A colossal stone, over two meters tall, towered before Raine, dwarfing him in comparison.
"My lord, this rock cannot be shattered, nor can it be cut by machinery. Furthermore, its immense weight makes it impossible for an ordinary person to lift."
Raine attempted to lift the stone, and although he succeeded, he recognized that his innate abilities were at play, and that an average person would indeed struggle to move it.
Intuition told Raine that this stone was anything but ordinary.
"Place it on a cart and transport it to my ship," Raine instructed.
Upon returning to his vessel, Raine scanned the stone with his system in solitude.
[Item discovered: Star Fire Iron Ore.]
"What?" Raine stared, baffled. Despite his thorough knowledge of the periodic table, he had never encountered this element or metal before.
[Star Fire Iron, a non-terrestrial metal originating from outer space, is a rare metal formed by the aggregation of supernova explosions. It possesses exceptional toughness and hardness.]
Raine furrowed his brow, "Can this be refined?"
[Would you like to proceed with smelting?]
"Of course, forge me a weapon! An impressive one!"
As Raine's words fell, the massive stone was promptly disintegrated! The system itself intervened, decomposing the Star Fire Iron Ore entirely.
Raine anxiously sat in his chair, observing the entire refining process.
From a fine powder, a longsword gradually took shape.
"I wonder how this sword compares to the Dragon Slayer, and if it can withstand the power of the Dragon Slaying Slash..." Raine mused, tense.
Having a skill but no weapon to execute it was nothing short of a travesty.
"System, make it sturdier. My power will increase, and the Dragon Slaying Slash will grow stronger. I don't want it to crumble then..."
The system busied itself without a word.
This time, the refining process took over three and a half hours – equivalent to the time spent on forging a warship in the past.
Finally, a treasured sword materialized before Raine.
It was a longsword, entirely black, with blades on both sides. The hilt was fashioned in the form of a dragon's claw, while the body of the sword bore the relief of nine dragons. Two inches above the hilt, a line of small characters could be discerned, which Raine scrutinized, reading: "Sword made of Star Fire Iron."
"Pff! System, couldn't you have given this weapon a more appealing name? This is far too literal."
Regardless, Raine now possessed his own weapon and eagerly grasped the sword.
As he held the longsword, it felt as though it weighed at least seven or eight hundred pounds, even heavier than the Dragon Slayer. However, for Raine, it merely required some effort, and the hefty sensation was rather comforting.
After casually swinging it a few times, Raine nodded in approval. "Not bad. Time to make a scabbard. I finally have my own weapon. The next time I encounter a Dragon God, I'll show it the might of my Dragon Slaying Slash!"
The mining operation proceeded methodically, and as no one else disturbed them in the Dragon-class seas, they focused solely on excavation.
Raine estimated the current mining speed, which when converted to golden pearls, amounted to about forty to fifty million.
However, as the mining process continued, the more accessible regions were nearly depleted. Armin explained that further excavation could potentially rupture the seabed's rock layers, posing a danger to the miners and significantly increasing the difficulty and reducing the speed of mining.
Ultimately, Raine decided against further excavation and loaded the metals onto a cargo ship.
Having spent seven to eight months on the island, with winter approaching, Raine allowed the crew to rest and planned to depart in the spring.
"Old Wong, are there any other islands nearby with mineral veins?"
Old Wong frowned, "There are, but there are also Dragon Gods there... Raine, you're not thinking of slaying dragons again, are you?"
Raine grinned, "If I can kill one, I can kill two. Besides, I need more resources now, so I have no choice but to kill them."
Old Wong nodded, "Raine, there are many mineral veins in the Dragon-class seas, especially as you approach the core area, where veins become increasingly concentrated and diverse. The problem is that the Dragon Gods also become more powerful. Dragon Gods are also vying for resources, as they too seem to want to claim the mineral veins."
"What would they do with the mineral veins? They don't build ships." Raine paused halfway through his statement, struck by a thought.
What did the Dragon Gods want with the mineral veins? The answer wasn't hard to guess.
When Raine killed the three sea monsters last time, he felt their defensive capabilities were astonishing, far surpassing those of ordinary B-rank sea monsters. It took so long for all the activated ships to defeat them.
Now, considering their occupation of the mineral veins, there seemed to be a subtle connection between the two.
"Old Wong, when were these mineral veins formed?"
"I'm not sure, but they seem to have been forming continuously."
"How is that possible? It takes tens of thousands of years for minerals to form. How could they be forming continuously?" Raine shook his head.
