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Chapter 158
“The newly discovered mine isn’t just any ordinary mine—it’s a mana vein.”
His words made my eyes widen.
“A mana vein!”
“In simple terms, it’s a mine that forms in regions where the flow of mana follows a massive current. I don’t know the exact principles behind it, but in such areas, you can find high-quality iron and, occasionally, even mithril.”
A leyline—also known as a blood vein of mana.
It’s a general name given to places where a massive flow of mana runs underground.
It seems that when the royal family managed this land, they never discovered this mana mine.
But now, thanks to mindlessly digging with an army of undead, they’ve stumbled upon it by accident.
So this is what people mean when they say good things come to those who wait.
Not bad.
“So?”
“Huh?”
“Why do you need a mage to mine a mana vein?”
Is there some special part of mining mana veins that requires a mage?
“A mana mine produces high-quality iron, various ores, mana stones, and sometimes even mithril. But mining here comes with its own risks. There are things that artifacts alone can’t handle—you need someone who can assess and regulate those factors.”
Ah, so that’s how things are on this continent.
When a mine intersects with a leyline underground, a mana reaction occurs, producing exceptionally high-quality iron.
Considering the value alone, the minerals extracted from a mana mine are worth far more.
Not just a jackpot—an absolute windfall.
In fact, iron ore products from mana veins are highly sought after.
“This wasn’t known before?”
“It was discovered by pure chance, so I doubt anyone knew about it.”
So it’s like winning the lottery with a ticket you were gifted.
“How much is there?”
“We won’t know until we dig deeper, but… based on my experience, I’d say there’s quite a lot.”
Well, that’s something I can confirm myself.
When I was here before, I didn’t have the memories from the Hall of Truth, so I couldn’t distinguish these energy flows so precisely.
“Anyway, that’s the situation. We even invited a high-ranking mage, but…”
Verus hesitated for a moment before sighing and continuing.
“After inspecting the mine, they told us we shouldn’t mine it.”
“And why do they get to decide that?”
“They said it’s not a normal mana vein. If we tamper with it carelessly, it could lead to disaster.”
So basically, everyone was thrilled to discover the mana vein.
Then, to regulate and mine it safely, they brought in a mage…
Only for that mage to declare that mining it would be catastrophic.
Well, it’s true that a leyline—or rather, a blood vein of mana—carries immense energy.
If the mana flow is unstable, it could indeed trigger a massive disaster.
And if that mage is from the Mage Association rather than a magic tower, then they do have some level of authority…
But so what?
Isn’t this actually a good thing?
Mana veins are extremely rare on this continent.
And unstable mana veins are even rarer.
And I know exactly what kind of material can be found in those extreme environments.
The most legendary metal known to mankind.
In such extreme conditions, orichalcum is formed.
Orichalcum—what a metal it is.
Revered as a divine metal, it is exceedingly rare and boasts unparalleled performance.
A sword made of orichalcum becomes a blade of legend, lasting for a thousand years.
The same applies to armor.
Most importantly, its ability to absorb mana surpasses even mithril, making it a dream material for artifacts and mage staffs.
Just thinking about it makes my mouth water—there are endless uses for orichalcum.
If that mine contains the level of mana turbulence I’m expecting, then orichalcum is guaranteed to be there.
In other words, the flow is so strong that it has become unstable.
And the materials extracted from it—iron, mithril, various ores, and mana stones—would be of incomparable quality.
Why would anyone give up on that?
These fools—are they out of their minds?
“We thought it over carefully, but it seems we have no choice but to abandon the mana mine…”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Verus tilted his head at my response.
“Young Master, what do you mean?”
“Do you not understand? An unstable mana vein is the ultimate mining site.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve basically discovered a gold mine—no, a diamond mine—and now you want to abandon it?”
Step aside.
I’ll handle this.
* * *
I still needed to check if the turbulence in this mana vein was at a level capable of producing orichalcum.
But I couldn’t help feeling excited.
On this continent, orichalcum is worth a fortune.
However, I suspect that even the small amounts of orichalcum available on the market are of inferior quality compared to the true finished form.
Now that I think about it, that makes perfect sense.
Without the technology to regulate the turbulence, they wouldn’t be able to extract the highest-grade orichalcum.
That’s why orichalcum is so scarce, absurdly expensive, and even the ones available are subpar.
Of course, Verus still looked uneasy about my stance.
The Mage Association, huh?
The Mage Association and the Magic Tower are fundamentally different.
