Translator: AnubisTL
Whoosh.
After a long moment, Chen Mang finally exhaled deeply and continued to steer the train toward the towering mountain peak that was now clearly visible to the naked eye.
Not bad at all.
Though he hadn't found any iron ore, fate had smiled upon him in an unexpected way, granting him a permanent goblin merchant.
He decided not to spend the 100 Legacy Value for now. None of the four items on offer particularly appealed to him. He'd wait until after Wildcat's wedding, when he'd receive another 500 Legacy Value, and then see what he could buy with 600.
Among the four items, only one truly piqued his interest: the C-Grade Difficulty Skip Ticket.
This item allowed him to bypass any C-Rank Difficulty mission in a fortuitous encounter map or quest, such as the quest to change train class(job) or the maze mission in the Underwater Labyrinth.
The other items were rather ordinary.
The murphy stones were completely useless to him. Honestly, he thought the skip ticket was a better choice. Earlier that morning, while chatting with Erdan, the train conductor of the Azure Dragon Train, he'd learned that the C-Rank Maze in the Underwater Labyrinth fortuitous encounter map granted five Murphy Stones upon successful completion.
Erdan told him that clearing the C-Rank Maze mission in the "Underwater Labyrinth" fortuitous encounter map would reward him with five murphy stones.
At the same price, he could only buy one murphy stone.
Of course—
Hidden maps like the Underwater Labyrinth weren't easy to find. Their locations were usually extremely well-hidden, and the methods of reaching them were often quite demanding. Erdan, however, had been surprisingly generous, sending him the coordinates directly.
He explained that hidden maps were generally only useful the first time someone cleared them.
He had already been there once and found it useless now. He suggested that if he ever acquired the ability to submerge his train, he should check it out.
The hidden map was located at the bottom of a lake in the Sha River Plains.
His Stellaris train currently lacked the ability to submerge. But once he gained that capability, he might consider visiting the Underwater Labyrinth—he was quite curious about it.
Half an hour later, the Stellaris train finally arrived at the foot of the towering mountain that pierced the clouds. From the Sky Piercing Tower, it had only appeared as a faint shadow against the sky, like a light brushstroke in an ink painting, barely noticeable.
But up close, the mountain's true grandeur was revealed!
It was incredibly slender.
The summit was only a few hundred meters wide, which wouldn't be considered narrow on flat ground. However, compared to the mountain's height, it appeared exceptionally slender.
He had, of course, visited the library in Sha River City.
This mountain hadn't existed before the apocalypse; it had emerged afterward.
"..."
Chen Mang leaned out the skylight, gazing upward for a long time before returning to the control panel. He switched to the spider legs and began driving toward the steep slope. Perhaps only he could truly reach this place.
The mountain's four sides were sheer cliffs.
There were no mountain paths whatsoever.
If the Rabbit Cloud wheel reached its maximum Tier, its flight altitude would be around 3,000 meters. Unless someone had used murphy stones to upgrade the Rabbit Cloud wheel further, few others could likely reach this summit.
The moment the mechanical spider legs touched the cliff face, they firmly adhered, pulling the entire train upward as if traversing level ground.
The spider legs were merely a Green Accessory, not particularly eye-catching. Yet they had proven invaluable. This type of mechanism-based Green Accessory could achieve its maximum effect under his control. Others would need to invest 27 murphy stones to replicate his results.
The train continued its ascent.
Chen Mang controlled the speed, ensuring the climb wasn't too rapid. Twenty minutes later, the Stellaris's spider legs finally touched down on level ground, and the entire train emerged onto the mountaintop.
The summit was an expansive, flat plain. Before them lay a vast mine.
"..."
Chen Mang jumped off the train and laughed at the scene before him. He had detected the mine on the mountaintop while still at the base of the mountain—a total of five Tier 2 Iron Ore mines, all with rich ore deposits.
He knew it.
Such a strategically important location typically concealed either a hidden map or a dense resource mine.
These five Tier 2 Iron Ore mines would be enough to fully upgrade all the Stellaris's remaining accessories.
Generally speaking, without using murphy stones, the Green Accessory "Resource Detection Radar" could only be upgraded to Tier 3, with a detection range of 3,000 meters. However, iron ore deep underground could still be detected.