Olivia gently nudged Raine and whispered, "Raine, do you think it has something to do with the Heaven Crystal?"
Raine suddenly became alert.
How had he not considered this? According to their hypothesis, there should be at least one Heaven Crystal in the Dragon-class seas. Currently, the most formidable force in these waters was not the fleet but the dragons inhabiting the sea.
If the Heaven Crystal was in the ocean, they would be the most likely beneficiaries. Combined with their defensive capabilities and the numerous inexplicable mineral veins in the Dragon-class seas, everything seemed to point to the Heaven Crystal as an explanation.
Now, Raine had two Heaven Crystals - the Fire Heaven Crystal and the Earth Heaven Crystal. He still needed the Water, Metal, and Wood Heaven Crystals. Among these three types of Heaven Crystals, the Metal Heaven Crystal seemed to be the most compatible with the current situation.
After witnessing the combined power of the Fire and Earth Heaven Crystals, Raine had an even stronger desire to collect more Heaven Crystals.
If he could obtain the Metal Heaven Crystal, he would be able to add two more dual Heaven Crystal abilities: Fire-Metal and Earth-Metal. Moreover, there might even be a skill triggered by the combination of three Heaven Crystals.
Two Heaven Crystals could already cause volcanic eruptions. What kind of power would three bring?
"If the Metal Heaven Crystal is here, I must get it!" Raine declared.
Old Wong provided Raine and his team with a map of nearby islands. "Raine, you all are good people. It's been a long time since I've seen a fleet like yours in the Dragon-class seas. Most fleets here are selfish and would do anything for their own benefit. Although we hope you can stay, we know that your ambitions go beyond merely living a leisurely life in the Dragon-class seas."
"There's an island in the northeast about 190 nautical miles from here. We have some trade interactions with them, and they also have mineral veins - even larger than ours. If you're going to leave, you can head there."
"I'll introduce you to their island lord, who has a good relationship with me. Just be careful with the Dragon God there. It will receive sacrifices in March. If you want to slay the Dragon God, you'll have to set sail in half a month."
"I will let our people prepare some food for you."
Raine took a deep breath. He was determined to grow stronger, but when he decided to leave, he realized that during their time on the island, they had built trust and friendships with the islanders.
A colossal stone, over two meters tall, towered before Raine, dwarfing him in comparison.
"My lord, this rock cannot be shattered, nor can it be cut by machinery. Furthermore, its immense weight makes it impossible for an ordinary person to lift."
Raine attempted to lift the stone, and although he succeeded, he recognized that his innate abilities were at play, and that an average person would indeed struggle to move it.
Intuition told Raine that this stone was anything but ordinary.
"Place it on a cart and transport it to my ship," Raine instructed.
Upon returning to his vessel, Raine scanned the stone with his system in solitude.
[Item discovered: Star Fire Iron Ore.]
"What?" Raine stared, baffled. Despite his thorough knowledge of the periodic table, he had never encountered this element or metal before.
[Star Fire Iron, a non-terrestrial metal originating from outer space, is a rare metal formed by the aggregation of supernova explosions. It possesses exceptional toughness and hardness.]
Raine furrowed his brow, "Can this be refined?"
[Would you like to proceed with smelting?]
"Of course, forge me a weapon! An impressive one!"
As Raine's words fell, the massive stone was promptly disintegrated! The system itself intervened, decomposing the Star Fire Iron Ore entirely.
Raine anxiously sat in his chair, observing the entire refining process.
From a fine powder, a longsword gradually took shape.
"I wonder how this sword compares to the Dragon Slayer, and if it can withstand the power of the Dragon Slaying Slash..." Raine mused, tense.
Having a skill but no weapon to execute it was nothing short of a travesty.
"System, make it sturdier. My power will increase, and the Dragon Slaying Slash will grow stronger. I don't want it to crumble then..."
The system busied itself without a word.
This time, the refining process took over three and a half hours – equivalent to the time spent on forging a warship in the past.
Finally, a treasured sword materialized before Raine.
It was a longsword, entirely black, with blades on both sides. The hilt was fashioned in the form of a dragon's claw, while the body of the sword bore the relief of nine dragons. Two inches above the hilt, a line of small characters could be discerned, which Raine scrutinized, reading: "Sword made of Star Fire Iron."
"Pff! System, couldn't you have given this weapon a more appealing name? This is far too literal."
Regardless, Raine now possessed his own weapon and eagerly grasped the sword.
