Chapter 173: Master, your offering has arrived

Black Dragon?Sebas and Luff were both stunned.

No wonder, as among all dragons, black dragons had the worst reputation.

These chaotic dragons were synonymous with evil and betrayal. They had a strong desire to dominate other intelligent beings, and unless they encountered a stronger presence, they were almost impossible to engage with on equal terms.

"You mean to say that there is an evil black dragon, the most vicious and brutal of all dragon kinds, living in the mine, and this black dragon... became friends with a miner?"

Sebas looked skeptical and couldn't help but question.

"It's true, I'm not lying to you. My brother said it's definitely a black dragon!"

Seeing their disbelief, Noah insisted.

The werewolf Luff shook his head and said.

"Noah kiddo, you are too young."

"When I was young, I once had the misfortune of seeing a black dragon in the Eastern Yunette Blacklands. Such a creature... arrogant, powerful, evil, and insane... far beyond your imagination. In an instant, it destroyed a city built by mercenaries just because they refused to submit to it..."

"The so-called black dragon might be a mistake by your brother. Besides, how do you explain the disappearance of the miners?"

Recalling his past, Luff's face showed reverence, obviously still haunted by the memory.

Sebastian, however, suddenly changed his tone.

"However, if everything is as he said, it seems there really is some monster in the mine. If it's not a black dragon, it could be... a dragonkin."

He looked at Charlotte and asked with a respectful tone that Noah didn't notice.

"Resa, what do you think?"

Charlotte glanced towards the depths of the mine and said.

"It doesn't matter what it is. We'll know once we go inside."

She stroked her chin with interest and said eagerly.

"If it is a dragonkin, I hope it is indeed a black dragon."

Luff was taken aback by Charlotte's fearless words and hesitated to speak.

Sebastian, on the other hand, brightened up, respectfully bowed slightly, and looked at Charlotte with admiration.

Indeed...

For the great Lady of the Night, for the returning Bloodborne True Ancestor, only a terrifying legendary dragon like a black dragon would be worthy of her attention!

"Let's go and see the depths of the mine."

Charlotte said.

She raised her head and looked into the depths of the cave, her gaze becoming deep.

Yes, she was very interested in the legendary black dragon.

However, more than the black dragon, she was more interested in the role the Castell nobles played in this matter.

If a monster that resembled a black dragon had appeared in the mine, the nobles should not have kept it a secret and declared the mithril mine depleted.

There must be something hidden in the depths of the mine that cannot see the light of day.

The nobles in the know must be hiding something.

Thinking of this, Charlotte took a step forward and walked towards the depths of the mine.

Sebastian and Luff quickly followed, taking the oil lamps given to them by the old werewolf Logan for illumination in the mine.

"Wait! I want to go too! I know the way to the mithril mine area!"

The young werewolf Noah patted his backside and hurriedly caught up.

Sebastian glanced at Charlotte, who nodded slightly, indicating her approval of Noah's participation.

The information was provided by Noah, and he was also involved. Moreover, he knew the way.

As for encountering danger... Charlotte was confident in ensuring their safe retreat.

Whether to let the young werewolf retain his memory would be another matter.

With a deliberate or inadvertent embrace around Charlotte, the group quickly ventured deeper into the mine.

The deeper parts of the mine were more complex, with interconnected passages, some clearly not well-dug and others seemingly in disrepair, as if they could collapse at any moment.

Soon, the group stopped at a fork in the path.

"Grandpa Logan and the others should have gone to the deeper part of this passage. There are still some scattered mithril ores there, which the workshop is currently focusing on."

Noah pointed to the left passage and said.

Then he pointed to the right.

"This way leads to the restricted area, where the main mithril vein is."

Charlotte and Sebastian exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go in."

Entering the right passage, the surrounding temperature noticeably dropped, and Charlotte noticed that the air's magic concentration increased.

Mithril is a precious magical material with properties of magic conduction and storage, so it's normal for places with mithril veins to have a high magic concentration.

After winding through the passage for about ten more minutes, the group finally reached the end.

The passage ended in a cavern, which appeared to be an abandoned ore transfer center, with the underground tracks for transporting ore ending there.

Inside the cavern was an entrance sealed with chains, with a sign that read "No Entry." In the dim light of the oil lamps, it looked eerie.

"That is the entrance to the mithril mine, completely sealed with anti-magic chains. No one can get in."

