Chapter 158
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: The Unstable Mana Vein
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"The vein we discovered this time isn't just any ordinary one. It's a mana vein."
His words made my eyes widen.
"A mana vein!"
"It's what people commonly call a mine formed where the flow of mana takes on a massive current. I don't fully understand the principle behind it, but in such areas, you find high-quality iron, and occasionally even mithril."
Dragon vein—or mana vein, as it's also known.
It's a place where enormous currents of mana flow, hence the name.
From the looks of it, the royal family never found this mana mine while they were managing the place. But by digging straight down like idiots with our undead army, we stumbled upon it by chance.
Is this what they mean by fortune favoring the patient?
Not bad at all.
"So?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you need a mage to mine a mana vein?"
Is there some part of mining a mana vein that requires a mage?
"Mana mines produce high-quality iron, other ores, magic stones, and occasionally mithril, but they come with serious risks. You need someone who can detect and manage the elements that artifacts alone can't handle."
Ah, so that's how things work on this continent right now?
When a mana vein runs underground and intersects with a specific mining area, it triggers mana reactions that produce exceptionally fine iron.
Even judging by value alone, the ores from mana mines fetch far higher prices. This is basically a jackpot.
Not just any jackpot—a mega one.
Products made from iron ore mined in mana veins are pretty popular, too.
"It wasn't known before?"
"Since it was found by chance, probably no one knew about it."
So, it's like winning the lottery with a gift ticket.
"How much is there?"
"Hard to say until we dig more... but from my experience, there's a ton."
Well, we'll see when we check it out ourselves.
Last time I was here, I didn't have the memories of the Hall of Truth, so I couldn't precisely distinguish these flows.
"Anyway, that's the situation, so we called in a high-ranking mage..."
Berus paused for a moment, let out a sigh, and continued.
"He toured the mine and said we absolutely shouldn't mine it."
"Why do those guys get to decide that?"
"He said it's not your typical mana vein. Mess it up even a little, and it'll be a disaster due to the terrain."
In other words, everyone was thrilled to find this rare mana vein. We called in a mage to control and mine it safely...
But after one look around, the mage shut it all down, saying it'd cause a catastrophe if mishandled.
Of course, mana veins—dragon veins, or mana veins—carry massive energy flows. In unstable areas unlike regular mana veins, they really can trigger huge disasters.
If the mage is from the Mages' Association rather than the Mage Tower, he does have some authority...
But so what?
Isn't that a good thing? Mana veins are extremely rare on the continent. And unstable ones with irregular flows are even rarer.
I know exactly what materials only appear in those latter cases.
The finest metal known to common knowledge.
In such extreme environments, orichalcum is formed.
What is orichalcum?
It's called the metal of the gods— incredibly rare, with performance beyond compare.
Swords forged from orichalcum become legendary blades that last a millennium, and the same goes for armor.
Its ability to conduct mana surpasses even mithril, making it the dream material for artifacts and mages' staves.
I'm already salivating at all the uses for orichalcum.
If that mine has the level of mana turbulence I'm imagining, orichalcum is guaranteed to be there.
In other words, the flow is so intense it destabilizes.
The iron, mithril, various ores, and magic stones from there...
Even from the same mana vein, the quality would be incomparable.
Why give that up?
Are these people insane?
"I've thought it over long and hard, but we should really give up on the mana vein..."
"What are you talking about?"
He tilted his head at my response.
"Young Master, what do you mean?"
"Don't you know a mana vein—especially one with unstable mana flows—is the absolute best mining spot?"
"Huh?"
"You found a gold mine—no, a diamond mine—and you're just gonna walk away?"
Step aside. I'll handle this.
I still had to go see for myself if it had the kind of turbulence that produces orichalcum, but I couldn't help getting excited.
On this continent, orichalcum prices are insanely high.
The tiny amounts available on the market are probably lower quality than the fully formed stuff I know about.
Thinking about it now, that makes sense.
Without the tech to control the turbulence, they can't extract top-grade orichalcum.
