Chapter 132: Mining Capacity Soars

【Resources: Wood 82102, Coal 1820, Iron 1260, Silver 0, Gold 0】

In the mine south of the valley, Xia Hong calculated all the iron ore and coal stones scattered across the ground into system units, a satisfied expression crossing his face.

Previously, the hundreds of iron-bodied bows had depleted the camp’s entire stock of iron ore; as for wood, its increase was negligible—when setting out to confront the rodent swarm, Xia Hong clearly remembered the system had only 500-plus coal points left, with zero iron remaining.

Now there was so much: coal at twenty jin per unit, translating to 36,400 jin; iron at ten jin per unit, translating to 12,600 jin.

Today is the sixteenth; for the past half-month, he hadn’t mined a single day.

Clearly, this surplus of resources came from Xia Chuan and the others.

“Big brother, I took Yuan Cheng and added a few more Rodent Drills—our mining efficiency is far higher now.”

Luo Yuan and you both got injured, so only I, Yuan Cheng, Zhao Long, and the other four of us mined. Each of us had a Rodent Drill. Over the past fifteen days, we skipped mining during four hunting trips, but mined for eleven days—six days for iron, five for coal—and gathered this much.”

Coal mine: 200 jin per day; iron mine: 100 jin per day. The higher your Foundation Establishment base strength, the greater the natural boost—and with a Rodent Drill, output doubles again, reaching four times the base rate.

Five people: coal output per day exceeds 4,000 jin, iron exceeds 2,000 jin—converted into system units, both are 200.

Combined with the remaining coal, Xia Chuan’s group’s mining capacity perfectly matches the system’s resource tally.

“Huang Yong and Li Ping have broken through; more will follow. Iron output will rise further. I suspect this valley’s iron mine won’t last long.”

Xia Hong shook his head with a wry smile—he didn’t take Xia Chuan’s jest seriously.

The exact size of this valley’s iron mine was unknown, but it had sustained Luo Ge’s camp for over a decade; judging by the volume of individual iron ore stones, even if Great Xia’s mining capacity doubled or tripled, it would take years to exhaust.

This surge of Foundation Establishment breakthroughs primarily involved the fifteen hunters—small numbers. But when the next wave arrives—the current Woodcutting Realm—begins breaking into Foundation Establishment, the camp’s mining capacity will leap to a whole new level.

Honestly, by then, this valley’s iron mine might truly be insufficient.

Xia Hong’s mind shifted slightly, and he directly instructed Xia Chuan beside him:

“But we can prepare in advance. Have the foraging team watch for black thornbushes during their excursions—mark them immediately if found. Coal mines aren’t needed; there are plenty of Jinlin trees in Redwood Ridge, so underground coal deposits should be abundant.”

Black thornbush is a companion plant to iron ore—finding it means you’ve found iron.

Xia Chuan nodded in agreement, then hesitated before asking:

“Leader, the Bamboo Grove is now under Mirror Immortal Camp’s control. What should we do about the former Lu Shang Camp’s territory in Redwood Ridge?”

Hearing this, Xia Hong didn’t answer immediately. He lowered his head in thought, feeling a pang of regret at the mention of Lu Shang Camp.

Had the rodent swarm not appeared, Lu Shang’s hundreds of people would now be part of Great Xia. But the swarm delayed us—and Mirror Immortal Camp intervened.

By convention, since everyone merged into Mirror Immortal Camp, Lu Shang’s former territory in Redwood Ridge should naturally belong to them.

But that would be unreasonable.

And Great Xia would never agree!

That territory was originally allocated by Luo Ge’s camp to all groups. Without Luo Ge’s camp, they’d have gained no land in Redwood Ridge at all.

Luo Ge’s camp granted them land largely out of goodwill, as fellow neighboring camps. Now that Lu Shang has merged into Mirror Immortal Camp north of the Bamboo Grove, they’re no longer Redwood Ridge people.

The land, therefore, no longer belongs to them.

Great Xia’s objection is even simpler.

Other directions of Redwood Ridge are unclear, but this eastern side—within Xia Hong’s and everyone else’s eyes—is firmly Great Xia’s sphere of influence.

To cede the five-hundred-meter northern zone to Mirror Immortal Camp?

Impossible. Unthinkable.

“Don’t handle it. Send people there regularly to forage and hunt. If Mirror Immortal Camp intrudes, warn them once—then strike directly the second time. I’d like to see if everyone in Mirror Immortal Camp behaves as arrogantly as He Meng!”

Xia Hong’s eyes flashed with coldness. After returning from the north slope, it took him a long time to realize: He Meng had first demanded all the game, then settled for half—it was a test.

A test, wasn’t it? To gauge weakness before seizing control and oppression.

Had he yielded even slightly then, the outcome would have been entirely different.

This made Xia Hong realize: from the moment they met, He Meng’s group held deep hostility and strong aggression toward him and his people.

Recalling this, Xia Hong felt a chill of relief—and developed no goodwill toward Mirror Immortal Camp. He even grew wary of other camps.

