Chapter 1915: Ning’s Mining
Two weeks later, Ning was back at the mines.
Perhaps because of the deal itself, or because he had claimed to be faster than the miners, the miners were given a break from mining for the week. They weren’t fully free as they had to help Ning haul what he had mined, but that was far easier than what their regular task was.
A different Major from before watched over the whole thing, with 3 heroes keeping them safe. Each hero’s job was monthly, so these were heroes he had only barely met back in the military facility.
Ning didn’t bother them as he had his own job to do.
On average, this mine hauled out 6 to 8 tankers a week, carrying a total of around 60 kgs of Aullazire within it. Ning’s first job was to mine those 60 kgs. Once he fulfilled the weekly requirement, only then would the rest count.
So, Ning started right away.
He stood before the patches of the wall where the teams had just stopped working and took a moment to look around it. It was simple enough to recognize where the Aullazire was as they reflected the light with a subtle pale blue glow. There were specks of them all over the wall, and only in certain places were they actually crystals.
Ning had to be careful with those particular crystals, but other than that, he could be as destructive as he needed to be.
Ning didn’t need the machinery or tools. His bare hands were more than enough. With straightened fingers, he stabbed into the side of the rock wall, piercing half a foot in a single strike. He pulled his hand out and did the same at a different spot.
Suddenly, cracks formed around the wall, moving around the larger crystals. Ning smiled, attacking another spot. The cracks widened, growing even more. He hit 5 more spots around the wall, and on the last hit, the cracks connected around the entire place, causing the whole wall face to fall onto him.
Miners shouted upon seeing the situation, screaming at the fact that Ning was going to be buried in tons of rocks. But Ning simply stood there, the rock merely sliding off him, unable to harm a single hair on his head.
"I’m fine," he shouted once the loud rocks stopped moving. He looked back at the cavity he had just formed on the wall and smiled. With the machines, it would have taken these people nearly a day to do the whole thing. Meanwhile, he had done it in just 5 minutes.
He looked toward the miners and found them staring at him with a look of pure awe. They could not believe how quickly he had done it all.
"Hey, guys. Can you not just stand there and help me move this please? I would appreciate it if you could help me," Ning said, finally rousing the miners from their stunned state. They quickly rushed down to where the rocks were and started carrying off the small ones into the barrows.
A few helped pick off the intact crystals and place them onto a different barrow so they wouldn’t be damaged during transport.
Ning had seen the miners work before, but seeing them work this close helped him understand something that he had missed the last time.
These miners were abnormally strong. They weren’t at the same level as him by any metric, but they were stronger than the average person. Watching them haul away the rocks told Ning just that.
’They must have powers,’ Ning realized. ’Superior strength. That was why they were allowed to work here.’
Despite their powers, the larger rocks were impossible for them to carry out, so Ning helped break those into pieces to make it easier for the others.
The supervisor for the mine, a centaur, talked to Ning as the others hauled away the mined rocks and explained where he had to mine next. Mining away in a single location increased the dangers of cave-ins, so the man was there to help guide him to keep that from happening.
Ning thanked the man and prepared the next wall he would be working on. Surprisingly, it took Ning an hour and a half before he could get to the next wall. What he had mined away took that long a time to carry away.
The amount he mined wouldn’t count until it reached the tankers, so there was no point in advancing before the rocks were cleared. There was also the danger of hurting them, so for safety alone, he had to wait.
Once the workers finally left the place, Ning was free to mine away at a different wall.
For the next 8 hours, he worked without stopping, mining away as much as he could. He finally stopped once night fell and let the miners take a break. Their bodies had to be sore from working all day as they would have never hauled this much rock at once.
Ning came out of the shaft covered in rock dust and made his way to where the tankers were kept. Upon seeing how much he had mined, he couldn’t help but smile.
4 tankers had already been filled in a single day. At this rate, he would have nearly 30 tankers in a week. That was a good number.
Ning worked hard for the next 6 days and even helped the miners haul away the rocks at a faster pace. By the end of the week, he had filled 33 tankers in total.
With his job done, Ning left the mines and flew back home where he would wait for the president’s call. The call came a week later, much longer than he had expected.
"Sorry for the delay, Blackfang, but you truly lived up to your side of the deal. The processing plant had so many rocks to work through because of you," she said.
"How much Aullazire did I mine?" Ning asked.
There was a pause before the woman answered. "266 kilograms," she said. "As per our deal, I am ready to give you 5 Awakening serums."
