The hundreds of meters of collapsed tunnel posed no real obstacle before Larvitar's astonishing digging ability.
In just five or six minutes, the boulders and compacted earth blocking the passage were completely cleared away. A smooth, reinforced tunnel—shaped and stabilized by Larvitar's power—opened up, reconnecting with the section of the mine the workers had last excavated before the disaster.
But the newly opened path brought more than simple passage.
As soil and gravel were pushed aside and compressed, several pale skeletons long buried beneath the rubble were exposed under the flickering torchlight.
They lay scattered in twisted positions, silently bearing witness to the despair and struggle of that catastrophic moment.
Lin Xia stopped in his tracks, staring at the white bones that stood out starkly against the orange-red glow.
A chill crept up his spine, mingled with an indescribable heaviness that tightened his chest. He stood there in silence, unable to look away.
Lou Gao's tall figure stood at the boundary between light and shadow.
The easy smile he usually wore had vanished, replaced by a deep solemnity and a sorrow that could not be erased.
He said nothing.
Moving quietly, as though afraid to disturb the dead, Lou Gao stepped forward and squatted down. With careful, reverent motions, he gathered the scattered remains—whole and broken alike—piece by piece, bone by bone, placing them gently into the unassuming storage soul tool at his waist.
Lin Xia watched his teacher's broad back in silence, the weight in his heart growing heavier by the second.
Once all the exposed remains were collected, Lou Gao slowly rose to his feet. The torchlight carved deep, jagged shadows across his face.
He drew a long breath, steadying himself, and spoke in a low voice.
"Let's go. The path ahead… should be the last stretch. I hope… we haven't missed anyone."
His voice was hoarse.
"you ji! you ji you ji!"
At that moment, Larvitar could hold back no longer. It let out an urgent, excited cry, waving its small claws as it pointed toward the relatively intact area at the far end of the tunnel—the section spared by the collapse.
It bounced forward eagerly, repeatedly glancing back to urge them on, its ruby-red eyes gleaming with the unmistakable excitement of having discovered a treasure trove.
Lin Xia immediately understood. Suppressing the turmoil in his chest, he hurried after Larvitar, with Lou Gao close behind, torch in hand.
The tunnel opened into a fairly spacious branch of the mine.
This area had indeed escaped the worst of the collapse. The walls were mostly intact, but the ground was littered with broken pickaxes, rotting mine cart fragments, and the weathered remnants of daily tools and supplies.
What truly shocked them, however, were the three relatively intact skeletons gathered near one wall and within a shallow depression.
Their curled postures, the empty water skins scattered nearby, and food scraps long reduced to dust all spoke clearly of their fate—trapped, waiting, and ultimately dying within the mine.
Lin Xia's heart sank. A suffocating pressure gripped his throat.
He subconsciously turned to look at Lou Gao, his gaze filled with complexity.
Only now did he truly understand why Lou Gao's reaction at the dinner table had been so fierce when the idea of exploring the mine was first raised.
This was not exaggeration—it was a warning paid for in blood and tears.
Lou Gao's eyes swept over the three skeletons. The muscles in his face twitched slightly as a deeper pain flickered within his gaze.
Yet he did not allow himself to linger.
Stepping forward in silence, he once again gathered the remains with care and respect, just as he had done before.
When he finished, Lou Gao straightened and let out a long, heavy breath, as though trying to expel the grief lodged in his chest.
He noticed Lin Xia looking at him—sympathy, understanding, and curiosity all mixed together.
Lou Gao tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing a smile that couldn't quite hide the fatigue beneath it.
"Kid, what's with that look? Don't tell me you think I'm about to cry."
He tried to sound gruff as usual, but the low timbre of his voice betrayed him.
"Teacher… I—"
"Enough!"
Lou Gao waved his hand sharply, cutting Lin Xia off and breaking the heavy atmosphere.
He deliberately raised his voice, adopting a rough, almost careless tone.
"I've lived more than half my life. What storms haven't I seen? Feeling sad is one thing, but life goes on—and I still have skills to teach. Save those thoughts. This isn't the time to dwell on them."
He shifted his gaze toward Larvitar, which was spinning excitedly in front of a rock wall, its little claws scraping eagerly at the stone.
"Look at your little glutton. Its tail's wagging so hard it's about to snap. What did it find to get this worked up?"
Lin Xia's attention was immediately drawn away.
Larvitar stood beneath one side of the cave wall, its small gray-green body trembling with excitement.
Its head tilted slightly, scarlet eyes locked onto a patch of dark brown stone that looked utterly ordinary—no different from the surrounding rock in any visible way.
Drool leaked uncontrollably from the corners of its mouth as it let out low, impatient sounds, its stubby tail slapping the ground in a steady rhythm.
Its hunger was even more intense than when it had first encountered star gold, star essence gold, or star cold iron.
"Teacher!"
Lin Xia's breathing quickened.
He rushed to Larvitar's side and followed its gaze to the rock wall. No matter how hard he focused, all he sensed was cold, unyielding stone—no unusual energy, no fluctuations, nothing at all.
Confused, he turned to Lou Gao.
"Can you see anything? This rock wall… doesn't seem to have anything special, does it?"
Lou Gao had already stepped closer, his expression grave.
He reached out and tapped the wall lightly, listening to the dull echo. Then he traced the stone's surface with his calloused fingers, studying its texture and grain, even leaning in to smell it.
After that, he took out a small mining hammer with unique markings and carefully chipped off fragments from several spots. He examined the pieces in his palm, crushed them, and sniffed them again.
After a thorough inspection, Lou Gao frowned and shook his head, confusion and uncertainty crossing his face.
"Strange… Judging by the echo, texture, grain, and smell, this is just ordinary waste rock—if anything, even poorer than the rock in the main ore vein. It shouldn't be…"
Yet when he looked at Larvitar's eager, almost desperate expression, he couldn't explain the Little Fellow's reaction at all.
"I don't see anything abnormal either, unless…"
"you ji——!!!"