Captain Ma shook his head and refused, "No, it's not a matter of reluctance. Miwu Ore is considered a quasi-military-controlled good. In a few days, all these mine slaves will be executed, including Du Xiu."
"Moreover, his mentor is Master Ma. Within the consortium, the high-level officials in charge of mine resources are mortal enemies with Master Ma's faction. We can't bring trouble upon ourselves."
"Lastly, I heard Du Xiu has a severe head condition. In the apothecary profession, the brain is crucial. He might lose his apothecary talent at any moment."
"He's not worth the risk to protect him."
"Sigh, what a pity!" Old Liu sighed after hearing this. "By the way, this time we brought twice as many supplies as usual. It will be at least twenty days before we come to the mine again. You better keep track of time. This is the Wilderness No-Man's Land, there's no signal, and if you run out of food, no one will care!"
"Why bring so much this time?"
"There will be a heavy snowstorm in the coming days, making the roads in the wilderness difficult to traverse."
Nonsense!
Captain Ma cursed inwardly. The roads aren't hard to travel; it's just that this place is far and unprofitable, and they're too lazy to come. "Did you bring the wine this time?"
"Yes, enough for your mine to have a 'Day of Bestowal' celebration."
Inside the mine.
A row of modified high-power off-road vehicles was parked in the open space of the mine.
The extended truck beds were filled with various living supplies.
The driver rolled down the window, smoking a cigarette, and curiously looked around.
The mine guards were driving a group of mine slaves, who had just come out of the mine, to unload the supplies.
Dragging their weary bodies, they opened the tailgates of the vehicles and began unloading the goods.
Pulling back the black cloth covering the supplies, boxes of dried vegetables, meat, flour, fine wine, and various living materials came into view.
Seeing the supplies, the mine slaves showed no excitement but rather expressions of extreme annoyance.
These supplies had nothing to do with them. After each unloading, they would be searched, and anyone daring to take even a piece of dried vegetable would be beaten to a pulp and thrown into the wilderness to starve to death.
Du Xiu walked out of the room and exchanged a glance with Lian Ruofei, who was unloading goods. The former winked at him, and the latter nodded, heading towards a particular supply vehicle.
......
The God bestowed life upon all things, creating the world.
When He was dying.
The Bestowed One who resembled Him the most and was usually the most loyal, stabbed the God in the back, fleeing in panic with wisdom and greed.
The God fell, chaos erupted, and the victorious Bestowed Ones seized power and savagery.
The last arriving Bestowed Ones were chosen by the God, inheriting His bloodline and vowing to destroy the world.
Millennia passed.
The Bestowed Ones who backstabbed the True God, humans, founded the Empire.
The victorious Bestowed Ones, the Wolfkin, founded the Tribe.
The Bestowed Ones who inherited the divine bloodline declared themselves gods and established the Holy Church.
The wars between the Empire, the Tribe, and the Church have continued for millennia.
The Church is located on the Western Continent.
The Empire and the Tribe are located on the Eastern Continent.
For nearly ten thousand years, the relationship between the Empire and the Tribe has been relatively peaceful. Sharing the Eastern Continent, there have been minor skirmishes along the border, but overall it has remained stable. In conflicts with the Church, they often join forces to resist the Church's army invasion.
With the Eastern Continent's center as the boundary, the Empire is in the northern part of the continent, while the Tribe is in the southern part.
November 24th, the Day of Bestowal.
For the people of the Eastern Continent, today is a day worth celebrating.
On this day ten thousand years ago, humanity officially gained freedom, no longer enslaved by the gods.
This is the most celebrated and festive day of the year.
For freedom, for rebirth, for the Empire.
The Miwu Mine is no exception.
The icy and snowy landscape cannot dampen the guards' enthusiasm for celebration.
Of course, before that, they need to get rid of some eyesores.
"Drive all these damned mine slaves into the mine."
"Today, you have a day off. No need to search for ore, but you can only enjoy your holiday inside the mine."
"Quick, quick, quick, you eyesores, take your food and get into the mine. You can't come out all day today. Anyone who comes out and ruins our fun will definitely die. I said it!"
The guards waved their batons, driving the mine slaves.
"Captain Ma, what about the Young Sir?" a guard asked.
"Just like the other mine slaves, drive him into the mine."
Captain Ma said softly.
The Miwu Mine won't last much longer, and Du Xiu is about to lose his value.
Naturally, he no longer needs to maintain a friendship with a slave.
Du Xiu was driven into the mine with the crowd.
"Brother Du."
Inside the mine, a young man with six or seven others caught up with Du Xiu.
The newcomer was called Big Python, one of Du Xiu's friends.
Their acquaintance was simple. Big Python had a fight, his ore was stolen, and he was gravely injured. Du Xiu voluntarily extended a helping hand, gathered the ore for him, and healed his injuries.
Du Xiu's reason for helping Big Python was simple: the other was a bit reckless, with clear loves and hates.
It made it convenient for him to leverage gratitude.
Yes, it's that realistic.
It has nothing to do with kindness.
He had a plan, and Big Python had some use, that's all.
"Mm, this isn't the place to talk, let's go."
Du Xiu nodded, and the group followed him, heading towards a secluded mine shaft.
The other groups of mine slaves only glanced briefly, then paid no further attention.
In their view, as Miwu Ore became harder to find, it was expected for someone as weak as Du Xiu to join Big Python's gang.
With that thought, each group withdrew their gaze and led their teams deeper into the mine.
Although there's no need to search for ore today, it's always good to gather tomorrow's in advance.
Besides, who knows if the guards in the mine, after drinking too much, would go on a drunken rampage and use them for entertainment.
Last year's Day of Bestowal, a guard had a whim, went down the mine, and grabbed a few mine slaves to play target practice for fun.
With that precedent, this year, the mine slaves all unanimously hid deep in the mine.
Dark gray clouds piled up for miles, giving a sense of an impending storm.
The clouds pressed down on the sky's head.
In the open space.
Under the wood, a few pieces of Firestone were placed. These stones, when touched by a spark, could burst into a scorching flame, making them the best material for warmth and kindling.
Snap.
The flame from the lighter ignited the Firestone.
In an instant, the pile of wood crackled, bursting into clusters of flames.
More than a dozen bonfires were lit one after another.
The entire mine was surrounded by heat waves, and everyone's faces were bathed in a red glow.
On the tables brought out, there were freshly sliced fruits, desserts, and fine wine.
The chef set up a grill, and the aroma of roasting meat spread all around.
The supplies brought in yesterday made this celebration possible.