"Adamantite?" Elaina is not familiar with that ore, and this is the first time she has heard of it.
"It’s a very rare ore that is known to be more valuable than gold and Mithril. It is also one of the hardest minerals found and is said to be the main component in making weapons that can be used for manipulating magic spells. I read it in a book," Adelaide quickly explained with the Village Chief nodding in agreement.
"She is correct. The Adamantium is considered one of the legendary minerals in the world alongside Orichalcum and Mithril, but since Orichalcum and Mithril are a lot more common compared to Adamantium, they are less sought out, and only when something involves crafting items that need to amplify magic. Wands and staves do work, but since most mages and magicians would rather use wood and regular items, one can rarely see any Adamantium being used."
"And you mean that same metal that is hard to find can be found in this mine?"
"Indeed. Although rare, you can find them on the 100th floor of the mines. Pretty deep, I know, and compared to the upper floors, the way down there will be harder as tougher monsters will appear, and chances are those monsters will populate the area more than finding the ore you will need."
"We understand. Then perhaps we can head down there now? With how my kids have already been equipped with their new weapons, perhaps we can go there and use this chance to earn that ore."
"Are you sure? As far as I know, monsters are a lot tougher than they look. Your children might get in danger if you go there unprepared."
Hearing that, Elaina nodded in agreement. "I see. I guess we can do that next time, then. We will adhere to your warning and prepare properly." ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
"Bring food and lots of potions, especially antidotes. Some plants are growing there that spew out poison. You should have an antidote at hand that would help deal with poisons immediately. Wait here for a bit, I will take the recipe for the antidote we have made before."
The village chief rushes back inside his house and fetches a small piece of paper with dwarven language. He frowned, reading this, and returned to look at Elaina.
"I forgot that the recipe record I have is written in dwarven language... I think I should just tell you about it instead?" The Village Chief seems to be in ab awkward position after offering but failing due to language barrier.
"Ah, don’t worry. I can understand Dwarvish Language. I can read it for Mother," Adelaide said with confidence.
Arthur and Raye grinned hearing this.
"Alright, way to go, my twin!" Arthur beamed a smile.
"As expected of Sis Adelaide, even Dwarvish language you studied."
"Eh, you can understand Dwarvish language?!" The Village Chief was surprised.
Since you are in the surface, creating the antidote is easier for you than for us. And make sure to create a lot. It’s better to have too many instead of too few."
"It was coincidental. Thanks to the Grand Sage and allowing us to borrow books on his tower, I stumbled upon that language and learned it. It was easy to learn so it didn’t take too long for me to study."
"Unbelievable. Looks like your children are also quite extraordinary."
Elaina is proud to hear that, but she didn’t boast about it. After receiving the recipe for the antidote, the four left the 30th floor via the elevator.
Now that the Village Chief has warned Elaina about the dangers of the deeper floors, Elaina and the kids return to the surface. Elaina also has a new task to do, and that is to haul a lot of antidote for the poison soon enough. The more, the better.
As soon as they arrived on the surface, time resumed its normal flow.
"Ah, I forgot to tell you three about something."
"Forgot something?" Adelaide frowned.
"You see, we might have spent a lot of hours fighting monsters and talking with the Elder, but the time on the surface remained frozen. No, not exactly frozen, but the time is different in the mines compared to the surface. If we spend twelve hours in the mines, not a second has passed on the surface until we return here. Since we have returned here, that means time resumed ticking normally. And as soon as we return home, only a few minutes have passed by for them."
"Wow! That’s a unique and legit nice thing, Mom! Does that mean we can now train there if we want to?" Arthur asked.
Elaina smiled and nodded. "Considering how you three bulldozed the competition without my help, I don’t think I would be stopping the three of you from training here. It is also a better alternative than fighting in the forest or entering the dungeon to train. But this should remain a secret, alright? No one should know about this except us. Perhaps the others can learn about it, but don’t tell the Grand Sage about this and your great-grandparents."
"I think I can understand why we shouldn’t mention this to the Grand Sage, but why our Great Grandparents as well?" Raye asked.
"Do you want the mines to be well-known to the other people, and learn about the anomalous time the mines have? Our monopoly on the mineral resources and the free training there would disappear completely if you told them. After all, they are part of the Adventurer’s Guild, and the moment they discover these mines, they will send guards and restrict entry there. Would you three like that to happen, though?"
Hearing that, the three understood. And just like that, the secret of the mines is now kept by the kids. With this new playground, they can freely train their skills while also getting stronger with less time consumed on the surface. A perfect place to train.
And so, while Elaina is busy creating the antidote for the poisonous plants in the mines, the trio will start training their combat prowess against normal monsters to prepare for the deep dive into the deeper parts of the mines.