Chapter 11: The Mysterious Magic Stone

Dachun waded through the waist-deep water in the tunnel, only to find his path blocked by a collapse shortly after.

He had no choice but to head into a side passage. After circling around and discovering six blocked collapse points, he ended up back at the elevator. Dachun was puzzled. This mining area had no NPCs and was small in scale; was all the substance hidden within those collapse points? Would digging through them lead to a hidden scene?

He decided to dig. The obstacles were just large and medium-sized rocks; he should be able to move them by hand.

Dachun returned to a collapse point, observed it carefully, and picked a moderately sized rock to move. It budged!

But the moment the rock shifted, a sudden, chaotic flapping sound erupted overhead!

Dachun recoiled into the water, only to realize he had disturbed a swarm of bats. They scattered, casting down a cloud of dust like moth scales.

—System Prompt: Warning! Your Purification skill has detected toxic filth. Do you wish to purify it?

Damn, this atmosphere is straight out of a horror movie! So this is the passive warning effect of the Purification skill. Let’s see the active effect.

Purify!

Dachun slammed both hands into the water, sending a wave toward the dust in the air. A crystalline flash swept through, and the dust vanished, settling away.

Ugh... that felt indescribably awkward. Can I still make money as a domestic helper with this?

After the bats flew off, Dachun continued moving rocks, his nerves tightly coiled and his focus heightened.

Suddenly, a red flash appeared behind him—System Prompt: Warning! Your Purification skill has detected...

Damn it, again!

But the creature was too fast. Dachun didn't have time to turn around. In a panic, he backhanded the water surface, sending a ring of water surging skyward—*Thwack!* A cry of pain echoed, and something was indeed blocked by the wave.

Dachun finally managed to turn around and saw a small shadow collide with the wall with a metallic clang, then splash into the water, struggling. It was a silver-white, near-transparent little bat. Its ferocious, blood-tinged appearance indicated it was highly toxic!

Damn, a rare elite monster with stealth capabilities!

Even a piece of trash loot from this would be worth tens of thousands. Better purify and kill it quickly!

But at that moment, its cries doubled in intensity—System Prompt: You seem to have understood the plea of the Blood-Hidden Bat.

Dachun was stunned. This was the same communication prompt I got with the whale! It can communicate too? Is it because my 2 points of Wisdom have unlocked telepathy?

Fine, I’ll spare it and see what happens.

Dachun kept his guard up while watching the bat crawl out of the water, shake off the moisture, and lazily flap into the air, emitting a relatively soft squeak.

Does it want me to follow it?

Dachun followed, still shaken. Not only could this little thing turn invisible, but its appearance was like silver or diamond—how high would its physical and magical defense be? Is this really just a common rare elite? If I hadn't happened to have Purification... so this area really is tailor-made for a Scavenger?

Eventually, the bat arrived at the water surface of the elevator platform, squeaked, circled, and vanished into thin air.

Hey, don't leave!

Dachun waded into the water to explore beneath the platform. It was just packed mud and stone. Could there be something hidden underneath?

Then dig!

Although the area was tightly packed by the elevator, it wasn't hard to dig out while submerged. Soon, Dachun felt a solid stone surface. Keep digging!

He cleared it away, revealing a magic circle engraved with a hexagram, featuring six fist-sized indentations at its points!

Damn, this is the real substance! This must be a spatial array leading to a hidden scene! But the indentations are empty. Does that mean I have to find six magic stones to fill them before the array can be activated?

Where are the magic stones? Dachun immediately thought of the six collapse points. Could it be one stone per point? It must be! If this were a regular mining area, a miner would have found them, and it wouldn't be a "hidden scene" at all.

Regardless, he used his phone to take a photo of the array and the indentations, then immediately buried the sand and stone back, restoring the platform to its original state.

***

Next, a high-level feat like a magic array probably wasn't as simple as just filling in six stones; there might be a specific order required. I should ask Shirley. Even though she’s just an apprentice who only knows Frostbolt, she could ask her teacher. Even if the mages in Black Iron City aren't top-tier, this array looks simple enough that it shouldn't be too complex.