So supplies are extremely limited, prices skyrocket, and what's out there is subpar.
Of course, Berus looked uneasy, hard to convince by my actions so easily.
Mages' Association, was it?
Unlike the Mage Tower, the Mages' Association does have real authority.
The Mage Tower and Mages' Association are different.
The Mage Tower is like a university, pouring everything into research and perfecting magic.
The Mages' Association, on the other hand, is more like a business using magic as a product than pursuing truth.
You can't say the Mage Tower has no share in the world's magic tools, but the Association's portion is much larger in reality.
That's why mages get dispatched for jobs like this.
During the kraken subjugation, we needed high-level power, so the Mage Tower sent someone. But for everyday life and practical work like this, experienced mages are what you need, not just the high-rankers.
Some call them money-grubbing wizards, but they're just running a business with their talents.
Plus, the Association has authority to manage mana disasters across the continent, thanks to their mages posted everywhere.
That's probably why they're calling for a mining halt.
Either way, the current mood on the continent is to leave unstable mana turbulence alone since no one knows how to handle it.
No point rushing for money if it all blows up in an explosion.
Yeah. Unstable mana turbulence is dangerous, and we need to check if it's usable.
If it's too problematic to handle, we'll abandon it without regret. But otherwise, I plan to make it work.
"You really going in?"
Berus asked reluctantly.
"I'll go alone, so stay here."
"No, I... I'll go with you. You need a guide, right?"
He spoke calmly, grabbed some gear, and took the lead.
The tunnel showed hardly any mining traces thanks to the recent digging.
Probably because the undead burrowed through without caring about the walls.
The depth was impressive.
A sweltering heat enveloped my body unpleasantly.
That's when I spotted a massive magic circle blocking the tunnel entrance.
"They said no entry from here on."
Unlike regular mana veins, unstable turbulence brushed against my skin.
The more I felt it, the better my mood got.
"Ooh, it's even more unstable than I thought."
"Regular mana veins can be managed, but not this. And the scale is bigger than expected, so they said they'd hold a meeting to figure out countermeasures."
After seeing it themselves, they must've felt like it was a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"This magic is an access prohibition set by multiple skilled mages. No one can get past it."
Kwang!!!
I swung my hand and shattered the barrier. Berus's eyes went wide.
"Wha...? A magic of that scale, broken so easily...?"
"The structure's simple. Anyone could dispel it."
Relatively crude, I suppose.
After facing such advanced magic from enemies before, this feels basic.
"Whoa... You can use magic too?"
"Didn't you see it before?"
"I... I know it's different from black magic."
Pretty knowledgeable. Most people can't tell the difference.
"Hmm... The Association will notice now..."
"It's our land. Who cares what they say. Just follow me."
If I didn't have the skills to control it, this would be reckless.
But right now, they're the reckless ones.
"Man, if we leave this be, it'll definitely blow. Everything within a few kilometers would be wiped out."
"W-What?!"
"Berus, what happens if you eat and don't go to the bathroom?"
"You get gut rot and die."
"Exactly. Mana veins are like massive mana rivers. Sometimes in certain areas, the flow twists and clogs. It builds up and explodes."
"The Association said controlling it wouldn't be dangerous..."
"That works for areas with minor tangles. But not here."
The flow here is too violent for them to control.
"It's a rare phenomenon. This way."
I reached out to an untouched wall.
And manifested the heart of the Machine God.
Can't overdo it again, so I just scanned a small nearby area.
Vast information flooded in, including what I was looking for.
"Oh..."
Berus had said the reserves were substantial, but the incoming data confirmed it.
I was certain now.
"Berus."
"Yes?"
"How far did you dig?"
His eyes twitched at my question.
"What do you mean?"
"The ore. How far did you touch?"
"Nothing special. We poked at a bit of mithril..."
Mithril's called the finest commercial material.
Stuff like orichalcum or the indestructible metal adamantium are practically legends.
"Here's your chance to touch some orichalcum."
"Huh?"
I touched the massive, condensed energy nearby.
And pulled it right out.