Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert - Chapter 227

[Translator – Peptobismol]

[Proofreader – Demon God]

Chapter 227

Thanks to a good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed, Zeon and his party were full of energy from the start of the morning.

Brielle and Eloy, freshly washed, had skin so radiant it seemed to glow.

“I finally feel alive again.”

“Humans should really live in civilized places.”Ne/w novel chapt𝒆rs are p/u/blished on no/vel(/bin(.)c/o/m

“Oh, listen to the little one! Acting all high and mighty for someone who isn’t even human…”

“And what about you?”

“Who said I was talking about you?”

“Ha! Coming from a half-elf…”

“A High Elf who was once addicted to drugs…”

Levin watched indifferently as the two women bickered again, even this early in the morning.

It wasn’t an unusual sight for him, something he’d grown used to over time.

Levin approached Zeon.

“What should we do about breakfast?”

“We’re eating, of course.”

“Know of any good places?”

“There’s one I’ve already found.”

“Already?”

“Yeah, I ran into someone I know.”

The person Zeon was referring to was Will.

Along with some information, Will had also recommended a place to eat, said to be the best spot in the Mana Stone Mines.

“Then let’s go together.”

At that moment, Jang Yong-beom’s voice called out.

His party also seemed full of energy after a good night’s rest.

Since there was no reason to refuse, Zeon nodded.

“Sure.”

“Hope it’s good. Most restaurants around the Mana Stone Mines are pretty terrible.”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high.”

“Heh heh! Alright.”

Zeon, Jang Yong-beom, and their parties headed to the restaurant that Will had recommended.

As was the case with most establishments in the Mana Stone Mines, the place was quite shabby. With only a few seats available, it quickly became packed once Zeon’s and Jang Yong-beom’s groups entered.

The restaurant owner served them a dish that was somewhere between a soup with lots of meat and a stew, its exact identity unclear.

“It smells pretty good.”

“Wow!”

The eight of them eagerly started digging in, not waiting for anyone to make the first move.

The combination of cultured meat and rice, paired with a broth made using the owner’s secret recipe, was outstanding.

Before they knew it, their bowls were empty.

With satisfied expressions, Eloy and Brielle put down their spoons.

“This is really amazing.”

“I feel so at peace now.”

Though the two often argued, they were in perfect agreement this time.

The others felt the same.

The only exception was Mountain, who, not content with just one serving, ordered several more bowls.

Giselle scolded him as she watched.

“Ugh! You pig. Can all of that really fit in your stomach?”

“Hehe! Yes.”

“Go on, eat all you want. Big sis here will cover it.”

“Thanks!”

Mountain laughed with an innocent expression, completely oblivious to Giselle’s sarcasm. She clicked her tongue in response.

After all, a quarrel only works if the other person gets the joke.

With someone as simple-minded as Mountain, arguing was pointless.

Levin, patting his full belly, commented.

“This place is a hidden gem. Who would’ve thought there’d be a restaurant this good in the Mana Stone Mines?”

“It’s better than I expected.”

Zeon agreed with Levin’s opinion.

After a restful night in a proper bed and a delicious meal, there was nothing more they could want.

Aside from Mountain, the other seven people sat back in their chairs, enjoying the pleasant, relaxed feeling.

It was a rare moment of peace, one they wished could last longer. But the distant sounds of people chattering brought them back to reality.

“Whoa!”

“I’ve never seen anything that big.”

“This is insane!”

Though the shouts lacked any specific details, they were enough to pique the curiosity of Zeon and Jang Yong-beom’s parties.

Zeon stood up.

“It seems like something’s happening at the Mana Stone Mines.”

“We’ve got time to kill, so let’s go check it out.”

Jang Yong-beom responded with a look of interest.

For him, the Mana Stone Mines was just a stopover, not a destination.

It was simply a place to pass through while heading to external missions, nothing more.

As such, he wasn’t particularly familiar with the situation at the Mana Stone Mines.

Zeon’s group and Jang Yong-beom’s party moved toward the source of the commotion.

They arrived at the entrance of the Mana Stone Mines, where a large crowd had gathered.

Most of them were miners working at the mine.

The miners’ attention was focused on a massive boulder.

The deep blue, glowing rock was as large as Mountain, who stood beside Jang Yong-beom.

Zeon immediately recognized the rock’s identity.

“A Mana Stone?”

“And it’s top-grade.”

Jang Yong-beom’s eyes twitched slightly.

The boulder the miners were looking at was the largest Mana Stone ever mined from the Mana Stone Mines.

It was the biggest in a hundred years and had exceptional purity.

Even from a distance, they could feel the overwhelming mana contained within the top-grade Mana Stone.

Eloy furrowed her brow and spoke.

“This could power Neo Seoul for over a year, easily.”

“This is really insane.”

Aiden shook his head in disbelief.

Neo Seoul required a tremendous amount of Mana Stones to stay operational.

Even with constant mining, it was always a struggle to secure enough for a year’s supply.

Yet this single Mana Stone could generate all the electricity Neo Seoul needed for an entire year. Its value was unimaginable.

Jang Yong-beom remarked.

“They won’t be able to smuggle that out. Neo Seoul will definitely send a special transport team.”

“Do people really smuggle Mana Stones? Isn’t everything mined here taken directly by City Hall?”

“Heh heh! Then how do you think the rulers of each district secure their Mana Stones? They all work hard to siphon some off behind the scenes. For some reason, Jin Geum-ho turns a blind eye to it, even though he’s aware.”

“I see.”

“But a Mana Stone this large and with such powerful mana is a different story. That’s Jin Geum-ho’s. There’s no way he’ll let anyone else take such a top-grade Mana Stone.”

Even beyond generating electricity, top-grade Mana Stones had countless potential applications.

