“Clang, clang, clang, clang…”
Deep within the dim subterranean shafts, the rhythmic strike of metal against stone echoed through the tunnels.
As the first sliver of morning light touched the cave entrance, the workers—who had spent the night underground—commenced their day’s labor.
One by one, the Zombie girls, clutching various tools, worked tirelessly in the gloom to pry coal from the earth.
Once a cart was filled to the brim, a Honkai Beast would step up to shove the heavy iron skip toward the surface.
“Put some back into it! You just got a Honkai Energy refill, so don’t even think about slacking off.”
Up in the surface office, a Summoner Zombie glanced out the window at the operation.
Noticing the Zombies’ pace had dipped ever so slightly, she immediately snatched the microphone from her desk.
Her voice boomed through the speakers installed deep in the shafts, barking orders at the workers below.
“Clang-clang-clang, clang-clang-clang…”
Hearing the shout from above, the Zombies in the tunnels instantly redoubled their efforts, swinging their picks with renewed vigor.
“That’s more like it.”
Stepping out of the office, she listened to the frantic, hardworking echoes drifting up from the pit.
Satisfied, she turned on her heel and headed back inside.
“Hm?”
She had barely sat down for a few minutes when she felt a surge of Honkai Energy snap back into her body.
“Dead again? Seriously?”
Knowing exactly what that meant, she channeled her power.
A crimson coffin, used for summoning Zombies, materialized beside her.
She injected the returned energy into the vessel, and a moment later, a fresh Zombie stepped out.
“Get back down there and get to work. Try not to die so easily this time.”
The new recruit emerged from the coffin and shuffled straight back to her post to resume the grind.
Aside from two brief daily breaks for Honkai Energy replenishment, these Zombies worked without pause from sunrise to sunset.
Compared to their miserable existence, the output of this coal mine—once considered a disposable resource—had increased several-fold over manual human labor.
In just one week, the earnings had already eclipsed the total profits of the past several months.
Upon reviewing the financial statements, Sienna nodded approvingly.
“Good work. Keep it up.”
–+–
A few days prior.
“This place looks like it’s one bad day away from bankruptcy.” This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
After several days of negotiations and deal-making, Cocolia had successfully brought the mining operation under her wing.
“Whether this works or not is all on you,” Cocolia remarked.
The mine, which used to require a crew of over a dozen, was now staffed by only three: Sienna, Cecilia, and Cocolia.
Since Alexandra was pregnant, they hadn’t dragged her out to this desolate wasteland.
Meanwhile, Bella had already begun her studies and was currently at home listening to a tutor’s lecture.
After a few days of coaching and careful instruction, Bella was finally starting to blend into human society.
Standing before the trio was a cluster of small wooden shacks that served as makeshift offices and breakrooms.
Directly across from the buildings was the yawning maw of the mine entrance.
“Don’t worry, Boss. Leave it to me.”
Beside them stood a Summoner with her hair tied in twin tails, flanked by four red coffins.
With a flick of her hand, the coffins launched like missiles into the clearing.
When the caskets vanished, four low-level Zombies stood ready.
The moment the idea of using Zombies as a workforce had struck her, Sienna had specifically instructed Vanilla.
During her hunts, if she found a Zombie capable of summoning others, she was to capture it rather than kill it.
Once caught, Vanilla would use the Theater of Domination to deliver it to Sienna.
“Meow.”
Having received her new mission, Vanilla delivered a low-level Necromancer Zombie into the pocket dimension the very next day.
Since Honkai Energy was quite dense in that area, finding such a specimen wasn’t particularly difficult.
What followed was the same process Sienna had used to convert Vanilla, allowing this Necromancer to undergo a sudden evolution into a Summoner Mage.
“Can you actually see through those?”
After the transformation, Sienna looked at the Summoner, whose eyes were still tightly wrapped in bandages.
She wondered how the girl perceived her surroundings.
“Oh, I can take these off.”
With a quick tug, the Summoner ripped the bandages away, revealing her eyes.
In truth, the cloth didn’t completely block out the light; she could navigate the environment just fine even with them on.
Sienna had kept her in the pocket dimension until they arrived at the site.
At the Summoner Mage’s command, the Zombies marched toward the warehouse.
When they emerged, each held a set of mining tools.
“Do they actually know how to work?” Sienna asked, watching the Zombies push their carts into the darkness.
She hoped they wouldn’t accidentally bring the whole tunnel down on their heads.
“These Zombies are created from a portion of my own power. Unlike the common variety, they can inherit bits of knowledge from me.”
While they were in the Dominance space, Sienna had given her a book on mining techniques.
By sharing that knowledge with her summons, the Mage could ensure the work was done safely and efficiently.
“I’ll be counting on you, then.”
With this ability, Sienna realized she could eventually build a reliable middle management tier and a massive workforce of lower-level employees.
The group stepped into one of the small huts on the site.
“Since you can coordinate their labor, you’ll also be in charge of the logistics and transport,” Sienna added.
Once the coal was out of the ground, they needed drivers to move the product.
Sienna made a mental note to bring the Mage more books later to fully develop her potential.
“Understood.”
The Mage, currently preparing to summon a second shift of workers, had no idea just how much “studying” she was about to be assigned.
A few minutes after the first shift started, the second group was summoned.
This time, one of the coffins yielded a Honkai Beast instead of a Zombie.
While the beasts were too clumsy for digging in cramped spaces, they were perfect for hauling the heavy carts.
“Man, they get filthy fast.”
The group watched from the office as the Honkai Beasts emerged from the pit.
Their once-pristine white carapaces were now stained a deep, charcoal black.
“I bet those Zombies down there have turned completely black by now,” Sienna joked.
“Even a ‘black’ Zombie wouldn’t be that dark,” Cecilia teased back.
It had to be said: Zombies, possessing several times the strength of an average human, were terrifyingly efficient workers.
“At this rate, we’ll break even in no time.”
Watching cart after cart of coal emerge from the earth, Cocolia ran the numbers.
By utilizing a high-volume, low-margin strategy, their projected profits were looking incredibly promising.