Chapter 80: Put it on my dad's bill

In the summer camp, Zone C.

After a late-night snack, Mike returned to his dormitory.

Kaelum handed him a complete guide for levels 3, 4, 5, and 6, advising, "Junior, this guide is a bit outdated. Due to Thor's influence, these four levels have been reset, and the difficulty should be much lower. I'll get you the new guide tomorrow, but you can try the third level today."

"Okay."

Mike took the guide and sincerely said, "Senior Kaelum, it feels a bit awkward to keep calling each other 'senior' and 'junior.' Just call me Mike."

Kaelum was easygoing about it, not minding the details, "Alright, Mike. Whether I can be Thor's classmate depends entirely on you! If there's anything you don't understand, just contact me anytime."

After Kaelum left, Mike was alone in the dormitory.

The summer camp's facilities were luxurious: single dormitories, a cafeteria that provided service 24 hours a day, well-trained doctors, and instructors drawn from various major corps.

Mike had been busy since the afternoon. It had been a fruitful day, though. Besides inscribing a poem on the Monument of Faith, Mike had also acquired a Thunderclap Hammer.

Well, that was pretty much it. Thinking of this, Mike's gaze inadvertently caught the tattered cloak, and he couldn't help but facepalm. This wasn't just bringing back equipment; it was like bringing back a gold-eating beast!

For SSS-tier materials, Mike only had one skull; he had nothing else.

"I'll have to figure out a way to buy some from Wolf's Den."

Ordinary means definitely wouldn't work. Mike hadn't forgotten that Maxen still owed him a large bounty!

Reporting the high-level list of the fourth demon cult and reporting Terenas—these two actions together amounted to a substantial fortune.

Mike had risked his life to obtain that information! He deserved every bit of it, not a coin less.

Mike counted on his fingers, "Ares still owes me two skill books and one equipment forging opportunity."

Regarding equipment forging, Mike now had a new idea. Now that he had both the Thunderclap Hammer and the Force of Nature, what he really lacked was armor!

However, compared to weapons, armor required even more resources. Given Mike's cautious nature, he wished he could craft a set of SSS-tier armor!

After taking inventory, Mike checked the resources at hand. "What I need to develop most are the two Mines!"

With that thought, Mike looked down at his shadow. "Shadow Nine, is it safe to enter the Tower of Truth now?"

"You're going to the Trade Secret Realm... wait, you have a private space now?!" Shadow Nine immediately reacted, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Could it be the legendary Mysterious Mine?"

True to form, Shadow Nine guessed the truth in an instant.

Mike nodded and asked, "Is it that rare?"

"It's not about being rare or not, it's really that kind of..." Shadow Nine sighed and continued, "Before you, no one has ever harvested a Mysterious Mine. What do you need? Just ask, and we can provide the most professional mining equipment, professional personnel to help you survey."

"That doesn't seem right..." Mike hesitated.

His private space already had the Graystone Diggers Crew, and there shouldn't be a big problem with production capacity. The top-tier mining equipment was considered strategic material on Earth, strictly controlled by the Defense Headquarters, and not a single part would leak out!

Humanity needed these mining devices to extract ores from the Abyssal Plane for military needs. If these devices fell into the hands of demon gods, they could also use them to mine ores and turn them against humanity!

Mike then shifted the conversation from work to living conditions, "Do we have enough food and water?"

"Water is sufficient, but food..." The head miner's face showed a hint of embarrassment, "We only have enough for one more meal. If we ration it, it might last a few days."

Mike frowned, "I remember ordering food supplies for 1500 people."

"Boss, it's mainly because it eats so much, and we can't drive it away..." The head miner led Mike towards the back, where he found a giant lizard lazily lying next to the mine shaft.

Upon seeing Mike, it woke up and showed great excitement,

"Sssslizzz-snap! Huzz-huzz, crick-crack!?"

Seeing the lizard again, Mike was in a good mood. This lizard had helped him bring back a significant amount of water when he was in the mine, which was of great importance. "Alright, you can live here from now on!"

Although the lizard ate a lot, it was friendly towards humans and could communicate with Mike.

Moreover, the lizard's strength was not weak; after being unpetrified, it possessed strength comparable to a Battle General. If any mining accidents occurred, the giant lizard could respond immediately.

As a creature of the earth element, the underground was practically its paradise; otherwise, it wouldn't have chosen to live in an abandoned mine.

With the help of the Eye of Truth, Mike was able to communicate normally with the giant lizard. "Man, keep an eye on this place; it's our family's property now!"

The giant lizard responded, "Gizz-gazz, fizz-fuzz, whizz-whazz!"

Having resolved the issue with the giant lizard, Mike instructed before leaving, "I'll resolve the food issue as soon as possible. Eat your meals on time, and if you do well, we'll add a late-night snack."

At midnight, the Tower of Truth opened.

"Welcome to the Core City of Truth!"

Entering the Core City of Truth, Mike headed straight for Wolf's Den. Sure enough, Maxen Stoneheart was there, along with the beautiful woman named Nyx Valoria from before.

"You're here?" Maxen Stoneheart was waiting for Mike and recognized him by his familiar mask.

"Come with me..."

"Wait!" Mike interrupted Maxen Stoneheart's spellcasting. "I heard that all expenses at Wolf's Den were free last night?"

"That's true, celebrating Thor's great achievements, everything was free." Maxen Stoneheart was puzzled, "Why do you ask?"

As Thor himself, Mike hadn't enjoyed the benefits of Thor's free pass, which upset him. It was like him coming in second place in a "Real-life Thor Impersonation Show."

Mike indignantly asked, "Did you make the reservation for 5000 single meals I asked for last night?"

Maxen was surprised, "Did you... ask me to make a reservation?"

"Didn't you? Think again."

Maxen Stoneheart took a deep breath, turned to Nyx Valoria, and instructed, "Prepare 5000 single meals for him."

"And the money?" Nyx Valoria was practical; 5000 meals could be prepared, but who would pay for them? Surely they couldn't use last night's free pass for today's meals.

Maxen Stoneheart lowered his voice so Mike wouldn't hear, "Put it on my dad's bill."