Is there something wrong with the Castres silver mine?
Charlotte's heart moved slightly.
The silver mine is the pocket of the earldom, and the precious mithril is almost priceless.
Although in recent years, the income from trade has accounted for an increasingly larger proportion in the Castel territory, before the mithril mines were exhausted, the bulk of the territory's income was still from silver mines, especially mithril mines.
The time when the Castel family's mithril veins dried up coincided with the time when the old witch sent all the nobles around her away. After Charlotte found out, she felt something was wrong. Now it seems... maybe there is something fishy in it. .
With this thought, Charlotte became energetic almost instantly and asked seriously:
"What is the problem?"
"Lord Charlotte, there is probably some kind of terrible monster hiding under the Castel Mine!"
Lu Fu said in a deep voice.
"monster?"
Charlotte was stunned.
She frowned and said:
"Be more careful."
Lu Fu nodded, thought and recalled:
"Everything starts when we just arrived in Castel Territory..."
"About twenty days ago, after our blood wolf tribe came to Castel territory, we went straight to the famous Castel silver mining area."
"I selected a few stronger tribesmen to work in the mines as hired miners. After working for about a week, I gained the trust of the mine supervisory nobles. I was able to work deeper in the silver mines, and my salary was also increased all of a sudden. A full four times more."
"However, after going deep into the mine, I discovered several strange phenomena."
"Strange phenomenon?"
Charlotte's curiosity was instantly aroused.
Lu Fu nodded:
"Yes, a strange phenomenon."
"For example, the silver mine obviously values efficiency the most, but there are very few strong miners like me and my tribe. Most of the miners...with all due respect, they look relatively thin."
"It is also because of this that my tribe and I were quickly spotted by the mine supervisor. But this is very strange. We have already seen the main vein of the silver mine inside. Even if the associated mithril mine is exhausted, the silver mine is still there. Without depletion, I don’t believe that the mines can’t even recruit strong miners…”
"Not only that, after joining the ranks of the miners, I noticed that the old miners looked at us strangely, so I had an idea and invited an old miner to drink in the pub several times and asked I had my own doubts.”
"At first, he was reluctant to tell me, but after drinking my wine several times, he couldn't help but persuade me to leave and stop working in the mine. After I pressed him again and again, he finally told me the details of the mine. secret……"
"The Castel Silver Mine...there are monsters inside! Those strong miners will eventually be eaten by monsters!"
A monster that eats miners?
Charlotte's frown deepened.
"Didn't the mine say anything about this?"
she asked.
"I also asked around and asked, but the mine refused to admit it at all and said it was just a rumor among the miners..."
"But among the miners, this is an open secret. Not only will the strong miners who go deep into the mines disappear, it is said that some people have heard terrifying beasts and strange noises coming from deep in the mines..."
"It is said that the beast's cry is low and thick, just like the legendary dragon's cry!"
"That's why there are even more shocking remarks among the miners, that is, in the deepest part of the mine, there lives a giant dragon that feeds on the mineral veins and the miners!"
Lu Fu looked solemn and spoke shockingly.
Dragon?
Charlotte was completely stunned.
She felt more and more outrageous. She just felt that there was something wrong with the depletion of the mithril veins. How could she still find a giant dragon after investigating?
"You mean... the mithril veins were also eaten up by this... monster that looks like a giant dragon?"
Charlotte asked.
This time, Lu Fu shook his head:
"No, I have not seen the mithril vein. The mithril vein has been sealed. The reason given by the mine is that the vein is exhausted and there is a risk of collapse, so access is prohibited."
"However, I asked the old miners, and they told me that there must be secrets hidden in the Mithril Mine. In the past, a miner sneaked in while everyone was away, hoping to get some slag from the Mithril Mine... …”
"You know, mithril is precious, even slag is priceless, but the man escaped not long after entering, and he went crazy after escaping..."
"Later... he disappeared, and the mine never mentioned it again. As for the miners... no one dared to approach the sealed silver vein."
"However, the old miner has a guess that the monster is hiding in the mithril veins. He said that he had heard a legend in his early years. It is said that there is a kind of dragon that likes to live in caves and eats various precious metals as food. Food……"
"He said that there is a high possibility that there is such a dragon hidden deep in the mines of Castel!"
Luv's answer surprised and confused Charlotte.
Surprisingly, she could hear rumors of dragons on her property.
Charlotte, who has read all kinds of fantasy in her previous life, is no stranger to legendary existences such as dragons. In various novels, the protagonist and dragons often have an indissoluble bond. Many Chinese novels even include dragons as characters. Companion or mount.
After traveling through time, Charlotte also curiously searched for relevant information. She knew that dragons also existed in the world of Miria, and they were extremely powerful. When they became adults, they would at least have the strength of the Blazing Sun. Some old guys even dared to compete with the legendary dragons. Challenge.
However, giant dragons live in inaccessible places. In most cases, there are only legends in the civilized world. Occasionally, I hear some rumors of mercenaries slaying dragons. In fact, the ones they killed were only sub-dragons with a certain amount of dragon blood.
