Lin Xia stood before what looked like an ordinary patch of ground, an iron shovel in his hand.
Behind him, over twenty townspeople had gathered, each wearing a skeptical expression.
"My lord, are you sure we're digging here?" a frail-looking middle-aged man asked cautiously.
"Yeah, this place doesn't even grow grass. How could there be a mine?"
Lin Xia didn't waste words—he began digging straight away.
The shovel cut into the earth, scattering dirt.
After less than half a meter, Lin Xia paused and called out to the crowd, "Old Tom, come give me a hand."
From the crowd walked a short, stout old man with a full beard and hands as rough as bark.
This was Old Tom, the town's blacksmith.
According to the Dice of Fate, this guy was actually a master craftsman of the dwarven race.
"You called for me, my lord?" Old Tom's voice was gravelly.
"Yes. Take a look at this soil."
Lin Xia pointed to the dirt he had unearthed.
Old Tom crouched down, grabbed a handful, and examined it closely.
Suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply.
"This… there's residual magical energy in this soil!"
The surrounding townspeople fell silent.
Lin Xia continued digging, quickly reaching three meters deep.
Suddenly, his shovel struck something hard.
Crack!
He cleared away the dirt and uncovered a fist-sized blue crystal.
It glowed faintly, with visible currents of electricity flowing inside.
"A magestone! It really is a magestone!"
The crowd erupted in excitement.
"Oh my god, Lord Lin actually found a mine!"
"That thing's huge—how much is it worth?!"
Old Tom trembled with excitement, carefully taking the crystal and inspecting it.
"Excellent quality! This is a high-grade magestone! Worth at least fifty gold coins apiece!"
Lin Xia nodded in satisfaction.
Fifty gold coins per piece—and this was just the tip of the iceberg.
According to the intel, the entire vein was worth over a hundred thousand gold coins.
"Starting today, everyone participating in mining will be paid two silver coins per day!"
Lin Xia declared with a grand wave.
"Hooray! Long live our lord!"
The townspeople burst into cheers.
Just then, the sound of hooves echoed in the distance.
Lain had returned with his team.
But among them was an unexpected presence—a unicorn with a snowy white coat.
The unicorn walked gracefully in the middle of the group, its horn gleaming on its forehead.
"Heavens, is that a unicorn?"
"A divine beast from legend!"
The townspeople were awestruck.
Lain strode up to Lin Xia and knelt on one knee. "My lord, the mission is complete. The Rainbow Dewflower has been collected, and the unicorn is willing to follow you."
Lin Xia accepted the multicolored blossom.
Its petals were thin as cicada wings and emitted a faint fragrance.
"Well done. How's the unicorn's condition?"
"I treated its injuries with healing potions—it's almost fully recovered. It said it wishes to become your steed as repayment for saving its life," Lain replied respectfully.
Lin Xia walked toward the unicorn and gently stroked its mane.
The unicorn lowered its head gently and nuzzled Lin Xia's hand.
"From now on, your name is Snowwind."
The unicorn neighed softly, accepting the name.
Old Tom's eyes widened, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit an egg.
"My lord… you—you even tamed a unicorn?!"
Lin Xia smiled without answering, instead turning to ask, "Old Tom, what do you think of this flower?"
Old Tom leaned in to examine it, and his expression suddenly changed.
"This is a Rainbow Dewflower! A top-tier ingredient for high-grade potions!"
"You know alchemy?" Lin Xia asked, feigning surprise.
"I—well—I know a little…" Old Tom mumbled.
"Since you know a little, help me identify what potions this flower can be used to make."
Lin Xia handed him the flower.
Old Tom examined it for a long while.
"This flower is of excellent quality. It can be used to make life restoration potions or mana amplification potions. If combined with the right ingredients, it could even be used to brew a legendary Strength Awakening Potion."
"Strength Awakening Potion?" Lin Xia's interest was piqued.
"It's a potion that allows ordinary people to awaken either combat qi or magical talent. But the ingredients are extremely rare, and the process is complicated—only master alchemists can craft it."
Old Tom grew more excited as he spoke, completely forgetting to keep up his disguise.
"Can you brew it?" Lin Xia asked bluntly.
Old Tom froze, realizing he had said too much.
"I—I'm just a simple blacksmith…"
"Is that so?" Lin Xia smiled. "Tom Ironhammer, dwarven forging master—how long do you plan to keep hiding?"
Old Tom trembled, staring wide-eyed at Lin Xia.
"You… how do you know my real identity?!"
The nearby townspeople were stunned.
Old Tom was actually a dwarven master?
"I have my ways," Lin Xia replied with a mysterious smile. "The question now is—will you serve me?"
Old Tom fell silent for a long while before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Since you already know, I won't hide anymore. I am a master smith of the dwarves. Due to certain reasons, I ended up here."
"What reasons?"
"My people were slaughtered by orcs. My entire clan was wiped out. I was the only survivor," Old Tom said, voice filled with grief.
Lin Xia patted him on the shoulder. "Let the past stay in the past. Now, will you help me build this territory?"
Old Tom looked up, his eyes flickering with hope.
"If you promise to avenge my kin, I'll serve you for the rest of my life!"
"Deal."
Lin Xia extended his hand.
Old Tom gripped it firmly.
"By the way, you mentioned that Strength Awakening Potions require other materials. What else is needed?"
"In addition to the Rainbow Dewflower, we'll need Dragonblood Grass, powdered Starstone, and… a drop of True Dragon's Blood."
Old Tom listed the ingredients without hesitation.
"I know where to find Dragonblood Grass, and Starstone powder isn't too hard to obtain. As for True Dragon's Blood…"
Lin Xia thought of the name—Dragon's Nest Mountain.
With a name like that, maybe an actual dragon does live there.
"Gather the first two ingredients for now. We'll talk about the dragon blood later."
Just then, a young guard ran up, panting.
"Report, my lord! Orc scouts have been spotted near the territory's border!"
Lin Xia's mind sharpened.
According to the Dice of Fate, the orcs would send a hundred-man scouting force to probe Desolaterock's defenses in three days.
It seemed the operation had already begun.
"How many of them?"
"About five or six—wolf riders."
"Send someone to monitor them. Do not engage."
Lin Xia gave the order.
After the guard left, Lin Xia turned to Lain.
"Gather everyone capable of fighting. We'll have a defense meeting tonight."
"Yes, my lord."
As night fell, the temporary war room was lit with oil lamps.
Those present included Lain, Old Tom, the knight guard captains, and the newly appointed town guard captain.
"According to reliable intel, the orc tribe will send a hundred-man force to attack Desolaterock Town in three days."
Lin Xia went straight to the point.
"A hundred-man force?" Lain frowned. "We have fewer than fifty men—most of them recruits."
"Which is why we can't fight them head-on. We'll have to outsmart them."
Lin Xia spread out a rough map on the table.
"The orcs will likely attack from the northern canyon—it's the only accessible route. We can set up an ambush there."
"We'll need traps and ranged weapons for that," Old Tom chimed in. "Give me two days, and I can forge a batch of heavy crossbows and arrows."
"Excellent. In addition, I need you all to do one more thing…"
Lin Xia lowered his voice and began detailing the battle plan.