After more than three hours of hard work, they finally finished mining most of the vein. This level of efficiency—four people doing the work of four thousand miners!
After sorting through the haul and discarding the useless associated minerals and rock, the remaining ore still weighed over a thousand tons!
Lord have mercy... at five hundred gold per jin, wouldn’t over a thousand tons be... over a billion?!
Holy crap!!!
They were loaded!!
Unfortunately, the temperature of the deeper layers was too high, making the mining efficiency too low. By this point, all four of them had suffered some degree of burns. Even the Mana Skin couldn’t withstand such terrifying heat. Fortunately, these minor injuries could be healed with a bit of treatment.
In the final tally, Lina had dug the most. After all, the mining efficiency of seven Golden Golems was no joke.
“Hahaha, I won!” Lina cheered happily. “Brother Ye, is there a reward?”
Zhang Ye gave a sly grin. “Of course there is!”
The three of them were taken aback. There was actually a reward?
With a wave of his hand, various metal and wood elements condensed in mid-air, beginning to converge and take shape.
Zhang Ye looked focused.
During that month, he had studied the shaping of many spells. He could use magic to create various objects, like... musical instruments!
He used to play instruments and knew them all very well. Moreover, shaping things with magic was like kneading clay; he could mold it however he wanted with just a thought. Before long, a guitar with a simple, unadorned design was created.
Headstock, tuning pegs, nut, frets, neck, soundhole, body... it had everything!
“What is this?” Lina asked curiously.
Zhang Ye held the guitar and smiled. “An instrument from my hometown. A guitar.”
“This is the very first completed guitar in this world.”
As he spoke, he gently plucked the strings. The strings of varying thicknesses immediately produced a pleasant sound.
The 1st and 2nd strings were steel—high-carbon steel fused with wood elements for excellent stretch and elasticity. Zhang Ye then used magic to coat them with a layer of tin as a protective film, reducing external corrosion and improving the feel.
The 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th strings were different. The outer layer was wrapped with metal coils of various materials, while Zhang Ye shaped the inner steel core into a hexagon. This allowed the outer coils to bind more tightly to the core, achieving better resonance.
To make this guitar, Zhang Ye had racked his brains, constantly debugging and performing error analysis. He had even used magic to condense various metals and alloys for testing. Finally, he had arrived at a set of satisfactory guitar specifications.
From now on, as long as Zhang Ye followed these specs and combined them with his powerful magic control, he could create a guitar whenever he wanted.
Listening to the pleasant sounds from the guitar, everyone looked on with surprise and curiosity.
Zhang Ye waved his hand, and the surrounding mana began to vibrate. The guitar also emitted waves of mana. The sound it produced actually came with its own reverb!
Zhang Ye was delighted. As expected, infusing mana into the sound could enhance the audio effects.
In the future, as long as he adjusted the intensity of the mana and applied it to the guitar as an enchantment, he could create all sorts of sound effects!
Thinking of this, Zhang Ye couldn't wait. He said, “This guitar is your reward, and I’ll throw in a song as an extra bonus.”
As soon as they heard Zhang Ye was going to sing, Lina’s eyes lit up. What kind of sparks would fly when this miraculous instrument met Zhang Ye’s perfect voice?
She was truly looking forward to it!
“Sit down and listen.” With a wave of Zhang Ye’s hand, several stone chairs rose from the ground. He gestured for everyone to sit while he sat on a tall stone chair himself. He cleared his throat and strummed the strings.
Instantly, a series of beautiful melodies drifted out. The mana around Zhang Ye vibrated even more, condensing into colorful musical notes made of mana, making him look like a dreamlike vision.
At this moment, both Lina and Renomon wore expressions of intoxication. Even the perpetually stoic Nan raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with surprise.
This guitar sound was truly too wonderful!
It was incredibly crisp, making everyone feel as if a beautiful scene of a bubbling mountain spring was appearing before their eyes.
Graceful and melodious, after the intro, Zhang Ye slowly began to sing.
“I see a sea of flowers in bloom, a song singing faintly in the air~”
“Opening their most brilliant smiles, shining brighter than the sunlight~”
“Butterfly Spring,” a song Zhang Ye had loved back on Earth.
