This is a mine that has been mined for a long time. From the initial open-pit mining to the secondary hollowing out by digging downwards, the former entrance has become an ugly, thoroughly dug wound. Densely packed people, like ants, are moving the soil around the wound's edges, widening the injury.
The carpenter nailed down one sturdy long log after another to stabilize the structure and to serve as the medium for transporting materials. Ropes and gears were used to carry the minerals that people below had dug out of the dark mine shafts. The minerals were piled into huge four-cornered containers and then lifted up by ropes.
"This is our Mu family's largest marrow mine, and of course, it has been mined the longest. According to our estimates, at this rate of mining, it will take a hundred years to completely deplete it."
"Now, we can earn at least 30,000 taels of silver a year from this. That's the amount we store for our own use and then resell. Without a doubt, this mine is the undisputed contributor to the Mu family's current glory."
"And those of us who have protected it are, undeniably, heroes of the family!"
While Dao Chengyi was observing the operation of the mine, Mu Changchun, the younger brother of the current head of the Mu family and the manager in charge of the mine, was explaining the details of the mine.
This place, a hundred miles outside Qingmang City and a hundred miles from the county seat, is home to the largest mine belonging to the Mu family. In addition to the copper and iron mined in ordinary mines, this is also the largest production area of Qingmang City's specialty, mountain marrow ore.
Mountain marrow ore, as the name suggests, is a mineral that resembles the marrow of a mountain. Its appearance is mainly yellowish-brown or grayish-white, with an irregular shape. It only becomes transparent like jelly after being steamed with special herbs and filtered through gauze.
This is mountain marrow, a mineral that is useful whether consumed raw, refined into pills, used to forge utensils, or used to cultivate demonic beasts.
As a panacea, its versatility and rarity naturally translate into substantial profits. The mountain marrow mine alone, developed by the Mu family, generated at least 30,000 taels of silver in revenue each year.
This is a place where you can make a fortune every day. For this reason, the Mu family is extremely careful with this mine. They not only invited a famous feng shui master to build a grand formation using the mountains and rivers, but also arranged for several members of the Mu family who do not show their true strength to guard it.
It was assumed that this would make the place impregnable, and that it would be difficult to break through unless the Mu family fell. However, the situation has changed somewhat, and countless eyes are now fixed on this place.
Naturally, it was necessary to strengthen the defense. Considering that the Mu family was already being targeted and that the family had two super geniuses who needed protection, the decision was made to gather together rather than disperse. Thus, Dao Chengyi came over.
"No matter how reasonable Uncle Changchun is, I will do my job well."
After withdrawing his divine power from Nine Serpents Village, Dao Chengyi nodded, indicating that he remembered its importance.
"Wrong, wrong, wrong, my dear nephew. I'm not telling you to guard it to the death. Mining takes time, and selling and storing the mined materials also takes time."
“If the enemy attacks fiercely, what’s wrong with giving these things to them? Anyway, with you and Qingyuan here, we might be able to fight back in three to five years.”
"Back then, they helped us save the money, managed the mines for us, and if we were lucky, we also had all sorts of cultivation resources. So, these heroes are still heroes."
Mu Changchun looked at Dao Chengyi with kindness and a hint of affection in his eyes. As the younger brother of the family head, a martial arts master at the third level, he stayed in this mine in obscurity, seeking nothing more than the development of the family and his own progress.
Now that a junior martial artist has come in, defeating a first-level martial arts master and killing him like chickens and dogs, he naturally felt happy.
Since he's already here, it doesn't matter if he's not of the Mu family bloodline. Marrying a Mu family woman is perfectly acceptable. Such a promising young man deserves to be well cared for.
"This... I've learned a lot. Is there anything I can do to help with the daily operations at the mine?"
Dao Chengyi was immediately struck by this line of thinking. It was exactly right. All that effort and time wasted on maintaining things like renewable resources and continuous resource extraction. It would be much better to just find someone and rob them.
“Nephew, if you are interested, you have no worries. The rules of the mine mainly apply to those below. As far as we are concerned, we only need to ensure that the quota is sufficient, the transportation is secure, and the normal mining is guaranteed.”
"If you wish to cultivate in seclusion, that's fine too, or rather, it would be even better. After all, you have the talent. If you need to cultivate in the mountain marrow mine, just give me a word and you can get it yourself."
The mine naturally has hidden benefits. Apart from the person in charge on site, most people calculate the output of the mountain marrow mine through accounts.
And so it is. Embezzling a little for personal use is an old story. After all, the meat is rotten in the pot. The people in charge here are all from the Mu family. As long as they do not betray the family and complete the assigned tasks, there will naturally be no accountability.
"My nephew seems quite interested in mining this mountain marrow. May I go down and take a look?"
The origin of the mountain marrow is not hard to guess; it is nothing more than the bone marrow of a demon god. What Dao Chengyi is interested in is whether these resources can be used to cultivate Gu worms.
In particular, his second-stage Grass Sword Gu is now facing a dilemma, unsure whether to keep it sharp to increase its attributes or to fully activate it and transform it into a flying sword with a spirit.
However, during the battle of Qing Mang, he accidentally created a sword-path Gu worm called Chang Geng Luan. Dao Cheng Yi then wanted to see if he could upgrade the Grass Sword Gu.
"Of course it's fine. It's also a good opportunity for others to know about you, my dear nephew, so that some people won't disturb you."
The total number of people working in the mines was around three thousand. Because mountain marrow was also a resource needed by the government, the Mu family used some means to arrange for the compensation of corvée labor when Qingmang City was first established.
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