135 Mining Rights

The trial was ending and the fate of forty noble families was soon to be sealed; to be stripped of their status and crippled cultivations. 

Due to the crowdedness of the area, Leon had watched the trial with Lynne in his arms while they were floating in the air. 

Seeing the nobles about to be crippled of their cultivation, Leon thought it would be a waste and said, "Let's go and meet my mother." 

"W-W-What? Wait!" Lynne suddenly exclaimed. It had just came to her realization that they weren't meeting his adopted mother but his birth mother! 

"What's wrong?" Leon asked with surprise. 

"I-I'm not ready..." Lynne said anxiously. Her heart was not ready meet the Queen. Leon just smirked and continued forward. 

"Nooo~! Stop!" Lynne started flailing in his arms and biting onto his shoulder like a cat that just got its tail stepped on, before pleading, "Please~!"

"If you keep moving so much, my hands might actually slip and drop you. Besides, my mother has already seen us." Leon said mischievously with a teasing tone. 

"AH? Don't~!" When she heard that, she clung back onto him tightly like a frightened rabbit and asked unconfidently, "But what should I do? What if your mother doesn't like me?"

"Don't worry, my mother is actually really nice and gentle. She will like you for sure." Leon assured her. 

'My mother dote on me so much. She would be overjoyed with anyone I bring home.' He inwardly thought.

Nice and gentle!? Who will believe that! Lynne was losing mind, but it was clear that this meeting was inevitable, so she didn't voice her complaint and be heard by the Queen. She didn't want to be disliked upon their first meeting. 

She resigned to her fate and pouted meekly, "I hope so..."

Leon soon glided over and landed on the platform with Lynne in his arms, before he said, "Mother, please don't cripple their cultivation. Let me deal with them." 

"Alright, son. Do as you wish." Elizabeth smiled then turned Lynne and said warmly, "You must be Lynne."

"Y-Yes, your majesty." Lynne answered courtly with distress.

Elizabeth continued to smile and said, "You can just call me aunty or mother like my son." 

"Then… I will call you Aunty." Lynne said with a blush. 

She couldn't bring herself to say mother on their first meeting and while still unmarried, but it won Elizabeth's approval. 

She was so afraid of how the Queen would treat her, but it turned out her fears were unfounded. They faded like the receding shadows upon meeting the light of dawn.

Her man truly wasn't lying to her. The Queen really could be nice and warm, but it also depended on who she interacted with. She can be a saint to some and a devil to others.

Lynne was dazed by the Queen's elegance and grace.

However, when they looked up, their hopes were crushed much more cruelly than the first time after seeing who it is. Their hopes were first lifted up then smashed back down to rock bottom. It was like kicking someone when they're down and rubbing salt over their wounds.

They all remembered how the prince devoured Frederick Solaris's source of cultivation after killing him. Was the same going to happen to them? They shivered at the thought. The Queen and prince were a pair of devils.

Leon walked over to the 40 heads and said, "Your cultivation will all be crippled, but I will be the one to do it. Nothing else has changed."

Despair gripped their hearts. Leon picked up his first victim and prepare to extract his source of cultivation, a water seed.

"M-Mercy, your highness." The victim pleaded timidly, but only received a cold merciless reply, "You won't die if you don't resist."

After undergoing the process a few times, Leon had gained some proficiency in extracting elemental seeds from the host without damaging their souls.

Among the 40 heads, there were 2 fire-users, 5 water-users, and 33 earth-users. He devoured all the Fireseeds and Waterseeds first after extracting them and successively broke through to 8th step fire abilities and 5th step ice abilities.

While looking at the remaining earth-users, he became a bit hesitant. He hadn't formed his Earthseed yet. Would he be able to absorb its energy?

When Leon grabbed the next victim to test the waters, it failed. The Earthseed didn't form, and the earth energy ran rampant in his body. He was forced to expel it. 

Unwilling to waste so much cultivation resources, Leon extracted the rest of the 32 Earthseeds and dumped them all in his Worldspace.

Although, they energy would still scatter, it would be confined within the small independent space. At least, that was what he thought.

