"Benefactor, we meet again."
From deep within the mine, the sound of footsteps approached, a group of ragged, haggard people walking towards Mike.
Their numbers had increased significantly, with two to three hundred people visible at a glance.
Clearly, many miners had been petrified by Medusa and had now regained their mobility.
It was the same mining leader who greeted Mike, "Thank you for everything you've done, the Graystone Diggers Crew is at your eternal service."
"Graystone Diggers Crew is at your eternal service, sir!"
Nearly three hundred miners simultaneously removed their mining caps, held them against their chests, bowed slightly, and chorused.
"No need for formalities, I've only made a small contribution."
Mike had two mines with tens of millions of tons, and it was time to staff up.
It was unrealistic for him to mine alone.
The appearance of this group of miners perfectly solved Mike's problem.
Although the Tower of Truth had awarded him command of the mining crew, giving him absolute authority over these people, he could demand that they work extremely hard every day like a slave master.
But Mike had no such intentions; he immediately declared, "Everyone, as long as you follow me, I'll pay your wages on time, everything will be just as before. Three meals a day, enough drink after work, and plenty of meat!"
After Mike finished speaking, he noticed a look of confusion and bewilderment on most of the miners' faces.
Turning to the mining leader, Mike asked, "Did I say something wrong?"
"Sir..."
The mining leader hesitated before revealing the truth.
"We usually only eat two meals a day."
"From now on, it will be three."
A simple statement, yet it brought tears to the eyes of many in the mining crew.
With the help of the Eye of Truth, Mike could see that many NPCs' affection for him was skyrocketing.
Of course, Mike's primary intention wasn't to win hearts.
"Tell me what you all are lacking."
These miners had been fleeing for a long time, some without even proper tools.
Mike asked the mining leader to make a list.
If it was essential supplies, he would directly purchase them from the Trade Secret Realm.
As for specialized mining equipment and devices, those would need to be custom-designed based on the conditions of the mines and could be postponed for now.
It took the mining leader 15 minutes to hand Mike a list.
"Sir, besides food and fresh water, we also need a large number of Healing potions."
After saying this, the mining leader seemed a bit embarrassed.
They hadn't yet created any value for their new boss, but were already costing him quite a bit.
The mining leader added, "I'll organize a team to quickly survey the outskirts of the mine and develop a mining plan to start producing as soon as possible."
"There's no rush for the survey; you don't need to do that."
With the Eye of Truth, there was no need for the cumbersome process of surveying!
Mike took the list and immediately contacted Foreskin using his Trade Secret Realm pass.
"Prepare food and water for 1500 people, and drinks."
Mike guessed that the outside world was probably celebrating, so his request wouldn't seem too strange.
Foreskin's reply was brief, "150 gold coins."
As soon as the money was transferred, Mike received the food and water by mail.
Mike handed the food to the mining leader, "Organize the distribution, make sure there's enough food and water, but hold off on the alcohol for now."
"Understood!"
The mining leader and his team got busy distributing the food. If rationed carefully, the food for 1500 could feed their 300 people for a week.
After a moment, Mike messaged Foreskin again.
"There's been a slight situation here, I need healing scrolls for 400 people, low-tier, purchased anonymously."
"200 gold coins."
"You have a new mail!"
Once the healing scrolls were distributed, the mining leader once again expressed his gratitude.
"Sir, we're just miners, good at mining but novices at smelting and forging."
The mining leader pointed to the Storm Forge next to the mine,"If you want to smelt the raw ores, you might need to hire some professionals."
"Alright, I'll take care of it."
"Once you've hired them, I can send a few people to learn. It won't take long before we can handle it ourselves."
"You guys rest for now, mining can wait. You've had a tough time, eat well and rest."
After settling the miners, Mike finally had a moment to check his own status.
Mines, miners, forge.
These rewards meant a continuous stream of wealth for Mike!
With these mines, and by hiring NPCs skilled in smelting and forging, Mike could completely manufacture his own equipment and items, and even sell them externally!
Money isn't everything.
But without money, nothing is possible!
After conquering levels 3-6 of the Tower of Truth, Mike's power increased significantly! Having endured battles in 300 mines and a final showdown with the boss Medusa, Mike skyrocketed from level 26 to level 54!
Opening the dashboard:
ID: Thor
Talent: Eye of Truth (SSS grade)
Level: 54
Class: Stormweaver (Wind, Fire, Lightning)
HP: 16400/16400
MP: 21500/21500
Strength: 672 (+100)
Intelligence: 1469 (+80)
Spirit: 1357 (+70)
Agility: 634 (+45)
Constitution: 543 (+100)
Luck: 12
Equipment: Force of Nature (+2)
Skills: Lightning Arrow, Blessing of Lightning, Charge Up, Thunderclap Strike, Windstride Slash, Wind Fury, Ignite, etc.
Status: Lightning Affinity, Lightning Specialization, Fire Element Specialization, Wind Element Specialization
All five fundamental attributes have surpassed 500, with the mage's crucial [Intelligence] and [Spirit] attributes nearing 1500! Now, Mike truly resembles a mage.
Surpassing a thousand in a single attribute is one of the rigid criteria for a Battle General's tier evaluation. However, this is just one indicator for a Battle General tier.
The assessment of a Battle General also heavily focuses on strength, combat power, and battle achievements.
Having just become a ninth-tier Battle Soldier, Mike is not yet planning to aim for a Battle General evaluation.
Besides his attribute growth, Mike has achieved two significant milestones!
This battle lasted nearly five hours, during which Mike used Thunderclap Strike over ten thousand times!
Now, the base damage of Thunderclap Strike has reached 58,696!
Even without using Charge Up, Mike can easily defeat a low-tier Battle General with a single Thunderclap Strike and seriously injure a high-tier Battle General.
Given Mike's high affinity for lightning, the growth potential of Thunderclap Strike was expected. Unfortunately, he seldom has the chance to unleash it.
Continuous five-hour monster slaying like this is an opportunity that's hard to come by!