For instance, by using a drill to travel 3,000 meters underground, one could detect iron ore up to 6,000 meters deep. The efficiency was lower, as the drill's speed was slower underground.
Even the canyon of the Doomsday Abyss had once been detected to contain resources.
The Doomsday Abyss was a staggering 6,000 meters deep, far beyond the reach of resource detection radar. It was said that two trains had collaborated to obtain a large amount of steel cable from a steel cable factory in Taiping City. They then tied one locomotive to a fully loaded train and slowly lowered it down.
Using the lowered locomotive, they were able to detect resources at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss.
But that was all they could do.
Going down was out of the question. While a 6,000-meter canyon might not sound like much, a quick glance at human history's exploration of the deep earth would reveal just how incredibly difficult it would be to reach such depths.
Since they had already found the resources, and the day was growing late, they decided to rest for the night and resume mining in the morning.
However, in the next instant—
"Clatter, clatter, clatter."
The doors of several carriages behind them suddenly swung open, and a crowd of train residents, wielding pickaxes, charged down with excited shouts. They rushed straight to the Mining Area, spat twice on their hands, and began swinging their pickaxes.
"...Hmm."
Standing beneath the train, Chen Mang watched the scene unfold in silence for a moment before sighing softly. "At this rate, Doba won't be saying goblins are the most industrious race for much longer."
He shook his head and walked back to the locomotive cabin.
Let them dig.
The train's living amenities were already maxed out. Tier 10 overpowered effects of bread slice and mineral water production line provided long-term, subtle boosts to physical fitness. The Tier 5 overpowered effect of bread slices also supplemented vitamins, while the Tier 5 effect of mineral water cleared kidney stones. Cola provided an energy boost as well.
With such comprehensive living amenities, at least the train residents wouldn't be worked to death.
As the saying goes, "Before the army marches, supplies must be prepared." The Stellaris train's supplies were currently fully stocked.
Except...
Except it's the same food every day. It gets boring.
Sitting in the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang looked at the four meat sandwiches Xiao Fang had brought him. He waved his hand, signaling Xiao Ai to fetch the chef who had claimed to be a five-star hotel chef last time. He wanted the chef to use the leftover vegetables and the four preserved pork ribs they had seized earlier to prepare a special meal for him.
"The train has basic cookware and utensils. Ask him what else he needs."
If he's missing something like a spatula, he can create it with the Mechanical Heart, using only a few units of iron ore. But the Mechanical Heart can't produce seasonings, salt, or Sichuan peppercorn powder.
While the Mechanical Heart hasn't specified its manufacturing range, it generally produces electronic devices and household items made of iron, like cookware. It can't create food or tobacco.
If it could even make seasonings...
It wouldn't be the Mechanical Heart anymore. They should just rename it "Words Become Law."
"I asked. He said he's missing everything except the basic cookware. He doesn't have many side dishes or seasonings, so the food probably won't taste very good."
"Never mind then."
Chen Mang sighed lightly. "Let's not waste those preserved pork ribs. We'll save them for later."
"I've built another carriage. Have Old Pig arrange for the livestock and food seeds we found in Sha River City to be moved there."
"Understood."
The Stellaris train had 14 carriages, with Section 14 designated as the Missile Carriage.
Now, there was an additional carriage.
The Breeding carriage.
"Are you sure you can handle this?"
Old Pig frowned slightly, turning to Uncle Li standing beside him. "Weren't you a high-ranking executive before? You claimed to earn a million a year, be proficient in accounting and management, and even start your own business. Do you really know how to raise these animals?"
"We have six chickens, five ducks, four pigs, two cows, and three sheep here."
"Each animal has different care requirements. What did you study in college?"
"No problem at all."
Uncle Li stood ramrod straight, his face serious as he replied earnestly, "I studied civil engineering in college. But before that, I grew up in the countryside. My family raised pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks. I've done it all."
"When I went to school as a child, I always smelled like pig manure."
"Leave the animal husbandry to me. There's absolutely nothing to worry about."
