"Please wait."
Celeste's voice rang out, causing the Stone Beard Earth Spirit, which resembled a rock sculpture, to halt its movements.
She asked the question that had been hovering in her mind since she entered this place.
"Elder Shi Xu, may I ask a daring question?"
"Have you… always lived here?"
"What exactly is this place to you?"
The Stone Beard Earth Spirit's movements paused.
The glowing eyes deeply embedded in its rocky face dimmed for a moment, as if falling into an ancient Remembrance deeper than the Earth's crust.
It slowly shook its head, its voice sounding like a resonate from deep within the Earth's crust, carrying the weight and desolation of time.
"We were born from the depths of the Earth, and since the day we awakened, we have been here."
"Time?"
In the tone of the Stone Beard Earth Spirit, there was a sense of utter bewilderment.
"Time is the weathering of rocks, the breathing of the Earth's veins."
"We never calculate the rising and setting of the sun and moon."
"If one complete tidal cycle of the Earth's veins is considered an epoch… perhaps we have experienced hundreds of them? Or perhaps longer."
It extended its rough, rock-like fingers, pointing to the surrounding stone walls and the smooth, polished floor beneath its feet.
"This is the 'Hall of Cornerstone'."
"It is the place where we were born, where we labor, and where we guard."
It paused, and its rocky face actually revealed a confusion akin to that of a child.
"As for this 'Domain' you speak of… what is that?"
"Is that what you call the noisy forest outside?"
"This is here. It is all of the world that we know."
All of… the world?
Celeste and Selene exchanged a silent look.
In each other's pupils, they saw the intense shock reflected on the other's face.
These Earth Spirits actually considered this so-called "Domain" to be the entire world!
They were not NPCs with pre-set programs.
They were indigenous inhabitants!
This realization exploded in Celeste's mind like a thunderclap.
This was not a simple game dungeon.
It was not an examination hall for them to farm points, level up, and leave once finished.
This was a truly existing fragment of an otherworld, possessing its own history and civilization!
And they, the contestants, were likely the absolute "visitors from beyond" in the eyes of these indigenous inhabitants!
"Thank you for your answer, Elder Shi Xu."
Celeste suppressed the waves in her heart and said sincerely.
"The exchange of knowledge is equal," the Stone Beard Earth Spirit nodded slowly. "Forging requires smelting and hammering; you may wait, or you may move about with freedom here. As long as you do not disturb the Earth's veins or damage the stone walls."
Move about with freedom?
Celeste's heart stirred as she recalled another goal of their trip.
"Elder Shi Xu, you mentioned earlier that the 'moonlight moss' is in the deeper 'Crystal Cluster Cave'?"
"Yes."
The Stone Beard Earth Spirit pointed toward a main passage.
"Follow this inward and pass through the 'Echo Corridor'. That is the home of crystals, and the moonlight moss favors the cold and dampness there. Occasionally, there are also good ore Crystalize."
The two sisters' gazes met in the air, instantly reaching a consensus.
Rather than waiting idly, it was better to take the initiative!
Complete the task, earn points, and explore this real world along the way!
"Elder Shi Xu, we would like to take a look," Celeste continued to ask. "Might we borrow two pickaxes from you? Our tools… might damage those delicate crystals."
The Stone Beard Earth Spirit nodded and issued a dull syllable to an Earth Spirit dozing nearby.
The Earth Spirit rose in response and soon brought over two heavy pickaxes.
The pickaxe shafts were made of dense obsidian, polished until smooth.
The pickaxe heads were made of some unknown alloy, flashing with a cold radiance, and their size was slightly too large for humans.
But for The two sisters, whose strength attributes exceeded 60, the weight felt just right in their hands.
After expressing their thanks, the two walked along the stone passage toward the depths.
The passage was incredibly clean, with no side paths and, even more so, no traps.
After passing through an "Echo Corridor" that amplified heartbeats and footsteps infinitely, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
This was the treasure house of the underground world.
