Path of light

Chapter 353 354. The Second Mine

A team of more than twenty elves walked north along the ridge.

There were too many gravels piled up at the foot of the mountain, so Roy chose to walk along the ridge. Occasionally, he could see Silver Pegasus warriors flying past in the sky in the distance.

Roy wasn't worried that the plateau headhunters would come out at this time.

On the contrary, Mu Lin had been tensing up her nerves and was always paying attention to the movements around her. The mixed elf team was also a little nervous, with expressions as if they might encounter those headhunters at any time.

There is no wind at the top of the mountain, and the afternoon sun is not so strong, so it won't burn your skin.

There is a faint smell of rocks in the air, and you can see far away on the ridge.

There is a vast grassland in the distance, with clumps of green grass distributed in patches. The areas not covered by grass will be covered with purple moss. The thick and soft moss is full of water and will grow. The stamens are the size of lavender rice grains and are always in bloom.

This area is low-lying, and rainwater from the surrounding mountains gathers here, so there are some small pools dotted here and there.

The Pagisto Plateau is now in the dry season, and when some water pools dry up, they will form patches of dry and cracked tile-like pool bottoms.

Herds of antelope and one-horned bison can be seen everywhere, and Roy even spotted some hyena packs.

He failed to see the argali that is unique to the Pagisto Plateau on this grassland. The mounts of those plateau headhunters are argali. Roy thought that if there were argali in this grassland, he could catch some and slowly Domesticated, those argali sheep have pretty good foot power.

"Director Roy, what are you looking at?"

Roy pointed to the grass in the distance and said, "I'm looking at why there are no argali on the grass over there."

"Argali! They usually live in the mountainous areas of the northern plateau, which is also the hometown of the plateau headhunters." Mulin, wearing a set of light armor and riding a white horse, explained to Roy.

She is definitely not beautiful among elf women, but she has a good figure, especially the aura of a swordsman, and riding a white horse makes her look heroic.

Mullin continued: "Those headhunters have always been at the top of the food chain on the Pagisto Plateau."

"Are there any monsters on this plateau?" Roy asked curiously.

Mu Lin glanced at Roy in surprise and replied matter-of-factly:

"Of course, but not in this grassland. This is the southwest area of ​​the Pagisto Plateau. Originally, some wind wolves and stone-tusked wild boars occasionally appeared here, but then they gradually disappeared. We rarely set foot here, and this The mountains are the territory of plateau headhunters.”

"Mu Lin, do headhunters also hunt monsters?" Roy hit the horse's buttocks with a whip to make it continue to move forward.

Mulin knew these plateau headhunters very well and said casually: "The headhunters used to hunt one-horned bison and antelopes on this grassland, and would sell some leather and antelope horns to the business groups. It is said that they still have Warcraft on their hands. Business groups often come to purchase materials, but of course these were before the rebellion broke out among the mixed elves, and no business groups have been seen here for a long time."

They were chatting about the plateau headhunters, followed by a group of young mixed-blood elves, all of whom were listening silently at this time.

The sun has set, and the light mist steaming from the grassland is like a burning flame when reflected by the sunlight.

Roy is still very curious about these plateau headhunters, but Lambo has been following Lysander around all year round and has very limited understanding of these plateau headhunters.

Now after listening to Mu Lin's introduction, these plateau headhunters gradually became clear in Roy's mind.

Although they are natives of the Pagisto Plateau, their main business is not to hunt elves, but to hunt the monsters on the plateau. However, after the 17th Silver Pegasus Legion sealed off the Partington plane, they cut off these monsters. The income source of plateau headhunters may be this move that forced plateau headhunters to start capturing elves on the plateau...

Roy asked: "In other words, these headhunters did not hunt elves before, but hunted monsters on the plateau?"

Mu Lin shrugged and said: "If you encounter elves occasionally, you may catch them, but it won't be like this... our original original target!"

Everyone walked and chatted all the way. Gradually, the sky turned completely dark and they could no longer go forward.

Mu Lin was not very familiar with this mountain range. Headhunters often appeared around here in the past, and mixed-blood elves rarely approached this mountain range.

It is still some way from the second mine, so everyone can only camp on this hillside.

