Of course, the only good news was that while these mine tunnels were smaller, they were all interconnected, meaning that eventually, they would only need to set up conveyor belts. As the mining time here lengthened and the space became large enough, high explosives could be installed to blast out those high-value mineral deposits, instead of relying solely on pickaxes.
"Boss, you're here." A dusty Arendi, alerted by his companions, scurried over from deep within the mine tunnel, stooping low.
"How are things?" Swain asked Arendi, who had arrived before him.
"Things don't seem very good. I checked two mine tunnels that already have conveyor belts, and the ore dug out is all common iron ore. We haven't found any trace of adamantium yet," Arendi shouted over the din.
"It's alright, we'll just spend more time exploring the other mine tunnels. Since traces of adamantium were found over there, it's only a matter of time before we find it here too," Swain likewise shouted back to Arendi.
The noise at the bottom of the mine tunnel was truly deafening: the sound of power picks, the sharp, ear-piercing screech of metal from the conveyor belts transporting ore due to lack of lubrication, and the clatter of ore falling onto mine carts, all converged into a sea of noise.
"Organize more people. We'll explore the remaining mine tunnels separately." Swain immediately reorganized a group of people, expanding the scope of their exploration.
"Emperor, your son is in my hands. I'm counting on your blessing for this one!" Swain prayed silently. Although he didn't know if it would work, he prayed anyway.
Then he decisively applied numerology and burrowed into unexplored Tunnel 13, while Corax and Arendi, carrying their respective equipment, as if by some ghostly urge, separately burrowed into Tunnels 26 and 39.
In this universe, colors and certain specific numbers have very strong indicative meanings. For example, gold and the number 13 point to the Emperor, the master of the Imperium of Man, who is currently embarking on the Great Crusade.
Six and purple represent Slaanesh, the youngest god in the Warp, the Lord of Pleasure.
Seven and green represent the oldest god of life in the Warp, Father Nurgle.
Eight and red represent Khorne, the most powerful Lord of Skulls in the Warp, the Blood God.
Nine and blue represent Tzeentch, the most cunning Lord of Change in the Warp.
Although the current Emperor disdains these things, it doesn't matter; He will accept them in the future. In the Warhammer universe, being stubborn is useless; what is, is.
"That's not right, is the Emperor not strong enough?" Swain knelt and pressed his detection device onto a relatively flat section of the mine wall that he had chiseled out. Although it could be measured through an uneven wall, Swain still chiseled out a platform. This would minimize errors caused by instrument detection.
"Impossible, the density of the entire mine tunnel, except for the surface, remains surprisingly consistent inside? Break it open!!!" Swain crawled out, found a relatively spacious spot where he could stand, and began chiseling.
With a series of clanging sounds, dust instantly filled the already small space.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Even with a dust mask, Swain was choked and coughed continuously. This was also the reason for the short lifespan of miners on Lycaeus; various occupational diseases like pneumoconiosis, coupled with harsh living conditions and a lack of medical care, meant that people here were considered long-lived at 30 years old.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..." Swain finally managed to chisel open a gap of over a meter in the outer layer and stopped to rest. The previously small space was now piled high with broken ore, and the air had become increasingly murky.
"What in the world is this dark, black stuff?" Swain took his handheld detector and measured the wall again, finding that the density readings behind it were all the same, as he had already dug through the front sections. He then picked up some fragments that had fallen to the ground and rubbed them vigorously with his hand.
"Soft, high density, and seems to have strong insulation properties." Swain felt the characteristics of this unknown metal and made a preliminary judgment. Evidently, the wavelength emitted by the detection instrument could not penetrate this layer of black mineral, which is why the entire instrument showed a uniform density reading after the initial broken rocks. Specific details would require specialized testing.
Swain grabbed a few pieces of this unknown mineral, which he had encountered for the first time, and put them in his waist pouch. Clearly, he had already seen the value of this unknown ore. He then picked up his power pick again and began digging...
After about an hour of digging, a stubborn resistance finally came from the power pick.
"Hmm, any luck?" Swain's face lit up with joy as he felt this familiar resistance. He was all too familiar with this resistance; over the past few months, every time he mined adamantium ore, it felt like this.
Swain tossed aside his power pick and switched to a chisel, beginning to scrape away the black mineral covering the outside. As the chisel and his calloused hand gently peeled back this mysterious veil, a dazzling golden light suddenly leaped out of the darkness.
This golden light, illuminated by the headlamp, appeared so noble and radiant.
"Hahaha, it was worth digging for half a day!" Swain, who had been digging intensely, laughed and, without a care for his image, leaned against the pile of ore, pulling down his dust mask to hang on his chest, his chest heaving as he gulped down the murky air.
Now, all that was needed was to have people dig along here. And besides the adamantium, this black, miraculous mineral also needed to be carefully preserved; these things would surely play an unexpected role in the future.
After resting for over ten minutes, Swain put his dust mask back on and began digging again. He needed to get a preliminary idea of the approximate reserves of the adamantium vein here.
The sounds of the power pick, chisel, and stone hammer clanging together continuously echoed in the narrow mine tunnel. Strands of golden threads climbed upwards like nimble snakes, intertwining with the golden adamantium ore embedded in the wall, some deeply, some shallowly.
"We're rich, we're rich! Even if you multiply it tenfold, I won't have to worry anymore!" Swain laughed as he looked at these adamantium veins. Now he could finally let loose and prepare for the big task of overthrowing those slave owners.
"But this amount of adamantium ore is nothing; it's far from what Curze has back home. Speaking of which, Curze's home is truly wealthy!" Swain sighed.