Chapter 126: Mine Shaft
The entrance to the mine shaft is well-maintained, reinforced with wood to prevent the walls from collapsing. This isn’t a mountain excavation; it’s an underground mine.
“The main creatures here are worms, beetle larvae, and rats. The big one is a creature that looks like a cross between a horned cow and a deer. They can ravage the area and cause the ground to become unstable, so be careful. By the way, why is Jean holding a staff?”
Before we enter, Dinoss casually shares some warnings.
“I got it from the person in charge of gathering torches.”
The demon beasts here consume both soil and stone, storing magic ore in their bellies. That’s what we’re after. When I first heard about it, I thought we would be digging up stones left and right, but it turns out I was wrong. I’m glad I didn’t have to prepare a pickaxe.
“What are you going to do with a staff?”
“I’ll use it inside, right? I can tap the ground with it.”
Plus, it’s handy for holding the lantern.
When I answered Dinoss’s question, he looked at me with an exasperated expression. He’s seen me swinging branches around for no reason during our usual hunts. I can feel that he thinks the same this time. Damn it.
I light the torch and descend into the mine shaft, which starts off as a steep slope. The walls are a warm gray rock, occasionally tinged with rust red. As we move away from the entrance, the light from the torch makes it hard to distinguish the colors.
Retze and Tina are holding the torches. The kids will take turns when they get tired, and Retze will switch with me.
“It’s really humid.”
“Yeah, it’s different from outside.”
Ash seems to be taking in the surroundings for the first time as he looks around.
“The timing’s bad since it rained. There might be flooded passages.”
Retze adds.
It seems that rainwater seeps into the ground and accumulates in the mine shaft, with some areas having underground water or hot springs. The water doesn’t drain easily, and in the past, slaves used to draw it out.
Water mixed with minerals is often toxic, and toxic gases can also be released. Apparently, the slaves in the mines were usually criminals and treated as disposable.
Carbon monoxide, in particular, is slightly lighter than air, colorless, tasteless, and odorless. Well, there aren’t any miners around who would cause a fire, so we should be fine, right?
I wonder if they bring little birds (canaries) for gas detection in this world too? No, it’s more likely they use humans directly. Poor little birds don’t exist here.
Dinoss and the butler are picking up small stones from the ground. I wonder if there are any regular minerals lying around? To me, they just look like ordinary rocks. Is it against the rules to use [Appraisal] on them?
After reaching the bottom of the slope, the flat floor of the mine shaft is wet and slippery, making it troublesome. The ground is rough where it has been dug up, but in places that have been walked on frequently, the edges have worn down and become smooth. It looks like there used to be boards laid down, as there are remnants of decayed wood scattered about.
“Whoa!”
A black object scurries past my feet.
“Whoa!”
Dinoss flicks the small stone he had just picked up.
In the darkness beyond the reach of the torchlight, I hear a nasty sound, “Gii!” and then the presence disappears. Was that it? The stone was a weapon for the rats! There’s no way I could hit one with that!
Rats tend to gather in groups, gnawing on the injured or sleeping ones, and they can swarm in large numbers. However, when encountered normally, they tend to flee. They’re quick, so taking one down seems quite challenging.
Tina shines the torch on the spot where the noise came from. A black rat, with a tail that looks to be about forty centimeters long, lies dead, frothing at the mouth.
It seems to be a demon beast without horns, as I can see a bulge on its forehead.
“Looks like we have some bait now.”
“Shall we do a bit of rat hunting to increase our numbers?”
Dinoss and the butler converse.
“For now, I’ll check its horns and stomach.”
It seems Retze is starting the dissection, so I take the torch in his stead.
“Hey, pay attention. This guy’s good at it.”
Dinoss says to the kids.
It’s more like an autopsy than a dissection, really. He extracts the horns and checks for magic stones in the heart and magic ore in the stomach. His movements are as efficient as ever, with minimal mess.
The kids watch with keen interest, seriously taking notes. They’re farm kids who raise livestock and have even slaughtered their own chickens.
I’ve gotten used to it, but I still find it a bit difficult when it comes to creatures that are food, like rabbits or deer, or unfamiliar fantasy beings like giant lizards.
A little further in, we execute the plan of using the rat as bait to lure more rats. We leave the dead rat behind and take a break.
“Is there a draft?”
“There are vertical shafts here and there to let air in.”
“Oh.”
Dinoss’s words bring me a bit of relief.
I’d love to have some warm tea right now, but there’s no firewood here. The lack of decayed boards is probably because previous adventurers burned them.
So today, we’ll have some low-alcohol drinks or diluted alcohol.
“Snack time, snack time!”
The snack is baked cheesecake.
“Yay!”
It’s a small square, just enough for two bites, wrapped around cream cheese and baked.
“Oh, it’s rich. Cheese, huh?”
“It’s delicious.”
Shiva and Dinoss smile.
“When you put it in your mouth, it crumbles nicely. The tang of the cheese is great.”
Retze seems to really like it.
—Ash doesn’t seem too impressed, though. He’s eating it happily, but it’s not as good as the cream-based ones. Maybe it would be better with a sweet and sour strawberry sauce?