The wind on the ridge was still very cold at night, and the temperature dropped quickly.

The wind was blowing from the north, so Roy asked everyone to build the tent on the south slope to avoid the wind.

What Roy brought out were all the military supplies of the Silver Pegasus Legion. Whether it was a marching tent or a fire magic rune board, they were all very high-end.

A group of young mixed-blood elves were learning to set up tents, and occasionally there would be an exclamation.

Roy pressed a few stones on a fire magic rune board, and installed magic crystal fragments on the gem base of the rune board.

When the rune tablet burst into flames, he placed a cooking pot on the stone.

He poured some water into the small pot, and after a while the water in the pot boiled.

The heat dissipated the coldness of the night. Roy added a few slices of lemon to the pot, and the fresh and sour flavor immediately spread.

The dinner was simple, and Roy divided apples among the young mixed-race elves.

Everyone ate some elf biscuits before going out. Even if they don't eat for three to five days, they won't be hungry. However, it is still very enjoyable to eat an apple before going to bed at night.

Mu Lin was the captain of this group of mixed-blood elves. She arranged for the manpower to stay on duty at night, and then a group of mixed-blood elves sat around the fire and chatted.

Roy did not pursue the topic of the day, but sat in the corner and listened to the chat of these mixed elves.

He was holding a cup of slightly sour lemon tea and noticed that among the twenty or so young mixed-race elves, there were actually a few elf warriors with wrinkles on their faces. Their faces seemed to be unable to be washed clean, and they were also very thin.

Mu Lin followed Roy's gaze and saw that Roy seemed to be interested in the elf, so she introduced to Roy:

"His name is Walker. He was rescued by you from the mine of the First Mine a while ago. This time I heard that you were recruiting elves to manage the First Mine, so I took the initiative to join."

Mu Lin's voice was a little low.

Roy took the initiative to wave to Walker, who was sitting next to his companion, and asked him:

"Hey Walker, can I ask you a few questions about the mines?"

Walker was chatting with everyone around the campfire. This kind of camping in the wild and counting the stars was a rare enjoyment for him.

Hearing Roy's question, Walker felt a little cautious. He touched his thigh with his hand, looked to his side, and received encouraging looks from his friends before he hesitated and said:

"Can."

Roy thought for a moment and then asked: "How long have you been working underground?"

Walker's face looked a little ugly, but he still thought about it seriously and replied: "About five months."

Roy asked curiously:

"How did you get caught by the plateau headhunters?"

The surroundings suddenly fell silent, and the north wind was blowing overhead. The flames were beating constantly, and each mixed-blood elf had a different look on his face.

Walker had a wry smile on his face. For him, this experience was probably the last thing he wanted to remember.

He scratched his head, took a deep breath, and summoned up the courage to say:

"I am a collector. I heard that you can find royal blood grass in this grassland, so I came here to try my luck. Unexpectedly, I met a group of headhunters on the way. They arrested me and sold me the next day. The mine was then thrown underground.”

Seeing that Walker's mood was relatively stable, Roy breathed a sigh of relief and said to him:

"Walker, you know, I took over the first mine from the 17th Silver Pegasus Legion. I need to understand the situation inside the mine before I can formulate a management plan for those Dark Moon Elf prisoners and gray dwarves, so can you Can you tell me about the situation underground?"

Roy spoke very sincerely and had a very correct attitude.

When Walker heard what Roy said, his tense mood relaxed a little. He lowered his head and looked at the water glass in his hand, and after a moment of silence he said:

"Even if I don't tell you, you should know that the underground mine where I am was originally divided into three forces: mixed elves, dark moon elf prisoners, and gray dwarf bandits. These three forces usually compete for the position at the wellhead, because who occupies this Whoever is in a position can get the resources dropped from the ground, so whoever has the right to speak underground."

"When I went underground, it was the mixed-blood elves who were controlling the entrance of the mine. Mainly because of our large number of people. Since decades ago, Padstow City has been selling mixed-blood elves to the mine. Later, the owner of the mine Every season, some mixed-blood elf slaves are invested, and after years of accumulation, the mixed-blood elves have finally developed into the largest force under the mine."

