Turning Point

Autumn walked out of the Talent Grading Room in a daze and made a video call to his wife, telling her that Xiao Yuan's first talent test had come back C-.

In the image, his wife was standing beside a mine tunnel, holding an instrument and working on something.

She set down the instrument and reassured him, "It's all right. Besides, Xiao Yuan's talent is average, which isn't exactly against your wishes, is it?"

Autumn said, "I think my great-grandmother was also an average martial talent before she came of age. Later, she awakened her Spirit Reader talent."

"I heard about that from Mother-in-law. Anyway, we should be prepared for Xiao Yuan not to have Spirit Reader talent."

"Right. From now on, we'll work hard and be more frugal with our training and daily expenses. We need to save up resources to raise Xiao Yuan to Earth Rank."

"Once you've taken Xiao Yuan home, hurry back to work."

"Just like you predicted, the Exploration Department found a new rich ore deposit in the old mining area. Your Equipment Department is going to be busy..."

By the time Autumn hurried back to the Mining Engineering Department, Tuya Black Hole was already sinking low in the sky.

The light from the black hole's accretion disk, shaped like the Greek letter Φ, was no longer as dazzling as it had been at noon.

Its scattered rays bathed people and everything around them, lending the world a warm, peaceful feeling.

After a routine inspection by a patrol mecha, Autumn entered the main mine.

Sure enough, the old mining area was brightly lit. They were getting ready to conduct a detailed survey and plan the mining operation.

He had taken the whole day off to have his son's talent tested, but a working man had to know his place.

He hurried toward the mining equipment room, intending to see if there was anything he could help with.

On the way, his immediate superior, the Mining Engineering Department supervisor, stopped him.

The supervisor wore the beaming expression of a leader looking at a favorite employee. He laughed and said to Autumn, "Hey, Engineer Autumn, you've already taken the day off. Why not just head back and enjoy the rest of it?"

"Truly one of the outstanding veterans of our Mining Engineering Department—so dedicated to your work! Excellent, excellent!"

Autumn humbly waved off the praise, all the while thinking, When I asked you for time off yesterday, why didn't you call me dedicated while you were scowling at me?

The supervisor cut off Autumn's modest protest and went on, "I've always opposed your proposal to survey the old mining area again. Don't hold it against me, brother!"

"What are you talking about, Supervisor? We're all just doing our jobs!" Now it was Autumn's turn to feel puzzled.

Even if he had contributed to the project as the Equipment Department's technical advisor, he was only half in charge, since the position wasn't an official post.

And the supervisor was his direct superior, a proper official. This attitude was far too nice. Something was up!

Sure enough, the supervisor continued in a conspiratorial tone, "At noon, I ran into Karal from the General Manager's Office. He secretly told me that the general manager already knew you'd insisted on surveying the old mining area again."

"You're about to get promoted, brother!" the supervisor announced, sounding both congratulatory and a little envious.

The explosive news left Autumn speechless. Was this just a rumor?

"That doesn't seem likely. I was only doing what I was supposed to do!" Without an official administrative notice, Autumn wasn't ready to commit.

"Come on, brother, don't play dumb. Don't forget, Karal from the General Manager's Office is the one who handles all the administrative notices for the No. 3 Main Mine!"

That's right! How could I have forgotten? Autumn could no longer hide his delight.

The Engineering Department's offices had been built when the No. 3 Main Mine was established, very close to the old mining area.

As they made their way there, people who had heard the news offered Autumn their congratulations. He and the supervisor reached the Engineering Department, put on their Action Mechas, and glided off on their jets. They arrived at the old mining area in no time.

Several rings of Mobile Warriors in sleek black full-body armor surrounded the main entrance to the old mine.

They all had the aura of Flying Star Rank experts! Compared with their mechas, Autumn and the others' looked like rags.

Autumn and the supervisor exchanged a glance and immediately understood: an important figure had arrived.

Before the entrance, the general manager—usually so lofty that he wouldn't even spare a glance for the Council of Elders of the eight neighboring subordinate tribes—was bowing and scraping as he spoke to a well-dressed middle-aged man.

This well-dressed man was Ross, one of the legislators rumored to wield great power in the Yisi Kingdom, and a Demigod Rank (World Rank) powerhouse.

Compared with the Immortal Gods, whom many ordinary people might never even see on television in their entire lives, Ross was active on the political stage of the Yisi Kingdom and was well known and admired by the public.

The general manager spotted Autumn and the supervisor, his eyes lighting up. He hurriedly beckoned them over.

The two quickly leaped down from their mechas and stepped forward. Facing Ross's fearsome aura, they knelt on one knee and clasped a fist in the salute paid to a powerhouse.

"Rise. There's no need for formalities," Ross said with a smile.

The two stood up. Though the World Rank powerhouse had reined in his pressure, his terrifying aura still left the two Earth Rank men feeling a little dizzy.

The general manager, a Universe Rank powerhouse, was unaffected. He introduced them: "This is Light, the supervisor in charge of the Engineering Department. And this is Autumn, one of the people in charge of the Engineering Department's Equipment Department, who 'distinguished himself' in this survey."

