Second Source Stone Mine.

Dragon Cypress and Black Cory each led 60 Large Worker Ants, 60 medium Worker Ants, and 60 medium Soldier Ants. They rested during the day and worked at night, boring and exploring one mountaintop after another.

The work was hard, draining, and monotonous.

Dragon Cypress had the urge to leave after less than ten days.

After persevering for two more days, Dragon Cypress found himself on the way back to the Ant Nest at dawn after finishing work. He had made up his mind to leave that day and began to ponder how to bid farewell to Black Cory and how to soothe his emotions...

"Great King! Great King!"

Suddenly, Black Cory, who was working on another mountaintop, frantically charged down the slope, running towards them.

"Great King! Found it!"

"Finally found it!"

"Source Stone!"

Black Cory desperately shook his tentacles, conveying information.

Found it?!

Dragon Cypress was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

They had actually found it!

Behind Black Cory, a troop of Soldier Ants followed, running in. One of the Soldier Ants held a Source Stone between its jaws. Amidst the throng of ants, it carefully placed the stone before Dragon Cypress.

"Good!"

Dragon Cypress, overwhelmed with joy, picked up the Source Stone to briefly inspect it. He then waved a claw, issuing an order, "Let's check it out!"

It was a small, unremarkable mountaintop, just a hundred meters tall, composed of dark brown rocks. The base was littered with jagged stones of all sizes.

"Great King, this way."

Black Cory ran ahead to lead the way.

At the foot of the mountain, there was a hole about 30 centimeters in diameter, just wide enough for two Large Worker Ants to pass through side-by-side. It was a tunnel leading horizontally, straight into the heart of the mountain.

Good. Dragon Cypress spread his spiritual power to scan. Inside, at a depth of 40 meters, Worker Ants were busily excavating rock to widen the cave.

Black Cory waved his tentacles, and the Soldier Ants crawled into the cave to help transport stones out.

Soon, another digging Worker Ant waved its tentacles, releasing Pheromones of cheer, as surrounding Worker Ants rushed to assist.

Eight Source Stones were found clustered together, embedded in the rock.

"Great King! Look, we've dug them out!" Black Cory cheered, instructing the Worker Ants to quickly pry out several Source Stones and present them to Dragon Cypress.

"Don't get too excited just yet!"

Dragon Cypress bent down to look, his excitement quickly cooling as he explained, "Source Stone Mines are categorized into Rich, Medium, and Poor based on their abundance, with significant differences. Mines where Source Stones make up more than 10% can be considered Rich Mines. Those with a 1% to 10% ratio are Medium Mines and still worth mining."

"If the ratio is below 1%, then what is dug up is mostly stone. Searching for Source Stones in a pile of rocks doesn't offer much value..."

Black Cory raised a claw, interrupting to ask, "Great King, what does the ratio mean..."

Dragon Cypress explained, "A ratio of 1% means that for every 100 bags of rock you dig, you get 1 bag of Source Stone."

Black Cory said, "Uh..."

Black Cory exclaimed, "Great King, these rocks are very hard!"

Dragon Cypress replied, "The rocks in a Source Stone Mine are all very hard, and mostly black."

Dragon Cypress moved his tentacles and said, "Black Cory, don't rush to mine just yet. You command the Worker Ants to dig tunnels toward the deep interior of the mountain, as well as upward, downward, and to the sides for exploration. I'll direct the ant swarm to do some prospecting around the base of the mountain. First, let's determine the distribution, depth, and richness of the mine here."

"Understood, Great King," Black Cory answered, his tone resolute.

Dragon Cypress and Black Cory each led a team of Worker Ants and set off separately, working until midday before stopping.

They rested for half a day.

After sunset, they continued.

After two days of drilling and exploration, they preliminarily confirmed that there were no Source Stones on the mountain.

Several points were marked, and they dug deeper.

It took another two days to lock down the range of the Source Stone distribution, which was situated below the mountain.

As they dug deeper, the proportion of Source Stones increased.

Dragon Cypress and Black Cory took separate actions, excavating multiple tunnels underground for test digs.

At a depth of about one hundred meters underground, the Source Stone ratio gradually rose from less than 1% to over 10%. Deeper than that, the ratio of Source Stones began to decrease.

After three more days, they essentially confirmed that the entire mine was roughly spherical, with a radius of about 100 meters. The highest proportion of Source Stones was at the center. About 30 meters from the center, the Source Stone ratio quickly dropped below 1%. Around 50 meters from the center, they had to mine 1,000 bags of stones to get just one bag of Source Stones.

Based on the scale, this was a micro Source Stone Mine.

