Chapter 870: Chapter 868: Meeting
Ulus followed Hua Wen and walked into the factory at the foot of the mountain.
Inside the factory, people came and went. Hua Wen walked ahead, leading Ulus straight through, delving deeper.
As Ulus walked, he curiously looked around at the various unevenly adjacent buildings within the factory.
After walking a distance, Ulus spoke up, pointing to a shed under construction in the distance, and asked Hua Wen: “Captain Hua Wen, what is that place?”
“There?” Hua Wen glanced in the direction Ulus pointed, replying indifferently, “That’s where ore brought down from the mountain is finely processed. There’s nothing much to see.”
“I see. And… what about there?” Ulus pointed again, indicating a low shed where many people were coming and going.
Hua Wen looked over and replied once more: “That’s the temporary storage warehouse for ores. The finely processed ores are put inside. When successfully sold, the ores will be loaded onto carts and transported out.”
“Oh.” Ulus nodded, then pointed a third time to an inconspicuous factory building in the corner. It appeared very quiet with few people, starkly contrasting with the other bustling areas.
“Captain Hua Wen, what about that place?”
Hua Wen looked over, raised his eyebrows, and turned to glance at Ulus. This time he didn’t answer but scolded impatiently: “Damn it, why are you asking so much? You’re here to work in the factory, so just do your job quietly. Don’t inquire about things that don’t concern you.”
After scolding, Hua Wen added: “That place, well, it was a small warehouse before, now it’s abandoned. They say there’s some kind of toxic gas residue. Anyway, don’t go near there typically, or if something happens, no one can save you.”
“Yes, yes, I got it.” Ulus quickly nodded, indicating he remembered.
“Good.” Hua Wen looked at Ulus, nodded in satisfaction, and waved his hand, “Alright, continue following me. I need to get you settled in factory unit five quickly.”
Ulus responded, quickly catching up. But before doing so, he took a deep look at the distant corner factory, lost in thought.
Ulus officially became a member of the factory, placed in factory unit five as Captain Hua Wen had previously mentioned.
The work here involved using tools to process different kinds of wood to be sent to other places for use.
Simply put, this place was essentially a subsidiary wood processing workshop for the construction site.
Due to the ongoing expansion of the Shambhala Uranium Mine, there was a high demand for various construction materials, hence this place.
Ulus’s specific tasks involved cutting conforming wooden planks and strips with an axe and saw, passing them to colleagues for further processing.
These planks would undergo multiple processing stages before being shipped out, eventually becoming camp walls, cart panels, ore boxes, or doors, windows, tables, and chairs for new factories in the mine within a few days.
The noisy yet monotonous sounds reverberated in factory unit five continuously.
After a full day’s noise, Ulus, sweat-soaked, finally ended his work as the sun set.
Exhaling deeply, handing the tools to his successor, Ulus exited the simple factory with newly acquainted colleagues, heading towards the factory’s gate. They all shared a similar thought – to first have a hearty meal in the cafeteria, then return to the dormitories for a good rest.
Amid footsteps, the group approached the gate, where workers from other factory units also converged, forming a crowded stream of people.
Observing the growing number of workers around him, Ulus discreetly slowed his pace, gradually distancing himself from colleagues ahead. Finally, seizing a discreet moment, he slipped out of the crowd and returned inside the factory.
Subsequently, Ulus moved to the back of factory unit five, entered a temporary wood storage, and hid behind a pile of wood—a spot he had eyed during the day shift.
He hid until nighttime.
“Creak,” Ulus pushed open the small warehouse door and quietly stepped out without any hesitation, heading swiftly towards the “abandoned warehouse” mentioned by Hua Wen before.
Three hundred meters.
Almost there when Ulus’s expression changed. He sensed a faint mana fluctuation emanating from inside the “abandoned warehouse.” It was clear that someone with extraordinary power identified before should be inside.
Ulus halted, gazing at the “abandoned warehouse” entrance with hesitation, unsure whether to take the risk of entering. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NoveI[F]ire.net
The next moment, he perceived the faint mana fluctuation approaching; evidently, the person with extraordinary power was coming out, causing him to panic.
Eyes spotting a head-sized stone nearby, he quickly ran over, hugged it, then turned, back facing the “abandoned warehouse” entrance, slowly walking towards factory unit five, trying hard to pose as a worker at his job.
At that moment, a group walked out of the “abandoned warehouse” entrance, paying him no attention, conversing among themselves as they proceeded toward the factory gate.
Ulus inwardly exhaled a sigh of relief, surreptitiously glancing at the emerging individuals, noticing among them the miner Waltz, a man in black clothes, and a middle-aged man clad in a dark blue robe.
The middle-aged man in the dark blue robe walked in the center, continuously emitting faint mana fluctuations, seemingly maintaining some defensive spell on his body.
Could he be the real person in charge of this mine?
Ulus speculated in confusion, then heard the young man in black speak to the blue-robed middle-aged wizard: “Wizard Bar, I must thank you this time. A few days ago, Wizard Audric came over for an inspection but only studied a specific type of ore. Although helpful, some issues remained unsolved. With your coming this time, the big problem is finally sorted.”
“No, no.” The blue-robed middle-aged wizard shook his head, looking at the young man in black, “Wizard Richard, you’re being courteous. I’ve done only trivial things; it’s an honor to help you. Indeed, as members of the organization, we should help each other.
Honestly, I feel a bit embarrassed today. Although I gave some effort, there are still more than a dozen types of ores temporarily unidentified in category and usage. Truly guilty. But rest assured, I’ve taken samples of those ores, intending to study them thoroughly upon returning, and as soon as I have news, I’ll immediately inform you.”