Green Monster Epic

Chapter 600: Mansha Quarry

Allen stood in the void, thousands of meters in the air, his sharp eyes focused on observing the tribe's monumental undertaking.

Beneath him was a wide passage, artificially carved out and running east to west, its ends separated by a great distance, marked by steep cliffs rising abruptly from the ground.

If one were to stand on the ground at the passage's midpoint, these cliffs would be barely visible; only a faint arc of mountains would be discernible on the horizon.

Overhead, thick layers of rain clouds constantly surged towards the Greenwild Plains, occasionally unleashing torrential downpours as the accumulated moisture reached critical mass.

The resulting deluge rapidly flooded the passage floor with several centimeters of water, which then flowed into pre-dug channels leading towards the Mansha Wastelands.

The ground was continuous, its solid stone surface marked by countless tool marks, making it somewhat uncomfortable to walk on and potentially slippery enough to cause a fall, which would be quite painful.

To the east lay the boundless wasteland, now showing a hint of vitality, and the nascent form of a majestic castle under construction.

Along the planned perimeter of the castle stood rows of stone houses, with occasional figures moving in and out.

To the west, the passage gradually narrowed, like the mouth of a trumpet, becoming increasingly constricted towards the direction of the Endless Sea.

If the passage were to fully breach the Mansha Mountain range, the ratio between the eastern wasteland exit and the western coastline exit would likely exceed 3:1.

This design not only significantly reduced the tribe's excavation difficulty and shortened the construction period but also served the tribe's long-term strategic considerations.

After all, the Endless Sea was an unknown quantity to the Greenwild Tribe.

The scant information they possessed suggested a vast marine civilization dwelling in the depths, implying that opening a passage between the wasteland and the sea might harbor unforeseen dangers.

No one could guarantee that this unknown marine civilization wouldn't develop an interest in the wasteland, even though there had been no contact or communication between them for countless millennia.

At the same time, Allen couldn't predict the full impact of the moisture-laden winds from the Endless Sea flowing into the Greenwild Plains.

While the wasteland was undeniably arid and in dire need of moisture, this didn't mean there should be no limits.

If the influx of water vapor continued unchecked, the act of breaching the Mansha Mountains could lead to catastrophic changes for the Greenwild Plains.

Therefore, to promote vegetation growth on the Greenwild Plains without drastically altering the climate and rendering it unsuitable for the survival of the goblinoids, Allen needed to experiment with the amount of water vapor that would flow in from each incrementally widened gap in the Mansha Mountains and assess its impact on the plains.

These were considerations that needed to be addressed from the outset, rather than attempting to salvage the situation after it became unmanageable.

With the cautious and far-sighted perspective of Allen, the hobgoblin leader, these factors were naturally not overlooked.

In recent years, as the excavation progressed, the abundant moisture resources from the Endless Sea to the west, no longer completely blocked by the mountain range, had indeed allowed more rain clouds to climb over the mountains and approach the eastern region along the widened passage.

However, the large-scale precipitation continuously forming above the passage was channeled into the barren eastern wasteland, giving rise to a considerable number of lakes and swamps of varying sizes.

With a plentiful water source, vegetation naturally thrived, and with ample plant resources, various animals began to breed and flourish in the area.

Allen estimated that, if the current level of manpower and resources continued to be invested, the Greenwild Tribe would be able to carve a wide passage through this majestic mountain range within twenty years at most.

And with the emergence of this passage, the originally desolate and silent Greenwild Plains would inevitably transform into a fertile and thriving land, suitable for breeding and habitation.

Boom! ! !

Boom! ! ! !

At the foot of the mountains to the west, explosions, each louder than the last, echoed incessantly.

Before Allen's eyes, a large section of the precipitous rock face collapsed with a deafening roar, sending a cascade of flying rocks rolling down to form a vast, gray-brown screen at the base of the mountain.

