(The previous chapter has been revised; it is recommended to read the previous chapter before reading this one.)
After a long period of contemplation, Gottwald finally spoke slowly:
"The glory that our Mine Tribe has upheld for generations is forging."
"Forging divine weapons worthy of being renowned throughout the ages is the lifelong pursuit of every member of the Mine Race."
"But for this glory to continue, someone always has to make a sacrifice. That was the case with the first Mining God."
"Therefore, if one day war truly threatens the survival of our race, threatens the glory that our Mine Tribe takes such pride in, I will stand up."
He paused, his gaze falling on Rudeus.
"But as Primordial God Genshin Impact said, an individual, or even a nation, is ultimately limited in its own strength. As the head of a clan, I must consider the perspectives of all my clansmen."
"If Primordial God Impact truly possesses power sufficient to shake the world and is confident in defeating the Demon God Laplace, then... we, the Mine Tribe, are naturally willing to join your ranks."
"That's right."
Jekuroseku immediately echoed this, a shrewd smile returning to his face.
" Primordial God Impact, at least let us see what kind of bargaining chips you have up your sleeve?"
Rudeus nodded.
"Yes, I understand what Your Excellency the Mining God means."
"Then, I can now demonstrate my sincerity accordingly."
Do you have samples of the main type of ore you are currently mining?
Hazeluni frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.
"Of course we have samples. But why does Primordial God Impact suddenly want to see the ore?"
You'll find out in a moment.
Seeing Rudeus's confident demeanor, Hazeluni did not press the matter further.
He beckoned to a female member of the Mine Race, who then brought him a sample of ore and respectfully presented it to Rudeus.
Rudeus took the ore, but his gaze involuntarily lingered for a moment on the female Mine Race.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"The men and women of this Mine Race look like two completely different races."
"The men are all as strong as a low wall, while the women are all delicate and petite... It's really interesting."
Rudeus coughed lightly, pulling himself out of his thoughts and refocusing his attention on the ore.
This is an ordinary piece of iron ore.
From the outside, there is nothing special about it.
But the next moment, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Mana Detection unfolded instantly.
Like invisible tentacles, the magic seeped silently into the ore, gradually dissecting its composition.
A moment later, Rudeus's lips curled up slightly.
He raised his other hand, and magical light slowly gathered.
In a flash of light, a brand new iron ore appeared out of thin air in his palm.
Aruderuba frowned, his tone already showing signs of impatience.
"Does Primordial God Impact want to demonstrate his ability to create ores by taking this ore?"
"Forgive my bluntness, Primordial God Impact may not be aware of this. Some of the children in our clan who have only recently begun learning forging are already able to create low-quality ores."
However, the next moment, everyone realized that Rudeus had not stopped.
He took a blank scroll from his Magic Pocket, and magical light gathered at his fingertips.
Buzz--
The magic transformed into fine rays of light, which swiftly traveled across the scroll.
Intricate patterns gradually took shape.
That was a magic circle.
Gottwald's expression immediately turned solemn.
He stared intently at Rudeus's movements, a hint of disbelief flickering deep in his eyes.
He seemed to have guessed what Rudeus was planning to do.
But that guess was simply too absurd.
It was so absurd that even he himself couldn't easily believe it.
Ten minutes later.
With the final stroke, the magic circle was completely completed.
Rudeus stood up, a confident smile on his lips.
"No matter how large a mine is, it will eventually be exhausted one day."
"But the magic power in the world is like air—inexhaustible and inexhaustible."
He looked at Gottwald.
"Therefore, Lord Mining God, it's time to discard those outdated ideas."
"What this era needs is an integrated and automated industry."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Rudeus's magical power surged violently.
A torrent of magical power poured into the center of the magic circle.
boom--!
In an instant, demonic light shot into the sky.
Immediately afterwards--
Splash!
Large quantities of iron ore surged out of the magic array like a flood bursting its banks.
One.
Ten.
One hundred...
In the blink of an eye, the entire long table was completely covered with iron ore, and a large amount of ore even rolled off the table and hit the floor, making a crisp clattering sound.
The entire room fell silent instantly.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene before them.
[ Emotion Points +1000, from Gottwald.]
[ Emotion Points +1000, from Talhand.]
[ Emotion Points +500, from...]
A barrage of system notification sounds rang out in succession.
Jeklosek suddenly stood up.
He picked up an iron ore with trembling hands, examined it repeatedly, and even subconsciously scratched the surface of the ore with his fingernail.
After a long silence, he murmured:
"The texture... is surprisingly pure."
"It's been so long since I've seen iron ore of this quality..."
His voice trembled with excitement.
"This is really... really..."
As he spoke, he quickly pushed aside the ore piled on the scroll, eager to examine the magic circle beneath.
Rudeus spoke up at the opportune moment:
"I've set up encryption runes on the magic circle on this scroll."
"Once the partnership is officially established, I will not only teach this technology to your clan, but also further optimize this magic array."
"How about it, Your Excellency the Mining God? Is this enough sincerity?"
Jeklosek was so excited his face turned bright red.
"Truly worthy of being Primordial God Impact!"
"Such miraculous skill! I am utterly impressed!"
