"Clank" "Clank" "Clank" "Clank" "Clank"
Everywhere, the only thing that could be heard was the dull sound of pickaxes hiting the hard walls of the tunnel.
In a tunnel several feet wide, standing not far apart from each other, were about 10 men.
All of them were hunched over because of the height of the tunnel, which was only a few feet high. They were also completely dirty, covered in all kinds of rock dust.
The only sound that could currently be heard besides the hits of pickaxes against the rocks was the sound of drops of sweat falling from them onto the rocks, producing a dull sound that created an echo spreading through the tunnel.
After another several dozen minutes, another sound could be heard in the tunnel.
"Ding" "Ding" "Ding"
It was a signal that it was time for a shift change. All the men who just moments ago would not have made a single sound that could take away even a bit of their strength were now breathing heavily and collapsing onto the rocks. Because of this, everyone could guess how hard the work was.
Among them, there was one person who wasn not sighing as heavily and loudly as the rest nor did he collapse. He was also not covered in sweat like the others. Adding to this his appearance, it would be impossible not to notice him. He did not look like a youth older than 17.
Despite the long time spent underground and hard work, his skin still had features typical of a young person. His facial features still had some childish traits, yet they did not resemble the features someone his age should have.
From this, everyone could easily conclude that life had not spared him.
His hair was black and dull, surely affected by the rock dust. As for its length, it was cut so that it would not fall into his eyes and interfere with work.
After a moment of standing and leaning against the cave walls or sitting on the ground, the miners began heading toward the exit of the tunnel.
With each minute of the return march, the tunnel became wider and taller, suggesting that they were getting closer to the exit.
After a total of several minutes of walking, they saw the exit of the tunnel. Beyond it was a massive cave that could not be taken in with a single glance.
It was incredibly high, and as for its overall space, it would be hard to define, but it was large enough to accommodate several hundred miners so that everyone would have enough space.
The cave itself was well lit thanks to numerous lamps hanging on its walls. Another source of light were rather specific lamp like devices placed between the tents. Usually, there was one for every 10 tents, and therefore also 10 people. Besides providing light, they also gave off enough heat to cook over them, so they served as campfires, only without the smoke that could suffocate the miners.
According to what the mine guards said when they gave them to the miners, they were magical devices. Valuable items with exceptional properties created by mages.
After entering directly into the cave, they passed another group that was just about to begin their shift. The lamps also gave off heat, so no one was cold.
The miners began to disperse toward their camps. Zhu Yuan, as that was the youth's name, turned right after entering the vast cave.
He passed several other camps, then directed his gaze toward one of them, from which loud laughter and conversation could be heard. There were currently 7 people sitting there. The loudest and most eye catching was a young man, appearing to be slightly over 20 years old. Every time Jin Hao said something, the others echoed him. It was clear that each of them wanted to flatter him, as he was the son of the mine overseer.
Jin Hao was a typical child from a "better family." His vanity and pettiness made that clear. He loved being the center of attention, which was why he often came from the mine garrison to the miners to boast and listen to their praise.
Most of the miners were convicts or slaves, so in this way they hoped to gain favor and improve their situation. After all, his father held a high position and even becoming his servant was better than continuing to work as a miner. If one of them got lucky, they might even regain their freedom.
Zhu Yuan never paid much attention to him, which made Jin Hao angry. He was not accustomed to be ingored. Additionally, there was something in Zhu Yuan's gaze that made him feel inferior.
When Zhu Yuan looked at him, Jin Hao, as if sensing his gaze, raised his eyes, and their gazes met, after which Jin Hao smiled. This smile did not seem particularly friendly, but rather malicious. Despite noticing this, Zhu Yuan did not pay much attention to it. He turned away and headed back to his camp.
The fact that he was once again treated as if he were inferior, not worth Zhu Yuan's time or attention, drove him to anger, which resulted in a slight grimace on his face.
Seeing this, the miners sitting next to him fell silent. Some of them even shook their heads, seeing how the situation repeated itself and knowing that Jin Hao would want to get back at Zhu Yuan for what he called acting superior. That people like him who acted superior needed to be brought down to earth and know their position.
A few minutes passed and Zhu Yuan finally reached his camp.
The camp was quiet, no one was here. It did not make much difference to Zhu Yuan whether any of the miners sharing the camp with him were there or not, as he did not talk to anyone anyway. He preferred silence and was rather a loner.
He approached the tent that was in the worst condition. It was not surprising, as this tent had been there the longest. It used to be yellow, but now that color was practically invisible because of the rock dust. It also had quite a few small holes.
He walked up to it, grabbed one side of the material serving as the entrance, then uncovered the inside. He lifted the fabric and hooked it onto one of the rods supporting the tent. They were at each of the four corners and the fifth one at the back of tent.
He entered the tent and lay down. After a moment, his eyes closed on their own and he fell asleep.
--------------
He did not know how long he slept, but he was awakened by conversations outside the tent, which suggested that the other miners had returned from their shifts.
After a moment of lying down, he finally got up and sat. He noticed the light from the device and several miners sitting on stones around the lamp.
Sweeping his gaze across the scene before him, he saw sticks hanging above the device, with meat skewered on them.
He then also felt the wonderful smell of grilled meat, which caused a cramp in his stomach, which had been empty since morning. At the very sight, his mouth began to water. He took a piece of meat from the bag lying next to him and left the tent.
He approached to the oldest of the men, called Old Yao, and handed him the meat. Without a word, the man simply took it, put it on a stick, and hung it over the device. He was the one who most often took care of grilling the meat.
After a few minutes, Old Yao took down the skewers and began handing them out to everyone sitting by the lamp. Receiving the skewer from Old Yao, Zhu Yuan smiled warmly at him and nodded in thanks.
Despite his own peculiar character, even he liked the old man. It might have been because he was like a grandpa to everyone there. Always warmly smiling. Always helping everyone. Probably no one was more liked in the entire camp.
After receiving the food, he did not even register when the skewer ended up in his mouth. Feeling the taste of the grilled meat, his mood quickly improved. Because of hunger and the taste of the meat, he finished his meal quite quickly.
After finishing eating, Zhu Yuan wanted more, but he had to remember that the next food delivery was still some time away, and if he ate more, he would most likely go without a meal on another day. It was also visible that the food was limited and insufficient for a constantly growing youth. He was slightly underweight, and the oversized clothes hung on him like a sack.
With these thoughts, he returned to the tent, this time not leaving the entrance uncovered. He lay down and fell asleep just as quickly as before.