But Charlotte was also confused.
What she was confused about was that if, as Luv said, there was a giant dragon that fed on mithril under the Castel Mine, then the mine would definitely not suppress the news.
On the contrary, they will publicize it and recruit mercenaries to come and slay the dragon to avoid causing greater damage to the mineral veins.
But the fact is that the nobles who supervise the mine just announced that the mine was exhausted and closed the mine.
What's even more surprising is that even the other nobles of Castel have no objections to this.
If there was, it would have been a year since Charlotte had reconnected with the territory, and someone would have tipped off the information.
After all, even if she has no prestige, she is still the earl of the territory, the owner of the territory, and the nominal owner of the Castel Silver Mine. She is someone who can be attracted and sought support.
Charlotte even asked Baron Angus, the taciturn sociophobic knight who had been with her two days ago, about the mithril veins, and the other party's answer was that the mithril veins were indeed exhausted, and his son I even went to see it myself as a member of a noble delegation.
Unless Angus was lying to her.
But she really didn't want to believe that the only loyalist noble who came to pick her up and even personally escorted her to North Port was also a rebel...
Or... Angus' son was lying to him?
Intuition told Charlotte that there were secrets in the Castel Silver Mine, especially the Mithril Mine. There might be a big secret!
"What do you think?"
After thinking for a while, Charlotte looked at Sebas and Nice.
One of the two is an elf with a long lifespan, and the other is an extraordinary creature with mysterious origins. He must know more than she does. Maybe he can deduce something from Luv's investigation.
"A giant dragon that feeds on mineral veins... I have indeed heard of such a giant dragon, but I also know that a dragon that feeds on precious metals will never eat meat."
Sebastian thought for a while and said.
Charlotte looked at Nice again.
Ness put down his greasy cat paws that were reaching for the dinner plate, reluctantly swallowed the food in his bulging cheeks, and then they all muttered:
"I'm just curious about one thing. If there really is a dragon in the Castel Silver Mine, even if it's just a rumor, the group of mercenaries from the East Unite Black Area will swarm here."
"There have been many people who want to become famous by slaying dragons since ancient times. The queue can stretch from the Crescent Kingdom to Coria!"
Lu Fu nodded:
"Indeed, I heard from some miners that there was indeed a period of time in the past when rumors were spreading and a mercenary group took the initiative to come, but... there was no follow-up afterwards."
"No follow-up? What does that mean?"
Charlotte asked.
Luv replied:
"There is no follow-up in the literal sense. There is no follow-up news about the dragon slaying, nor the news about the mercenary group involved. There are rumors that the mercenary group discovered that there was no dragon and left. Some people say... Those members of the mercenary group disappeared just like other strong miners."
After listening to Luv's words, Charlotte fell into deep thought.
It's clear that there's a big problem underneath the Castres silver mine, and not just any big problem.
A mercenary group that has the confidence to pursue dragon slaying will not be inferior in strength. It is thought-provoking that such a mercenary group has no follow-up silently.
"I understand the matter, Mr. Lufu. Thank you for your hard work this time. For the sake of safety, I ask you and your tribe to stay away from the mining area for the time being."
Charlotte said.
Lu Fu's heart moved slightly:
"Lord Charlotte, are you coming here in person to investigate this matter yourself?"
Charlotte did not hide it, but nodded:
"I do think so."
Lu Fu hesitated for a moment and said sincerely:
"Lord Charlotte, although only the strong miners are missing, it is too dangerous there after all..."
"Hey, Luv, don't worry, it may be dangerous to others, but to the master... it's dangerous? It doesn't exist."
Sebastian smiled confidently.
Even Nice, who was croaking and eating, nodded, as if he didn't care about Charlotte's safety at all.
After looking at the indifferent expressions of several people, Lu Fu couldn't help but want to give some more advice, but before he could say anything, his heart suddenly moved and he looked at Sebastian's wrist.
He found that he didn't know when the ghost face curse on his wrist had shrunk to the point where it was almost invisible, and seemed to have been completely suppressed.
Lu Fu had some guesses in his mind.
Could it be that... Lord Sebas has regained his strength?
"Don't look at me. It's not that my strength has recovered, but don't worry, there is no safety problem. Even if there is, it can only be Nice."
As if he saw through Luv's thoughts at a glance, Sebastian smiled.
Nice stared instantly:
"What am I? Look at it! If there is anything, I will definitely be the first to escape successfully as I have many ways to escape! In this aspect, I am better than an unknown person who is chased by the blazing sun all the way. In the end, I have to rely on The trash that the master counterattacked was much stronger!"
Nice proudly showed off his ability to escape, adding a pinch of salt to Sebastian's wounds.
Sebastian:…
"Really? Will a guy who is good at running away become a slave who chases carriages to lose weight every day?"
he sneered.
"you!"