Gottwald stared at the scroll on the table, his expression complex.
After a long pause, he slowly nodded.
"It is indeed a remarkably exquisite scroll."
"I'm starting to look forward to collaborating with Primordial God Impact in the future."
I disagree!
A furious shout suddenly rang out.
Aruderuba slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.
"Mining is the eternal duty of our Mine Tribe, an indispensable part of the glory we uphold!"
"How can we discard it just because of something like this?"
"Once the mine on this mountain is exhausted, there's always another one!"
"After the next one is dug up, there'll be the one after that!"
"As long as the geology continues to change, new mineral veins will inevitably appear sooner or later!"
He pointed at the scroll, his face flushed.
"But these strange and bizarre things are simply tarnishing the glory of our Mine Tribe!"
You're talking fucking bullshit!
Talhand finally lost his temper and stood up abruptly, roaring.
"He talks about glory all the time!"
"What era are we living in? Why are you still clinging to ideas from thousands of years ago?"
"It's because of old fogies like you that our clan has stagnated to this day!"
" Talhand!"
Aruderuba glared angrily.
"An outcast who has abandoned the honor of the Mine Race, do you even have the right to speak here?"
"Oh dear, both of you, calm down."
Jeklosek, however, stood by smiling and trying to smooth things over.
I don't think there's anything wrong with this scroll.
"After all, it can increase the clan's ore reserves. For us, that's a real benefit."
"Snort!"
Aruderuba snorted coldly.
" Jeklosek, what do you think you are?"
"You traitor!"
Do you really think I don't know about all the dirty tricks you've been up to behind my back?
"Enough!"
Gottwald slammed his hand on the table.
"Both of you shut up!"
"The guests are still here; what kind of behavior is this, making such a racket?"
The room finally quieted down.
Gottwald took a deep breath, then turned to look at Hazeluni.
" Hazeluni, what's your opinion?"
Hazeluni acted like an outsider from beginning to end.
At that moment, he picked up his wine glass and slowly took a sip.
"I wouldn't mind if there were more drinks."
Gottwald raised his hand to his forehead.
"Never mind."
Your opinion is unimportant.
"..."
Hazeluni silently took a sip of his drink, offering no rebuttal.
Aruderuba spoke again:
" Gottwald, just say it straight!"
"We don't need this kind of thing at all!"
"No."
Gottwald looked at the mountain of iron ore piled on the table, his tone calm yet unusually firm.
"On the contrary."
"We desperately need this scroll."
"What?"
Aruderuba stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Are you also going to abandon the honor of the Mine Tribe?"
"If the Mine Tribe don't go mining, their hammer-wielding hands will become powerless!"
Gottwald paused for a moment, then slowly said:
" Aruderuba, your thinking is indeed too old-fashioned."
"Forging is our glory, ore is our foundation, but mining itself should never be a shackle that binds us from moving forward."
"For our race to continue, we will one day have to make changes."
Otherwise, we will be abandoned by this world sooner or later.
"You..."
Aruderuba's body trembled slightly.
How could you...?
How could you take their side?
I really misjudged you!
He turned sharply to Rudeus and said sternly:
"I hereby unilaterally declare that I reject this cooperation!"
As for Primordial God--
"Please leave!"
" Aruderuba, that's enough!"
Gottwald was finally enraged.
"I am the Mining God!"
" The Mining God?"
Aruderuba suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
How dare you say that?
"If I hadn't helped you back then, what would you be now?"
Gottwald's face darkened completely.
"You two."
He waved to the two dwarf warriors at the door.
"Take the Second Elder away."
He drank too much today.
Two soldiers immediately stepped forward and grabbed Aruderuba from the left and right.
"Let me go!"
" Gottwald, you cold-blooded bastard!"
You'll regret this!
The angry shouts gradually faded into the distance.
Gottwald sighed deeply and turned to look at Rudeus and his group.
"I'm sorry, everyone, please excuse my poor appearance."
Rudeus waved his hand.
It's alright.
Ultimately, the decision rests with you.
Gottwald nodded.
This time, there was no hesitation in his eyes.
"Regarding the cooperation, we, the Mine Tribe, are willing to fully cooperate."
"If you need anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask, Primordial God Genshin Impact."
"Very good."
Rudeus smiled slightly and raised his glass.
"Then—it's a pleasure to work with you."
He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Gottwald refilled his glass and downed it in one gulp.
But after the wine went down his throat, his brows furrowed slightly.
Rudeus keenly noticed his change.
"What's wrong, Mining God?"
Is there anything wrong with this wine?
Gottwald shook his head.
"The taste hasn't changed much."
"This is the texture I'm looking for..."
"It doesn't have that cool, refreshing feeling anymore."
"Oh~"
Rudeus suddenly realized.
That's because no ice was added.
Wheat juice without ice is like a person without a soul.
Gottwald suddenly looked enlightened.
"I see."
"But no one in our tribe knows water magic."
"Where can we get ice?"
"Who said no one in your clan knows water magic?"
Rudeus smiled.
Then, he raised his hand and pointed to Talhand behind him.
"Look."
"Isn't Talhand?"