What exactly lay beyond this mist?
Before this, Li Wei had considered all sorts of possibilities, but when he finally braced himself and stepped into the mist...
"It looks pretty ordinary."
After passing through the mist and seeing the scene before him, Li Wei couldn't help commenting.
A valley came into view. Down below was a small mine, with a large building sporting a chimney beside it. That was probably the smelting plant the old man had mentioned. On the other side stood rows of low houses. Perhaps due to years of neglect, most had collapsed. From the slope, the place looked like the ruins of an abandoned mining settlement.
Of course, despite his quip, Li Wei knew this place had to be dangerous. Otherwise, the people who entered wouldn't have vanished without a trace.
Still...
"Where's that statue you said they built?"
Li Wei surveyed their surroundings but saw no sign of the statue the old man had mentioned.
"Inside the mine."
"Oh..."
Li Wei nodded, then drew the Persuader.
"All right, let's go."
"Right!"
Katie put on her gloves and nodded firmly. The old man tightened his grip on his hunting rifle, and the three descended the slope, cautiously approaching the settlement below.
Just as the old man had said, Silver Valley looked more like a small village or settlement. Most of the houses looked neat and comfortable. Clearly, the miners who had worked here had earned quite a bit of money. Their standard of living back then had evidently been pretty good.
"I still remember this place..."
The old man spoke quietly as he looked at the houses.
"The miners on my father's crew lived over here, and the production department lived over there. The clerical staff lived farther away. Everyone looked down on them back then.