Leave None Behind

He asked, "Are there any women at the mine?"

The miner's gaze towards He Xi instantly became strange, as if looking at an idiot.

"Driven mad by women? You come to a mine to find women instead of a brothel?" he scoffed, then as if remembering something, his eyes became wary. He leaned back slightly, instinctively guarding his chest with his hands, "Hey! You're so clean-cut, you're not thinking of me because I look strong, are you?"

He Xi quickly waved his hands, "I wanted to ask if women ever come to the mine? Like the miners' families?"

The miner suspiciously sized He Xi up and down. Seeing his open expression, he relaxed a little and impatiently waved his hand, "No, no! Where would any women come from! The higher-ups issued a strict order! No one's family dares to come! If they show up, not only will you not get paid this month, you'll be kicked out immediately!"

He Xi asked again, "Are those goblins still at the mine?"

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Mentioning goblins, the miner's face immediately showed undisguised disgust.

"Those green-skinned shorties?!" He spat. "Don't even mention them! It's not just that they fill the mine with that foul stench! Every time we find a good spot with concentrated ore, the overseer lets those beasts dig first! We can only go to the crappy places on the fringes where birds don't even shit!"

"Your wages are calculated based on the ore you dig?"

"Isn't that obvious? If you want to earn the original amount of money, you have to work harder and find a good spot?

Heh! You get reassigned immediately. What a frustrating thing, isn't it?"

"But I heard there are only about thirty goblins at the mine? And they're not very strong?"

A flicker of surprise crossed the miner's face.

"There aren't many, but those green-skinned shorties can work eighteen hours a day! It's damn unnatural! Don't they need to sleep?"

He paused, then added with schadenfreude, "But it's good, recently several of those goblins have worked themselves to death. If they keep this up, I reckon they'll all be dead before long!"

Seeing He Xi's endless questions, the miner's guard went up again.

"I say... what exactly are you? What's your name? And you brought a dog? Weren't you looking for Matt?"

The information he had gathered was sufficient.

He Xi casually replied, "My name is Galen. I wanted to find work here, but it seems I'll pass. I don't want to deal with those green-skinned shorties all day."

With that, he turned and left with Bruce.

Night fell.

The overseer's wooden cabin not far away emitted a dim yellow light, and snoring could be faintly heard from inside.

He Xi and Bruce's figures reappeared near the mine entrance like phantoms.

The day's investigation seemed to have shifted suspicion elsewhere.

But that didn't stop He Xi from taking care of the goblins here while he was at it.

Regardless, raising this kind of creature made him very uncomfortable.

"The miners should all be resting, and the overseer is usually lax at this time. Now is a good opportunity."

He lowered his body and gave Bruce instructions.

"Go, lure the overseer out. Make a big commotion, but don't get caught."

Bruce understood and silently slipped into the mine.

A moment later.

"Woof! Woof woof woof!"

A series of urgent barks echoed from inside the mine!

Immediately after, there was the sound of Bruce deliberately knocking something over, "Clang!"

"Damn it! What stray dog is making that noise! Stop! I'll skin you alive and use your hide as a doormat today!"

Then, Bruce's agile figure sprinted out from the cave entrance.

Behind it, a burly man in a leather vest gave chase, wielding a short, thick whip.

Under the moonlight, the burly man's face was full of flesh, and he was panting heavily.

Now is the time.

He Xi seized the opportunity, flashed, and quickly infiltrated the mine.

The interior of the cave was not completely dark.

On the walls on both sides, a crude magic lamp was placed at intervals, casting a flickering light on the rock walls.

The unique foul stench of goblins grew stronger in the air.

He Xi walked deeper along the tracks.

Soon, he saw the goblins.

More than twenty green-skinned shorties were gathered in a relatively open area.

Their ankles were all fitted with heavy iron shackles, and a thick chain linked them all together, restricting their movement.

They were gathered around the corpses of several of their own kind, emitting unintelligible shrieks, seemingly fighting over something.

This cramped environment was practically a stage tailor-made for the Earth Spike Technique.

He Xi didn't hesitate in the slightest.

To end this quickly, he didn't hold back on his Magic Power.

Intent locked!

Earth Spike Technique

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three thick stone spikes erupted from the ground almost simultaneously, forming a triangular pattern!

Jagged tips crisscrossed, piercing the outermost Goblins.

Squelch!

The sound of flesh being torn apart was exceptionally clear in the cave.

Those Goblins didn't even have time to scream before they were pinned to the mine ceiling by the immense force.

This sudden turn of events plunged the remaining Goblins into extreme panic.

Terror was written all over their bulging, dark yellow eyes.

"Gyaaa--!?"

Sharp, chaotic screeches rose one after another.

They struggled, instinctively retreating.

However, the chains on their feet tightly restricted their movement.

At this moment, the living Goblins tripped over the corpses of their fallen comrades. All the green-skinned little creatures descended into utter chaos, completely unable to escape this land of death.

He Xi's gaze was icy as he raised his hand again.

Another round of three Earth Spikes.

The stone spikes pierced the ground like the fangs of death, precisely reaping the remaining lives.

The screams abruptly ceased.

The entire mine returned to a deathly silence.

[Earth Spike Technique Proficiency +1, Lv.2 (1/20)]

[You have extracted a Trait—Bloodline Solidification—from a Small Goblin by defeating it.]

[Bloodline Solidification: This creature's bloodline is sealed by an unknown power, its form completely locked in its basic stage. Any external intervention—including but not limited to magical mutation, divine blessing, abyssal corruption, etc.—cannot alter its bloodline power, causing it to lose the possibility of evolving or mutating into a higher subspecies.]

He Xi hadn't expected it at all, but he had actually drawn a Trait.

And from these Goblin laborers, no less.

"Bloodline Solidification?"

"Just by looking at the description, this seems like a purely negative effect?"

"Locking the growth ceiling, cutting off all possibilities of evolution?"

He Xi frowned, but a thought flashed through his mind.

"But... what if..."

"What if, after half a month, when the contract power of Salamachis activates, I load this Trait onto myself..."

"Doesn't that mean I can be exempted from that bloodline extraction?"