Dachun tried to reach her via his badge: "Shirley, Shirley..."

Shirley replied immediately, her voice still fuzzy: "I'm here... just woke up!"

Did I wake her up? Dachun apologized: "Sorry, it's just that I found a hexagram array..."

Shirley said immediately: "Wait for me, I'll go outside your prison, it'll be clearer if we speak closer."

"Okay!"

Dachun used the time to start moving stones at the collapse points.

The proficiency gain from moving rocks was negligible, but what if finding a magic stone caused it to skyrocket, or even break through to the Expert level? Just like Old Jiang, who jumped straight to Expert after digging up a rare mithril vein?

Thinking this, Dachun became even more motivated.

After carefully moving a dozen large stones, a small rock with a shape remarkably similar to the indentations became wedged in a crevice.

Is this it?

Dachun pulled hard, and his arm sank as he yanked it free!

—System Prompt: Congratulations! You have mastered the essence of excavation and successfully dug up a stone filled with strange energy. You are blessed by the stone; your Luck is temporarily increased, and your Mining skill has promoted to Expert level! You have gained the achievement reward: Stamina +2, Carrying Capacity +2, and the talent skill "Expert Pickaxe Mastery."

Expert Pickaxe Mastery: Reduces durability loss and stamina consumption when using a pickaxe.

—System Prompt: Congratulations! You have successfully raised a skill to Expert level within two days. Extraordinary! You have received the "Newcomer Three-Day Mega-Blessing" achievement reward: Wisdom +1!

—Mysterious Stone: Unidentified. It feels like it could bring good luck. Weight: 20.

...

DAMN!!!

This stone!! I really just picked up an Expert rank for free!

I get it! The big shots are using backdoors, and I’m cutting in on their action again! If I dig out all six collapse points, won't I be handed Master, or even the legendary Grandmaster rank? But the skill effects at the Expert level are already dazzling enough. If I hit Master or Grandmaster, how will I be able to keep a low profile in the public mining area?

The feeling of ecstasy mixed with lingering fear was indescribable, but I have to face it. I can't stop developing just because I'm afraid of retaliation.

At that moment, Shirley's voice came through, clearly louder and slightly breathless: "I'm here!"

Dachun was touched. Although communication was difficult, he couldn't neglect the pleasantries: "My dear, don't overexert yourself."

Shirley was impatient: "Get to the point."

Dachun immediately explained: "I found another magic stone..."

Shirley was a mix of worried and happy: "Magic stones are very expensive. Top-tier magic stones are comparable to spices! But I don't understand spatial magic. If I learn it now, the tuition will be very expensive."

As expected! Dachun hurriedly asked: "What about the spice matter?"

"I already told Miss Vivienne yesterday. She said she needs to contact someone and prepare, so I'm going to go ask her now."

She isn't talking about that fat guy, is she? Dachun panicked: "What did you say?"

"I just said we found two pieces of spice at the beach, but we didn't dare bring them into the city, so we buried them there."

That reason was simple, unpretentious, and impeccable!

"Good! Proceed directly. You remember the location, right?"

"I remember."

That's good! As for now, a free Grandmaster rank is right in front of me; I have to take it even if I'm afraid!

***

Wait, I should restore the dozen or so large stones I moved, just like burying things on the island and erasing footprints, leaving no clues for anyone who comes after me.

...

At the pinnacle of the Blue Star, in the Void Asteroid Belt, a golden floating city shrouded in an energy shield stood majestically, overlooking the Blue Star.

This was the Golden Throne, the true core of the Golden Empire.

All roads lead to Rome. Some are born in Rome, some are born as beasts of burden, and some are born as gods looking down upon the masses.

The world's number one player, Michael, was such a god. Because the game was developed by their families, it gave people all over the world a way to mine for wealth—this was the "gift of the gods."

