underground.
A vast network of interconnected, layered mine tunnels winds through the rock strata.
There are main mine tunnels that can accommodate three mine cars side by side, as well as narrow alleys that can only allow one person to pass by bending over.
The sheer scale of the Railcar Valley.
If all the mine tunnels were stacked together, the volume would probably be larger than the entire canyon. The railway tracks laid in the mine alone could stretch from Valley Town all the way to the kingdom's capital.
This is an underground city that has been hollowed out.
Bang!
The Golden Seed, shrunken to the size of a fist, fell from the shaft and crashed into the rubble.
Mu En scanned the surrounding environment with his consciousness and found traces of artificial chiseling on the rock wall, with rusty railway tracks stretching all the way to the end of his field of vision.
He had clearly fallen into a mine tunnel.
"Sigh----" Mu En sighed silently.
This is hardly a good place for things to take root and sprout.
In a deep mine that has been abandoned for over a decade, you might not even find a ghost, let alone a believer.
Moreover, the Rune within the seed were running low, so he had to find a way to return to the surface.
Just as Mu En pondering a solution, a commotion came from above.
"Don't come any closer, it's so crowded!"
"Mom, I'm stuck!"
"Idiot, tuck in your stomach!"
Because the shaft is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, the opening, which was originally tens of meters wide, can only accommodate two people side by side at the very bottom.
As they were about to crowd together, the air pirates started arguing.
At that moment, Sheeta and Pazu, hand in hand, were the first to land in the mine tunnel.
Mu En immediately activated Rune Energy Flash, trying to attract the attention of the two children.
The only hope now is that someone will take him out of this hellhole.
However----
"This way!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the two held hands and fled deeper into the mine tunnel.
Mu En:----?
Was I just so thoroughly ignored?
"Mom, they've escaped!" shouted a sky pirate who was upside down.
"Okay, okay, shut up! And you two, don't inhale at the same time, you'll crack the wellhead!"
After a period of struggle between "being male on both sides," "adding another male on top of another," and "reluctantly becoming a male,"
The six air pirates finally fell into the dimly lit mine tunnels with a thud, like corks being pulled from a bottle.
By the time they pulled out their flashlights and turned them on, the two children had already vanished.
But Dola grinned, revealing her few remaining but still white teeth.
"That's awesome—I absolutely have to get my hands on it."
Having personally experienced the power of the Volucite, her longing for that legendary city of treasure grew even stronger.
If the Volucite is real, then the lost treasure of Laputa must also be real.
Just thinking about those mountains of gold and jewels made Dola's heart race.
She absolutely has to get that "key"!
"Chase them! They can't get far!"
Just as Dola was about to take a big step in pursuit, she suddenly caught a glimpse of something flashing.
"Um?"
As a sky thief, she was extremely sensitive to treasure and wouldn't let Yu Guangzhong's golden glimpse slip by.
She parted the rubble and found a fist-sized golden sphere made of fine, pure gold branches lying there.
It feels heavy in the hand and warm to the touch, looking like some kind of gold craftwork.
"This is?"
She still remembered the sight of that golden meteor crashing through the rails and plunging into the mine.
Is this what it is?
"Mom, what's this?" a space pirate asked, leaning closer.
"I don't know, but it's definitely good stuff."
Dola casually stuffed the golden sphere into her pouch. Since she couldn't understand it, she'd keep it for now and study it later.
Lying next to several large-caliber hand cannon bullets, Mu En breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he couldn't keep up with the two main characters, at least someone paid attention to him.
Moreover, he actually quite admired this air pirate lady.
He is open-minded, bold yet meticulous, has strong operational capabilities, and possesses considerable flying talent and command skills.
In the original story, Dola's Gang, though bandits, had their own principles and never harmed innocent people.
More importantly, she will definitely return to the surface.
Once I return to the ground, I can figure out a way to land, sprout, and "spread my word."
Having learned from the experience of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, doing it again wouldn't be difficult.
Moreover, he had a vague feeling that this Golden Seed would bring him some surprises.
Deep within the mine, footsteps echoed continuously. Aside from the old, white-bearded miners who knew a thing or two, even the former Valley Town Workers' Association couldn't explain the situation clearly.
How many mine tunnels are there in the mine?
But one thing is certain: in their panic, Sheeta and Pazu have ventured into the deepest part of the mine, completely deviating from the original escape route.
" Pazu, is this road a way out?"
The two men carried an old-fashioned oil lamp forward, its dim yellow light illuminating only a small section of the mine tunnel.
"It's alright." Pazu's palms were a little sweaty, but he tried to remain calm. "Master said that as long as we follow the main track, we'll definitely find the exit."
These words were partly to comfort Sheeta, and partly to comfort himself.
Pazu grew up in Valley Town, but he rarely went down into the mines himself, instead spending more time helping the foreman repair steam engines.
This was his first time in such a place; the environment was completely different from the mines on the surface where one could see the sunlight.
Dark, cold, silent, damp.
Aside from their footsteps and breathing, the only other sound was the occasional dripping of water.
In this environment, fear creeps up your spine.
To dispel that feeling, Sheeta took the initiative to speak and recount her past.
In fact, she came from a small village called " Gondoa Valley " in the snow-capped mountains of the far north.
(The village inhabited by the remnants of Laputa )
Like Pazu, Sheeta's parents also passed away a long time ago.
She was able to survive thanks to the livestock and land they left behind, as well as the help from the villagers.
Just a few days ago, a group of people claiming to be from the Kingdom's Intelligence Department came to her door and forcibly took her away from the valley.
Later, because Dola's Gang hijacked the passenger ship, she accidentally fell from a height of 10,000 meters, and only landed safely under the protection of the Volucite.
Upon waking up, she encountered Pazu.
She never knew that the family heirloom her mother entrusted to her before her death, which she was told never to show to outsiders, would have such a purpose.
I'm sorry, I've caused you so much trouble.
"No, no." Pazu immediately shook his head, scratching the back of his head. "When I saw Sheeta fall from the sky, I knew—I had to save you."
The two shadows stretched and overlapped on the rock face.
A strange feeling quietly sprouted in the dimly lit mine tunnels.
As they were speaking, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
This is a vast cave area, covering over a thousand square meters, with the cave ceiling disappearing into the distance at the end of the oil lamp's light.
In a corner of the cave, there are also scattered abandoned tents and mining tools such as picks.
"I know this place!" Pazu exclaimed excitedly. "This is the old campsite Master mentioned. All we need to do is follow the main road."
"Don't rush off. How about you give me that stone to keep safe?"
An untimely, hoarse voice came from the darkness ahead.