Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 50: Old Dragon Cave

That shouldn’t be a player, right?

Who would start a wilderness game deep in the mountains, living in a house with no sunlight, and have two motionless people standing by the window?

It sounds really strange. Jiang Yuan decided not to create more trouble for now. The pressing task is to quickly mine and set up the Melting Workshop, which would allow refining ore into Spirit Stone and also producing materials for upgrading tools and weapons.

"Let’s go. They aren’t bothering us, so there’s no need for us to disturb their peace." He marked the location of the stone house on the map, using his home as a coordinate for comparison. The house was slightly west of Swallow Valley.

If they come to Swallow Valley again at night to pick fruits, perhaps they could quietly take a look to see what’s going on.

After walking for more than twenty minutes, the two finally stood at the southernmost foot of Cat Mountain.

From this angle, the entire mountain looks like a chubby cat sleeping with its face resting on its paws. The Old Dragon Cave is just above the cat’s paw, insignificant compared to the whole mountain.

The "cat’s paw" is roughly a three-story-high slope, full of trees, making it not too difficult to climb.

After climbing up, they found a large open space in front of the cave entrance scattered with many broken stones. The enormous cave mouth appeared like a beast’s gaping mouth, leaving no trace of the big door that was once installed, except for a few deep round holes on the stone ground.

"Master, I’ll accompany you inside." Wan Mingchuan stood in front of the cave. A gust of wind blew from the pitch-black cave, faintly accompanied by a whistling sound, reminding him of scary legends. So, he plucked up the courage and said, "At least with more people, there’s more support. After all, no one has entered this cave for a long time; no one knows what it’s like inside."

Jiang Yuan could hear that his disciple’s voice trembled a bit, but even though he was scared, he still wanted to accompany him inside. This camaraderie touched him deeply.

"If there’s really something inside that’s too dangerous for you, wait outside," he said, handing over the Heaven-Burning Scripture from his Storage Bag. "When cultivating, it’s best to find a hidden place. Since we’re not far from that strange stone house, it’s better to be cautious."

He also handed him an axe and a bowl of hot food, advising him not to overwork himself and to make sure to combine work with rest. freewёbnoνel.com

If any unexpected situation arises, ensure your safety first. If it gets too dangerous, run home. After all, I have a Teleportation Talisman. As long as we don’t encounter a monster that can kill in one strike, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

Having arranged everything for his disciple, Jiang Yuan waved his hand in response to his "be careful" reminder and walked into the deep ancient mine cave with a datewood stick.

"Drip!"

In the darkness, there was a faint sound of dripping water echoing, adding a bit of mystery to the ancient, dark mining cave.

The cave was very dry, and looking up, he could see the internal scenery of the mine.

He had only seen the looks of real mines in movies. He remembered they were often low and dark, the marks left by machinery making the stone walls appear a bit hideous, and the oppression made one fear what might lurk in the unknown darkness.

But upon entering, the ancient mine cave felt more like a natural cavern, spacious and primitive, with the massive cave appearing naturally formed and without signs of human chiseling.

[100% chance of iron ore located ten meters ahead, try digging]

Upon officially entering the ancient mine cave, the Earth Mirror Book skill truly came into play. The originally deep and ink-like dark background gradually turned semi-transparent, revealing the locations of mineral deposits that sparkled, allowing him to see everything without needing any illumination.

It seems there was a collapse long ago. The deeper entrance of the mine is blocked tightly by stones. The location reminding him of iron ore is on the far left, and Jiang Yuan immediately took out his pickaxe to start working.

"Clang clang!"

[Stone +1]

[Stone +3]

......

The distance penetrated into the mine was displayed at the top of his vision. As he dug, the stone countdown quickly elapsed until he finally carved out a narrow ten-meter-long passage that only one person could pass through.

"Ding ding ding!" The pickaxe struck the red-brown iron ore glinting with a metallic sheen, and both the sensation and the sound distinctly changed. After striking four times with the worn pickaxe, he finally obtained the first piece of iron ore.

All around, points of sparkling light indicated where the ore deposits were, making Jiang Yuan feel as though he was incredibly overpowered.

Waving the pickaxe with all his might to mine, he estimated that if he dug diligently today, he might be able to procure a hundred blocks. With his disciple chopping some more trees, they wouldn’t delay each other, and perhaps by evening, they’d be able to have the Melting Workshop built upon returning home!

Wan Mingchuan watched his master disappear into the darkness with concern for his safety but recognized his own lack of skill. If danger really arose, his master would still have to spare a hand to protect him. He secretly vowed to quickly gain skills in order to repay his master for his kindness and guidance.

Previously, he noticed his master continuously chopping wood without knowing why. But upon waking up and finding a new house in the yard, he understood—the wood his master chopped was used to build the house!

Since there was still a need, he decided to do as much as he could within his capabilities.

Thus, he carefully tucked the Heaven-Burning Scripture into his bosom and began laboriously chopping trees with the axe. When tired, he sought out a cool, hidden spot to sit cross-legged and practice breathing exercises according to the meridian pathways marked in the book.

He didn’t know how long he had been cultivating, but as his body filled with strength again, Wan Mingchuan stood up and resumed chopping trees.

Getting tired from chopping, he would sit and cultivate, even taking time to pick mushrooms in the woods. By noon, he was starving, but there was no sign of his master coming out. He walked a few steps into the Old Dragon Cave, but it was so dark inside without a torch that he was afraid of causing trouble instead of being helpful, so he retreated.

"After the meal, I have the energy to help Master chop more trees, so it’s not a waste of such delicious food!" After a moment’s wait, Wan Mingchuan brought out the bowls and chopsticks, eagerly eating braised pork and vegetables with rice.

The food was a bit cold, yet it didn’t affect the aroma of the meat fat or the exquisite taste that melted in his mouth. He could even feel his saliva rushing, every full bite savored, with the blend of delicious flavors and the satisfaction of being full bringing a dual sense of happiness.

Swallowing the last morsel of rice coated in a rich sauce, Wan Mingchuan sincerely exclaimed, "So fragrant!"

He dared not hope for such delicious food every day, so when he encountered elm seeds on the way, he collected some. If luck was on his side and he could find other wild vegetables, he could make do with them for a meal in the evening. If not, he’d settle for baked vegetable pancakes and chew on some raw elm seeds...

Meanwhile, Lin Chunxi was stuffing elm seeds into her mouth.

She was just fifteen this year, counted in the adult group shouldering a basket and tasked with gathering wild vegetables. The village chief required everyone to gather a full basket to have a second meal in the afternoon; otherwise, they’d keep working on an empty stomach.

But filling such a huge basket, how many wild vegetables and elm seeds would it take to make it full to the brim? Lin Chunxi thought she probably wouldn’t get to eat, so while everyone else was around the tree collecting, she’d shove a handful into her mouth.

Raw elm seeds were fresh, juicy, and got sweeter the more she chewed, but they weren’t filling and only temporarily satiated. Before long, she’d feel hungry again.

"Mingchuan Brother is probably looking for food too, right? When exactly will he learn impressive magic to return to the village?" Lin Chunxi glanced at the forbidden-to-approach Cat Mountain and couldn’t help but sigh.

When will these tough days come to an end?