Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Demon Marrow Ore

Two days later, Louis led Bradley, along with the master craftsman Valentine and other expert miners, deep into the heart of the Red Tide Territory along the mountain path.

At this moment, Bradley still harbored doubts, thinking there couldn’t possibly be a large-scale Demon Marrow Ore here, accusing Louis of exaggeration.

After passing through the forest, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a massive mining area before them.

Outside the mining area, several knights stood ready.

They wore heavy iron armor, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Upon seeing Louis and Bradley’s group arrive, the knights immediately bowed and greeted, “Sir, the mining area is all normal.”

Louis nodded and continued leading the group inside.

And once they truly stepped into the mining area, everyone couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

The reserves of Demon Marrow Ore here were so astonishing?!

Entering the vein, the temperature here was slightly higher than outside, and the surface of the ore was faintly warm.

The rock walls of the vein showed an eerie dark purple color, faintly shimmering with the luster of magic power, with subtle energy waves floating in the air.

Valentine, being an experienced master miner, almost instinctively extended his hand, gently caressing the rock wall.

His fingers trembled slightly, eyes full of fervor.

“Oh my God…” he turned back to look at Bradley, unable to conceal his excitement in his voice, “This… this vein can surely rank among the top twenty Demon Marrow Ore in the entire Ironblood Empire!”

The surrounding craftsmen were also stunned by the scene before them, murmuring among themselves.

“The reserves are just too exaggerated!”

“The purity of the Demon Marrow also looks very high, and if we delve deeper, we might even find high-tier crystal Demon Marrow!”

“Sir… this is a heaven-sent wealth!”

Several seasoned craftsmen gazed hotly, unable to resist stroking the rock wall with their hands, as if caressing the skin of a socialite from the Imperial Capital.

Bradley furrowed his brows, severely scolding, “Quiet down, don’t treat this place like a marketplace!”

The craftsmen quickly hushed, but the excitement on their faces was still hard to hide.

Yet upon seeing such Demon Marrow Ore, Bradley’s heart was also stirred like a stormy sea.

There truly was this much Demon Marrow Ore; Louis hadn’t lied.

He began reassessing the value of this domain.

Demon Marrow is not just a raw material for making magic explosives.

Magic Marrow Powder can also be infused into weapons, enchanting sword blades to cut through iron like mud.

And alchemists need Demon Marrow to produce potent potions.

High-purity Demon Marrow Essence is indispensable for the core material of a magic array.

…

Its value far surpasses ordinary magic minerals, being a strategic resource capable of influencing the entire Northern Territory’s situation!

The scale and value of this vein far exceeded his and Duke Calvin’s imagination!

Bradley rode closer to Louis, his voice lowered a bit, “Young Master, it’s best not to let too many people know about this vein.”

Louis quietly watched Bradley, waiting for him to continue.

“Although the Calvin Clan is one of the Eight Great Clans of the Empire, usually, no petty thieves dare to plot anything against you.” Bradley paused, his gaze becoming sharp.

“But this is the Northern Territory, too far from the family, and the family’s influence might not reach here. Inevitably, some may take risks, and this Demon Marrow Ore is worth such a risk.”

At this point, he looked at Louis’ expression, wanting to see what the Young Master’s attitude was towards this matter.

Yet Louis’ expression remained calm, even showing a serene smile.

“I understand.” He gently nodded, his tone calm, “Other than mentioning it to my father in a letter, I haven’t mentioned this to anyone else.”

After hearing this, Bradley carefully observed Louis’ expression and found that he wasn’t lying but genuinely had a sense of propriety.

Only then did he slowly nod, secretly deciding in his heart: He must clearly report the situation here to the Duke, asking him to send more knights over.

This vein is worth doing so.

On the other side, Valentine said to Louis, “Sir, based on the current survey results, the reserves of this mine are indeed astonishing, but it’s also much more dangerous than ordinary mines.

I suggest first mapping out the entire mining area boundary and identifying the most stable area as the initial extraction point.”

“Hmm, then I’ll leave it to you,” Louis nodded.

Valentine led the craftsmen into the mine, holding a mining hammer, and carefully tapped on the rock walls, listening to the echoes from different areas.

“The color of the ore here is dark purple, indicating a high content of Demon Marrow,” Valentine crouched down, pointing to a piece of ore on the rock wall faintly emitting a dark purple light.

“Especially this crystallized area, indicating a high-purity vein. However, it also means it’s quite fragile and will shatter with the slightest carelessness.”

He then tapped a nearby section of the rock layer, the sound it made deep and heavy, “This area is structurally stable, suitable for excavation.”

Walking a few more steps to another place and tapping again, the sound was slightly hollow, “But this area won’t do, too geologically fragile, and careless mining might cause a collapse.”

The craftsmen nodded, marking the rock walls.

Louis stood by with his arms folded, quietly observing.

Though he wasn’t proficient in mining, he could see Valentine’s extraordinary professionalism.

“It seems the craftsmen sent by the family this time are top-notch.” Louis’ tone carried a hint of admiration, “Your expertise has broadened my horizons.”

Those craftsmen initially paused upon hearing this, then showed a bit of pride.

This is their area of expertise, and being personally praised by the Lord indeed brings pride.

Bradley nodded slightly, his face still calm as a lake, but internally he sighed.

This Young Master is indeed no incompetent, knowing how to win people over.

Valentine continued to analyze, “Because the Demon Marrow Ore will release magic power waves, the miners staying here long-term might experience magic poisoning.

We must draft a ventilation plan to prevent magic from accumulating in the mine shaft.”

“How should we do that?” Louis asked.

“We need to establish ventilation shafts in different areas to allow air circulation. We should also set up partitioned passages inside the mine to prevent harmful gas accumulation.”

Valentine explained while drawing a diagram on a piece of parchment he carried, “Use Black Birch Wood for support frames, setting a support point every five meters to ensure the tunnel won’t collapse.As for the main shaft, it should be three meters wide, and the secondary shaft one and a half meters, preventing congestion during transportation.”

“I can see you’re very professional in this area.” Louis complimented.

Hearing this, Valentine immediately straightened his back, with a hint of pride in his tone, “Of course, I’ve been an old hand at mining all my life! I can walk through a vein with my eyes closed without getting lost!”

Louis smiled and patted Valentine’s shoulder, “Then I’ll leave the mining plan to you.”

Valentine grinned, “Thank you, Sir, for the trust.”

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