“Perfect. I haven’t been to the far north yet. For the next period, we’ll hunt there—it’ll also let us monitor the Bamboo Grove in case they make new moves.”

Lu Shang’s territory lay at the far north. Previously, Great Xia avoided crossing the line out of respect for Lu Shang’s camp. Now that we claim the territory as our own, Xia Hong had no reservations.

“Big brother, are you preparing to hunt medium cold beasts?”

The key to breaking through Cold Resistance was medium cold beast blood—Xia Chuan knew this. Hearing Xia Hong planned to hunt north, he immediately asked. Hunting a medium cold beast…

Xia Hong recalled his confrontation with the rat king. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face; he felt uncertain.

The rat king’s strength was unquestionably formidable—no one could defeat it alone.

But honestly, if enough Foundation Establishment cultivators were assembled, weapons prepared, and the target wasn’t a colony, it wasn’t impossible to defeat.

The only critical question was…

“Rodents are low-rank cold beasts, but their leader is medium-rank. That means other cold beasts likely have tiers too. But are other cold beasts like rodents—colonial, ruled by a leader? If so, hunting any medium-rank beast would be pure fantasy.”

Xia Chuan thought a moment: “Probably not. So far, only rodents are colonial. Snowmane, Frost…”

He hadn’t finished saying “wolf” when his expression froze.

He’d remembered: the Frost Wolf pack they’d encountered when relocating from the earth slope to the valley.

“We didn’t see the alpha wolf then, but we can assume Frost Wolves travel in packs. If so, Snowmane and Demon Sheep might too. So hunting medium cold beasts shouldn’t be rushed—we must confirm first!”

As he spoke, Xia Hong led Xia Chuan out of the mine.

=9+Book_Ba

It was still three or four hours before dawn. Outside the wooden house, many people lingered.

Some practiced fist forms, others collected snowmelt, some trained archery, others played and laughed—but all who saw Xia Hong pass stopped respectfully and bowed.

Xia Hong smiled in acknowledgment, saying nothing. But glancing over the hundred-odd people outside, he noticed over a dozen were wearing clothes—and grew curious.

“Recently, we’ve added a lot of clothing?”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford it. With the camp’s current hunting capacity, giving everyone a set of clothes—though not as refined as Xia Hong’s—wasn’t difficult.

But clothes cost contribution points—and they’re expensive!

“If I recall correctly, a full set of clothing—animal pelts plus custom crafting—costs 155 contribution points. Do these people really have that much?”

Xia Chuan chuckled: “Big brother forgot the rodent swarm? That night, many received large contribution rewards. Aside from Foundation Establishment, most were hunters, plus a few Woodcutting Realm members—most got over two hundred, one even got 320. For them, buying a set of clothes is easy.”

So that’s why!

“If everyone’s spending contribution points on clothes, who’s buying bows and arrows?”

Weapons were the greatest security. Xia Hong was puzzled—how could camp members not understand such a basic truth?

Clothing’s necessity was clearly lower than bows and arrows.

Hearing the exchange prices Xia Chuan set for the two types of iron-bodied bows—800 and 2000—he immediately understood.

At those prices, only Foundation Establishment and hunters had any hope. Others would need to save for half a year or more. No wonder so many just bought clothes.

“Big brother, aren’t the prices too high?”

Seeing Xia Hong’s expression darken, Xia Chuan grew nervous, fearing he’d set prices too steep.

Xia Hong smiled faintly and shook his head: “No, they’re perfect. Usage rights and ownership rights are different.”

Weapons stored in the camp depot are inert—they’re meant to be used. Rental prices can be low; in emergencies like the rodent swarm, we can even issue them freely.

But ownership is different. Once they exchange for a bow, it’s their personal property. Loss, damage, wear, inheritance—all their responsibility. We don’t intervene. It’s a direct sale—price must be high.”

A standard iron-bodied bow weighs 300 jin. From mining iron ore, to Foundation Establishment labor, to even Xia Hong personally forging it into a finished product—the resources, effort, and sweat invested are substantial.

At 800 contribution points, given current scarcity and the camp’s population, the price is absolutely appropriate.

“By the way, Luo Yuan’s wound should be healed by now?”

“Almost. He left his room a few days ago—he’ll be fine soon.”

“Announce this: for the next three days, all Foundation Establishment members mine iron ore underground. On the fourth day, I’ll take you eight to the north. Have the foraging and woodcutting teams follow. Survey the entire five-hundred-meter stretch of Lu Shang’s former territory. From now on, the entire eastern side of Redwood Ridge belongs to Great Xia—no other camp may encroach!”

Hearing those final words, Xia Chuan’s eyes lit with excitement. He bowed deeply: “Yes, Leader!”

As the two spoke, they prepared to enter the house and go upstairs—but just as they stepped through the gate,

“Aaaaaaaaaaah…”

A piercing scream echoed from the valley entrance, instantly startling everyone outside the wooden house—including Xia Hong and Xia Chuan.

“What’s happening?”

Their expressions changed instantly. They dashed toward the valley entrance at full speed.

(End of Chapter)