Austronesia Empire, Imperial Majahapit, Jayapura Papua
1st Year of the New Age, Monday, 1st Week, 3rd Month Of Abraham.
In the heart of the land lies a city called Jayapura Papua within the Imperial Majahapit. Once bustling, it now stands eerily silent as the only sounds being the whisper of the wind and the creak of doors swayed by its force.
Like many cities, towns, and villages, this city was one of many that fell on the first day of the New Year Tragedy, and went into darkness for a long time.
After the war, the Liberation Army moved in, tasked with purging any trace of demons and searching for survivors. But, as with most of the abandoned cities they encountered, they found none.
Suddenly, the plan to decimate the city for its materials changed when a worker uncovered a massive deposit of mana crystals.
Nearly a month has passed, Jayapura Papua had transformed into a massive mining facility, rivaling the Imperial Majahapit's largest ones known as Grasberg mine.
The city, once thought to hold little beneath its surface, revealed a wealth of new ores and minerals after being transported to this world, minerals like Mithril and Mana Crystals, alongside familiar elements from Earth, such as Nitrate.
While this discovery was a boom for the Empire's economy, it was what they uncovered next that would soon etch itself into the annals of Austronesian history.
On the outskirts of the mining facility, a convoy of half-tracks rumbled down the road, their path hugging the coastline as they ferried miners to the renowned site.
Among them sat Odysseus Von Aston, a nobleman, a General, and a powerful Level 6 mage. Right now, he sat quietly on his padded seat, staring at the fleeting seaside scenery flying past his window, while absently rubbing his small beard.
Odysseus was a staunch supporter of Melian, the Elf Queen, though he initially harbored deep doubts about her ideals. The very notion seemed ludicrous to him. However, his perspective shifted dramatically after he witnessed the political structure and inner workings of this human nation. Despite the tangled mess of its bureaucracy, he began to see the wisdom in her views.
He recalled waking up in this foreign land, confused and disoriented, only to be questioned by a strange human man in some kind of uniform. Soon after, a healer came in and informed him that he had collapsed due to severe magic exhaustion and minor blood loss.
His memory drifted back to the battle in the Ironclad fleet, how he had expended nearly all his magic fighting off demons and sea monsters. He remembered the moment when their fleet fired upon the metal ship, only to be met with a devastating counterattack that obliterated their ironclads within seconds.
As he struggled for survival, submerged in the cold depths, Odysseus had used the last of his mana to cling to life. When he finally found refuge on a wooden plank, his body succumbed to mana exhaustion, which caused him to enter into a coma for several days.
Upon awakening, his first instinct was to attack the human doctor attending to him, to take him hostage as leverage against the guards. But before he could act, Melian intervened, calming his turbulent thoughts.
After listening to her explanation, Odysseus felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, regret for the time lost during his unconsciousness. However, something else stirred within him, such as a growing curiosity about these strange humans from another world. Over time, he found himself willing to aid them, sharing his knowledge of this world and its mysteries.
With each passing day, his belief in these humans deepened as he observed the remarkable ways in which they navigated both the magical and mundane aspects of their existence.
Now he sat in an unadorned, form-fitting and unfamiliar uniform in light gray tones that made him resemble one of this nation's merchants, or "businessmen" what these humans referred to. In his hand, he held a piece of paper, which had perfectly printed letters in the Common tongue, instructing him to report to the mining station, complete with detailed directions and information.
He carefully folded the precious document and slipped it into the pocket of his government-issued suit, alongside the few possessions he had been allowed. Finally after more than an hour of traveling, both the vehicles finally pulled up before a heavily fortified compound. The metal grill gates rolled open, and guards in black armor waved the convoy inside before securing the entrance behind them.
Odysseus disembarked with the group of burly, amiable miners and slowly took in his surroundings. The compound was orderly, with squat buildings arranged neatly along a gray wall that was punctuated by towers at regular intervals. Under a nearby shed, several arcane machines hummed, and a pair of metal tracks extended from a large, barn-like structure with several tall chimneys that spewed clouds of smoke.
His gaze followed the thin metal tracks as they disappeared into the side of the sea cliffs, leading into a gaping hole in the rock. The compound's walls ended abruptly at the cliffs, and beyond them, he noticed the same metal wires he had seen during his visit to that one city in Aceh. Four large, peculiar windmills spun rapidly against the sea breeze, and he wondered why such devices were necessary here.
"Mister Aston?" Somebody's voice called out, breaking his thoughts. He turned to see a middle-aged, suntanned human male in a red jacket waving at him. "I am Director Letif, in charge of construction and mining." The man extended his hand.