The Magic Tower is like a university, devoted entirely to the pursuit of magic and research.
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In contrast, the Mage Association is more of a business.
Instead of seeking truth, they focus on using magic for profit.
While the Magic Tower does contribute to magical tools in the world, the Mage Association has a much larger influence.
And it’s usually mages from the Mage Association who get dispatched for jobs like this.
During the Kraken Hunt, the Magic Tower sent high-ranking mages because the situation demanded top-tier mana.
But for everyday business matters, the Mage Association is preferred over high-ranking battle mages.
Some mock them as money-obsessed spellcasters, but really, they’re just using their skills for business.
Moreover, the Mage Association holds official authority over mana-related disasters across the continent due to their widespread presence.
That’s likely why they demanded that mining operations be halted.
After all, the continent currently lacks the technology to control unstable mana turbulence, so the safest choice is to leave it untouched.
No matter how desperate you are for money, an explosion would wipe everything out in an instant, making it all meaningless.
Yeah.
Unstable mana currents are dangerous, and whether they can be used or not is something that needs to be checked.
If they turn out to be too problematic to handle, I’ll give up without hesitation.
But as long as it's possible, I intend to make use of them.
“Are you really going in?”
Verus asked with a slightly reluctant expression.
“I'll go alone. Stay here.”
“No, I will go with you. You’ll need someone to guide you.”
He spoke calmly as he grabbed some equipment and took the lead.
The tunnel, having been recently dug, showed little sign of mining.
Perhaps it was because the undead had dug their way in without concern for their own bodies.
The depth of the tunnel was considerable.
By the time I started feeling an unpleasant heat wrapping around my entire body—
I saw it.
A massive magic circle blocking entry into the tunnel.
“They said no one should enter beyond this point.”
Unlike a normal mana vein, unstable torrents fluctuated wildly, brushing against my skin.
But the more chaotic it felt, the better my mood became.
“Oh, this is even more unstable than I thought.”
“Unlike ordinary mana veins, this one cannot be managed. And the scale is larger than expected, so they said they’d hold a meeting to discuss countermeasures.”
It seems that after seeing it firsthand, they felt it was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
“They said this magic was a restriction spell set up by multiple highly skilled wizards. That means no one can enter beyond this point.”
Crash!
As I casually waved my hand and shattered the barrier spell, Verus’ eyes widened in shock.
“W-Wait! A magic of that scale, broken so easily...?”
“The structure is simple. Who wouldn’t be able to break this?”
It was relatively crude, so to speak.
The spells used by my past enemies were so advanced that this felt almost trivial in comparison.
“Hah... So you can use magic as well?”
“Haven’t you seen it before?”
“Well... I knew it was different from the black magic of those warlocks.”
He had a pretty broad knowledge.
Most people couldn’t tell the difference.
“Hmph… If you do this, the Magic Association will take notice.”
“This is our land. Who’s going to stop us? Just follow me.”
If I didn’t have the skill to control this, it would indeed be reckless.
But in this situation, it's actually them who are being reckless.
“Wow, if left alone, this would definitely explode. It would wipe out everything within several kilometers.”
“W-What?!”
“Verus, what do you think happens if a person eats but never goes to the bathroom?”
“They get poisoned and drop dead.”
“Exactly. Mana veins are like massive rivers of mana. But sometimes, in certain areas, the flow gets disrupted and blocked. If it builds up too much, it eventually explodes.”
“The Magic Association said that if controlled properly, it wouldn’t be dangerous…”
“That’s true for areas where the disruption is mild. But not here.”
The mana current here was too intense for them to control successfully.
“This is a rare phenomenon. Follow me.”
I reached out and placed my hand on a section of the wall that hadn’t been dug into yet.
Then, I activated the Heart of the Machine God.
Since I couldn’t afford to overdo it again, I only scanned a small nearby area.
A flood of massive amounts of information poured into my mind, including details about what I was searching for.
“Oh…”
Verus had said there was a large deposit, but even with just the initial data, I could tell the quantity was significant.
I was certain now.
“Verus.”
“What is it?”
“How much have you handled before?”
At my question, his eyes twitched.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m asking how much of these ores you’ve worked with.”
“Well, nothing too special. I’ve handled a bit of mithril…”
Mithril was considered the best material in practical use.
Orichalcum and the indestructible adamantium were half-legendary metals.
“This is your chance to touch some Orichalcum.”
“Huh?”
I reached out toward the massive, condensed energy I had sensed nearby—
And pulled it out.
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