themonasnovels Chapter 120 Gaining Trust
Chapter 120 Gaining Trust
Chapter 120 Gaining Trust
The three were taken to a crude cart pulled by some kind of heat-resistant beetle, and under the "escort" of a small squad of soldiers, they left Obsidian City and headed into the depths of the Burning Mountains.
The cart bumped along the rugged mountain road for about an hour before finally reaching its destination.
It was an open-pit mine located in a mountain valley. It was quite large, but it looked unusually deserted at the moment.
Some makeshift sheds and watchtowers stood at the edge of the mine pit, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur and a chilling, unsettling atmosphere.
At the bottom of the mine, a section was clearly isolated, with fragments of ore scattered on the ground, shimmering with an ominous dark purple light, and the surrounding rock walls were stained with the same color.
Several indigenous people, dressed in simple protective gear and with their soul flames flickering erratically, stood guard at a distance, not daring to approach.
"That's it. Those are the Purple Plague Stones."
"Try purifying them using your methods."
"Remember, don't get too close, the plague will corrode the soul fire."
The civil servant leading the way pointed to the quarantine zone, his tone serious.
Luo Lin and his two companions walked to the edge of the quarantine zone.
Upon closer inspection, the energy within those dark purple ores was indeed active and chaotic, possessing the corrosive nature unique to corrupting sources, yet mixed with the scorching heat of this world, forming a unique and more destructive variant.
"Let's begin."
"Flame Shield," he whispered, taking a step forward and pressing his hands together. Powerful flame energy erupted, forming a stable, slowly rotating vortex of flame above the quarantine zone.
The vortex emitted high temperatures, but it wasn't violent; instead, it carried a strange sense of restraint, a result of the Flame Shield's precise control.
Luo Lin then pretended to take out the prepared mineral powder and slowly sprinkled it around the edge of the isolation zone while muttering incantations.
At the same time, he focused his mind, activated the echo unit, and began to analyze the energy structure of the purple plague stones in front of him.
The analysis results show that its core chaotic and corrosive characteristics are the same as those of the Corruption Source, but its outer layer is wrapped in a more violent energy shell scorched by hellfire.
Simply burning it with flames is unlikely to reach its core; instead, it may trigger its aggressive outer shell.
It needs to be dismantled from within.
Luo Lin quietly guided a trace of extremely weak star power disguised as mutated soothing energy, mixed with a trace of the analytical frequency of the source of corruption recorded by the echo unit, like an invisible needle, silently piercing into the interior of a small purple plague stone under the cover of the energy of the flame shield flame vortex.
The orderly properties of stellar power and the analytical frequency of the echo unit acted as a catalyst, instantly disrupting the fragile balance of chaotic energy within the ore.
The dark purple light on the surface of the Purple Plague Stone suddenly surged, then began to flicker violently, emitting a faint sound like shattering glass.
Immediately afterward, to the astonishment of the surrounding natives, the dark purple color on the surface of the ore faded at a visible speed, turning into a relatively stable, deep dark red.
Although the energy was still active, the unsettling sense of disorder and erosion had disappeared!
"efficient!"
The civil official leading the way couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, his eyes flaring with intense spiritual fire.
Luo Lin was certain that the method would work.
He did the same, injecting more fine needles of order into several other smaller pieces of ore.
One after another, the Purple Plague Stones underwent similar transformations under the vortex of flames.
Of course, this process is quite demanding, mainly due to the precise control of mental energy.
Lorin's forehead was beaded with sweat, but he managed to stay upright.
After about a third of the Purple Plague Stones had been successfully purified, Roland stopped, pretending to be exhausted, took a few steps back, and winked at Flame Shield.
Flame Shield understood and slowly withdrew its flame vortex.
That's all for today.
"Our method requires a lot of mental effort and cannot process too many at once."
"Moreover, there may be a source of the plague deep within the mine, which requires further investigation."
Yan Dun spoke to the civil official in a tired but steady tone.
The civil official, already dumbfounded, nodded hastily, "Good! Good! That's enough!"
"You lot are indeed very capable! I'll go back and report to the lord immediately! You rest here for now, and I'll arrange for someone to bring you food!"
