Translator: AnubisTL
With that, Chen Mang said no more, returning alone to the locomotive cabin.
Only Biaozi and Old Pig remained, their hair tousled by the wind. After a long moment, Biaozi turned to Old Pig, his face mournful. "Trainmaster Zhu, I kept my 'Cluster Mind' active the whole time. Did I say anything bad about Lord Mang just now?"
"I don't think so," Old Pig replied, visibly relieved. "Good thing I didn't join the Cluster Mind. Now, let's get back to work. Try to avoid gossiping about Lord Mang behind his back in the future."
"Huh?" Biaozi stared at Old Pig's retreating figure, his eyes filled with confusion and disbelief. Didn't you start this whole thing?
Is he supposed to take the blame for this too?
Soon after—
As night fell, the slaves returned to the train with their pickaxes, lining up to receive their daily rations and bringing back a large quantity of iron ore.
Adding to the ore remaining from the previous day, the train now held a total of 14,403 Units of iron ore.
Inside the Train, Chen Mang stared at the noticeably depleted open-pit iron mine, lost in thought and silent. The only light flickering in the locomotive cabin was the crimson glow of the train's core. At the current rate, the mine would likely be completely depleted in less than a month.
The ore content varies between mines.
This mine clearly holds significantly more ore than the Tier 1 Iron Ore he had encountered earlier.
Of course, once this batch of goblins joins the workforce, the extraction rate will increase considerably.
During the day, over sixty goblins who looked utterly clueless successfully reached the Doomsday Abyss. He controlled the train to pick them up at the cliff's edge.
This particular goblin didn't know the exact coordinates of the other goblins. He could only contact them and send the Doomsday Abyss's coordinates. He couldn't even go pick them up himself.
Some goblins were undoubtedly killed along the way.
There should still be goblins en route. The Iron Ridge Wasteland is vast, and it takes time to travel across it.
These goblins' transportation method was the "goblin merchant"—yes, the same goblin merchant who drops rewards when killed, the one with the cloth sack on his back.
According to the goblin merchant, in the Goblin Clan, "goblin merchants" are an extremely special breed. These goblins are born with exceptional stamina, making them natural merchants. They are goblin merchants from birth.
It could reach a top speed of 150 kilometers per hour, had incredible stamina, and could carry heavy loads.
When he saw it—a dozen goblins perched on the goblin merchant's head like Arhats, hurtling toward him at 150 kilometers per hour—he fell silent. For a moment, he even considered whether the goblin merchant could replace the Wheel.
Just install four goblin merchants under each carriage and have them carry the train.
No energy stones needed, just a few slices of bread.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang sighed, gently massaging his temples. Having accepted the cultural differences between races, he spent 4,400 units of iron ore to upgrade the Basic First Aid Kit to Tier 10.
The kit itself remained unchanged, and of course, its name didn't change either.
The contents were still the same: bandages, spray, and a suture kit.
But the two new overpowered effects made the upgrade completely worth the cost.
Basic First Aid Kit - Tier 5 Overpowered Effect: Trauma Spray - heals most external injuries within a short period.
Basic First Aid Kit - Tier 10 Overpowered Effect: Suture Kit - any severed limb, once reattached and successfully healed, will be restored to its original condition.
These two effects would significantly elevate the train's current medical capabilities.
It's worth noting that the Basic First Aid Kit is a one-time-use accessory. Once the Trauma Spray is depleted, to obtain more, one must craft another Basic First Aid Kit and upgrade it to Fifth-Tier.
The Suture Kit, however, can be used repeatedly.
After some estimation, he concluded that the Trauma Spray could be used forty or fifty times without issue. For the foreseeable future, there wouldn't be a need to craft a second Basic First Aid Kit.
He tossed the two items to Biaozi, who was standing nearby. "Go treat the goblins' wounds."
"Understood."
Meanwhile, outside the train, a group of Tier 2 goblins wielding cleavers stood listlessly together. The goblin at the front, the only one among them with intelligence, stared blankly at the long line of slaves waiting to receive food. His eyes widened in disbelief as his mouth slowly opened.
After a long moment, he lowered his gaze to the two pieces of bread he had been reluctant to eat. He felt as though his entire worldview had crumbled.
Today, the Human Seer had given him three delicious pieces of bread. He had eaten one, but couldn't bear to eat the remaining two.
The taste lingered in his mouth, leaving a lasting fragrance.
He had always believed that only the Human Seer was worthy of such food. Yet now, the slaves were lining up to receive it, each receiving a portion—and ten slices each?
When had the slaves' treatment improved so drastically?
This...
How could this be?
He took a slow, deep breath, his mouth watering as he stared at the basket overflowing with bread slices. He stuffed both remaining pieces of bread into his mouth at once. The wound on his cheek made chewing slightly painful, but his heart began to secretly anticipate the mining journey once his injuries healed.
At that moment, Biaozi, holding a spray bottle, approached. Following the goblin's gaze, he quickly understood everything and couldn't help but chuckle. "You can get some too," he said. "Ten slices per person, everyone gets some."
"Hmph." The goblin snorted coldly, casting a disdainful glance at Biaozi. "Foolish human! I didn't mine today. How could I claim a reward meant for those who did?!"
"As a high-ranking member of the Stellaris, don't you even understand this basic rule?"
"If rules can be broken at will, what's the point of having them?"
"..."
The smile on Biaozi's face slowly stiffened. Expressionless, he handed over the spray bottle, his voice a cold, gravelly rasp: "Lord Mang is treating your external injuries. Treat those goblin cubs while you're at it."
"They're clansmen."
"Right, Goblin clansmen."
Inside the Train.
Chen Mang sat at the control panel, ignoring the commotion outside. Old Pig and the others could handle those trivial matters. He opened the bag of the goblin merchant from earlier, which contained several glowing items. He was ready to examine his haul.
Four more goblin merchants had arrived today, but due to the rules, their bags couldn't be opened until they were dead.
He had no intention of killing these goblin merchants. The rewards weren't worth it. These were valuable assets—goblin merchants capable of reaching speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour. In the apocalypse, that was far more valuable than any yellow-grade blueprint that might drop by chance.
To put it bluntly, he might even end up using the goblin merchants as mounts. If he ever needed to leave the train to explore other Zones, having a goblin merchant around would provide a sense of security. In danger, he could simply ride on their necks and flee at speeds that many Tier 1 Trains couldn't match.
Even a zombie horde couldn't catch them.
Don't let their small size fool you—they had incredible bursts of speed.
(End of the Chapter)
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