Chapter 69

Wu Tie's face flushed red, he lowered his head and fled in a sorry state from the External Affairs Bureau building.

Behind him rose a tide of laughter.

A first-class steward of the Shi Family actually wanted to take on the mission to exterminate ordinary gray-rock lizards, and the rough men in the first-floor hall were wildly mocking him.

But after a moment, the laughter stopped abruptly.

A curious busybody ran over to ask the dwarf girl what mission Wu Tie had actually taken.

A sudden gasp went through the first-floor hall, and then someone shouted loudly: "If that kid makes it back alive, I'll eat my own horns!"

"The betting's open, the betting's open—can this kid make it back alive? Place your bets, place your bets—who's betting this kid will survive?"

"The Nether Demon Mine—finally someone's taken on that damned mission… but he probably won't last more than a few days, right?"

"What a pity, this kid still gets shy and blushes—haven't seen such a naïve youngster in years."

On the second floor of the External Affairs Bureau, behind a large window, Shi Meng held a big wine jug in his left hand and a large stone bowl in his right, pouring and drinking happily. His face bore a hint of drunken red as he squinted at the sorry figure of Wu Tie fleeing.

"This kid gets shy—kind of interesting."

"He's not old—don't be fooled by his height, but he's probably about fourteen at most."

"He's young and shy—this sort of lad can be molded into one of our own. At such a young age, to be rated a first-class steward by that old fox Elder Two shows he's got real potential."

He set down the stone bowl, picked up a nearby beast-skin ledger, and flipped to the line Wu Tie had written when he collected lava grass nine days ago.

"The penmanship is proper… no, it's actually quite handsome… Looks like he really is of family lineage, knows a fair few characters…"

"Talent."

Shi Meng shook his head and said in a low voice, "Only those who survive are true talent. The Nether Demon Mine is a place even the old-timers at home refuse to approach. Who knows what's lurking in there?"

"Send a few people to follow behind and back him up—but don't enter the Nether Demon Mine. I don't want my people dying pointlessly in there. If the kid makes it out alive, bring him back."

"As long as he comes back alive, we'll train him according to the standards for direct-line clan members."

"He's young and still shy… well, compared to those old-timers who've turned ruthless and shameless, this kind of person is reliable."

Shi Meng lifted the stone bowl, downed the fine wine in one gulp, and chuckled toward the False Sun high above the dome: "Elder Brother, I trust your judgment. A youngster, alone, who you've rated a first-class steward—heh, better to kill a mistake than let it slip."

Wu Tie returned to his own small courtyard.

He washed his flushed face with cold water, the redness fading, then looked at the mission note the dwarf girl had written for him.

It was actually just a piece of beast-skin paper, with two simple lines of writing on it.

"'Investigate the source of the anomalies within the Nether Demon Mine.'"

"'The reward is sixty stalks of lava grass, plus one percent of all yields from the Nether Demon Mine for the next ten years.'"

"Goodness, what a high reward. The Nether Demon Mine…" Wu Tie frowned, grabbed a stone from the ground, and hurled it into the neighboring yard: "Old Bai, Old Bai, you there? I need to ask you something."

"……"

When the False Sun's light blazed brightest, Wu Tie donned a suit of iron armor, shouldered a steel spear, grabbed a beast-skin bundle, and left Shibao.

The armor and spear were drawn from Shibao's armory; as a first-class steward of the Shi Family's External Affairs Bureau, Wu Tie's equipment costs are covered by the family.

Inside the beast-skin bundle were liquor, dried meat, wound medicine, and detox pills.

There was also salt for outdoor barbecue… and especially luxurious, a small packet of chili powder and spice blend.

Wu Tie clearly remembered that back in the Wu Family's stone fortress, Wu Zhan was constantly calculating how to open more fields to feed more warriors and slaves.

Meanwhile, the Shi Family had grown so luxurious they used idle fields to cultivate crops purely for pleasure.

Chili powder and spices… this was the first time Wu Tie had ever encountered them; he actually felt his mouth water, wanting to try adding them to a barbecue to see how delicious the roasted meat could become.

However, only stewards sent on missions could receive such a small portion.

Even within the Shi Family, this chili powder and spice were exceedingly rare treasures.

Leaving Shibao, after checking his direction, Wu Tie activated an invisible force field, his body suddenly gliding upward, he leapt several meters high in a mighty bound, stepped out over a hundred meters in a single stride, and rushed toward the Nether Demon Mine like a gale.