"You can leave those seeds to me too. My family used to farm and had an orchard. I've been helping out since I was a kid. I know how to handle all this."
"Impressive."
Old Pig's eyes flickered with surprise. "Alright, Uncle Li, you truly live by the saying 'a jack of all trades is a master of none.'"
"Fine, I'll leave this section to you then."
"See those spray nozzles in the corners of this carriage? They're part of the 'Reproduction Spray' accessory. Lord Mang installed a manual button at the carriage entrance. Press it once to induce estrus in the livestock inside. Press it again to return them to normal."
"Don't worry, Trainmaster Zhu. You can trust me."
Breeding Car 15.
Uncle Li surveyed the twenty-odd livestock of various kinds and the two refrigerators lined with earth in the simple carriage. He let out a long sigh of relief, the anxiety in his eyes completely vanishing. He leaned against the carriage wall, lit a cigarette, and a hint of smugness flickered in his eyes. Pretending to be casual, he said nonchalantly,
"Not bad, Xiao Huo. Just managing one carriage for now. Let's get some experience under our belts and move up later."
"That's awesome, Uncle Li!" The young man standing beside him gave a thumbs-up, his face flushed with excitement. "Lord Mang just announced the Iris Chip today, which got you laid off. And here you are, back on the job already, before nightfall?"
"I knew you could do it."
"And Uncle Li, you know so much! You're already making a million a year, and you even know how to raise pigs? You're too versatile!"
"Know?" Uncle Li sighed deeply before stubbing out his cigarette under his foot. "What the hell do I know? Any rural family that farms, runs an orchard, and raises chickens, ducks, cattle, sheep, and pigs must be a landlord, right?"
"Without a few slaves to do the work, they'd wear themselves into the ground, burying themselves in the fields before long."
"When I was a kid, we only had a few chickens and a dog."
"Huh?" The young man's excited smile slowly froze. "Uncle Li... if you don't know anything, why did you take the job? If you mess up, won't you lose your head?"
"Don't worry," Uncle Li said with a grin. "If I lose my head, yours won't be safe either."
Uncle Li took a deep breath before putting his arm around the young man's shoulder. "Let's pool our stellar coupons and buy a few packs of cigarettes. I'll take you to meet two people I used to chat with when I was a slave. One's family farms, and the other raises livestock."
"We'll just chat with them, ask about their lives, and that'll be enough for us to get the hang of things."
"As for this position..."
"There's plenty of room for error. It's just about learning some experience. As long as we don't mess up too badly, nothing major will happen. Let's secure the position first. We can learn as we go."
"..."
After a long, emotionless silence, the young man finally spoke in a hoarse voice. "Uncle Li, can you tell me how you went from studying civil engineering to becoming an accountant?"
"Oh, you mean that?"
"After graduating, I was working as an intern safety officer at a construction site when the building collapsed. I ended up spending several years in prison. While I was there, I met a lot of accounting experts. After some further study, I passed the accounting certification exam. When we were released, those people were willing to mentor me, and that's how I gradually made my way into the accounting world."
"Uncle Li, you've been through a lot."
"Ah, it's been alright. Just lucky enough to scrape by."
"Is all of that true?"
"Absolutely."
"I feel like nothing you say is true anymore."
"Trust me."
"But Uncle Li, I know why I could only earn a few thousand yuan a month before the apocalypse."
"Why?"
"Because if it were me, with no skills at all, I'd never have asked Trainmaster Zhu for this position, even if I wouldn't be caught right away. I'd be too nervous inside, I couldn't live with myself."
"The boldest thrive, the timid starve. Do you really think Trainmaster Zhu is so skilled at management?"
Uncle Li curled his lip.
"I think if I were the deputy train conductor, I could do a much better job."
"With time, I could be sitting there myself."
"But..."
Uncle Li glanced outside and whispered, "This carriage is newly built and hasn't had cameras installed yet. We can talk freely here, but don't say anything outside, okay?"
"Let's take it one step at a time. We'll start with this Breeding Carriage. If any other important positions open up later, I'll ask Trainmaster Zhu for a transfer."
"Mm-hmm."
The young man nodded seriously.
"Uncle Li, I trust you."
(End of the Chapter)
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