They weren't surprised that it took them so long to sense the ground, but rather by the mana turbulence and the violent elements below.
Jonavili was delighted; when she saw the mana crystals in the dragon's nest, she had already guessed there was a mana crystal vein below.
After all, if there wasn't, how could those mana crystals be explained? One or two would be fine, but they had an entire pile, far more than what they had harvested from killing those humans.
However, that wasn't enough to surprise Jonavili, as she already had an idea. What truly shocked her was that this was actually a large-scale mana crystal vein!
Generally speaking, small-scale mana crystal veins would be accompanied by ordinary iron ore, while medium-scale ones would yield mithril.
A large-scale mana crystal vein would definitely produce mithril, and it was even highly likely to produce high-grade mithril, which was star silver!
This kind of ore was extremely precious; for some small human nations—no, even for medium-sized kingdoms—it was usually a rare treasure that money couldn't buy.
Star silver was also one of the ceilings for magical metals, capable of being used to draw runes, magic patterns, or magic circuits that could withstand rule-level power.
In other words, having star silver provided part of the material foundation for forging legendary-tier or even demigod-level alchemy golems.
Furthermore, after mithril came moon silver, which was the corresponding ore for silver dragons; and after moon silver came star silver.
Usually, only powerful silver dragons, at the very least in their mature adult stage, would possess star silver, and most of that was obtained from human kingdoms.
As a white dragon who had also awakened the [Physical Talent Augmentation] talent, Jonavili possessed a constitution like that of a metallic dragon, perhaps even stronger. If she were to devour star silver, she didn't dare imagine how much of a boost she would receive.
Thinking of this, Jonavili unconsciously let out a silly grin, her large pink tongue lolling out as glistening dragon drool dripped down.
"Hehehe~ Ehehe!"
Furiel naturally noticed Jonavili's excitement and her descent into a strange state. Although she also hoped that blaze crystals would be found in this large-scale mana crystal vein, she did not let down her guard.
After all, a large-scale vein like this could never be without danger. Even the lowliest monster, after living here for a while and being exposed daily to an environment so rich in mana and elements, would become something that could not be underestimated.
Furiel swung her red dragon tail, lightly tapping Jonavili's head while remaining alert to their surroundings.
"Don't get distracted."
With Furiel's reminder, Jonavili snapped back to her senses, feeling a lingering fear.
She had just entered a very dangerous state, which was one of her weaknesses. If she were ambushed at such a time, she would be completely defenseless, and the consequences would be unthinkable.
"Thanks."
"Alright, should we split up or..."
Before Furiel could finish, Jonavili shook her head.
"The safety of this place is still unknown. I think we should stay together to avoid being picked off one by one."
Furiel frowned slightly, wanting to refuse at first. But thinking about how they were only at the Silver tier—though she hated to admit it—they were too weak. If they separated, they might encounter danger.
"Fine."
Furiel nodded reluctantly.
Afterward, the two dragons continued flying downward. Soon, they saw light. After flying for a few more seconds, the area below was covered in purple, red, and blue glows; it was entirely filled with mana crystals.
Jonavili was rooted to the spot; she hadn't expected the quantity of mana crystals here to be so vast, stretching almost as far as the eye could see. Looking at the scale, it was nearly approaching an ultra-large-scale mine.
The surrounding elemental fluctuations were extremely strong, and the mana was dense.
Moreover, there weren't just elemental mana crystals here; there were also many basic mana crystals.
The mana contained within these mana crystals was incredibly dense and had a wide range of uses, making them the most expensive type of low-tier mana crystals.
They were in a subterranean cavity, surrounded by intricate tunnels.
Whether on the stone walls, the bottom of the cavity, or inside the tunnels, everything was filled with mana crystals.
Jonavili also discovered quite a bit of mithril, but she wasn't in a hurry to mine it. Instead, she planned to finish scouting the surroundings first.
Although such a massive underground vein was difficult to explore fully, it had one advantage: there wouldn't be too many monsters or magic beasts.
After all, food was a major problem; only those with slow metabolisms or magical creatures could survive here.
And so, the two dragons explored the underground cavity, with Jonavili occasionally breaking off some ore to snack on.
Ten days passed.
Most of the underground cave had been explored. During this time, Jonavili sent a message to Xiao Shunzi to gather their dragon-blooded kin.
"This mine is truly massive; I reckon it could be mined for hundreds of years."
Jonavili couldn't help but sigh, the initial excitement having faded from her eyes. Furiel nodded noncommittally.
She was very happy right now because while exploring, she had found Tier 2 fire element mana crystals, also known as blaze crystals.
Although she couldn't absorb them as fully as a metallic dragon, as the saying goes, quantity leads to quality.
Furiel felt that if she devoured enough ore, she might benefit greatly from it.
Jonavili had also encountered Tier 2 ice element mana crystals, which were frost-patterned ice crystals. These were the corresponding mana crystals for ordinary white dragons, and devouring them would also be beneficial for Jonavili.
Not only that, Jonavili had also come across moon silver.
There were even Tier 2 lightning element mana crystals in this mine, called thunderous mana crystals, though Gris wouldn't have the fortune to enjoy them.
As for why there were no Tier 2 basic mana crystals, it was because that most basic type of mana crystal only reached Tier 1, though the mana concentration within each piece varied.
While Furiel and Jonavili were chatting idly, Jonavili suddenly paused and turned to look at a cave on the left.
Furiel also stopped and took a defensive stance.
"What is it?"
Jonavili had more mana and stronger mental strength, so her perception range was greater than Furiel's.
Seeing her reaction, Furiel was certain she must have discovered something.
Jonavili didn't respond, instead stepping forward and walking inside.
Furiel noticed that Jonavili's breathing had become heavy, as if she were deliberately suppressing something.
Moreover, her steps were heavy, as if she were finding it hard to contain herself.
After walking for a while, Furiel's dragon eyes widened, filled with shock.
"This is..."
After a few minutes, the view suddenly opened up. What was even more striking was that the area was covered in frost-patterned ice crystals, and the rocks had long since turned into deep-layer cold rock due to the infiltration of frigid air.
But that wasn't important. What mattered was a type of vein embedded within the deep-layer cold rock, the ore marked with starlight-like speckles that made it exceptionally conspicuous.
Seeing this, Furiel's breathing also grew heavy as she shouted in surprise.
"It's actually star silver!"
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