The goblins and other indigenous laborers, having learned from experience, had long since taken cover, emerging from their hiding places only after the rockfall had ceased to clear the mountains of the accumulated stones in an orderly manner.

Compared to the initial clumsy methods, the goblins' efficiency in quarrying stone had improved considerably.

Spellcasters used spells like 'Stone to Mud' and 'Shatter Stone' to carve deep holes at the node points of the stone veins, identified by the prospectors.

These narrow cavities were then filled with alchemical explosives like black powder and hexogen for detonation, saving considerable time and labor with each blast.

Of course, such explosions couldn't be used constantly.

While alchemical products like black powder were inexpensive, their explosive effect was similarly low, requiring the use of more powerful explosives like hexogen, which naturally incurred a greater cost in resources.

After all, the Greenwild Tribe had a large operation, and the quarrying mission had been ongoing for over a century.

They couldn't possibly use such alchemical explosives as a common means of quarrying for an extended period.

Even using a combination of physical and magical methods, with explosives reserved for key nodes in the quarrying process, had brought many conveniences to the workers at the quarry.

The laborers wielded massive quarrying hammers, striking and chiseling away at the stones, while lines of carts shuttled back and forth on steel rails, transporting loads of waste rock out of the valley.

Meanwhile, a few kilometers ahead of the quarrying laborers, hundreds of hobgoblin warriors, their muscular bodies exposed, wielded various weapons, more refined than the quarrying hammers used by the laborers, diligently and meticulously chiseling away at the uneven and jagged rock face.

If the laborers' movements were crude and wild, the hobgoblin warriors, each occupying their own section, wielded their diverse weapons with greater precision and order.

One tall earth goblin warrior, nearly as tall as Allen, wielded a pair of slender swords, thrusting and pointing with them in a manner reminiscent of a snake's flickering tongue, making it difficult to discern the origin of the blades, as countless fragments of stone fell in response.

Before the earth goblin sword dancer, the distorted, uneven rock face gradually transformed into a slightly angled, narrow plane, with a dense network of sword marks forming a somewhat aesthetically pleasing pattern.

On the other side, a hobgoblin strongman flexed his arms, wielding a double-bladed battle-axe with increasing speed, similarly targeting the rock face before him.

As scattered stone chips and dust flew, another flat surface appeared before the hobgoblin.

A few meters away, a hobgoblin rogue battle class was wielding a pair of daggers, his arms moving with afterimages... …

These goblins also seemed to be quarrying rocks, but in reality, they were mainly using the hard rock walls in front of them to continuously hone their respective combat skills and temper their strength.

Day after day of splitting and chopping at the stone wall would be extremely monotonous and tedious for any warrior. While chopping, the goblins also needed to observe the patterns formed by the cracks in the rock in front of them, so that the force of their chopping, stabbing, and piercing could be maximized, which further tested their eyesight and control over their own strength.

The training methods that Allen had explored, combined with the training methods recorded in the inheritance crystal, formed a tempering method that all goblin warriors of the Green Field Tribe who were determined to pursue the path of combat would come into contact with. It was just that the quarry tempering was too arduous and monotonous, and goblins without great determination and perseverance would rarely come to train.

Whoosh! !

Allen's figure descended from the sky and landed behind the group of goblin warriors in front of him. Although everyone had already noticed Allen, none of the goblins dared to put down their weapons and turn around to look at Allen with admiration.

Only the person in charge of the quarry, the hobgoblin Albad, who had just stepped down from the position of tribal leader, rushed over in a few strides and greeted Allen.

“Instead of living a good life in the city, you came here to suffer for nothing. You've really worked hard.”

Although Albad was old and his standing body was gradually bending, as a mage, his eyes still flashed with wise light. Due to the magic blessing between his movements, he was not much slower than when he was young.

As a war commander specially cultivated by the tribe, Albad did not have to run to the quarry to guard it. With his knowledge and ability, teaching in the major academies of Green Lake Town, or even serving as the dean, would not be a problem at all.