Unlike the other big figures in his family busy with global affairs, Michael only cared about one thing: immortality and pleasure. Immortality is hard to maintain through medicine; the most viable path is consciousness uploading, turning oneself into a digital life form within a computer to achieve eternal life. This was still theoretical and could only be tested preliminarily in this game, but as a hype gimmick, it was a huge success.

The butler came to report: "Sir, the April Fool's operation was very successful! However, it had some impact on our product's reputation. Fortunately, it was suppressed by our media in time, and the stock market was not affected."

Michael smiled faintly: "The greatest reputation is the ability for global players to exchange for money. If they can't do that, then they must obey my arrangements. Not everyone can receive divine grace equally."

The butler continued: "On the first day, most partners made good progress. Mr. Sariel's mermaid capture encountered difficulties. The Shenqian Consortium had a major problem—their customized whale has disappeared!"

Michael was surprised: "Stolen by an NPC?"

"Still under investigation."

Michael shook his head and sighed: "I told them the customized rules. It's easy for players to get big gift packages, but even easier for powerful NPCs. Once this world starts running, we can't interfere, so there's no way to compensate them."

The butler asked again: "But the Shenqian Consortium has already created a large number of 'Red Names' (hostile players) in Black Iron City. Is that crossing the line?"

Michael sneered: "I let them know on purpose because they paid so much. What if they reach the bottom of the prison? The Hell Messenger and the Gate of Hell are not things they can handle. Even if they really reach Hell, they'll still have to start as slave miners. When they think they've become demons and can escape, the Church's Fist of Holy Light will be waiting for them. Then, they'll have no choice but to be obedient."

"But they still monopolized a large number of warrior resources, gaining a huge advantage in seizing villages. This has caused dissatisfaction within the Tali Consortium; they want to trigger the 'Sewer Stray Dog King' siege event to offset the Shenqian Consortium's influence."

Michael became interested: "Permission granted! Prepare more people to research the diffusion model of rabies, and have the Oak City pharmaceutical factory prepare in advance."

"Very well, sir. The siege event is expected to start by dinner."

Michael called his friend Sariel: "I warned you not to design a numerical monster."

Sariel said irritably: "Better than that Shenqian kid who lost his custom salt-fish! Don't worry, it's just a matter of attrition."

Michael said in a deep voice: "You are consuming your privileges! Remember, under these independently running intelligent rules, our privileges are only calibrated according to the 'Sage' specifications, not infinite to squander! Besides, the more powerful the gift package, the more it will attract powerful NPCs to intervene and fight for it. You must be careful beyond the battlefield."

Sariel was impatient: "I know, I know. That's why I need to obtain the big gift package to consolidate my privileges. So far, I haven't seen any powerful NPCs..."

...

Tali Team Headquarters.

The team manager, Singh, who received the first-person approval, contacted the God of War Tata: "You can act now. The goal this time is to demonstrate our strength. If you succeed in one go, your individual power will be enough to offset the effectiveness of 1,000 warriors from the Shenqian team!"

"Understood."

God of War Tata, ranked 16th in the world during the public beta. Being high-profile and flamboyant was always their style, which is why they were the only high-end player during the beta to actively leak the hidden Beast Tamer class, boasting that the income from one day of street performances equaled a month of mining for ordinary players.

In reality, street performers had to pay venue fees to both underworld and legal NPCs, as well as animal protection donations, so they didn't make nearly that much. But the benefit was getting to know some NPCs in both sectors, and through that, obtaining the quest clue for the Sewer Stray Dog King—a powerful hound that had lost its warrior master. Tata's goal was to tame this dog king, or get the collar around its neck—the true power of that collar could tame dragons.

In short, this dog-releasing event was just a dress rehearsal. If the dog king was heavily damaged, he could step in and tame it in time. That would mean having a Boss-level subordinate, making it easy to slaughter 1,000 warriors from the Shenqian team, let alone seizing villages.

If no one could heavily damage the dog king by the end of the siege event, the dog king might level up and become even stronger—at that point, the tight collar would become a noose that constantly constricted the dog king's neck, and he could still achieve his goal...