The Earthseeds didn't fully scatter throughout the Worldspace but conjoined together and transformed into a big singular blob of earth energy floating about. Leon felt glad that he made the right choice. He would be able to easily absorb the earth energy from the blob once he form his Earthseed. 

"Son, you can take Lynne and show her around the palace. Mother needs to settle some business first." Said Elizabeth. 

Leon nodded and took Lynne to the palace after the so-called trial ended. 

"Let's go..." The ex-noble family members picked up their listless heads and left the area. 

After today, every noble would think twice before committing another crime. This also means it would be harder for the royal family to have another excuse to rob nobles. Because they are not barbarians, they needed to occupy  the moral high ground when they are extorting the nobles.

"Everyone don't leave yet. The trial has ended, but there's a business opportunity this queen wishes to discuss with you all. If you are interested, follow me to the Great Hall." Said Elizabeth. She left first without waiting for their answer. 

They looked at the back view of the Queen with suspicion. Was the Queen eyeing their wealth too? To go or not to go? That is the question.

Eventually only half of the crowd made the decision to follow the Queen. However, it was the best choice they made. 

The Queen gave them the mining rights to the 1st Underground Floor in exchange for 30% of their harvest. They further had the option of paying in the equivalent in cash, if they wish to retain the 30% harvest. 

Although, the tax was quite high considering the royal family won't have to do and get to reap 30% of their income, they were still willing to accept the terms as every noble family  always wanted to have a chance to send in their own mining team and unearth some treasures or relics of the ancient civilization

However, they were slightly disappointed that the main ancient ruin region under the Palace was still off-limits as well as the parasitic ponds, which didn't exist for long after Crazy Don reduced it all to nothing.

This was to ensure that no one would ever be able to get their hands on the pond water and make the Water of Absolute Nothingness again. It was a nightmarish existence to all cultivators. Even Crazy Don, as a Transcendent was not an exception.

When the other nobles caught wind of the royal family selling mining rights, they scurried to the Queen quickly to discuss the business. However, the condition the Queen gave them was no longer the same. The royal family demanded 50% of the harvest. 

'F*CK!' 

They silently cursed that the Queen had become like black-hearted merchants, eyeing their money, but they still accept the terms and condition.

This was the allure of the mineral-rich underground. With the restriction on metal lifted, they could finally work on some things they previously couldn't due to the lack of metal.

After one day, the original messy form of the rift had already been transformed into a flight of stone steps that lead all the way to the 1st Underground Floor. 

Miners employed by the royal family had begun entering with their tools begin their first day on the job. 

General tracks for minecarts on the underground had been set up and plenty of line shone down through the open space. Multitudes of glimmering lights sparkled on the underground floor and various metal deposits and strange crystals could be seen.

"First day on the job, I'm so excited to get started!" A middle-aged man hyped himself up.

*Clank* *Clank* *Clank*

The miners swung their pickaxes, but due to their weak physical strength, only small chips and white marks could only be seen with each hit.

"..."

After a few swings, the middle-aged man's excitement was already replaced with solemnness.

*Clank* *Clank* *Clank* 

He swung with greater force, but there wasn't any noticeable improvement. 

"F*ck! This isn't going to be fun!" The middle-aged man cursed. 

"Hahaha, Old Book, you used to be a librarian that read all day. I'm afraid you won't be able to bare the hardship of a miner." Said another man, who seemed to be well-acquainted with the middle-aged man.

"Hmph! Who's unable to bear hardship!?" 

*Clank* *Clank* *Clink* 

"Aiyoo, my back... it hurts." Old Book complained after straining his back. 

"What did I say? You don't even have the right swinging form. This is how you should swing a pickaxe." The man boasted and demonstrated.

*Clink*

A shockwave ran through his arms, down his leg and up his spine and made him froze in silence.

"..."

"Well? Old Cook, why aren't you saying anything?" Old Book asked.

Old Cook had his eyes closed and took a deep breath like he was enduring something, before he opens his eyes and said grumpily, "Nothing." 

Taken aback, Old Book took a moment before he comprehended and laughed, "Hahaha! Serves you right for boasting! Just like the proverb; disaster starts from the mouth."

Their bodies were not physically trained, and they've only begun practicing the breathing technique for one day.