In Shibao, two rat-men scouts hurried out with four wolf-warriors.

They watched Wu Tie's silhouette flicker twice, and in the blink of an eye he was several li away; the four wolf-warriors stared at each other, and an old wolf with whitish fur, already up in years, turned and slapped one of the rat scouts across the face.

"What are you gawking at? Move out! If you lose him, you'll answer to Sixth Uncle!"

The rat scout, slapped into spinning twice on the spot, innocently blinked at the old wolf's head; the two rat scouts dared not argue, hurriedly followed the faint scent Wu Tie left in the air, and sped after him.

Then each received a kick from the wolf-warriors, a hard blow to their backsides.

"You idiots, why follow a scent? He's definitely headed for the Nether Demon Mine… just lead the way there! Lose him, and you'll pay."

The two rat scouts exchanged an innocent glance, then sprinted full speed toward the Nether Demon Mine.

The Nether Demon Mine lies only about 150 li from Shibao, reachable only after traversing a tunnel dozens of li long.

This place was once called the Ice Crystal Mine, a large deposit where gold and copper veins converged, yielding a most precious 'ice crystal ore'; among the Lu family, famed for forging in the Cangyan Realm, this ice crystal is known as 'Xuanlan Crystal'.

Xuanlan Crystal can more than double the toughness of forged weapons and armor, and allows twice as many runes and spell formations to be etched during forging—an extremely precious material. A single Xuanlan crystal ore can be traded with the Lu family for a hundred times its volume in gold ingots or equivalent goods.

But a few years ago, the Ice Crystal Mine underwent an anomaly; strange things happened, and the mine slaves suffered heavy casualties.

Several powerful Elders of the Shi Family entered, yet also fled in sorry shape, barely saving themselves while all their companions perished inside.

The mine was then abandoned, costing the Shi Family a large chunk of income.

The Lu family, desperate for forging materials, once joined forces with the Shi Family to send a strong expedition into the mine, but they too suffered losses and fled in disarray, with one Lu Elder left forever inside, never to emerge.

Thus the Ice Crystal Mine became the dreaded Nether Demon Mine known abroad; the Shi Family's task of investigating the mine's anomaly source has hung in the External Affairs Bureau for years, with various people taking it over time—but none have returned alive.

Wu Tie chewed on a strip of dried meat while recalling the intelligence Old Bai had given him.

Though it was over a hundred li, he reached it quickly, sprinting through the wide, spacious tunnel when a small stone fort appeared ahead, a few gray-dwarf warriors blocking his path.

"Kid, the Nether Demon Mine lies ahead—what are you doing here? Seeking death?" A drunk gray dwarf, reeking of liquor, slammed a heavy hammer into the ground and roared at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie handed over his mission scroll; the pale yellow beast-skin bore clear black characters, and beneath it was stamped the Shi Family External Affairs Bureau's dedicated mission seal, the vermilion-mixed beast-blood ink making a vivid impression.

The gray dwarves went berserk as if injected with chicken blood, shouting "hey-hey" and circling Wu Tie several times in excitement; then the drunk lover slapped Wu Tie's thigh.

"You're a fine lad—go on, go on… when we brothers drink after you're gone, we'll remember to pour you a splash."

A group of gray dwarves burst into loud "ha-ha" laughter.

They had long been responsible for guarding the entrance and exit of the Nether Demon Mine, having witnessed some indescribably strange things with their own eyes, bearing enormous psychological pressure, and with no one coming to relieve them, they had long been somewhat mentally unhinged.

Wu Tie looked at those gray dwarves with smiles all over their faces, shook his head, and strode past Shibao.

On the outer walls of Shibao were stuck more than a dozen beast-oil torches, the torch heads as big as a person's head blazing fiercely, the firelight illuminating a large area outside Shibao.

Beyond the range illuminated by Shibao's firelight, strands of grayish-white mist, like spider silk, hung silently in the air.

These "mists," tentatively called mist, just hung lifelessly in the air with no movement at all.

Occasionally a faint cool wind would blow from the mine tunnel, making the torches sway "whoosh-whoosh," and the normally red flame would instantly turn a pale green.

The green light cast by more than a dozen torches fell on Wu Tie, and more than a dozen shadows swayed wildly in the mine tunnel ahead, looking especially eerie.

From behind came the loud laughter of the gray dwarves: "Not daring to go in? Then come back…… really, no loss of face."