Having witnessed the miracle firsthand, the civil official's attitude became much more respectful.
Soon, Luo Lin and his two companions were invited to a relatively clean stone house next to the mine to rest, and were served roasted animal meat.
After closing the door and setting up a perimeter, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"We succeeded! We have initially gained their trust."
"The nightingale whispered."
"But this is just the beginning."
"Purifying these surface ores is not difficult, but if there are truly sources of corruption or large-scale mineral deposits deep within the mine, it is not something we can easily solve."
"We must be careful to strike a balance."
Luo Lin rubbed his throbbing temples.
"Our current goal is to use this opportunity to reach higher levels and obtain intelligence."
"Wait for the lord to summon us, and then we'll act accordingly."
Flame Shield spoke slowly.
Several hours later, the civil official returned, his face beaming with joy.
"The lord requests your presence! Gentlemen, please follow me back to the city!"
It seems the performance went well.
Luo Lin and the other two exchanged glances, adjusted their disguises, and followed the civil official back onto the cart, returning to Yaoyan City.
This time, they were no longer homeless people randomly placed in stone houses on the edge of the city.
The civil official led them directly to the city center, to a taller, fortress-like building constructed of black metal and dark red rock.
This is the mansion of the Forge Lord.
After a rigorous but quick check, the three were taken inside the fortress.
The temperature was higher than outside, the walls were inlaid with glowing red crystals, and the air was filled with the scent of metal and fire.
In a spacious stone hall with a floor covered in heavy animal hides and walls adorned with various weapons and mineral specimens, they met Karug, the ruler of Obsidian City and the Lord of the Forge.
Karug was an exceptionally tall and robust native with deep, dark red skin, almost black, and a keratinized layer on his body that resembled cast armor.
Two condensed, almost white, blazing soul flames burned in his eye sockets, radiating an imposing aura without anger.
He wore heavy leather armor inlaid with dark gold metal plates, and a cloak made of the fur of some kind of fire beast. He sat on a large chair cast from a single piece of black metal.
His gaze was sharp as he swept over the three of them, especially lingering on the mutated soul flames of Rolin and Nightingale for a moment, before finally settling on Flame Shield.
"So it was you who purified the Purple Plague Stone in the mine?"
Karug's voice was deep and resonant, with a metallic quality.
"Yes, my lord."
Flame Shield stepped forward and bowed slightly, following the local etiquette.
"What method was used?"
"Karugg asked."
"Ancestral techniques for controlling fire and harmonizing energy."
"Our clan has dealt with all kinds of violent energy for many years and has figured out some tricks of the trade."
"The plague-like nature of the Purple Plague Stone is extreme energy disorder and heterogeneous erosion. It needs to be slowly calcined at a stable high temperature, while being guided and soothed with a special energy frequency to restore it to order."
Flame Shield answered according to his prepared statement.
Karug remained noncommittal, simply tapping the metal handrail with his fingers.
"Can you solve the problem of the source of the plague deep in the mine?"
"We need to conduct an on-site investigation to confirm this."
"Our method is very resource-intensive and requires a large source."
"If the source is too powerful, it may require more time, or—the assistance of even more powerful fire energy."
O
Rolin spoke, his voice deliberately hoarse and weak, and he glanced at Karug at the opportune moment.
"What do you want?"
The soul fire in Karug's eyes flickered.
"We have been wandering for a long time, seeking only a place to settle down and serve the adults in exchange for the necessities of life and—knowledge."
"We are very interested in minerals and energy from the outside world."
Flame Shield's answer was very clever.
Karug remained silent for a moment.
These wanderers are indeed quite capable. If they can solve the problem of the Purple Plague Stone, this major concern, their abilities will be invaluable.
As for shelter and knowledge, they meant nothing to the empire.
"Very well! From today onwards, you will be the Flame Masters of my Radiant Rock City."
"Responsible for handling Purple Plague Stone and other energy disorder issues."
"I will provide you with the resources and shelter you need. But you must live in a designated place and your movements will be monitored."
""
"If the source deep within the mine cannot be resolved, or if their malicious intentions are discovered—"
Karug didn't finish his sentence, but the threat was clear.
"Yes, my lord."
The three of them said in unison.
The first step of the plan was a success.