Noah shivered and said.

By now, the surrounding temperature had dropped significantly.

The three of them, being extraordinaries, didn't feel any discomfort, but the young werewolf was shivering from the cold.

Suddenly, a coat fell on Noah, covering him tightly.

Noah was surprised and looked back to see the werewolf Luff with his upper body exposed.

"Uncle Luff?"

"Put it on. Don't catch a cold. We are all extraordinaries."

Luff shook his head.

"We...?"

Noah was taken aback.

He couldn't help but look at Charlotte beside him and found that this girl, who was about the same age as him, indeed showed no signs of being cold, which shocked him again.

"A... an extraordinary! Resa, you are also an extraordinary!"

Charlotte smiled at the young werewolf, neither confirming nor denying it.

She stepped forward and approached the sealed entrance to the mithril mine.

Sebastian also stepped forward, closed his eyes, extended his hand to sense the seal, and said in surprise.

"A compound seal?"

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

"Is it easy to break?"

Sebastian's expression was somewhat awkward.

"Breaking seals... is not my specialty."

"It can't be broken. I've heard mercenaries in the tavern say that to prevent extraordinaries from sneaking in, the mine invited the Mage Association to place a powerful and clever seal here. Even a legendary archmage would have a hard time breaking it."

Noah shook his head.

"But... my brother told me about a secret tunnel. If we squeeze through, we should be able to crawl in..."

He added.

However, after he finished speaking, he noticed that no one responded to his suggestion.

Noah looked at the group and saw the girl suddenly speaking into the darkness.

"Since you're already following us, stop hiding and come out to help."

As soon as she finished speaking, a plump black cat jumped out of the darkness, meowed, and approached Charlotte.

"Miss... Lady Resa, I didn't want to interrupt since you all were having such a good conversation!"

"A pig? A talking little black pig?"

The young werewolf was once again stunned, looking bewildered.

The black cat Nice stumbled slightly.

"Open your wolf eyes wide and take a good look. I'm a noble, elegant, and handsome Coria shorthair cat!"

The black cat gave the young werewolf a displeased glare and proudly lifted its head.

"A-a cat?!"

Noah's eyes widened even more, unable to reconcile the round creature in front of him with the image of an elegant, agile cat.

"Alright, stop fooling around and get to work."

Charlotte gave Nice a stern look.

"Hehe, right away!"

Nice rubbed his paws together, eager to get started. He approached the seal, threw a challenging glance at Sebastian, as if to say "Is this the best you can do?" Then, with Sebas gritting his teeth in frustration, Nice confidently placed his paw on the seal.

A flash of silver light later, the chains on the seal slid off by themselves, much to Noah's astonishment.

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"A talking black cat that can break legendary seals..."

He muttered in disbelief, feeling numb with shock.

"Hehe, just a simple Third Tier Sealing Magic. Probably set by a few Silver Moon mages who have dabbled in seal magic for a few years. The technique is a bit lacking—no magical torsion matrices or dual-layer spell reinforcements, and they didn't even utilize the dense magic in the area. Far inferior to Master Cat here!"

Nice proudly flicked his tail.

This guy… his grasp of magic theory is really impressive. Just who is he?

Charlotte couldn't help but give Nice another look.

"Not bad."

She put aside her curiosity, nodded in satisfaction, and led the way into the now-unsealed mine tunnel.

Inside the tunnel, the magic was even denser, so much so that Charlotte felt like every pore on her body was rejoicing. As a bloodborne, a magical creature, she naturally preferred places rich in magic.

She instinctively took a deep breath, but almost choked on the air she inhaled.

The removal of the seal by Nice had caused a pressure differential, creating an inward wind filled with a strong stench of decay.

Charlotte was all too familiar with this smell.

Or, more precisely, it was something she would never forget.

It was the same stench she had smelled on the living corpses the day she was hung on the cross by the old witch—

The stench of corpses!

"Ugh..."

Behind her, the young werewolf who had also taken a mouthful of the foul air was already vomiting.

"Stay alert and let's go in and take a look."

Charlotte's expression turned serious.

Sebas and the others nodded, drawing their weapons and preparing for any potential threats.

The group ventured deeper into the mine.

Soon, Charlotte noticed shimmering silver patterns on the walls. These patterns, like molten silver, were fused with the rock, glimmering in the dark, dazzling and surreal.

