Just as the merchants were enjoying their drinks, a short figure draped in a brown robe was quietly making its way down to the bottom of the mine.
Por raised his head, his gaze passing over the scaffolding and ropes to the center of the hollowed-out mine, where a high platform with sturdy fortifications and patrolling guards stood.
That was the residence of the Mining Town's administrators, and also the venue for the International Confederation of Wizards of the nations of the Sea of Corruption, which would be held two days later.
But that was irrelevant to his current task; finding the location and situation of the slave laborers hidden in the Mining Town was the real priority.
However, the thought that the town mayor might be colluding with those ruthless bandits made Por feel a surge of anger, and he wished he could unleash his Wrath from Afar.
"Phew—never mind, the mission is more important."
He raised his hand to adjust the anti-virus mask he was wearing to conceal his face, forcing himself to calm down.
After confirming that no one was around, Por slipped into a corner filled with discarded materials.
He pulled out a durable leather map from his pocket and examined it by the light shone by the workers still working on the mine at night.
It was a simple hand-drawn map, but key areas and passageways were marked with charcoal.
His efforts over the past few days, wandering from tavern to tavern in the Mining Town, recounting the rumors of Pejite while cautiously gathering information, finally yielded this map from a few drinks to a drunken old miner.
According to the markings above, this ancient mine site has several large underground pits.
Over the past few days, he has circled the streets built along the mountainside around the Mining Town several times, but has not found anything suspicious.
If there's anywhere that can hide hundreds or thousands of slave laborers without them being easily detected, it can only be down here.
Putting away the map, Por set off again.
He descended into the underground along a stone staircase marked on the map, flanked by Ceramic Steel walls with neatly cut square notches and ventilation shafts leading to unknown destinations.
Occasionally, one can hear the creaking of the iron chain pulleys turning and see suspended platform elevators carrying workers or Ceramic Steel going up and down.
Even late at night, the heart of this mine continues to beat tirelessly, and mining operations almost never stop.
As Por ventured deeper, the surrounding environment began to change.
The shimmering silver-white Ceramic Steel walls gradually diminish, replaced by complex fault lines where gray-white rocks and massive Ceramic Steel panels interlock.
The rocky parts are rough and cold, while the Ceramic Steel parts are smooth and hard. Legend has it that this common structure in the ruins was formed during the " Seven Days of Fire ".
Those white rock layers are a mixture of molten Ceramic Steel and other materials, from which molten Ceramic Steel can also be extracted.
The channels are becoming increasingly winding and narrow, and the intervals between emergency lights are getting longer and longer.
Suddenly, a bright opening appeared on the side of the passage not far ahead.
Por perked up, immediately crouched down and quickly approached the cave entrance, cautiously peeking out with half his head out.
"This mine looks different from the one marked on the map."
He was positioned halfway up the cave wall, where several powerful searchlights illuminated the entire cavity from different angles.
Looking down, there was a huge, roughly square-shaped hole.
Hundreds of workers in uniform are operating various types of mining equipment, slowly cutting giant Ceramic Steel plates, still reflecting a silvery luster, out of the rock strata. It looks like just a normal excavation operation.
The only strange thing was that the mine was much larger than it was marked on the map, making him wonder if he had taken the wrong path.
"Could it be that the map is fake?" Por's face, hidden behind his mask, showed confusion; he seemed lost.
Just as he was hesitating whether to continue exploring or retreat and find another way—
"Hey! You over there! What are you doing!"
A rude shout came from deep within the channel, startling Por, who turned around abruptly.
It turned out to be two guards wearing yellow hard hats and work jackets carrying torches, walking briskly towards them.
Oh no, we mustn't alert them!
Por immediately raised his hands, trying to appear innocent.
"Don't get me wrong! I'm an explorer. I heard there are ancient shipwrecks beneath the Mining Town, and I couldn't resist coming down to take a look—"
One of the guards approached and, by the light of the torch, looked Por up and down in his simple brown robe and mask.
"An explorer? In the middle of the night, you're not here to break in and steal something, are you?" A guard asked suspiciously.
"Absolutely not!" Por quickly waved his hand. "I was just curious and wanted to come in and take a look. I just wandered around the mine tunnels and ended up here. I'm so sorry."
The two guards exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"Consider yourself lucky to have run into us two brothers. If you had wandered off on your own, you might have gotten lost somewhere."
The second guard adopted a lecturing tone.
"However, if you really want to see the real thing," we can show you around, and then take you out when we change shifts later."
"Really? Thank you so much!" Por's eyes lit up.
He was just worried about not finding his way, but there are still many kind people in this world.
"No problem, no problem, just keep up." The tall guard waved his hand and turned to signal them to follow.
The three men descended along the passageway, with guards in front and behind, flanking Por in the middle.
The guards behind us explained as we walked, "That big hole we just saw is called the command center; it's the closest mine to the surface."
"Command room?" Por found the name a bit strange.
"The names were all guesses based on the ancient texts we dug up," the guard in front of him chimed in. "There were also 'living areas' and 'agricultural areas,' but they'd been dug up beyond recognition."
The three of them walked and talked for about ten minutes before finally arriving at the largest mine pit that the guards had mentioned.
"The engine room is just ahead." Besides being the place where we find the most ore, we've also unearthed quite a few ancient engine parts here. Let me show you."
As they stepped out of the passageway, Por was stunned by the sight before him.
This is a huge, dizzying vertical cavity, its ceiling filled with countless crisscrossing, enormous metal pipes.
Many ragged, emaciated workers are suspended in mid-air, cutting Ceramic Steel with rudimentary tools with almost no protection.
Slave-labor mines.
Just then, a guard's cold laugh rang out beside him.
"So, explorer brothers, isn't this 'spectacle' quite breathtaking?"
Just as Por was about to turn his head, he felt a cold gun barrel pressed against his lower back, and another guard took the opportunity to step forward and snatch the longsword from his waist.
"Hehe, since you like ruins so much, then don't leave."
Por:
If he knew it would be this easy to get in, why did he go through all that trouble to gather information beforehand?