The fried eggs on Nice's paws instantly lost their aroma, and the cat's hair became furious.
A cat and a dog soon started bickering again.
Charlotte ignored the two guys who were arguing again, looked at the stunned Luv, and said with a smile:
"Loof, do you have any more questions?"
Lu Fu was stunned and replied:
"If Sebas-sama has confidence, there should be no problem."
However, after he finished speaking, his expression was a little hesitant.
Charlotte's heart moved slightly:
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
Lu Fu sighed:
"To be honest with you, there is indeed something else going on. In fact... my tribe and I don't plan to leave the mine for the time being."
"Don't plan to leave? Why?"
Charlotte frowned, a little curious.
These werewolves are all her believers. Although they themselves don't know that they are her believers, and they can't provide any divine help to Charlotte, Charlotte doesn't want to see how pitiful she is. Just a few more seedlings of believers died young.
Lu Fu scratched his head in embarrassment:
"The main reason is...the income from the mine is pretty good, and we like it there quite a lot. Not only that, I have also become friends with many miners, and I would feel sorry for them if I just left like this."
"If possible, I hope to wait until all the dust settles before leaving, and I hope those miners can be safe."
"Don't worry, as long as you don't go deep into the mine and are careful, it's still very safe. And... if possible, I would like to go down with you to have a look. I am already familiar with the mine and can help you lead the way. "
Luv said.
Although Charlotte didn't really want to risk the other party, looking at the werewolf's persistent expression, she could only sigh slightly and said:
"I see."
…
After chatting with Luv, Charlotte decided to go to the mine to find out for herself.
Of course, she won't be alone, but will bring Sebas and Nice with her.
Not only that, she also had to put on some disguises instead of going in swaggeringly.
After Lu Fu finished his meal, he excused himself and left. At the same time, he agreed with Charlotte on a time and place to meet.
I’m not picky, just tonight, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later, and it’s dark and windy so it’s easy to hide.
It's also good for Charlotte, after all, she is the strongest at night.
After walking out of the Metasequoia Hotel, Sebastian sent Luv off.
After walking a few steps side by side, Sebastian suddenly said:
"The last words you said to the master when we were eating... weren't actually the real reason why you insisted on staying in the mine, right?"
Lu Fu was stunned and scratched his head honestly:
"Master Sebastian, what are you talking about? I don't quite understand what you mean."
Sebastian didn't answer, but looked at him meaningfully.
Stared at by those scarlet eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts, Lu Fu barely managed to hold on for more than ten seconds, but in the end he was defeated.
He let out a long sigh and said:
"As expected, Lord Sebastian, nothing can be hidden from your eyes."
"Yes, I did hide some things, some things... I don't want Lady Charlotte to know."
Sebastian's expression suddenly turned cold:
"Luff, do you know what you are talking about? You actually hid something from the master?"
"Don't forget who saved your life. Eight years ago, it was me. One year ago, it was Lady Charlotte, and Lady Charlotte... is also my master!"
Lu Fu's expression suddenly became complicated:
"Of course I know, Master Sebas, a werewolf will never forget his kindness. I will remember your kindness and Lady Charlotte's kindness forever."
"But... there are some things that we werewolves cannot go against. I will not betray you, nor will I betray Lady Charlotte, but after all, we are not the same people as Lady Charlotte, and many things cannot be fully explained. open……"
Sebastian was stunned by Luv, and his face was confused for a moment:
"Wait... we're not from the same group? What are you talking about? You and the master?"
Lu Fu sighed softly:
"Yes, even though we arrived in Castells a month earlier than you, we still heard some rumors from Boulder. Lady Charlotte's coming-of-age ceremony even showed signs of the gods. She is the Lord of Gods, Hala. Your scroll, the saint walking on the earth..."
"The people in Castel are saying that she came to Castel to spread the faith of the Holy Royal Court."
"But you know, we believe in the great True Ancestor of Blood, and the Holy Royal Court... was one of the driving forces behind the decline of the Descendants of Blood."
"I did hide something because I met many fellow demi-humans in the mining area. Some of them were slaves and some were hired workers. Their lives were not good and they even suffered discrimination from all sides."
"The power of demi-humans comes from the blood totem. After regaining my lord's approval, I can feel that my stagnant strength is steadily improving."
"I guess... they do too."
"They used to be part of us...but now, they are lost in their faith. I hope to bring them hope and the faith of our Lord. I hope to contribute to our Lord who is recovering." Do your part."
"You tell me how to get a response from the true ancestor, which means that at least you are not on the opposite side of my lord, so... I will tell you all this."
"But Lady Charlotte...she is the saint of the Holy Royal Court!"
Lu Fu let out a long sigh with a complicated expression.
Sebastian:…
He didn't know what to say for a moment.
However, looking at the werewolf Lu Fu's painful expression as he was torn between faith and kindness, he couldn't help but say:
"Is there a possibility...Master, me, and you, we are all on the same journey?"
Lu Fu was stunned for a moment:
"What?"