"Kid, come back, don't go throw away your life…… don't say…… half a year ago, the External Affairs Office's Special Grade Five-Star Steward, Iron Horn Ox Great Axe, also met his end in there. He was a master of the Chonglou Realm, one who had grasped the Ox Demon Tyrant Body Divine Ability!"

"Isn't that so? Come back, have a couple of drinks with the brothers…… after drinking, go back to Big Stone City to sleep…… isn't it just a task? If you can't finish it, no loss of face."

Wu Tie doubtfully gazed at the gray mist, like threads, outside the area illuminated by the firelight ahead.

The mist hung lifelessly in the air, and Wu Tie faintly felt that someone seemed to be staring at him from behind the mist.

That gaze was slick and slimy, like overnight-spoiled rice porridge—cold, viscous, and accompanied by a stench that was hard to shake off. In short, the feeling it gave him was very unpleasant.

Several gray dwarves were still shouting loudly behind them, then they took out wine jars and sat drunkenly at the gate of Shibao, starting to drink.

Wu Tie licked the corner of his mouth.

Just go back like this, all embarrassed?

Wouldn't that be even more embarrassing?

He still remembered the roaring laughter when he received the task.

"Old Tie…… am I being foolish doing this?" His face flushed in waves, Wu Tie gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and step by step walked toward the area not covered by the firelight.

He took a deep breath, and a cluster of firelight leapt out beside him, transforming into a person‑sized fireball hovering above his head, emitting a brilliant light that shone in all directions.

Then another fireball, and another fireball.

To bolster his courage, Wu Tie altogether produced forty‑ or fifty person‑sized brilliant fireballs hovering above his head; the firelight radiated outward, heat waves surged, and the fireballs autonomously inhaled and exhaled the stray primordial energy in the air, emitting domineering light and heat.

Several gray dwarves, astonished, put down their wine jars.

"An Elemental Mage?"

Wu Tie had already walked far away when two rat people, leading four wolf clan warriors, stormed into Shibao.

The four wolf clan warriors listened to the gray dwarves' account, and their eyes instantly widened.

Just now Wu Tie had run so fast, jumped so high, and darted straight for the Nether Demon Mine in a puff of smoke, leading the four wolf clan warriors to suspect he had activated some innate divine ability.

Upon looking, it turned out exactly as expected.

A Foundation Establishment Realm novice could actually conjure large fireballs out of thin air to use as torches for illumination, and could even effortlessly control those fireballs to follow him as he advanced; such a person in this era has a special title—"Elemental Mage"!

Elemental Mages are born with powerful mental strength, extraordinary soul power, and an innate excellent ability to communicate with primordial energy.

Even when their cultivation is extremely weak, Elemental Mages can wield various marvelous spells; as their cultivation gradually increases, they comprehend divine abilities more easily than ordinary people and acquire extraordinary spellcasting capabilities.

Thunder, fire, magma, gale.

Even to the point of summoning wind and rain, turning beans into soldiers—various miraculous methods emerge endlessly, almost as powerful as the legendary "gods" and "immortals".

No matter how weak an Elemental Mage may be, he should not be merely a First‑class Steward.

"Second Uncle, you've misjudged this time." A wolf clan warrior muttered to himself.

"This kid, he doesn't know how valuable he is…… how did he just stumble in like a fool?" The old wolf head with a full head of white fur scratched his scalp, let out a weary sigh, then slapped a rat scout across the face.

"Lacking eyesight? Then hurry back and tell Sixth Uncle that this kid is actually an Elemental Mage…… saying he runs like the wind, faster than when I fled after taking a knife to the butt, proving he at least can control wind power."

"He can even use fireballs as torches, lighting the way as he moves…… this kid, does he also master fire power?"

"The combination of wind and fire power—once this kid reaches the Perceiving Mystery Realm and condenses his mana…… goodness, a sheet of flame sweeping down could kill at least several hundred people, and if the terrain is right, even several thousand would be no problem." The old wolf head licked his nose, then kicked two rat scouts hard.

"Hurry and report to Sixth Uncle, just say this kid is a treasure, ask what to do…… he has already gone in…… it's all your fault for leading the way too slowly."

A rat scout turned and ran, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Four wolf clan warriors stood at the gate of Shibao, blankly staring at the mist‑filled area, not daring to enter.

Wu Tie, however, strode into the mine pit, a faint golden light flickering in his pupils; for no reason, he suddenly began to loudly recite a passage he had never studied.

"Between heaven and earth there is righteous energy, mingling and assuming form……"

Wherever he strode, the gray mist in the air inexplicably collapsed, disintegrated, and never reappeared.