However, Albad took the initiative to apply to Trick to be transferred to the quarry to serve as the person in charge, and then Trick approved it.

The tribe's quarry, Shepherd's Slope, Torrent Bay, and other strongholds were all places where the elderly high-level tribe members retired. Although they still had some real power, the powers and benefits actually varied greatly depending on the regional block planning.

Among them, the quarry was the most difficult place among these large and small strongholds.

The position that other retired high-level leaders and supervisors avoided was now being applied for by Albad, which was really a great help to Trick, the Green Lake Town mayor who needed to coordinate the situation of all parties. At that time, he hypocritically persuaded him a few words before agreeing to the other party's request.

“It's okay, I'm used to finding something to study and keeping my brain running, otherwise life would be boring. It just so happens that the environment and climate here in the quarry are constantly changing as we advance the excavation of the tunnel, so I wanted to collect this data to see if I can help the tribe calculate the approximate range of future climate changes.”

Albad smiled freely, and Allen nodded slightly at his contented appearance.

Although in his early years, Albad devoted most of his energy to studying the army's establishment, combat formations, and military tactics, he also had a good talent in casting spells. Because of his research on military tactics and battle formations, he also learned a lot about the real rules of the world by analogy. Now he is already a high-level mage.

The profession of spellcaster is very different from that of warrior. That is, their strength will not decline significantly due to the decline of physical functions; on the contrary, as they grow older, many spellcasters have a broader and wiser understanding of the reality of the world and the laws of nature, which makes their magic power purer.

As a mage who likes and is best at research among spellcasters, Albad, after giving up most of his life's research on military formations and tactics, picked up his exploration of natural laws and rules again. Although his strength may not have improved much, it allowed him to devote himself wholeheartedly to it, so as not to become confused because he lost his past pursuits.

“Do you have any gains?”

Allen's eyes showed some comfort. Compared to the other old guys in the tribe who started to enjoy themselves and pave the way for future generations, Albad's actions were like a clear stream.

“I have a little clue, but I still need further observation and testing.”

Albad looked calm. Although his words seemed very modest, judging from his appearance, he should have gained something.

“If you need any resources, directly ask Trick. The impact of the large-scale influx of cumulonimbus clouds into the Green Field Plain after the tunnel is completed is an issue that needs to be focused on.”

“Whether the plain needs to be planned for new rivers, irrigation canals, etc. in the future should also be considered now. Fortunately, the quarry has excavated so much stone, which has now become a major burden. Consuming a part to make an advance layout can also reduce the pressure of material accumulation.”

“I'll leave these things to you, after all, the quarry is the focus of the cumulonimbus cloud layer's impact.”

Allen wanted to pat Albad's head, but when he thought about his current age, he gave up.

“Yes, I will organize people to study it.”

Albad also has a team of knowledgeable tribal scholars under his command, who are specifically responsible for observing and recording the current rainfall and cumulonimbus cloud layer thickness around the quarry, and on this basis, predicting and calculating the scale of water vapor influx that the endless sea will generate through this tunnel after the tunnel is completed.

Now that he had received Allen's instructions, Albad responded in a deep voice. In fact, they had already started discussing this aspect, but they had not yet put it into action.

“Oh, by the way, before me, there was a team of goblin cubs who came to train. Where did you arrange them?”

After Allen gave Albad some advice, he changed the subject and asked casually.

“They just arrived, and I was afraid that they wouldn't be able to adapt to this kind of training, so I arranged them at the very end. Clan leader, do you need me to call them over?”

Albad thought for a while, pointed to the back of the goblin team extending eastward, and at the end of his finger, he could hardly see the goblins' movements and appearance.

“Oh, no need, I was just asking casually.”

Allen shook his head. Although Albad himself could be regarded as a high-level member of the clan and was trustworthy, the less people who knew about the seed of legend, the better.

“I will also be practicing on the west side of the quarry for a while. Don't bother me if there is nothing going on.”

“Yes.”