Even when they left the village and arrived at the jungle, heading towards the mine, Keqing still couldn't get Jiang Xuan to tell her what the mod was.
This made Keqing lose some interest, and she was no longer as excited as the first time she went mining, stripping even the bark off trees she passed.
Jiang Xuan was amused, but he didn't tell her the answer, even with Keqing's sulky demeanor.
Because they were familiar with the distance and direction, even with more people this time, they actually reached the mine entrance in ten minutes.
Compared to the first time, when it was a deep, dark abyss, this time, even standing outside the mine, they could see the faint yellow light of torches inside.
"Is this like 'later generations enjoying the shade of trees planted by their predecessors'?"
Jiang Xuan chuckled, making a playful remark. Keqing, beside him, pouted and retorted:
"But it was us who went in both times, so it can't really be called 'predecessors' and 'later generations', can it?"
"You have a point."
Jiang Xuan shrugged and quietly activated the Vein Miner mod.
This mod was indeed useful, but it wasn't without its drawbacks.
Vein Miner consumed pickaxes quickly, and if left on, it was easy to accidentally dismantle one's home.
Therefore, Jiang Xuan naturally couldn't let everyone use this function when they weren't in the mine.
After reconfirming that his backpack contained enough resources, Jiang Xuan immediately prepared to enter the mine.
"Mr. Jiang Xuan, please wait."
Xiao quickly stopped Jiang Xuan, saying in a deep voice:
"Allow me to scout ahead."
"Uh..."
Jiang Xuan was about to say that a long stretch of the path ahead had already been explored by him, but seeing Xiao's eagerness, Jiang Xuan didn't know what to say.
After thinking for a moment, he pulled out a shield and handed it to him.
"Then take this and lead the way."
Xiao took the shield and weighed it thoughtfully.
Noticing that its defensive power was extraordinarily strong, he felt a desire to craft one himself.
"I'll take the rear."
Zhongli also spoke, and with a sweep of his hand, he cast a Jade Shield, layering a defense around everyone.
Keqing also handed her shield to Zhongli.
Just as Xiao felt it, Zhongli's perception was even deeper.
At least he felt that in this world, with his divine power completely restricted, the Jade Shield might not be as sturdy as this shield.
He inwardly muttered that it was absurd.
Jiang Xuan glanced at Cloud Retainer again, paused, then spoke:
"Cloud Retainer, aren't you going to take human form? We'll need to gather resources later."
"That is a fair point."
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Cloud Retainer's eyes. She must have been so accustomed to her crane form that she forgot until reminded.
With a flash of light, Cloud Retainer transformed back into the appearance she had on Sky Island earlier.
Keqing was stunned. It was her first time seeing an adeptus transform, and she couldn't help but blurt out:
"Cloud Retainer's appearance in this form truly exudes an air of erudition and wisdom..."
Unfortunately, Cloud Retainer wouldn't be pleased by praise for her appearance.
She glanced at Keqing but didn't reply.
Rather than complimenting her looks, she preferred praise for her adeptal mechanisms.
Zhongli and Xiao also felt a pang of emotion.
Since the Archon War, many old friends had passed, and Zhongli's gatherings with Cloud Retainer had become much less frequent.
The last time he saw Cloud Retainer transform was truly hundreds of years ago.
It just goes to show that as people age, they tend to reminisce about the past...
Jiang Xuan looked at Zhongli's emotional expression, emanating an indescribable ancient aura, and felt a headache coming on.
This guy, he didn't know what was going on with him; it was as if he was trying to hide his identity, yet all the small details blatantly screamed that he was Rex Lapis.
Looking at Ningguang's gaze towards Zhongli earlier, she probably already had some suspicions.
Jiang Xuan sighed. To prevent Keqing from also recognizing Zhongli and immediately debating governance by humans with him, he quickly changed the subject.
"Alright, no more idle chat. Xiao, you take the shield and lead the way. Zhongli, you guard the rear. Keqing, you all hold your torches ready."
"It's like how we went mining before, except this time we're responsible for observing the minerals, and Zhongli and Xiao are responsible for guarding against enemies. Understand?"
Everyone nodded in unison.
"Good! Then let's go! Down the mine!"
Jiang Xuan shouted, and everyone followed Xiao into the mine.
The first half wasn't particularly noteworthy.
Torches were placed everywhere, making it impossible for monsters to spawn.
All they heard was Keqing and Ganyu recounting the thrilling dangers of their first mining trip.
Perhaps because the path was clear and unobstructed, they soon arrived at the place where the coal seam had been.
Keqing's eyes lit up, and she pointed to a large section of the wall that had been excavated nearby.
"Look, that's where it was!"
No sooner had she spoken than a trident ripped through the air and plunged straight towards the direction Keqing was pointing.
Thud!
The trident struck the wall, then fell cleanly to the ground.
"..."
Xiao's face was devoid of expression, his gaze profound as he looked at Keqing.
"I was just saying... that's where we found coal before."
Keqing awkwardly pursed her lips, then said helplessly:
"Conqueror of Demons, aren't you being a little overly cautious?"
Xiao didn't reply, silently walking over to pick up the trident.
He discovered that this thing was really great for throwing around. Xiao had already decided that he would get more of them whenever he had the chance.
With the trident's inherent weight, back in Teyvat, he might even be able to recreate the spectacular scene of Zhongli's arm-swinging descent of a thousand mountains.
