Magic Crystals

"This, this is..." The middle-aged man examined it for a moment, then cried out in astonishment. "It's a Magic Crystal! It's a Magic Crystal, Yasuo! This is a Magic Crystal!"

"Holy crap, Captain, we've struck it rich! We've struck it rich!" The skinny young man immediately lit up with excitement.

Magic Crystals were different from gold, silver, copper, and iron. They were an extremely precious resource, as valuable as Magic Beast Cores. Even a single low-grade Magic Crystal was worth as much as the core of a Level 3 magical beast.

As for a mid-grade Magic Crystal, the middle-aged captain knew full well that his entire fortune was worth about as much as one.

"There might be a Magic Crystal vein below us. Captain, what should we do?" Yasuo's face was flushed with excitement, and greed shimmered in his eyes. Just one low-grade Magic Crystal could support his family for several years. They had dug less than a few hundred meters and already found one. If they dug another dozen meters, they might uncover whole swaths of Magic Crystals.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. This is very likely a Magic Crystal vein. First, we need to find out how large it is," the middle-aged captain said with a frown.

Who wouldn't be greedy? A single bag could be worth hundreds of thousands of gold coins—wealth enough to squander over several lifetimes. The middle-aged captain had considered running off with it, too, but then realized that wouldn't work.

The Geological Survey Team had been established with generous benefits, and every time they went out surveying, they reported to their superiors. They logged where they had surveyed each day and which areas might contain veins. Those procedures had been gradually refined over the years.

The middle-aged captain knew full well that his superiors knew he and Yasuo had come this way today. If they failed to return on time, the higher-ups would send people to investigate. There'd be no way to hide the Magic Crystals.

As for running off with some of the Magic Crystals, he was only a Level 3 Warrior. Even if he filled several sacks with them, he wouldn't dare try to sell them.

"Yasuo, keep surveying," the middle-aged captain said, restraining his greed.

"Yes, Captain." The young man fought to contain his excitement and patiently continued surveying the surrounding area with his captain.

"There are some here, too!" The middle-aged captain's eyes lit up.

"Captain, I found some here, too!" A hundred meters away, Yasuo was practically beside himself with excitement. The captain looked around, then hurried over to his subordinate, breathing hard with excitement. "Yasuo, it's obvious—this is a Magic Crystal vein. We've already found deposits spanning hundreds of meters. A vein this large is extremely rare across the entire Yulan Continent."

Yasuo hurriedly nodded. He looked at his captain, then glanced around. Only after confirming that no one else was there did he lower his voice. "Captain, we've struck it rich. The vein we've detected already spans hundreds of meters and is worth at least hundreds of millions of gold coins, maybe even more."

"Yasuo, what are you trying to say?" The middle-aged captain could already see the almost undisguised greed in Yasuo's eyes.

Yasuo struggled to contain his excitement and quickly said, "Captain, our Geological Survey Team may offer good benefits, but we can't save much in a year. If we secretly dig up a bag and quietly sell it, we could use this Magic Crystal vein to become fabulously wealthy on the Yulan Continent. Just imagine the life we'd lead!"

As he spoke, Yasuo grew even more excited, as if mountains of gold coins too vast to be hidden behind a mountain were shimmering right before his eyes.

"Yasuo, calm down. Having money to spend doesn't matter if you don't live long enough to spend it." The middle-aged captain bluntly cut him off while his head was still in the clouds.

His captain's words were like a bucket of ice water in the middle of winter, making Yasuo shudder.

The captain said sternly, "You should know that our geological survey department is strictly managed. Those bigwigs worry that we might discover a valuable vein and pocket it for ourselves. The Kingdom is extremely strict about keeping us under surveillance."

Yasuo scoffed. "Captain, what's there to be afraid of? Sure, they keep an eye on us, but we can grab what we can and leave. We don't have to go back."

"You're still too young," the middle-aged captain lectured him. "You should know that the department keeps records of which areas we survey each day. If we suddenly disappear, they'll definitely inspect the area we were working in. They'll discover this Magic Crystal vein for sure."

"Second," the middle-aged captain said gravely, looking at Yasuo, "the Kingdom has plenty of experts. If the Kingdom finds out what we've done, they'll hunt us down, and our families will likely suffer, too."

Yasuo came to his senses. His captain was a whole generation older than him and had built a good life in the Sky Wind Kingdom. His parents were still alive, and his wife and daughter were by his side. The middle-aged captain had no reason to risk everything for greed.

After all, having discovered a Magic Crystal vein, the middle-aged captain was certain the Kingdom would give them a decent reward.

Yasuo, however, was different. His parents had died in the wars many years ago, leaving him all alone. He had only drifted into the Sky Wind Kingdom a few years earlier, and it was only after living there for several years that he had saved enough to begin cultivating. Now, barely in his twenties, he was already a Level 2 Warrior.

"Yasuo, if we report this to the department, they'll reward us."

"But how much could the department give us? Ten thousand gold coins? Twenty thousand?" Yasuo snorted.

"Heh, you don't understand, kid. The reward depends on the size of the vein we find. If this is all there is, we could get tens of thousands of gold coins without having to leave our home behind. Besides, with our abilities, we'd be dead if we ran into bandits." The middle-aged captain paused, then continued, "But if the vein turns out to be larger, we can report it directly to a higher level. Then we'll get a hefty reward, and we might even become leaders in the survey department someday. Compared to a stable future, there's no need to risk our lives gambling on one."

The middle-aged captain understood what Yasuo was thinking. When he first saw the Magic Crystal, he had also thought about running away. But then he considered his own abilities. Could a Level 3 Warrior survive in the Chaotic Territory?

"If I were twenty years younger, if I had the strength of a Level 5 or even Level 6 Warrior, I'd leave the Kingdom with you without a second thought. We'd take enough Magic Crystals to live out the rest of our lives in luxury. But clearly, neither of us is in that position."

The middle-aged captain said nothing more, but Battle Qi began flowing rapidly through his body. Clearly, he was giving Yasuo a chance.

If Yasuo chose not to listen and still insisted on leaving, the middle-aged captain would have no choice but to kill him.