"By the way, old gentleman, what brings you here to find us?"
Jeanne asked, looking toward Patriot. Playing aside, Patriot's reason for coming here definitely wasn't because he'd heard the news and wanted to see his daughter in a dress. There must be something he needed to tell them.
"According to the message just transmitted by the Shieldguards staying behind on the landship, they have discovered an Originium vein near the mountain—and it's an Originium mine of extremely high purity!"
"A high-purity Originium vein!"
Several of them were shocked by this news. They hadn't expected that the miracle would not only solve the problem of a hiding place for the landship but also resolve the energy issue that had been their biggest headache!
They quickly rode the Wyverns to the site. Looking at the chunks of Originium ore dug out by the Shieldguards, they could tell with the naked eye that this was top-tier Originium. Compared to this, the crude Originium ore in most parts of the tundra simply couldn't compete.
"There are now two problems. The first is whether to mine it at all, and the second is exactly who to send to mine these crystals. Given their purity, it will be even more dangerous for miners to work here."
Hearing Patriot's words, Frostnova also frowned slightly. This was indeed a major issue; they lacked the methods to excavate it safely!
The simplest way would be to make Infected mine the ore in exchange for survival resources, but that was something neither Talulah's group nor Patriot's group could ever agree to! Because it was diametrically opposed to their ideals!
"It's alright, I can solve this. Besides, I happen to need quite a bit of Originium myself."
Jeanne's words drew the gazes of Patriot and Frostnova. This time, Talulah didn't see any problem; she had long since seen that group of "coolies" who were far more suitable for digging than human miners.
Jeanne waved her banner, and five Wyverns (Earth Dragons) appeared before the crowd. It was the first time the others had seen such creatures, and these lizard-like beings looked around curiously.
The next moment, these fellows began digging rapidly into the Originium vein. In a short while, they had excavated a deep pit, with chunks of Originium constantly flying out. It seemed this group was very adept at digging.
"These fellows are experts at excavation. The speed of these five Earth Dragons can even keep up with fifty miners! Plus, with the other little ones assisting, we only need to worry about the recovery."
The others stared blankly at these creatures. If Ursus could harness such beings, would there be no more Infected being pointlessly thrown into mining districts to die?
That thought was smothered in the next instant, for they knew such a thing was impossible! Even if Ursus had their help with the mining, the Infected would still be cast elsewhere to suffer; that fact would never change.
"The rest is much simpler. The landship has equipment that can refine Originium ore—standard gear for Ursus military large-scale mobile units to facilitate direct mining and energy refinement."
Patriot was very familiar with the facilities aboard the landship, and his men knew how to operate the machinery. They could help Jeanne refine the ore into Originium or even Originium Prime, requiring only a small portion as fuel for the landship itself.
Jeanne was also delighted that her Wyvern Legion could finally begin expanding. During the battle with the landship, Jeanne had fully realized her lack of firepower. If five landships appeared simultaneously, she would certainly have a very difficult time.
This was a serious case of insufficient firepower! For someone suffering from "firepower-deficiency phobia," that was unforgivable!
Therefore, she needed to summon more Wyverns to expand the legion! She guessed her "Boss" had seen her thoughts and purposely created such a high-quality vein to fulfill her wish.
Thus, they began mining the Originium. About two weeks passed in this manner, and the relationship between the Guerrillas and the girls grew closer. However, they still strictly observed the agreement with Jeanne: any action beyond surveying the surroundings of the mountain forest would first require Jeanne's permission.
Furthermore, they discovered that the environment of this mountain forest was more suitable as a refuge for others to escape danger during a crisis than as a permanent residence. Thus, they did not inform the villagers about the interior of the forest; if such a day truly came, those guarding the area would lead the villagers in an evacuation.
As for the village, Alina had opened a very small chapel in the center. When she had time, she would lead everyone in prayer to the Deity, and sometimes she would listen to the villagers' hidden confessions or inner anxieties.
Everyone was very supportive of this. After all, there were no entertainment projects in this village; although the oppression was gone, their empty souls still needed healing. While religion wasn't the only way to heal their inner problems, having a place to pour out one's heart significantly reduced the conflicts within the village.
Seeing Alina's increasingly busy figure, Jeanne and Talulah sometimes thought about going to Laterano to kidnap a nun to help her; otherwise, with that reindeer's constitution, she might not hold out.
However, because of this, Alina became even more famous in the village. It was impossible for Patriot and Frostnova not to know this nun. After all, on this God-blessed land, what profession could be more eye-catching than a nun? Except for Jeanne, of course—she was the one being desperately pampered by her Deity.
Because of this, the relationship between Alina and the other two could no longer be hidden. Wasn't that obvious? A nun pops out of a village like this; if you said you had no connection to Jeanne, who would believe it?
One night, when Jeanne returned to the house after finishing her work, she found Talulah staring absent-mindedly at a book, her tail constantly scribbling something on the floor. Her tail tip looked ready to write out a whole "Memorial on the Case for War" on the ground. Jeanne finally spoke to the dazed Talulah:
"What happened? Look at how panicked you are. Did you accidentally burn Frostnova's hair while you were out? You look like you've lost your soul."
Talulah finally snapped out of it and hurriedly explained: "No, no, how could I be panicked? I am the heroic Talulah!"
"You're holding the book upside down!"
At those words, Talulah looked as if a secret had been exposed. She quickly put down the reversed book, tried to regain her composure, and steadied her heart.
"What is it, really? I've truly never seen you make that kind of face."
Seeing her expression, Jeanne thought to herself that this was likely no small matter, and it probably had an inseparable connection to them.
"Kashchey woke up just now. He told me some very important news."
Talulah looked at Jeanne with a solemn expression, which made Jeanne curious. She quickly asked:
"What news is it, exactly?"
"Based on the intelligence Kashchey collected and the words from those noble meetings... it is confirmed that the Emperor of Ursus has personally issued an order to dispatch three Emperor's Blades to this tundra!"