"This wall has indeed been excavated several layers deep."
Ningguang stepped forward and looked around. Remembering that those dismantled coal mines came from such a small area, she felt a sense of shock.
Suddenly, Ningguang heard some faint noises.
Like monster roars, hidden within the wall.
She frowned slightly, turned to look at Jiang Xuan, and cautiously retreated towards him.
"Did you find it?"
Jiang Xuan smiled, pulling Ningguang into the group and whispering:
"There should be a monster nest inside that wall."
Hearing this, Xiao, who had just relaxed, instantly became alert, holding a shield in one hand and a trident in the other, blocking the path in front of everyone.
He was quite the competent bodyguard.
"No need to worry too much."
Jiang Xuan waved his hand, chuckling:
"Those monsters are all blocked off by the wall, we don't know how far away they are. We don't need to bother with them, let's keep going."
Everyone nodded. There was nothing noteworthy about this area, and no resources either.
However, if they developed on a grand scale later, this mine could be preserved as a cultural landscape.
Liyue's first stop in otherworldly development! The Qixing go mining!
Continuing their exploration deeper into the mine, everyone also followed Jiang Xuan's instructions, paying attention to both their feet and the ceiling.
Unfortunately, this section of the mine truly had nothing good.
Before long, everyone arrived at the resting base Jiang Xuan had built deeper in the mine.
Even though they had heard Ganyu and Keqing talk about it, seeing it firsthand still left everyone speechless.
One person, in a little over ten minutes, had built such a large base suitable for resting?
In The Chasm, it would take at least the lives of several miners and several months of effort.
However, no one felt sad about the comparison.
After all, ninety percent of the miners from The Chasm would eventually be transferred back to mine in this world.
"Objectively speaking, the mines in this world truly benefit the Liyue miners."
Zhongli said with some emotion, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes as he surveyed the space.
"Miners can enjoy these unique benefits when working in this world's mines. Even deep underground, they can ensure their safety and have suitable resting areas..."
With an attitude of observation and learning, Zhongli walked around the resting base.
Suddenly, he saw a tunnel entrance blocked with dirt, clearly deliberately distinguished from its surroundings.
Zhongli frowned slightly and turned to ask:
"Jiang Xuan, what is this? Why is this tunnel entrance deliberately blocked?"
Hearing this, everyone else also looked over.
Jiang Xuan replaced the freshly placed dirt, poured a bucket of water, and planted some seeds.
Then he looked up and said:
"That over there is also a passage deeper into the mine, but it's a bit dangerous. I plan to explore the other side first before checking that one out."
Zhongli nodded thoughtfully.
"No wonder I heard many monster roars from this side, but... this mine isn't suitable for miners to explore."
Hearing this, Jiang Xuan chuckled, hands on his hips, and put away his tools.
"Don't worry, for the miners, I'll find them a safer mine. Or, if there are enough of them, there are other ways."
"For example... starting from the mountain top and simply hollowing out the entire mountain!"
No sooner had he spoken than he saw everyone's "You must be kidding" expressions.
Jiang Xuan didn't explain.
It might have been difficult to achieve before, but...
With Vein Miner activated, and a thousand people working simultaneously, a mountain could be completely excavated in just two days.
However, Jiang Xuan planned to let Ningguang and the others witness this awe-inspiring scene for themselves in the future.
By then, their understanding of the MC world would undoubtedly reach a whole new level.
"Do you all need to rest a bit more?"
Standing before the dark, unexplored section of the mine, Jiang Xuan asked casually.
Everyone immediately shook their heads in unison.
"Since we came in, we've only been walking, not wasting any stamina at all."
Keqing spread her hands, a hint of helplessness in her expression.
"If possible, I hope we can go to deeper areas to mine resources as soon as possible."
Jiang Xuan burst out laughing, clapping his hands.
Xiao understood, taking the lead with his shield.
Jiang Xuan motioned for everyone to take out their torches, his smile fading.
"The rest of the mine, we haven't explored yet. We'll proceed with caution, observing the resources in the mine."
"Also, watch your step carefully. Don't accidentally fall."
No one found Jiang Xuan long-winded; they all took his words seriously.
Then Jiang Xuan patted Xiao, and by the faint torchlight, everyone finally entered the unknown depths of the mine.
This time, Xiao kept his shield raised, always in front of everyone, carefully inching forward.
Jiang Xuan was relatively close to Xiao, so Xiao could also see the path beneath his feet clearly.
This mine shaft was unlike the previous one.
While the previous passage wasn't easy to navigate, it was at least a straight path forward.
This one, however, was a chaotic jumble of piled stones, with high drops and hidden, bottomless holes everywhere.
After more than ten minutes, they had advanced less than five hundred meters.
But no one felt anxious; even Zhongli had to be extremely careful.
After all, his divine power was sealed, and his other extraordinary abilities were severely weakened, so he wasn't much stronger than them at the moment.
Suddenly, Ganyu gasped, pulling on Jiang Xuan.
"Jiang Xuan, Jiang Xuan! I think I see coal!"
This single sentence instantly invigorated everyone, who had been starting to feel a bit weary.
Following Ganyu's gaze, about ten meters to the left, there was a completely black wall, entirely made of coal!
"This..."
Ningguang was stunned, recalling Ganyu and the others' previous mining experiences, and slowly said:
"Are we rich?"
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