In the summer camp, Zone C.
After a late-night snack, Mike returned to his dormitory.
Kaelum handed him a complete guide for levels 3, 4, 5, and 6, advising, "Junior, this guide is a bit outdated. Due to Thor's influence, these four levels have been reset, and the difficulty should be much lower. I'll get you the new guide tomorrow, but you can try the third level today."
"Okay."
Mike took the guide and sincerely said, "Senior Kaelum, it feels a bit awkward to keep calling each other 'senior' and 'junior.' Just call me Mike."
Kaelum was easygoing about it, not minding the details, "Alright, Mike. Whether I can be Thor's classmate depends entirely on you! If there's anything you don't understand, just contact me anytime."
After Kaelum left, Mike was alone in the dormitory.
The summer camp's facilities were luxurious: single dormitories, a cafeteria that provided service 24 hours a day, well-trained doctors, and instructors drawn from various major corps.
Mike had been busy since the afternoon. It had been a fruitful day, though. Besides inscribing a poem on the Monument of Faith, Mike had also acquired a Thunderclap Hammer.
Well, that was pretty much it. Thinking of this, Mike's gaze inadvertently caught the tattered cloak, and he couldn't help but facepalm. This wasn't just bringing back equipment; it was like bringing back a gold-eating beast!
For SSS-tier materials, Mike only had one skull; he had nothing else.
"I'll have to figure out a way to buy some from Wolf's Den."
Ordinary means definitely wouldn't work. Mike hadn't forgotten that Maxen still owed him a large bounty!
Reporting the high-level list of the fourth demon cult and reporting Terenas—these two actions together amounted to a substantial fortune.
Mike had risked his life to obtain that information! He deserved every bit of it, not a coin less.
Mike counted on his fingers, "Ares still owes me two skill books and one equipment forging opportunity."
Regarding equipment forging, Mike now had a new idea. Now that he had both the Thunderclap Hammer and the Force of Nature, what he really lacked was armor!
However, compared to weapons, armor required even more resources. Given Mike's cautious nature, he wished he could craft a set of SSS-tier armor!
After taking inventory, Mike checked the resources at hand. "What I need to develop most are the two Mines!"
With that thought, Mike looked down at his shadow. "Shadow Nine, is it safe to enter the Tower of Truth now?"
"You're going to the Trade Secret Realm... wait, you have a private space now?!" Shadow Nine immediately reacted, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Could it be the legendary Mysterious Mine?"
True to form, Shadow Nine guessed the truth in an instant.
Mike nodded and asked, "Is it that rare?"
"It's not about being rare or not, it's really that kind of..." Shadow Nine sighed and continued, "Before you, no one has ever harvested a Mysterious Mine. What do you need? Just ask, and we can provide the most professional mining equipment, professional personnel to help you survey."
"That doesn't seem right..." Mike hesitated.
His private space already had the Graystone Diggers Crew, and there shouldn't be a big problem with production capacity. The top-tier mining equipment was considered strategic material on Earth, strictly controlled by the Defense Headquarters, and not a single part would leak out!
Humanity needed these mining devices to extract ores from the Abyssal Plane for military needs. If these devices fell into the hands of demon gods, they could also use them to mine ores and turn them against humanity!
Without revealing his identity as Thor, Mike couldn't possibly buy these devices.
"All free!"
Mike was about to loudly refuse Shadow Nine. But his offer was too tempting.
"Shadow Nine, let's be clear, you're not tricking me, right?"
"I would never trick you." Shadow Nine spoke slowly, "The following is a formal negotiation from both [Guardian Shadow] and [Wolf's Den] to you."
"You can choose to cooperate or refuse, and whatever you decide, it's your freedom. Our side is willing to provide mining equipment for free, pay the miners' wages, hire specific NPCs to mine, and even handle the subsequent smelting work. In return, we ask for [first right of purchase] on your mine's output, ensuring the purchase price is no lower than the recent market average.
You can keep the high-tier ores for personal use, just ensure a minimum daily output of 3000 tons of raw ore. The contract will be signed in the Trade Secret Realm, witnessed by a realm wisp. Our side accepts a 7-day short-term contract, which can be automatically renewed for another 7 days if there are no objections."
Mike didn't take long to agree, "I can accept these terms."
No matter how he looked at it, Mike wouldn't lose out on Shadow Nine's proposal. Even if he changed his mind halfway through the cooperation, he could end the relationship after 7 days.
As for Shadow Nine, his perspective on the issue was completely different from Mike's!
Before the appearance of the Mysterious Mine, if humanity wanted to obtain high-quality ores, they had to mine them from the Abyssal Plane. And mining required at least two corps stationed for protection, facing tremendous defensive pressure!
