Zero-Distance Crushing Fist!
The fist passed through the gap between the gears and landed at the base of the curved support.
The rusty iron broke with a snap.
Lin Yuan flicked his wrist, pushing the broken iron bar away from the base. The gate slammed down, the heavy impact echoing along the rock wall, and the yellow halos on the six metal pillars went out simultaneously.
The central crystal was still lit, but its light no longer radiated outwards.
He didn't immediately remove the True Magic; he waited until the instrument's pointer slowly retreated from the red zone before gradually releasing the return pattern.
The gears stopped moving.
The last few pebbles fell at our feet, and finally, the mountainside fell silent.
Lin Yuan exhaled and shook his right hand. His fist was covered in rust, which left five red marks as it brushed against his trouser leg.
After all that work, this was the only time I hit the actual object.
But you have to stick your fist out from between the gears.
He glanced at the narrow gap, made a mental note of it, and turned to leave the way he came.
Workers could already be heard talking at the tunnel entrance.
"Stopped?" Boone approached.
"Stop. The crystal still has magic; don't touch the device inside the mountain."
Lin Yuan took the wooden wedge handed to him, drew the location of the shutdown switch on it, and instructed the maintenance personnel to reinforce and lock it afterward. He also reminded everyone that all old lines should be temporarily prohibited from being connected.
Boone nodded repeatedly, and finally wrote four large characters on the toolbox with a charcoal pencil.
No wiring allowed.
Mira saw it the moment she flew back.
"You can write it a little bigger."
Boone examined it carefully for a moment. "That's true, it's hard to see in the dark."
He flipped the box over and wrote it again.
Lin Yuan turned his face toward the tunnel.
Mira stood next to him, holding the metal plaque. "Laugh if you want to, or I won't compensate you for holding it in."
How's the pressure relief tank?
"The light went out. I waited for a while, but the wheel didn't turn back."
"Thanks for your hard work."
"Make a note of this, we'll settle the bill for the meal when we get back."
Before they could continue arguing, Boone had already lifted a supporting beam. "Gentlemen, whose opinion is up to you now?"
Lin Yuan pointed at him.
"I'll do as you say regarding road construction."
The workers took their tools and went back into the cave. This time there were no herds of animals, nor the occasional roaring sounds; the sound of hammers striking wooden wedges was distinctly unfamiliar.
Lin Yuan supported the loose rock layer, while Mira moved the large boulder blocking their path. Boone led the team to erect the supports from the outside in. After each section was completed, Lin Yuan would slowly remove the True Magic from that section to confirm that the wooden beams could bear the weight on their own before proceeding forward.
When they encountered a broken track stuck in the ground, both of them reached out their hands.
"I'll do it," Mira said.
"The support is stuck underneath; pulling it out directly will cause it to tip over."
"So you're holding the brace."
Lin Yuan released the rails and turned to hold onto the wooden beam beside him.
Mira's foot sank, and she lifted the long broken rail from the rubble. She turned sideways and moved it to the wall, catching a rolling wooden wedge and tossing it back into the arms of the dumbfounded young worker.
"What are you looking at? Next one."
The workers quickly ran to get the rope.
The cleared scrap metal was bundled into a pile and used to block the fork in the road. Boone then hung up a "No Entry" sign, sealing off the entrance to the old mine. From now on, those transporting grain would only use the repaired main road and would no longer have to detour around those abandoned machines.
Busy until evening, Boone finally led the two through the last collapse point. Grayish-white sunlight shone through the distant cave entrance, and a cold wind blew along the tunnel, carrying away the lime covering their bodies.
Mira wiped her face, and the back of her hand turned even paler.
Lin Yuan looked at her.
"If Laxus says his mission was easy when we get back, I'll put him in the next tunnel."
"He can supply power to the miners' lamps."
"This is good."
As soon as the two stepped out of the cave, Boone stopped behind them and rubbed the ground with the sole of his boot.
Outside the exit, there was a gentle slope where the melted and re-frozen water had formed a thin layer of ice. Several coachmen were waiting at the bottom of the slope. When they saw someone coming out of the cave, they hurriedly led their horses closer.
"Can we walk now?"
"Don't go in yet." Boone crouched down to inspect the slope. "This drainage ditch is also blocked; the wheels will slide to the side if you drive over it."
Mira had already rolled up her sleeves. "Where's the ditch?"
A driver pointed in the direction, then asked sheepishly, "Could one of them pass first? My cart is full of grain; the villagers have been waiting for two days."
Lin Yuan looked at his carriage. The sacks were stacked high, and the rear wheels were wrapped with several extra layers of thick rope, indicating that they had already tried other routes.
He didn't agree immediately, but waited for Boone to break through the ice and inspect the gravel roadbed underneath.
"Clear a path, lay sand on it, and test it with an empty cart first," Boone said. "If it passes, then haul grain."
Lin Yuan nodded and took the shovel.
A few snowflakes drifted down from the horizon and landed on the cart shaft. The driver looked up, quickly unloaded the first bag of grain, and the others came over to help.
Mira tossed the ice she had dug out onto the roadside, turned to Lin Yuan, and asked, "Aren't you done yet?"
He shoveled away the last layer of frozen soil blocking the ditch opening and watched the water slowly flow out.
"Let the first car pass first."