Depending on the research, they could lead to groundbreaking results.

There was no way City Hall would allow anyone else to smuggle out such a valuable asset.

Suddenly, Jang Yong-beom’s face twisted in frustration.

“Damn it!”

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s nothing good about this for us.”

“What do you mean?”

Zeon looked at Jang Yong-beom with a puzzled expression.

“With something this valuable showing up, there’s no way the Mana Stone Mines will be left to handle transportation on its own.”

“And?”

“I already told you—they’re going to send a special transport team.”

“So how is that a problem?”

“Up to that point, it’s fine. The problem is the process before that. To prevent any leaks, they’re likely going to shut down all access to and from the Mana Stone Mines.”

Just then—

Thud!

As if to confirm Jang Yong-beom’s prediction, the gates of the Mana Stone Mines slammed shut. The massive iron gate could only be opened with mechanical controls.

Unless the manager opened it, no one could enter or leave.

The Mana Stone Mines was now completely isolated from the outside world.

Even someone like Jang Yong-beom couldn’t leave without the manager’s approval.

Zeon asked Jang Yong-beom.

“So until the transport team from Neo Seoul arrives, no one can leave?”

“Exactly!”

“So we’re basically imprisoned.”

“It’s a crappy situation.”

Jang Yong-beom stared bitterly at the top-grade Mana Stone.

For Neo Seoul and City Hall, this was a windfall, but for someone like Jang Yong-beom, who hated being tied down, it felt like being shackled.

“When do you think the transport team will arrive?”

“That young lady over there should know. She’s a supervisor.”

With a troubled expression, Eloy, who had caught Jang Yong-beom’s gaze, answered.

“Such a large Mana Stone has never been mined before. Its value is incalculable, so they’ll definitely send the best team available. It’ll take at least a day just to gather and dispatch the team. Add another day for them to reach the Mana Stone Mines. So, we’re looking at a minimum of two days here.”

“Looks like it.”

Jang Yong-beom scrunched up his nose.

Zeon turned his gaze toward the main gate of the Mana Stone Mines in the distance.

The towering walls stood several dozen meters high, with a massive iron gate over ten meters tall.

For ordinary people, it was an insurmountable obstacle. But for an Awakened like Zeon, it wasn’t impossible to scale. Even so, he knew that crossing that wall without permission would mean being expelled from Neo Seoul’s system.

Once expelled from Neo Seoul’s system, there was no coming back. Awakened knew all too well how harsh that could be.

Zeon had no intention of giving up the comfort of the system.

“Looks like we’ll have to treat this as a forced vacation and relax for two days.”

“What should we do in the meantime?”

“Whatever it is, it’s better than rolling around in the sand pits of the desert.”

Levin, Eloy, and Brielle accepted the situation.

It was just two more days.

With the accommodations and food being decent, there was nothing to complain about.

Zeon addressed the group.

“You heard that, right? We just need to stay here for two more days, so don’t cause any trouble and behave.”

“Is this free time?”

“It’s not like I’ve ever forced you to do anything. Just enjoy yourselves.”

“Yes, sir!”

Levin answered with a bright smile.

Jang Yong-beom also instructed his party members to rest for the next two days.

Once everyone dispersed, Zeon remained, gazing at the top-grade Mana Stone.

Even though it was top-grade, he didn’t feel any particular desire for it. He’d seen Mana Stones far more valuable than this one.

Mana Stones extracted from S-rank beasts or boss-level monsters contained even stronger mana.

However, those were difficult to refine, making them unsuitable for energy production like this one.

Just then, a group of Awakened stationed at the Mana Stone Mines rushed over.

They began loading the massive Mana Stone onto a truck while issuing orders.

“Move it to the warehouse immediately.”

“If we lose this, we’re all dead. Guard the warehouse thoroughly.”

Their voices were tense.

It was just a short trip from the mine to the warehouse, yet they were on high alert.

People kept their distance, knowing that getting involved could lead to more than just a beating.

Zeon decided it was time to leave as well.

‘Here we go again. I can’t tell if trouble follows me or if I’m the one attracting it.’

For some reason, wherever Zeon went, major incidents always seemed to occur.

This time was no different.

He was merely passing through on his way back to Neo Seoul, but now this top-grade Mana Stone had been discovered.

It was the first time in a hundred years.

It almost felt like fate was playing tricks on him.

The massive Mana Stone was loaded onto a truck and headed toward the warehouse, and the gathered miners began to disperse.

Zeon no longer felt any reason to stay there and turned to leave.

“Hey! You bastard!”

At that moment, someone grabbed Zeon’s shoulder roughly and shouted.

When Zeon turned around, he found a rough-looking man glaring at him.

The man’s arms, exposed by rolled-up sleeves, were covered in scars, indicating a life filled with hardship.

The man tightened his grip on Zeon’s shoulder and spoke.

“You’re that bastard, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Shit! It’s really you. The one who ran away.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The bastard who escaped after I threw him into the Mana Stone Mines eight years ago. You son of a bitch! Do you have any idea how much trouble you caused me?”

Only then did Zeon remember who the man was.

“Park… Man-ho?”

“Am I your friend, you bastard?”

Smack!

Park Man-ho struck Zeon on the back of the head with a hand as large as a pot lid.

The force was enough to shatter the skull of an ordinary person.

Zeon’s hair became tousled from the unexpected blow to the back of his head.

It had been a long time since anyone had hit Zeon.

It would’ve been natural for him to be upset, but instead, Zeon was smiling.

Through his messy hair, a flash of white teeth could be seen.

“I’d completely forgotten about you, but here we are meeting again. It’s nice to see you.”

Park Man-ho.

He was the one who had forcibly thrown Zeon into the 972th tunnel when he first arrived at the Mana Stone Mines eight years ago.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

[Proofreader – Demon God]