with a gloomy face, wearing a fur cloak and looking imposing.

After the Grantham mine lord entered, a group of Elf Warrior stood up and surrounded Grantham, asking about the current situation.

The Grantham mine owner said angrily, "The day before yesterday, Commander Hekelis said that I should continue to take over the mine, but most of the Gemstone Mine's revenue would fall into the hands of those Silver Moon Elf. I thought about it and agreed. After all, we are prisoners, and I was prepared to accept it. But today, a Logistics Regiment came to the mine. In addition to transporting supplies here, they are also planning to take you to the Padesto City!"

A group of elven private soldiers immediately erupted in chaos inside the warehouse, but they still dared not shout or make a fuss in the street.

"Lord Grantham Mine Owner, what should we do?" a private army leader asked the Mine Owners.

The Grantham mine owner said coldly, "What else can we do? Of course, we'll find a chance to escape along the way. They're just ordinary elves transporting supplies for the Logistics Regiment. The headhunters will meet us along the way. As long as you launch a riot according to my signal, it won't be difficult to escape!"

"At that time, we'll take a detour to..."

The Grantham mine owner drew a simple map on the ground and explained his plans to the group of elf private soldiers.

In their panic, the elven private army grasped at a last straw, and they all said:

"Lord Grantham, we will follow you."