Halofinsen's judgment had been right.
The revised survey site successfully detected a reaction from the earth vein's energy. Thrilled, Halofinsen immediately ordered the Sand Scorpionfolk and Lobsterfolk slaves scattered across the plateau to gather there and dig.
At last, Halofinsen found the entrance to the Earth Vein Corridor beneath the Jagul Plateau. He and a group of Mutated Snakefolk descended by rope into its vast open space.
It was an immense underground chamber, with a magnificent crystal pillar supporting the vaulted ceiling and the earth above it.
At the pillar's center, a golden glow was faintly visible, pulsing softly like a human heart.
Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and the ground was rugged and uneven.
"Lord Halofinsen, you're incredible! You found the Earth Vein Corridor so quickly." The whip-wielding Snakewomen praised him sincerely.
"Haha, of course! Progress on the Jagul Plateau has actually been slow. Back at Amusha Forest and the Moya Great Mine, it took me only ten days in total to find both Earth Vein Corridors..."
Halofinsen planted his hands on his hips and laughed, then fired off a string of orders.
"Get moving, my servants! Finding the Earth Vein Corridor and the Earth Vein Pillar is only the first step. Next, we must map the earth vein network here and identify the nodes most vulnerable to destruction!"
The Mutant Snakefolk set to work in an orderly fashion.
The three types of Mutant Snakefolk had clearly defined roles.
The psychic Snakefolk, whose heads had grown enormous, used Spirit Detection to probe the cracks in the rock walls.
The agile Snakefolk, whose tails had grown slender, used those tails to lift the strength-type Snakefolk up to the walls.
The strength-type Snakefolk, whose arms had swollen, moved boulders aside and dug exploratory holes into gaps in the chamber walls.
After