"Please, call me Odysseus," he replied, shaking the offered hand. He had learned this gesture of greeting from observing these humans over the past month. "I was told to come here to assist with some construction and mining?"
"Yes, indeed," Letif responded with a warm smile, clearly pleased with his new acquaintance. "I was instructed to welcome you here. Come, I'll show you to your room first, and then we'll take a quick tour of the facilities."
The room assigned to Odysseus overlooked the seaside, modest but functional. It was furnished with a single bed, a desk and chair, and a cupboard. A simple bathroom was also included, and Odysseus felt a sense of relief knowing that he had already learned how to use the bathing facilities while under the healer's care.
Letif waited patiently in the room as Odysseus inspected his new quarters, then proceeded to show him the communal canteen, the kitchens, and the recreational room. Afterward, he brought him to the offices, explaining that Odysseus would be stationed in the office next to his during working hours unless he was on-site. Work began at 9:00 AM in the morning and ended at 7:00 PM in the evening, with a midday break of an hour and a half for lunch.
Next, Letif led him to a place he referred to as the "Locker Room," where equipment for entering the mines was stored. Letif glanced at Odysseus's crisp uniform and remarked, "Hmm, we'll need to get you some work clothes. Don't want to dirty your uniform in the mines."
Odysseus was handed a pair of slightly oversized overalls and sturdy work boots. It took him a few minutes in the changing room to figure out how to put them on. Once dressed, Letif assigned him a locker and instructed him to store his uniform and any personal belongings he didn't want to take into the mines.
In addition to the work clothes, Odysseus received a safety helmet equipped with a magical device that illuminated the surrounding area, a handheld magical communication tool, and a face mask. He couldn't help but think these humans must be extraordinarily wealthy as he carefully clipped the communication tool onto his belt, copying Letif's actions.
Letif took a moment to teach him how to operate the communication tool and the lamp on his helmet. Once satisfied that Odysseus was proficient enough, he led him out of the locker room and toward the barn-like structure.
Inside, dozens of workers were busy pouring cartloads of soil into large vats, the smell of shit and urine overpowering the workspace. Remembering the face mask, Odysseus quickly put it on and took a deep breath. He noticed that Letif was already wearing his mask and grinning at him from behind it.
"Come, this is where we process the soil they dig out for Nitrate," Letif explained. "We dig the soil out and transport it with carts on those rail tracks. Then we pour it into these vats and add water."
"We leave the mixture for several days to let the nitrates dissolve into the water, before draining the liquid and boiling it," he continued, pointing to workers in white frocks and masks who were stirring the vats with long sticks. "We add wood ash to the mixture and boil off the water. The remaining substance is then sent off to the gunpowder mills for further processing."
"I see," Odysseus replied, only understanding most of what Letif explained.
"Haha, don't worry about all the technical stuff just yet," Letif laughed naturally. "You'll learn it all in time!"
Next, Letif led him toward the entrance of the mining cave, where several carts rumbled down the tracks toward the processing plant.
"Remember to stay outside the yellow line," Letif pointed to the ground, where yellow lines were painted beside the tracks. "Keep within the designated path and out of the yellow zone, because those carts can come barreling out of the caves at any moment." Just as he finished speaking, a cart emerged from the cave, filled to the brim with soil, and rolled down the tracks toward the plant.
As they entered the mines, Odysseus was immediately struck by how brightly lit the caves were, which is different to the torch-lit tunnels he was familiar with from his time assisting the Kingdom's mining service with his magic.
Dozens of lamps emitting a bright white light hung from the ceiling, their cables and wires securely fastened to the cave walls. Faint music echoed down the tunnels, accompanied by the cheerful voices of workers singing and laughing as they worked.
"Watch your step now, this way!" Letif instructed as they made their way deeper into the mine.
They descended steadily for nearly 30 minutes, with Letif pointing out various details and providing explanations along the way. Finally, they arrived at a dead end, where there was a fissure in the wall which caught Letif's attention, and he knelt down, shining his handheld light into the crack to reveal what lay inside.
"Look, can you see that?" Letif's face took on an eerie cast as the light cast shadows across his features.
Odysseus crouched down and peered into the crack. Inside, he saw a narrow passageway, its walls glowing red as fist-sized crystals reflected the light from Letif's magical torch.
"Oh, are those Dragonite crystals?" Odysseus asked, recognizing the telltale gleam.
"Dragonite crystals?" Letif and the nearby miners exchanged confused glances. "We never got specific details from our employers or the government about them. They told us they'd be sending you instead. Can you explain what that is?"
