LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 15 Mines Need Slaves (1)
Baron Mikhail.
This territory near the novice village included part of Pagon Mountain, a huge mountain range that runs through the middle of the 2nd continent. A mine that mines iron ores buried in Mt. Pagon. The economic activities of Yeongji through this mine naturally developed in a direction specialized in manufacturing such as mining and smelting.
“Sell iron ore! 20 bronze each!”
“We repair equipment below level 20 for free.”
“I sell weapons that I made myself. It is a blacksmith skill C rank work!”
In the town square, commercial activities related to production were actively taking place, from free sharing to raise users' iron ore trading skill proficiency and sales of self-made equipment.
[Quest miners' troubles]
As directed by Baron Mikhail, secure and bring iron ore for the miners who need to increase the amount of mining in the mine.
-Iron ore 0/20
< You may receive additional rewards depending on the excess iron ore. >
Iron ore collection quest. Similar to Jaeyoung, there must have been many users who received this quest, and there were many people in the village who were constantly looking for iron ore.
“I buy 20 iron ores cheaply to break the miner’s quest!”
“Can you give the miners something good if they collect more iron ore?”
“Isn't there anything other than just getting a little more likes and giving you a little more money?”
“is it so? ah what is it I thought you were giving me something good.”
“If you're going to beat the miner's quest, just buy iron ore and beat it. It's hard to mine, and the road to the mine is incredibly long.”
“Oh yeah?”
Iron ore mines located on Mount Pagon. These mines, which are estimated to contain a huge amount of iron ore, were playing their role as the main source of income for the estate. Recently, however, a problem has begun to arise, and that is the issue of supply and demand of iron ore.
“The iron ore has run out.”
“what? already?”
Iron ores sold daily by the territory manager NPC. This amount, which is periodically updated every morning, quickly ran out due to the demand from countless NPCs and users, and the price skyrocketed day by day due to unmet demand.
“Umm...”
And the owner of the estate, Baron Mikhail, looked at the report in his hand and asked with an expression of incomprehension.
“According to the Treasury Department report, the price of iron ore has risen by 50% compared to the previous month. Is this true?”
“That... yes.”
At Baron Mikhail's cold voice, the treasurer lowered his head as if he had no face. Then Baron Mikhail's voice rose a little higher.
“What is the reason why there is a problem with the supply and demand of iron ore? I understand that the mines you have are already operating at full capacity, right?”
Iron ore prices soar. Basically, it was because the supply of iron ore could not catch up with the consumption according to the principle of supply and demand, but there was another more fundamental reason than that.
“That... That's why there have been a lot of adventurers who have flowed into the territory recently, and a lot of adventurers aspired to become blacksmiths, so the demand for iron ore skyrocketed.”
Destruction of the novice village. Most of the refugee users derived from that were all absorbed into Baron Mikhail's estate. And since most of them were beginners who hadn't even changed jobs yet, many of them naturally chose blacksmith as their profession due to the nature of his territory, which was specialized in manufacturing.
“...That's troublesome.”
If you simply think that more people dream of becoming blacksmiths, it can be said that it is a good thing, but from the lord's point of view, it was not the case at all. That would be true, too, because blacksmithing and other production-related jobs required a lot of time and effort.
Master.
Basically, in order to make equipment that is recognized by everyone and everyone wants to use, you need to reach the level of a craftsman in the production line. However, in order to become a craftsman, you have to concentrate on production for a long time, and the amount of materials, including iron ore, used to do so was astronomical.
“Do you know how difficult it is to be a blacksmith? You shouldn't let go of the hammer except when you're eating and pooping. If you want to be a craftsman, you have to hammer while you sleep?”
It is a stage where you can only bloom if you work hard on production like that. It was true that it was remote for the majority, but if even one artisan was born, the positive effect on the territory would be enormous. It was to the extent that even other territories and even other countries would come for one production request.
“The biggest problem is that the number of miners does not change, unlike the blacksmiths who have increased.”
One fact that people misunderstand is that miners are unprofessional. However, that was not the case. Mining ore in the mine was something that could not be done by a person who did not have an extraordinary eye, strong muscle strength, enormous physical strength, and a lot of know-how accumulated in experience.
In fact, since the fact that mining iron ore is extremely inefficient compared to time is known, all but a few users who specialize in mining for the purpose of making money buy and use iron ore that is released on the market. As a result, many people were suffering from this vicious cycle in which only the competition to secure a property was overheated while the shortage of stock remained. Especially the NPCs who operated the existing smithy, not the users.
“Oh Aiden! It's been hard since early morning.”
“It's getting harder and harder to get iron ore from this guy. Eh...”
“Isn't that why you're waiting for me to come out so early in the morning?”
Iden had been waiting in front of the direct sales store in the territory since early morning to buy iron ore to produce a requested item from a merchant. Taking the lead over countless competitors behind him, he was fortunate enough to secure the necessary amount of iron ore.
“326 iron ore. All in all... 48 silver and 90 bronze.”
“What what? 48 silver?”
Iden went through his pockets to pay the bill. He looked shocked at the salesperson's words and stammered until he asked.
“Hey, Kevin! Could it be that there is a misunderstanding? 48 silver?”
A much higher price than expected. However, Kevin said firmly in a dry voice.
“Iron ore prices have risen. It's 15 bronze per piece... 48 silver and 90 bronze, right.”
“Iron ore is 15 bronze each? It must have been 10 bronze until last month!”
Iden, who had been working at the forge for a while. He shouted in horror at the price of iron ore, which had risen by almost half, as if he hadn't heard of the recent surge in iron ore prices. Aiden protested and argued with a red face and tried to cut the price somehow, but in the end he had no choice but to empty his pocket and buy less iron ore than he thought.