Ross skipped over Supervisor Light and asked Autumn curiously, "The old mining areas are usually abandoned low-yield mines. Even with instruments, I couldn't detect the mineral deposits beneath those thick layers of rock. What made you think there might be a new rich ore deposit here?"

Autumn glanced at the general manager and the supervisor beside him. Ross immediately noticed.

"Don't worry about office politics. Your discovery is important to the entire Yisi Kingdom!"

The three of them were startled. Autumn hurriedly said, "We all know that Dongyuan Planet's enormous inward gravitational collapse and the ore-forming motion of Universe Energy pushing outward during geological activity are in a delicate balance."

Dongyuan Planet was far inside the Roche Limit of Tuya Black Hole, and its diameter far exceeded its own Chandrasekhar Limit.

Yet as a naturally occurring celestial body in the universe, untouched by powerful beings, Dongyuan Planet was still intact.

It hadn't been torn apart, nor had it collapsed into a black hole. This was all thanks to the ubiquitous Universe Energy, which held infinite possibilities.

Rather than saying that Universe Energy altered the Cosmic Rules, it would be more accurate to say that it served as a third variable beyond the ordinary laws of physics, giving rise to countless bizarre cosmic phenomena.

This was common knowledge to everyone present, so Autumn didn't explain further.

"I analyzed the geological activity data from the old mining area over the past few centuries. It was remarkably similar to that of other places rich in mineral deposits."

"Then I thought about how some species on Dongyuan Planet, even after being wiped out repeatedly, would reappear near their places of origin after some time. That led me to this hypothesis."

Ross nodded repeatedly after hearing him out. "A bold, but brilliant, analogy!"

Of course, if the survey hadn't uncovered a new mine, that would have been a different story.

"I'm curious, though. How does someone at Planet Rank have this kind of insight?"

Autumn was still being modest as he replied, "There was once a Universe Rank warrior among my ancestors, so I've heard a few things..."

That explained it. Everyone understood. As the backbone of Dongyuan Planet's human population, Universe Rank warriors could—and had to—possess some knowledge of this kind.

Ross said, "I'll ask the Academy of Sciences to study similar phenomena using big data. This is a promising approach to improving the efficiency of mineral exploration."

"By order of a Yisi Kingdom legislator!" Ross said, suddenly turning solemn.

Everyone present promptly knelt on one knee and clasped a fist, ready to receive the order.

"Autumn Stone of the Engineering Department at the No. 3 Main Mine insisted on surveying the old mining area and discovered a newly formed rich ore deposit. He is credited for summarizing the surveying principles."

"You are hereby promoted to commander of the Third Mining Team. The current commander will be reassigned to an equivalent post. Other meritorious personnel will receive additional contribution points in accordance with regulations. So ordered!"

The scene fell silent. Each of them reacted differently.

The Yisi Kingdom's upper echelons operated under a system resembling Britain's city council system. The council held both legislative and executive authority, making it the country's true center of power.

Legislators were Demigod Rank (World Rank) powerhouses with absolute might, capable of protecting the entire nation. They were also among the country's actual rulers.

To Ross, this was a trivial matter: he had casually promoted a little nobody like Autumn, who had done good work and made a favorable impression, to a minor post.

But the legislator's order was the key. It meant Autumn had been noticed by a powerhouse—a tremendous honor and a clear path to a bright future.

Autumn's own strength was still too weak for a higher position. Otherwise, that legislator's order would have carried far more weight than a mere team commander's post.

The general manager wished he could give up his current position and take Autumn's place.

The supervisor was already numb. The administrative notice from the General Manager's Office had only been going to promote Autumn to deputy supervisor of the Engineering Department.

Now Ross, a Demigod powerhouse, had shown up and sent Autumn soaring straight to the top.

Autumn himself was still dazed as he offered his thanks, while trying to calculate how many ranks he had jumped from technical lead in the Engineering Department to commander of a mining team.

It was like going from being an unofficial but influential functionary in the Logistics Department straight to a full colonel. This wasn't just a matter of skipping several ranks—it was like being shot into the sky on a rocket.

Besides, working in the Equipment Department of the Engineering Department meant spending every day repairing tools and tuning mechas. If you did the job well, it was what you were supposed to do; if you did it poorly, you were held responsible.

Of course, being held responsible was only right, but it was hard to earn merit in logistics. With so many engineers in the Equipment Department, there were simply too many people competing for too few rewards.

The Mining Department, as the core department of the Third Main Mine, had the hardest and most exhausting work, but it was easier to earn merit there, and the benefits were naturally better.

Ross gave the general manager a few instructions, then released his World Power and disappeared with all the black mecha guards as if by teleportation, without the slightest hesitation.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with his colleagues, Autumn hurried to call his family and share the news.

His family, who had been preparing for a hard struggle, was overjoyed when they heard.

In the span of just one day, Xiao Yuan's fate had taken two major turns.