...

Inside the temporary Ant Nest at the Second Source Stone Mine, Dragon Cypress called Black Cory over to discuss matters.

With his front leg, he scraped the rock wall, smoothing out a flat surface. Then, with the tip of his claw, he sketched a mountain pattern and annotated it with markings.

"Black Cory, this is the mountain where the Source Stone Mine is located. It stretches over 400 meters in length and more than 200 meters in width. Here is where the drill discovered Source Stones."

Dragon Cypress pointed with his tentacles.

"Yes!" Black Cory stood at attention, indicating with his own tentacles that he understood.

Dragon Cypress raised a claw and drew a circle beneath the mountain pattern, saying, "This represents the overall distribution of the Source Stone Mine, with a radius of about 100 meters."

Dragon Cypress added a smaller circle within the larger one, continuing, "This is the central mining area worth excavating, with a radius of 50 meters."

Black Cory nodded his tentacles in agreement. He pondered for a moment before asking, "Great King, shall we not dig in the Poor Mine area?"

Dragon Cypress replied, "No, we shall not. It's a waste of time. With the time we would spend here, it would be more profitable to plant more fruit trees at Black Lotus Lake."

Dragon Cypress stated, "We'll only excavate this particular area."

Black Cory said, "...Okay!"

Dragon Cypress raised his claw. From the bottom of the mountain pattern, he sketched a vertical line straight down to the bottom of the circle, saying, "Overall, the Source Stone content isn't high, but the rocks are hard, so there's no risk of collapse. We'll drill a vertical tunnel and dig upwards from the bottom. As we excavate, we'll use the rock as backfill on the spot. The Source Stones will be sorted, transported out, and then piled up together."

Black Cory affirmed, "Understood!"

Dragon Cypress pointed at the center of the circle with his tentacles and said, "The Source Stone content in the central area is around 10%, and the rock layer there may not be very solid. When digging close to it, be extra cautious. Hollow out the center first."

Black Cory replied, "I've got it!"

Black Cory asked, "Great King, can you estimate how many Source Stones are present in this mine?"

Dragon Cypress answered, "More than 10 million, but less than 15 million. You can get a share of 100,000 to 150,000 Source Stones."

"Great!"

Black Cory's tentacles waved excitedly. "Great King, do we start digging tonight?"

Dragon Cypress flicked his tentacles, saying, "First, we stick to the plan and try digging for one night. If there are no problems, you'll stay here in charge of the excavation. The Late Winter Season is approaching, and I must hurry back to Fragrant Orchid Mountain to oversee the winter fishing work."

"Is there enough food in the Ant Nest to last the whole colony for two months? Next spring, I will come as soon as possible. The scale of the mine is quite small. With the number of Worker Ants and Soldier Ants we have here, it should take at most four months to complete the mining."

Black Cory said, "Understood—"

Black Cory asked tentatively, "Great King, my share..."

Dragon Cypress assured him, "Once the excavation is done, it will be recorded. Not a single Source Stone will be missed from your share."

Dragon Cypress, unusually amiable, spread his membranous wings and gently patted Black Cory's carapace. He said, "Black Cory, you see, following the Great King isn't wrong, is it? You're only a Mid-Level Assistant King, yet you already possess wealth of over 100,000. In the future, you will have the resources for the Evolution Mountain Lord Level."

"Work hard! The Great King will not let you down."

"Oh—"

Black Cory hesitated, then asked with apprehension, "Great King, could you perhaps buy me an Ice-Fire Water-Making Pot as well?"

???

Dragon Cypress asked, "What do you need that thing for? Once you're done with the work here, you'll return to Black Lotus Lake to develop and manage the orchard. The lake is full of water. You couldn't possibly be thirsty, could you?"

Black Cory mumbled, "Um..."

Black Cory said, "I think the 'Ice Making' function is pretty nice."

Black Cory pleaded, "Great King, could you buy me a cheap one? I'm not concerned about its appearance, just that it can make ice. Black Lotus Lake also gets quite hot in the summer..."

Dragon Cypress reminded him, "After I evolve to the Mountain Lord Level, I'll awaken a new Water System Ability. If all goes as expected, it should be 'Ice Making'. Accordingly, the Specialized Blue Soldiers I cultivate will also master this ability."

Black Cory thought for a moment and insisted, "Great King, White Willow can't command the Blue Soldiers. I'll buy one for it to use."

Dragon Cypress was silent for a moment.

Dragon Cypress relented, "Fine. I'll ask the Flame Spider Roving Merchant later. If you don't mind the appearance, the price will definitely be affordable."

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