On the cave walls and ceiling grew countless brilliant crystal clusters, their colorful faint lights interweaving and flowing, illuminating the entire cave like an inverted galaxy.
Under some shaded and damp rock walls, patches of carpet-like moss grew quietly, shimmering with a pearl-like, gentle luster under the crystal light.
moonlight moss!
The collection process was surprisingly smooth.
There were no monsters, only a few timid crystal-shelled insects that "whooshed" into rock crevices when they approached, leaving no trace behind.
The two collected a sufficient amount of moonlight moss, and the point numbers on their wristbands began to jump steadily.
"Sister, look over there!"
Selene lowered her voice, pointing to the base of the rock wall on one side of the cave.
At the base of that huge crystal cluster, there were several twisted silver-gray veins.
Under the flowing faint light of the crystal clusters, they actually looked like slowly flowing liquid moonlight!
Celeste stepped forward quickly, and the scanning beam of her wristband swept over them.
[Mithril Vein (Rare)]
[Description: A rare metal vein containing affinity for space and magic, one of the core materials for forging top-tier equipment.]
[Points: 500 points/kg.]
Celeste's heart skipped a beat.
Mithril!
This was a resource marked in blood-red font on the point handbook as "Strategic Level"!
"I'll do it!"
Selene excitedly raised the huge pickaxe, aimed at a place where the vein was most concentrated, and swung it down with all her might!
"Clang—!"
The harsh sound of metal striking stone, accompanied by flying sparks, echoed in the cave.
However, only a shallow white mark was left on the hard rock wall.
"It's this hard?" Selene shook her arm, which had been numbed by the impact, her face full of disbelief.
"Let me." Celeste took the pickaxe, took a deep breath, and channeled her strength into her arms.
She did not use brute force but carefully observed the texture of the vein and found a natural structural seam.
That's it!
She swung the pickaxe fiercely!
"Clang!!"
This time, the sound was much duller, as if it had struck deep into the rock.
"Crack…"
With a crisp cracking sound, a piece of raw ore the size of a washbasin, mixed with a large amount of silver-gray metal veins, rolled down!
Celeste immediately scanned it, and the wristband displayed: [Mithril raw ore, weight 3.2 kg, estimated pure mithril yield 0.8 kg, points: 1600 points!]
One swing of the pickaxe, 1600 points!
The two sisters' breathing became rapid.
Professional tools, combined with professional strength, were simply a perfect match!
Next, the two worked in cooperation; Celeste was responsible for mining, while Selene was responsible for transporting and keeping watch, and their mining efficiency increased rapidly.
When they returned to the Hall of Cornerstone, satisfied, with nearly thirty kilograms of Mithril raw ore, the Earth Spirits' forging had just gotten on track, the rhythmic hammering sounding like the pulse of the Earth.
After returning the pickaxes, the two found a corner to sit down and tally their harvest.
The moonlight moss task was completed, and the harvest of Mithril ore was a huge surprise!
Selene opened the team point panel, and when she saw the large 17455 on it, she suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.
She excitedly grabbed her sister's arm and shouted in a whisper:
"Sister! On the leaderboard! We've entered the top twenty!"
Celeste leaned over and saw that in front of their team name "Qingyuexi", the number was crystal clear—16!
Just the two of them!
From an obscure duo to quietly breaking into the top twenty of the entire county!
Celeste's long-taut lips finally could not help but curl upward, blooming into a genuine and brilliant smile.
Although the process was full of accidents and social embarrassment, the result was better than imagined!
"It seems the combination of 'Battle Nun' and Paladin has potential even more terrifying than we thought."
Celeste said softly, her gaze cast toward the workshop where the forging fire was flickering.
Once they received the new equipment tailored for them, their strength would be able to reach another level!
This trip to the Domain had a promising future.
Of course, the premise is…
Don't let her trigger that deadly "Overtones" again.
Celeste prayed most devoutly in her heart.