Compared to that, buying from Mike meant humanity only needed to spend money! The Defense Headquarters, after so many years, lacked everything but money.
If necessary, they could even print money on the spot for Mike, as much as needed. Even the coins of the Tower of Truth were within humanity's capability to mint!
Printing money, as long as it didn't finish them off, they would print to their heart's content!
And Mike, using the raw ores in exchange for money, could then convert it into the resources he needed. A mutually beneficial arrangement, meeting each other's needs.
"This is the parameter of humanity's most advanced mining equipment; you can take it and study it first." A document appeared in front of Mike on the table.
"Alright, I'm feeling a bit unwell in my stomach; I'll take it to the bathroom to read while I'm there."
Reading something while in the bathroom is an essential skill for every man.
"By the way, how large is the Mysterious Mine you harvested?" Shadow Nine suddenly remembered to ask the most important question.
"Not big, just 75 million tons." After speaking, Mike went to the restroom, leaving Guardian Shadow stunned in place.
Shadow Nine muttered, "75 million tons... If they're all C-tier ores, that's equivalent to the total output of 10 medium-sized Abyssal Planes!"
...
In the Mysterious Mine.
As Mike appeared in his private space, the head miner immediately came up to greet him. "Boss, we're ready to work anytime!"
"No rush, take a look at this equipment first and estimate the production capacity," Mike instructed, handing over the relevant parameters to the head miner. Several miners gathered around to analyze the data.
A few minutes later, the head miner returned with the results of their discussion. "Boss, if everything written here is true, we estimate that the initial daily output could be 10,000 tons. Once production stabilizes, it could maintain between 30,000 to 50,000 tons per day."
Producing 50,000 tons per day, it would take over 1500 days to deplete two Mysterious Mines, requiring more than four years. "Good, the equipment will be delivered in the next few days. Rest well for now, and we'll start work when it arrives."
Mike then shifted the conversation from work to living conditions, "Do we have enough food and water?"
"Water is sufficient, but food..." The head miner's face showed a hint of embarrassment, "We only have enough for one more meal. If we ration it, it might last a few days."
Mike frowned, "I remember ordering food supplies for 1500 people."
"Boss, it's mainly because it eats so much, and we can't drive it away..." The head miner led Mike towards the back, where he found a giant lizard lazily lying next to the mine shaft.
Upon seeing Mike, it woke up and showed great excitement,
"Sssslizzz-snap! Huzz-huzz, crick-crack!?"
Seeing the lizard again, Mike was in a good mood. This lizard had helped him bring back a significant amount of water when he was in the mine, which was of great importance. "Alright, you can live here from now on!"
Although the lizard ate a lot, it was friendly towards humans and could communicate with Mike.
Moreover, the lizard's strength was not weak; after being unpetrified, it possessed strength comparable to a Battle General. If any mining accidents occurred, the giant lizard could respond immediately.
As a creature of the earth element, the underground was practically its paradise; otherwise, it wouldn't have chosen to live in an abandoned mine.
With the help of the Eye of Truth, Mike was able to communicate normally with the giant lizard. "Man, keep an eye on this place; it's our family's property now!"
The giant lizard responded, "Gizz-gazz, fizz-fuzz, whizz-whazz!"
Having resolved the issue with the giant lizard, Mike instructed before leaving, "I'll resolve the food issue as soon as possible. Eat your meals on time, and if you do well, we'll add a late-night snack."
At midnight, the Tower of Truth opened.
"Welcome to the Core City of Truth!"
Entering the Core City of Truth, Mike headed straight for Wolf's Den. Sure enough, Maxen Stoneheart was there, along with the beautiful woman named Nyx Valoria from before.
"You're here?" Maxen Stoneheart was waiting for Mike and recognized him by his familiar mask.
"Come with me..."
"Wait!" Mike interrupted Maxen Stoneheart's spellcasting. "I heard that all expenses at Wolf's Den were free last night?"
"That's true, celebrating Thor's great achievements, everything was free." Maxen Stoneheart was puzzled, "Why do you ask?"
As Thor himself, Mike hadn't enjoyed the benefits of Thor's free pass, which upset him. It was like him coming in second place in a "Real-life Thor Impersonation Show."
Mike indignantly asked, "Did you make the reservation for 5000 single meals I asked for last night?"
Maxen was surprised, "Did you... ask me to make a reservation?"
"Didn't you? Think again."
Maxen Stoneheart took a deep breath, turned to Nyx Valoria, and instructed, "Prepare 5000 single meals for him."
"And the money?" Nyx Valoria was practical; 5000 meals could be prepared, but who would pay for them? Surely they couldn't use last night's free pass for today's meals.
Maxen Stoneheart lowered his voice so Mike wouldn't hear, "Put it on my dad's bill."