Chapter 4: The Vein of the Earth
The amber glow of the Mana Furnace provided more than just warmth; it provided a sense of order in a world of chaos. However, Zen knew that a single furnace was a temporary fix. For a city to breathe, it needed a continuous flow of resources. His HUD flickered, displaying the settlement's dwindling material reserves.
"Grim, the furnace is stable, but we are out of refined iron," Zen said, his eyes scanning the cavern walls through his Geological Analysis lens. "If we want to build the air scrubbers and proper housing, we need a steady supply of ore."
Grim wiped the grease from his hands, his expression grim. "There's a rich vein of Copper and Iron in the East Tunnel, just half a mile from here. The old miners called it 'The Vein of the Earth.' But there's a reason it's abandoned. That tunnel belongs to the Shadow-Stalkers—beasts that hunt by sensing body heat."
Zen didn't flinch. Instead, he pulled up a new blueprint. "Then we won't send bodies. We'll send machines."
[New Project: Automated Mining Drone 'Spider-Mk II']
[Required Materials: 20 Units Refined Iron, 1 High-Grade Mana Core, 5 Units Obsidian Carapace]
Using the materials looted from the Lithovore Centipede in the previous chapter, Zen began the synthesis. The dwarves watched in silence as the golden light from Zen's palms wove together the obsidian plates and refined metal. Within minutes, a small, eight-legged machine stood on the floor. Its head was a high-frequency drill, and its eyes were glowing blue sensors.
"This is 'Zero-Two'," Zen announced. "It doesn't have a pulse or body heat. The Stalkers won't even know it's there."
Zen linked his mind to the drone's feed. He steered the machine into the darkness of the East Tunnel. Through the drone's eyes, the world was a map of heat signatures and mineral densities. As Zero-Two reached the heart of the tunnel, the walls began to shimmer. Thick, raw veins of copper and iron ran through the rock like the blood vessels of a giant.
[Resource Detected: High-Purity Iron Ore & Native Copper]
[Commencing Extraction...]
The drone's drill hummed, a low-vibration sound designed to minimize noise. Back at the camp, Zen watched the progress bars fill. But suddenly, the drone's sensors picked up a massive heat signature—not from a beast, but from a mechanical source.
Deep within the mine, Zero-Two uncovered a buried door. It was made of a white, unyielding metal, embossed with the crest of the Luminos Royal Family, but it looked centuries old.
"Grim, come look at this," Zen whispered, his voice laced with suspicion. "Why is there a royal vault at the bottom of the Abyss?"
Grim leaned in, his eyes widening. "That's not a vault, lad. That's the 'Seal of the First Architect.' Legend says the Abyss wasn't always a prison. It was a laboratory where the first king tried to bridge the gap between magic and science... and failed."
Zen felt a surge of adrenaline. This wasn't just a survival mission anymore. The Abyss held the secrets of his own bloodline—secrets that the current Crown Prince Hakon likely wanted to stay buried.
[New Objective: Breach the Ancient Laboratory]
[Reward: Master Blueprint Library - Tier 2]
"Change of plans," Zen said, his eyes glowing with the blue light of the system. "We aren't just mining for survival. We're mining for the truth. Grim, sharpen your picks. We're going to open that door."
As the first load of high-purity iron arrived at the furnace, Zen began designing a Heavy-Duty Breaching Drill. He wasn't just building a city; he was uncovering the foundations of a forgotten world.