Chapter 114: Mining

Fan Bei pitched his tent in an open area with Dabai and set off to gather information. After offering a few scattered gold nuggets, he finally learned that every midnight, this mine pit becomes a hive of swirling evil spirits. For some unknown reason, they seem to be sealed within a 500-meter radius of the mine’s center, unable to escape, and vanish at daybreak.

This instinctively brought a single word to his mind: "farming."

Many merchant caravans that had arrived early were already reaping a rich harvest. The circumference of the 500-meter radius was 1,884 meters, and this "farming belt" was being carved up among the various caravans. If one observed closely, the seemingly scattered campsites were actually arranged to form a neat, uniform ring around the mine.

Having memories from two lifetimes, Fan Bei quickly realized that this balance was temporary. If things continued to develop and more people arrived, the supply of evil spirits would become insufficient, inevitably leading to the practice of "claiming territory."

Games are merely a reflection of reality. Once he grasped this, Fan Bei realized that as an independent operator, he would eventually be targeted for eviction. However, that wouldn't happen just yet; otherwise, the area would have already been labeled "No Entry." For now, the large merchant guilds preferred having as many people as possible farming the spirits to increase the supply of spirit cores, thereby driving down their increasingly exorbitant prices. After all, these were absolute hard currencies, even if they were quite difficult for ordinary people to use.

Upon returning to the tent, he gave Dabai serious instructions. "Tonight, you come in with me. Focus on finding the weaker evil spirits. Don't let others see you. If you knock down a spirit core, put it into your spatial storage immediately. Try to ensure that for every dozen you collect, you only let others see you drop one."

"Don't worry, if it can't do it, I'll help out," said the Iron Ball, which had already emerged from the system space.

"That works. Xiaobai is cleverer, so you can be the supervisor. I'll give you a 10 percent cut afterward," Fan Bei nodded.

"Master, when can I go home to rest?" Dabai asked expectantly.

"You waste, thinking about going home before you’ve even started training," Xiaobai chided. "Focus on leveling up, and don't stop until you hit the cap."

"Does that mean I won't be able to see Master for a long time?" Dabai rolled on the ground.

"Well, how about this: every time you go up 10 levels, you can come home once. I'll find a way to have you shipped back," Fan Bei promised. Dabai finally accepted this.

After putting these double safeguards in place, Fan Bei closed his eyes to meditate. His Wutong seedling was no longer a seedling; it had grown from one meter to five meters tall, developing rapidly. Most of its trunk had turned a silvery-white, with only the roots remaining. The roughly one-acre island had also taken on a bronze texture, resembling a mountain of copper. He continued to pour his most refined spiritual energy into it, drop by drop.

By the time he finished meditating, it was midnight, and the sounds of commotion could be heard outside the tent. Fan Bei stopped his cultivation and stepped out of the tent, bringing both Dabai and Xiaobai with him.

As night fell, the moonlight bathed the grey-white rocks, reflecting a dismal hue. Groups of people, carrying flashlights and torches, were heading toward the center of the mine. Many were professionals wearing headlamps, looking just like real miners.

"Let’s go, time to mine." A sense of familiarity washed over Fan Bei, as if he were delving into a dungeon in a game. One man, one dog, and one metal ball followed the crowd as they surged forward.

He looked ahead and saw shadowy figures and heard intermittent howling. Grey-white forms were circling in the air or crawling on the ground—the very image of the "Evil Tide" he was all too familiar with. In the past, he could only cower in the depths of a shelter, but now, he was taking the initiative.

After walking nearly a kilometer, he was within a few hundred meters of the spirits, and he could see them more clearly. Just as the rumors suggested, the spirits seemed to be bound by an invisible restriction that kept them contained within the central area. Many early arrivals were already attacking the spirits at the perimeter; some used swords and blades, others used their fists, and some pulled out handguns, hoping to fire into the fray.

However, those who tried to use handguns were quickly scolded by others. "Attack the spirits however you want, but remote weapons are forbidden to prevent stray bullets from hitting others. You are not allowed to steal others' spoils."

He noticed that the people shouting were not attacking the spirits; they were merely maintaining order. Observing closely, he saw they were wearing headlamps and uniform black security attire, with the characters for "Star" emblazoned on their chests and backs.

Oh, it seems Lin Zhongqing has truly begun to fulfill her formal duties as the "Steward of the World."

Just as he thought of her, he saw a large area within the spirit zone where sword light flickered, and a figure flashed back and forth at high speed. "Attention, this area is reserved for our President; please stay away to avoid any accidental injuries," several Star Merchant Guild patrol members reminded the crowd using megaphones. Many were watching from nearby, holding off on their own farming.

Fan Bei thought for a moment and went to take a look. Upon getting closer, he realized that great minds really do think alike. The person inside was indeed Lin Zhongqing, dressed in purple armor. Her wings were gone, suggesting she had changed her gear.

That was normal; expecting a female tycoon to wear the same outfit all the time would be truly shocking. He watched as she swung her sword, cutting down dozens or even hundreds of spirits with a single strike. With the help of the lighting from others, Fan Bei noticed that only a few grey-white objects dropped, and even when a few more fell, it never exceeded ten.

Clearly, she was doing the same thing he had instructed: collecting the majority of the spirit cores directly into her newly activated system space. He had previously worried that the "guaranteed drop" mechanic would lead to people discovering his system's uniqueness, but it seemed there was no need to worry. Except for a goofball like Dabai, everyone else was doing their best to hide their special abilities.

The fact that killing an evil spirit always yielded a drop was such a heaven-defying trait that it was best kept hidden whenever possible. With this in mind, he decided that when he returned, he would grant Lang Sheng the ability to "level up and add points."

After watching for a while, he circled the perimeter of the spirit zone, found a less crowded spot, and headed in with Dabai. Unlike the usual Evil Tide, the spirits here seemed even more frantic; their instinct for fear had been stripped away, leaving only hatred for the living.

As soon as he and Dabai entered, countless spirits rushed toward them. Dabai was thrilled, snapping and clawing, turning the spirits into wisps of green smoke before they could even reach Fan Bei.

He closed his eyes slightly and raised his hands, a mist instantly appearing around him. Countless blades of air emerged within the fog and began to spin violently. Every spirit that collided with these blades was ground into dust!

A few grey-white objects dropped occasionally. However, he only fought for a short while before stopping. Since he couldn't bind a system, there was no point in doing this beyond training his offensive and defensive techniques.

He did not know that this scene had been observed by someone in the distance.

"Just as I thought. You clearly have the ability to save the boss, yet you refuse to do so. This is the proof of your guilt! Don't feel aggrieved when I kill you!"

The person muttered to themselves and then quietly slipped away.