Chapter 9: Guardians of the Mines

When Jessica saw the fallen crossbowmen slowly rise from the ground as enemy undead soldiers, she knew that the situation was hopeless. The soldiers under her command were all veterans who had followed her through countless cycles of death and resurrection.

But now, with just a gesture from Li Bin, she lost five or six of them in an instant. Jessica, who was overflowing with compassion, could hardly bear it. Seeing that Li Bin was about to turn more of her soldiers into undead, Jessica cried out loudly, “Please don’t do this! I am willing to surrender!”

Li Bin was taken aback. For someone like Jessica, who could command second-level crossbowmen and third-level infantry alongside fourth-level crossbowmen and fifth-level crusaders, surrendering so quickly was unthinkable.

Moreover, it had been Jessica herself who instigated this battle. Could there be some hidden plot? But when Li Bin saw Jessica, ignoring the ongoing battle, personally rushing to the corpses of her crossbowmen to revive them one by one, his last bit of suspicion vanished.

He waved his hand and said, “Let her revive her troops. When she’s done, bring her to Ghost Butterfly City.”

When Li Bin led his troops back to Ghost Butterfly City, Jessica followed, arriving at this newly built city. However, she showed no awareness of being a captive; on the contrary, she looked around with great interest.

Her soldiers, too, showed no signs of demoralization from defeat. Instead, they gazed at Jessica, who walked beside Li Bin, with steadfast eyes.

With Jessica in tow, Li Bin received Shui Yuetian, who had been brought to Ghost Butterfly City. When Shui Yuetian saw Jessica behind Li Bin, his face instantly turned as pale as a sheet.

Li Bin smiled slightly and sat down opposite him. “Don’t worry. She won’t do anything to you.”

“Y-yes,” Shui Yuetian replied nervously.

“Sit down. Tell me about your attributes,” Li Bin said casually.

“My attributes? You…” Shui Yuetian looked at Li Bin, puzzled.

“Well, since you have nowhere else to go, why not work for me?” Li Bin said.

“So you’re willing to take me in?” Shui Yuetian asked, his voice trembling with excitement.

“You could put it that way. But first, tell me your attributes so I can assign you a suitable position. Oh, and I believe you still have two original mine guardians under your command, correct? What are their attributes?”

After hearing Shui Yuetian’s attributes, a perfect position formed in Li Bin’s mind. He smiled and asked, “You’re quite fond of mines, aren’t you?”

“Yes, after all, that’s where I became a hero. You could say mines are my life,” Shui Yuetian replied.

Li Bin nodded and casually took out a map. “This is the latest map of my territory. I currently control eight mines: two sulfur and two crystal mines, one stone and one lumber mill, a gem mine, and a mercury refinery. Of course, there will be more mines in the future. I’d like you to serve as the guardian of my mining districts. Would you be willing?”

“Guardian of the mining district?”

“That’s right. You’ll be responsible for protecting all the mines, tunnels, and transport routes in my domain,” Li Bin said slowly. “As a reward, you’ll receive one-tenth of the income from all the mines. I’ll also have two patrols on every road, each consisting of three squads of skeleton soldiers, one squad of undead, and one squad of ghost warriors. You may temporarily requisition their services if needed. Additionally, each mine will have two companies of ghostfire slaves working, as well as a squad of ghost warriors for defense. You needn’t worry excessively about the mines’ safety.”

“But as you can see, my own troops are still…”

“You’re permitted to recruit units of level five or below from Ghost Butterfly City, and you may freely enlist troops from any wild encampments within your defense area.”

“Don’t you think ghostfire slaves mine too slowly?”

“There are two kobold tribes near Ghost Butterfly City eager to mine for me in exchange for supplies. I’ll give them orders. Also, your ratmen should make fine miners as well. But you must understand, you only receive a tenth of the additional output; the rest belongs to me.”

“I understand, Master. But you may not know, the best miners are not us. Less than a hundred and twenty kilometers south of your city lies a dwarven village,” Shui Yuetian said softly.

A glint flashed in Li Bin’s eyes, but his expression remained unchanged. “I see. Prepare yourself; you’ll take up your post tomorrow.”

After Shui Yuetian left, Li Bin turned to Jessica. “Now that Shui Yuetian is under my command, shall we discuss your situation?”

“I’m your prisoner. What is there to discuss?” Jessica replied, her tone cool and indifferent.

“That’s not how I see it. I value your abilities highly. Have you considered working for me?” Li Bin fixed his eyes on her. In truth, ever since Jessica had used resurrection magic, he had been impressed by this young girl who could revive her own troops on the battlefield.

Jessica, however, remained unmoved. She said coldly, “I will never serve an evil necromancer. I am merely your captive. You may demand a hefty ransom from my father, but you may not insult my dignity in this way.”

“But you must realize, you’re not on the same continent as your father’s city, and I know nothing of its situation. The Duchy of Warner is ranked below a thousand in the Judgement, so how am I supposed to find it?”

“If you don’t know, I can tell you. If we’re not on the same continent, you can send word through the intercontinental merchants. If you don’t wish to pay the fee, I’m willing to cover it myself.”

So, Li Bin and Reed could only listen helplessly as Jessica explained her father’s territory. Since Jessica had spent most of her time in her father’s domain, and had only ever visited the capital of the Duchy of Warner, her account was limited to some general circumstances of the duchy.

After a long while, Li Bin finally understood that the Duchy of Warner was a hybrid nation composed of Sanctuary and Elven cities, and had been at war for years with a country called Bialu.

Just as Li Bin was about to ask Jessica to stop her rather unnecessary narration, he suddenly noticed that Reed, sitting nearby, had turned deathly pale, though his eyes gleamed with excitement.

Li Bin quickly ordered the ghostfire slaves to take Jessica away, then asked, “Reed, what’s happened?”

“I’ve found it. After all these years, I’ve finally found it…” Reed muttered, oblivious to Li Bin’s question.

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Now that you know what the city is, here are two questions. Answer either one for a reward: 1. Why is it this city? 2. What is Reed preparing to do…? Hehe, take a guess!

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