"This... is mithril ore. So, the mithril mine hasn’t run dry!"

Sebastian spoke solemnly.

The mithril mine hasn’t run dry...

Charlotte’s eyes glinted.

Learning this, she felt a bit relieved.

The income from the mithril mine made up eighty percent of the Castell mines' revenue, and the mines contributed seventy percent of the county's income. Additionally, half of the remaining thirty percent was related to the mithril industry.

In other words, seventy percent of her income was tied to the mithril mine.

If the mithril mine was intact, it meant she could reveal the truth and regain control of the mine, restoring her income.

However, this also made Charlotte more cautious.

Whoever had the power to disguise an intact mithril mine as depleted must have significant plans…

At that moment, Charlotte's keen senses picked up a faint tapping sound from deeper within the mine.

"Do you hear something?" sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

She looked at Sebas and the others.

Luff shook his head in confusion.

Nice sniffed the air with his eyes closed.

Sebastian, after a moment of listening with his ears raised, looked surprised.

"It sounds like mining."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

"Proceed carefully."

The group advanced with heightened caution. The tapping sound grew more distinct as they moved forward.

Eventually, even the weakest among them, young werewolf Noah, could hear it.

"This… really sounds like mining."

He muttered in disbelief.

Charlotte’s expression became increasingly serious.

The deeper they went, the stronger the stench became.

Recalling the missing miners, a bold hypothesis formed in her mind.

"Stay vigilant, we might encounter old friends again."

She squinted, warning the others.

They continued deeper.

After about three more minutes, they reached the end of the tunnel.

The tunnel opened into a massive cavern, larger than any they had seen before.

The sound of tapping was now unmistakable, a dense and oddly synchronized rhythm, like machinery.

Noah nervously peered into the cavern and instantly froze in terror. He was about to scream when Charlotte swiftly covered his mouth.

Charlotte's expression was graver than ever.

Her gaze fell upon the cavern’s interior.

Under the brilliant light of the mithril veins, numerous decomposed miners were swinging their tools, chipping away at the mithril ore.

There were thousands of them!

Their eyes were hollow, glowing with a greenish light. Behind them, heaps of mithril were being loaded onto mine carts and transported deeper into the cave.

Charlotte peered further into the darkness, her crimson eyes glowing.

In an instant, her pupils dilated, and her irises expanded, covering her entire eyes.

[Eagle Eye Vision]

This was a bloodborne magic she had learned from the Gospel pages after defeating the Blood Demon Cult.

With Eagle Eye Vision, Charlotte's already sharp sight became even more precise and clear. She instantly spotted the scene at the far end.

It was a massive workshop hidden in the darkness.

Countless undead were mechanically operating various tools, tirelessly working.

On one side of the workshop was a mountain of mithril.

...

Meanwhile, in a room within the Castell mining workshop, a door was gently knocked.

"Come in."

A lazy voice responded from inside.

The door opened, and a middle-aged steward in a robe entered.

If Noah were here, he would recognize this steward as Mael, who often turned a blind eye to the demi-humans, favoring them and letting them pass.

It was also Mael who had permitted Charlotte and the others to enter the mine.

Mael approached the desk and respectfully addressed the shadow in the dark.

"Master, your offerings have arrived."

The shadow in the dark slowly turned.

A pale face emerged, with red eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark.

"Is it those three werewolf miners from last time?"

The lazy voice asked faintly.

Mael hesitated.

"Only one of the three came today, the other two didn't. They were replaced by newcomers."

"Replaced? Then why are you here? Aren't you afraid I'll devour you?"

The voice suddenly grew sharper, tinged with dissatisfaction.

Mael's face turned pale.

He bit his lip and said.

"Master, although they were replaced, after they entered the mine, I received reports from some miners that... they might all be extraordinaries!"

"Extraordinaries?"

The voice finally showed a hint of interest.

"Understood. Well done. Go and claim your reward."

The voice said indifferently.

Mael left, beaming with joy. The shadow also stood up, fully revealing itself.

It was a black-haired man in a black robe.

His arms were covered in black scales, and black dragon wings grew from his back.

He licked his lips, eyes gleaming with a bloodthirsty light, and chuckled softly.

"Extraordinaries trying to steal mithril, huh..."

"Hehe, it's been a while since I tasted extraordinary blood."