As he held the longsword, it felt as though it weighed at least seven or eight hundred pounds, even heavier than the Dragon Slayer. However, for Raine, it merely required some effort, and the hefty sensation was rather comforting.
After casually swinging it a few times, Raine nodded in approval. "Not bad. Time to make a scabbard. I finally have my own weapon. The next time I encounter a Dragon God, I'll show it the might of my Dragon Slaying Slash!"
The mining operation proceeded methodically, and as no one else disturbed them in the Dragon-class seas, they focused solely on excavation.
Raine estimated the current mining speed, which when converted to golden pearls, amounted to about forty to fifty million.
However, as the mining process continued, the more accessible regions were nearly depleted. Armin explained that further excavation could potentially rupture the seabed's rock layers, posing a danger to the miners and significantly increasing the difficulty and reducing the speed of mining.
Ultimately, Raine decided against further excavation and loaded the metals onto a cargo ship.
Having spent seven to eight months on the island, with winter approaching, Raine allowed the crew to rest and planned to depart in the spring.
"Old Wong, are there any other islands nearby with mineral veins?"
Old Wong frowned, "There are, but there are also Dragon Gods there... Raine, you're not thinking of slaying dragons again, are you?"
Raine grinned, "If I can kill one, I can kill two. Besides, I need more resources now, so I have no choice but to kill them."
Old Wong nodded, "Raine, there are many mineral veins in the Dragon-class seas, especially as you approach the core area, where veins become increasingly concentrated and diverse. The problem is that the Dragon Gods also become more powerful. Dragon Gods are also vying for resources, as they too seem to want to claim the mineral veins."
"What would they do with the mineral veins? They don't build ships." Raine paused halfway through his statement, struck by a thought.
What did the Dragon Gods want with the mineral veins? The answer wasn't hard to guess.
When Raine killed the three sea monsters last time, he felt their defensive capabilities were astonishing, far surpassing those of ordinary B-rank sea monsters. It took so long for all the activated ships to defeat them.
Now, considering their occupation of the mineral veins, there seemed to be a subtle connection between the two.
"Old Wong, when were these mineral veins formed?"
"I'm not sure, but they seem to have been forming continuously."
"How is that possible? It takes tens of thousands of years for minerals to form. How could they be forming continuously?" Raine shook his head.
Olivia gently nudged Raine and whispered, "Raine, do you think it has something to do with the Heaven Crystal?"
Raine suddenly became alert.
How had he not considered this? According to their hypothesis, there should be at least one Heaven Crystal in the Dragon-class seas. Currently, the most formidable force in these waters was not the fleet but the dragons inhabiting the sea.
If the Heaven Crystal was in the ocean, they would be the most likely beneficiaries. Combined with their defensive capabilities and the numerous inexplicable mineral veins in the Dragon-class seas, everything seemed to point to the Heaven Crystal as an explanation.
Now, Raine had two Heaven Crystals - the Fire Heaven Crystal and the Earth Heaven Crystal. He still needed the Water, Metal, and Wood Heaven Crystals. Among these three types of Heaven Crystals, the Metal Heaven Crystal seemed to be the most compatible with the current situation.
After witnessing the combined power of the Fire and Earth Heaven Crystals, Raine had an even stronger desire to collect more Heaven Crystals.
If he could obtain the Metal Heaven Crystal, he would be able to add two more dual Heaven Crystal abilities: Fire-Metal and Earth-Metal. Moreover, there might even be a skill triggered by the combination of three Heaven Crystals.
Two Heaven Crystals could already cause volcanic eruptions. What kind of power would three bring?
"If the Metal Heaven Crystal is here, I must get it!" Raine declared.
Old Wong provided Raine and his team with a map of nearby islands. "Raine, you all are good people. It's been a long time since I've seen a fleet like yours in the Dragon-class seas. Most fleets here are selfish and would do anything for their own benefit. Although we hope you can stay, we know that your ambitions go beyond merely living a leisurely life in the Dragon-class seas."
"There's an island in the northeast about 190 nautical miles from here. We have some trade interactions with them, and they also have mineral veins - even larger than ours. If you're going to leave, you can head there."
"I'll introduce you to their island lord, who has a good relationship with me. Just be careful with the Dragon God there. It will receive sacrifices in March. If you want to slay the Dragon God, you'll have to set sail in half a month."
"I will let our people prepare some food for you."
Raine took a deep breath. He was determined to grow stronger, but when he decided to leave, he realized that during their time on the island, they had built trust and friendships with the islanders.