"Although those Dark Moon Elf prisoners have outstanding combat capabilities, there are too many of us."

"Actually, the underground mines of the First Mine can be divided into three levels. The mixed-blood elves live on the first level. This is the place where the ore veins were first discovered. The gem mines here have long been dug up. If you want to find gemstones ore, We are about to go down to the second level of the mine, but the second level is occupied by Dark Moon Elf prisoners. If we want to mine gemstones on the second level, we need to cooperate with these Dark Moon Elf prisoners, but those gray dwarf bandits live there. At the lowest level, they usually don’t need the food dropped from the mine, because these gray dwarves have cultivated edible mushrooms in the mine, and they can live well underground without external support!”

"I don't know the number of gray dwarf bandits underground, because they never come out in force, but I know the number of Dark Moon Elf prisoners."

"Some of them have died over the years. There will definitely not be more than fifty Dark Moon Elf prisoners in the mine now..."

Walker talked in front of the campfire, and Roy listened attentively.

And this also echoes his judgment on the current situation of the mine.

After the Cavalry Pioneer Regiment captured the first mine, Roy and the others put down the ladder, and the fact that the mixed-blood elf mine slaves were able to climb up immediately showed a lot of problems. At least the entrance to the mine was controlled by the mixed-blood elf.

The situation in the second mine may be different. The Silver Pegasus Legion occupied the mine, and no mixed-blood elf slaves have been seen crawling out yet...

Then it can only mean one thing. The person who occupies the dominant position at the mouth of the well should not be the mixed-blood elf miner slave.

Afterwards, everyone chatted again, and then they all moved to the marching tent to rest.

Roy spent nearly a day and finally arrived at the second mine the next morning.

The mine in front of me is built more solidly than the first mine, and the hillside is covered with gravel. It is still very difficult to attack from the ground. There is only a narrow path...

Roy finally knew why the Cavalry Pioneer Regiment had besieged the mine for half a month and was still unable to capture it.

Because it is really difficult to break into the mine from the main entrance...

Now the owner of the mine and his family have fled overnight, and the private soldiers in the mine have also disappeared. Only this mine remains.

…

Captain Kepler, who was responsible for handing over the mine, was particularly excited when he saw Roy and the mixed elves rushing to the second mine. He patted Roy on the shoulder and said:

"Roy, I've been waiting for you to come! According to Earl Swinburne's instructions, this mine is now under your management!"

As soon as Roy stepped through the gate of the mine fortress, he saw the middle-aged officer walking over with relief and took the initiative to say hello to Roy.

"Captain Kepler, when do you plan to evacuate from here?" Roy asked quickly.

"My elf war group will stay here for about a month. During this time, you need to find some manpower yourself. Not only will this mine be able to operate normally, but there will also be someone to take charge of the mine's defense..." Captain Kepler smiled at Roy and said.

Obviously someone rushed over to take over, and for him it meant getting rid of this trouble.

Captain Kepler and Roy walked side by side into the inner courtyard of the fortress. There was indeed an entrance to the mine in the courtyard, and a team of fully armed elf warriors stood guard at the entrance of the mine.

Roy walked over and took a look and found a ladder set up next to the wellhead.

"Didn't even a mixed-blood elf slave come out these days?" Roy asked curiously, holding the edge of the well with both hands.

This wellhead looks larger. There is a pulley set on the boom on the side, and there are boxes of apples placed next to it.

This place was abandoned by the owner of the mine overnight. Almost all the most valuable materials in the mine were taken away. The private soldiers of the mine also took away many valuable things in the mine, so the whole mine seemed in a mess. The warehouse doors are almost always completely open.

"That's true." Captain Kepler said.

Roy asked casually: "Can you confirm whether the person guarding the entrance of the mine... is the Dark Moon Elf prisoner or the gray dwarf bandit?"

Captain Kepler was slightly startled. He probably didn't think about it at all. When Roy asked, he said: "It's not confirmed yet! We just shout into the mine every day! We don't pay attention to what is going on underground. Elf or dwarf..."

Roy was speechless.

Then the Kepler leader took Roy around the mine fortress, and sure enough, almost all the valuable materials in the mine were taken away.