And a situation like this was a common problem not only for Iden, but for others as well.
“No, how are you going to make a living if the price of iron ore rises like this?”
“Egugugu.... Do I have to go digging for iron ore myself when I get older?”
“Ay, at this price, it would be rather a loss to make something. I will not!”
Rather, it is a situation where you lose money by making things. Because of that, the existing blacksmiths' complaints were increasing, but the situation in the mine was also similar.
“No, doubling production? Right now, we are saving our sleep at night and mining with torches on. More than this is difficult.”
“There is not enough people, and the miners who are present are very tired. No more work than this...”
The owner of the mine, the lord, gave direct instructions to increase the amount of mining. The manager of the mine had no choice but to push and urge the miners, but the miners were already struggling in poor conditions. They started bubbling like a boiling pot because of the janitor who pushed them to a harsh level of work beyond the crowd.
And in such a situation, Jaeyoung entered the iron ore mine located in Pagon Mountain.
“Can I mine iron ore here?”
A mine where the sound of a pickaxe swinging here and there is loud. After looking around inside, Jaeyoung settled down in a secluded place and took out a pickaxe.
A pickaxe that looks completely different from others. Jaeyoung, who started wielding the pickaxe, which looked unusual just by looking at it, soon began to fill the area around him with a huge amount of iron ore and rock debris.
Caca caga caga caga caca caca gang.
Super fast mining. Jae-young begins to dig up minerals at a speed that is unbelievable for a first-time miner, even a miner who has been mining for decades is impossible. Looking at him like that, Tan said with a nonchalant expression.
“What on earth are you doing useless things like this while consuming even the probability?”
[Demon Destroyer - Unique]
A pickaxe made by processing the claws of a mole predator in the Pandemonium.
-Equipment limit: 10
-Durability: 10000/10000
-Special skill: Sensitive sense of mining acceleration.
- Mining speed is greatly improved.
- The probability of mining failure is greatly reduced.
-Advanced materials are found with a chance.
Tan in the position of the Demon King. The probability that Jaeyoung possesses is just one of the abilities that are useless to him, but it was a very important power to him who rules the demon realm as a demon king.
The power to twist and change the laws of the world. I accepted this absurd compulsory contract, thinking that if I accumulated that power to the maximum, maybe the demons could rule this world. Despite being the Demon King, Satan, as a familiar, decided to go around with Jaeyoung and try to extract as much probability as possible. However, he couldn't help but be embarrassed every time by the contractor's erratic behavior.
“Aren’t they asking for a pickaxe to make the slime stronger?”
Tan stared at Jaeyoung, who was working hard on pickaxing, and recalled the conversation he had with him yesterday.
Satan thought that if he threw a few pieces of equipment from the Demon World that could be used roughly, he would give it up on its own. But he flatly rejected the offer.
“Dex I've been thinking about it, and you seem to have a lot of probabilities! After a lot of hard work, I found something that was just right for me? Can't we exchange it for this one?”
-Probability: 33551
Huge amount of probability over 30,000. Coveted for the enormous power that he felt vividly whenever he was close to him, Tan could not overcome his greed and pushed him with an accessory made by a dark spirit, which is rare even in the Pandemonium, and tempted him to change it.
[Tears of Darkness - Epic]
A dark spirit that is born in very rare circumstances. A necklace made from the last tears they shed before they lost their innocence and fell.
-wear limit: 220
-durability: infinite
-dark affinity +50
-dark attribute +80
-evil skill Lv. +2
-Special Skill: Dark Veil Frenzy Night.
- When worn, it becomes hostile to the spirits.
- Dark spirits no longer attack the wearer first.
-You can detect stealthed enemies.
Just looking at them, their jaw-dropping abilities. Considering that it is an Epic grade, it is certain that it will be sold at a price of billions even if it is put on the exchange. However, Jaeyoung pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
“This is not so much fun. It's a total scam, isn't it?”
“what....?”
Tan is speechless at the completely unexpected reaction. Seeing him like that, Jaeyoung said as if it was natural.
“It’s good to make money, and it’s good to be strong, but first of all, I’m purely enjoying the adventure. But even if you hold such a ridiculous thing, you won't be able to wear it, and if you try to sell it, you'll only get a lot of people's attention.”
It's a thing that's literally like a gyereuk. In addition, the level limit was extremely high, so it was difficult to find anyone willing to buy it right away. Rather, it only bought useless attention because of people wondering how they got these items. That's why Jaeyoung looked at Tan seriously and said.
“If you really want to be so probable, get out a pickaxe that I can use.”
“what? pick? what do you do with that?”
Jaeyoung suddenly asks for a pickaxe. When Tan asked that request, Jaeyoung replied with a grin.
“What? Break the quest.”
A quest to collect iron ore. Jaeyoung, who asked for a pickaxe to solve the quest, eventually paid 8,000 probabilities and got a unique pickaxe from Tan.
“Anyway... it's unique.”
Jaeyoung is frantically digging for minerals. As expected, countless spears were floating in front of him as he was digging iron ore in an instant to the point that the game was equipped with equipment.
[You have acquired the skill mining.]
[You have acquired iron ore.]
[You have acquired iron ore.]
[You have acquired iron ore.]
[Inadvertent luck! You have acquired the silver ore.]
[Coincidental luck! Tin has been obtained.]
[Iron ore has been obtained]
[Iron ore has been acquired]
[Coincidental luck! You have obtained the raw magic stone.]
Rare metals that occasionally pour out due to the effects of unique items. Jaeyoung smiled as he looked at the rapidly filling inventory. Not even imagining what trouble those minerals would bring.