The sight of the unyielding stone left Chris and his companions visibly stunned. The stone was so hard that mining Essence Stones from it seemed an almost impossible task.
Gripping his Dragon Slayer tightly, Chris swung it against the rock with all his strength.
Boom!
The stone split in two with a loud crash. Chris frowned. Even with his immense power, he could only manage to break the rock in half. For an ordinary person, extracting these Essence Stones would be an insurmountable challenge.
Turning to Lynx, Chris ordered, “Lynx, go contact Master William. Ask him to send over specially forged steel tools to help extract the Essence Stones.”
“Yes!” Lynx nodded and left without hesitation.
In the following days, shipments of steel-forged tools began arriving. Chris commanded an army of ninety thousand to use these tools to mine the Essence Stones. The mine, previously worked on by the Flameforge Sect, was riddled with tunnels, resembling a massive spiderweb.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Chris led by example, tirelessly mining alongside his troops. With the Dragon Slayer in hand, he shattered the rocks with ease. His speed was unmatched; within moments, he had dug a one-meter-deep pit, working ten times faster than anyone else. Soon, he uncovered his first Essence Stone, followed by another one shortly after.
By the end of the day, Chris had excavated over a dozen Essence Stones. Despite the relentless pounding, the Dragon Slayer remained unscathed. Chris couldn’t help but marvel at its durability, a testament to its legendary status as Lord Dragon’s weapon. No ordinary tool could have withstood such strain without breaking.
Others in the army also managed to find some Essence Stones, but their efficiency paled in comparison to Chris. The stones were incredibly difficult to mine, which explained their extraordinary value in the Aetherbinding Realm.
Over the next few days, Chris and his troops worked tirelessly. Chris alone unearthed hundreds of Essence Stones. The deeper they dug, the more abundant the Essence Stones became, but the rocks grew increasingly harder. This abundance struck Chris as peculiar. Seeking answers, he approached Oriana.
“I’ve found a lot of Essence Stones. What’s going on here?” Chris asked, puzzled.
Oriana hesitated before explaining, “You must have hit a vein.”
“A vein?” Chris echoed, curiosity lighting up his face.
“Yes,” Oriana clarified. “An Essence Stone mine is no different from other mines. To find Essence Stones, you first need to locate the vein. Once you’ve found it, the yield becomes significant.”
Realization dawned on Chris. He hadn’t expected to be so fortunate as to discover an Essence Stone vein.
After a brief pause, Oriana said, “Chris, I want to leave.”
“Leave?” Chris asked, surprised. “Where are you going?”
“I want to find my sister, Emily,” Oriana replied.
Chris fell silent for a moment before offering, “Let me send people to help you search for Emily.”
Oriana shook her head. “No need. I can manage on my own.”
With that, she turned and walked away, disappearing from sight. Watching her leave, Chris sighed deeply. Aethelgard was a dangerous place, and he worried about her safety. He resolved to search for Emily himself once the Essence Stone mine was fully excavated.
Within a few days, Chris and his troops had mined nearly ten thousand Essence Stones. Most of them were sent back to Amerosia’s treasury, with a smaller portion kept aside. Chris wrote to Master William, requesting permission to remain in Aethelgard with his forces to secure more resources for Amerosia.
After reviewing the letter, Master William issued a decree. He praised Chris for his achievements in quelling the rebellion and granted his request to stay in Aethelgard. Furthermore, he bestowed upon Chris the title of Celestial Sovereign, declaring Aethelgard as Chris’s territory. The extent of Chris’s dominion would depend on how much land he could conquer.
For Master William, Aethelgard was an alien realm, impossible to govern directly. It was wiser to entrust it to Chris.
Armed with the decree, Chris threw himself into his work with renewed vigor. His immediate priority was to gather enough Essence Stones to establish a foothold in Aethelgard.
One day, Tiger approached Chris with startling news.
“Master, we seem to have uncovered an underground tomb.”
“What? An underground tomb?” Chris exclaimed, stunned.
He never expected his miners to stumble upon something so extraordinary. Without delay, he commanded, “Take me there immediately!”
Following Tiger’s lead, Chris and his team descended into the excavation site. As they entered the tomb, Lord Valerian, a former Primus who had accompanied Chris to Aethelgard, gasped in astonishment.
“What is this place?” Lord Valerian muttered.
The underground tomb was colossal, with massive stone walls and floors. The walls were adorned with ancient murals, their weathered surfaces exuding an air of timeless mystery.
As they ventured deeper into the tomb, an oppressive sense of danger enveloped them. Chris shouted a warning, “Everyone, stay alert!”
Moments later, a massive creature emerged from the shadows of a distant corridor. Its presence radiated an overwhelming aura of menace, causing everyone’s faces to pale. Chris’s heart sank as he realized just how formidable this creature was.
“Retreat immediately!” Chris commanded.
While his men scrambled to retreat, Chris stood his ground, gripping the Dragon Slayer. With a mighty swing, he struck the creature.
Boom!
The blade connected with an explosive impact, but the creature remained unscathed. It let out a deafening roar of fury, its massive form unyielding. Chris stared in disbelief. This enemy was far more powerful than he had anticipated.
Without wasting another moment, Chris turned and fled.