He was performing the guitar version now. Although there was no other accompaniment, the song was so graceful and beautiful thanks to Zhang Ye’s mastery of the guitar, his magnetic and wonderful voice, and the powerful sound effects from the enchantment.
In this moment, even the sound of the rolling hot wind across the land was drowned out.
“I sing the ballad my mother used to sing, peonies embroidered on the golden plaque~”
“I hum the tune my father used to hum, herding cattle and sheep on the green grasslands~”
“Circling butterflies with silver wings, chasing back to those distant ancient times~”
“Birds of freedom and courage, never stopping their song~”
“Never stopping their song~~~”
The melodious singing drifted out, the exquisite melody carried into the distance by the fluctuations of mana.
Zhang Ye didn't realize that his mana-infused singing had even triggered the laws within the secret realm, causing his voice to be amplified continuously. It was as if it resounded between heaven and earth; nearly half the people and magical beasts in the secret realm heard it!
Rock Beasts raised their heads, listening to the song in the air, even their breathing becoming careful.
Examinees pricked up their ears, listening to the song in the air, forgetting to even take another step.
Even Rock Beasts and examinees in the middle of combat couldn't help but stop and listen intently.
It was truly... intoxicating.
In the distance, several young women were gathered together, chattering about their gains and losses for the day.
Suddenly, the singing reached them. They all stopped at once, their conversation coming to an abrupt halt.
Their beautiful eyes narrowed as they listened to the wonderful song, their faces showing immense intoxication.
This singing was so beautiful that it allowed them to envision a yearning-filled scene in their minds.
A pink-haired woman listened to the song and couldn't help but hum along softly with the melody, but she just couldn't capture that feeling.
Her heart was full of admiration. She had never heard this kind of accompaniment before, and the lyrics were the same. Combined together, the mood they created made her soul yearn.
“Water droplets dancing lightly on the leaves, occasionally dampening my hair~”
“That wonderful little world under the sun~~~”
“Changing its form...”
The singing faded, but the women remained immersed in it, unable to pull themselves away for a long time.
Finally, they snapped out of it, their eyes filled with shock.
“What a beautiful song!”
“Who sang that?!”
“Where did it come from?”
“Heavens, I’ve never heard such a beautiful song. Whether it’s the accompaniment, the lyrics, or the singing, it’s all too beautiful!”
The pink-haired woman stood up. “Let’s go. Let’s go find them. I don’t know which singer performed that, but I have a feeling that if we added our sound magic to this song, it would absolutely explode with unimaginable power!”
“Alright!” The girls set off immediately, not stopping for a second.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Ye looked at the three dazed people in front of him and laughed. “What are you standing there for? Applaud! Where’s the applause?”
Instantly, Lina and Renomon snapped back to reality and clapped frantically. Lina, in particular, was so excited she was practically jumping!
“That was truly too beautiful!” Lina said excitedly. “My god, it’s even more moving than the songs of the Rhyme family!”
Renomon also nodded vigorously. “Even someone like me who doesn't understand music much thought it was amazing!”
Nan didn't speak, but he couldn't help but nod slightly, agreeing with their words.
Zhang Ye was very satisfied with the effect. He laughed and handed the guitar to Lina. “Lina, your reward.”
“Thank you, Brother Ye! I’ll cherish it!” Lina took it carefully, stroking it with affection.
Zhang Ye chuckled.
She hadn't even been this careful when she took her Saint artifact. The status of this guitar in her heart had likely already surpassed that of a Saint artifact.
But then again, this was the first guitar Zhang Ye had truly finished. The ones before were all defects, incomplete and without enchantments. So, in terms of rarity, this first magic guitar in the world was definitely worth far more than a Saint artifact.
After all, there was only this one for now.
“Once we get to the academy, I’ll teach you how to play,” Zhang Ye said.
“Okay!” Lina nodded hard, then a brilliant smile blossomed on her face. “Once I learn, I’ll go find Sister Paige. She’ll definitely fall in love with me!”
Zhang Ye almost burst out laughing. This girl was really something else.
“Alright, let’s go. It’s too hot here. Pack up the ore and let’s go check out the Yellow Zone. I wonder if there’s any gold ore there.”
“Right!” Everyone nodded.
Renomon couldn't help but ask, “If we have another mining competition, will there be more rewards?”
Hearing this, Zhang Ye laughed heartily. “There will!”
...
...
Rate on N.U.