"Dragonite is a very rare mineral," Odysseus began, "It is suspected to form from the bodies of dragons over countless years, specifically, I'm not just talking about any dragons, but Commander-Level Dragons, or Dragon Commanders, which are all Transcendent Tier-1 entities. That's why these ruby-like crystals contain such immense magical power."
"What are its uses for?" A miner nearby asked, feeling slightly disappointed that it wasn't crude oil that he was expecting.
"Hmm, well, Dragonite has many properties," Odysseus explained, listing out a few he can think of, "It's highly flammable, can significantly enhance magic usage, and is also explosively reactive. It is quite rare to find, and several nations from the Second Civilization Zone used them as fuel to power their floating castles."
"Fuel?" Latif's eyes lit up at the word, "How much trouble will it take to mine it? Is it dangerous?"
"Hmm, yes and no," Odysseus replied thoughtfully. "It can be mined like how you mine ores, but because it's flammable, we'll need special tools to extract the Dragonite crystals carefully. A single spark could ignite it, causing an explosion powerful enough to kill everyone here."
"Holy fuck, we're dealing with a literal nuclear bomb, aren't we?" one miner exclaimed, his face pale with horror as several others instinctively took a step back.
"I wouldn't say it's on the same level as your nuclear weapons, but it's still extremely dangerous," Odysseus said in a grave tone.
"Yeah, these literal bombs sure are beautiful," Letif replied, admiring the Dragonite crystals. "Now, here's where we need your help. I heard from our employers that you're a Level 6 Magician, right?"
"Yes, that's correct," Odysseus replied. "I possess some Lightning-Based Magic, but most of my abilities are Earth-based."
"So that makes you a Geomancer?" one miner remarked, intrigued.
"Huh, a magical ability involving earth manipulation," another added. "Seems like it's mostly used to destroy enemy fortifications or create gaps, allowing allies to break through."
"So, he's like some sort of magical combat engineer?" a third miner speculated, raising an eyebrow.
"Interesting," Letif said with a smile. "That sounds very useful indeed. In that case, we need you to help expand this hole so we can safely mine the crystals."
Odysseus stood up, dusting off his hands and knees, and activated his headlamp while walking in a circle around the area as he began to look around the cave.
"Hmm, it shouldn't be a problem."
"You know we can't use traditional tools to widen the passageway, as they might ignite the crystals," Letif cautioned. "We need you to do this nice and safe."
"I understand," Odysseus replied. "Shall I begin now?"
"Now?" Letif looked startled. "Don't you need to prepare or something?"
Odysseus laughed. "No, no. It's quite simple. You just want the hole widened enough for people to enter and for your carts to pass through, correct?"
"If possible of course!" Letif nodded excitedly, "You can do that?"
"It's easy," Odysseus assured him with a smile. He placed his palm against the rock wall and began chanting softly. A brownish-hued magic circle appeared over his palm and flickered as the spell took effect.
The wall slowly crumbled into dust, as if disintegrating into ashes, and an opening large enough for a jeep to pass through appeared. A soft red glow shone through the small mound of crumbled rock dust. Letif knelt down, gently swept away the dust, and picked up an egg-sized Dragonite crystal towards his face, who looked with an open mouth expression of pure astonishment.
Odysseus chuckled. "You humans have never seen magic before? I weathered the rock into dust so there wouldn't be any damage to the surrounding area."
Still speechless, Letif shook his head in disbelief. "Seriously, not until we came to this world. You really just broke down the rocks into soil?" he blurted out.
"Yes," Odysseus confirmed. "So, is this good enough?"
"Oh, absolutely! YES!" Letif exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. "This is incredible! Thank you!"
Odysseus laughed. "No need to praise me so much. Anyway, shall we see what's inside?"
"Yes, of course! Wait, I need to report this first!" Letif quickly pulled out his walkie and began communicating with the mining control team.
Odysseus stepped over the pile of rock dust and ventured further into the newly revealed passageway with the help of his headlamp which casted light into the darkness. The passage stretched out far into the distance, with several other tunnels branching off. As he walked, he noticed fossilized bones edged with mana crystals jutting out from the rock surfaces, and even the ground he walked on beneath his feet was littered with more Dragonite crystals.
The passage eventually opened into a massive cavern, and the sight that greeted Odysseus left him stunned. Hundreds upon hundreds of massive dragon bones lay scattered across the cavern floor. His headlamp illuminated the Dragonite crystals that had formed over the bones and on the cavern walls, casting an eerie red glow over the entire area.
But what shocked him most was not the crystals or the ancient dragon bones. It was a door, a 10-meter tall giant door set at the end of the cavern, now fully illuminated by his headlamp.
"Is that… a dungeon?"