Adventure: My Skills Evolve Infinitely

’I’m still about 170 points of Skill Level away. I’ll just max out this skill during this trip to the mine.’

After that small interlude, the journey continued. The rest of the trip was quite smooth.

Just as they had estimated, they successfully arrived in the vicinity of the Secret Silver Mine at around five in the evening.

After they presented the documents provided by the City Lord’s Mansion, the person in charge of the Secret Silver Mine led them to the camp outside the mine to rest. He also recounted the details of the theft incident.

"You mean the first ones to steal from the mine were members of the Blood Sea Gang... and the Goblins only came later? And during the theft, the two sides actually fought each other?"

After listening to the description, Lin Mo fell into a brief, contemplative silence.

’This is different from what I originally predicted. Based on the previous incidents and investigations, it’s clear that Lawrence must have some connection to the Goblins. It’s even likely they’re in cahoots.’

’The Blood Sea Gang acts as the Lawrence Clan’s Black Gloves, so logically, the two should be on the same side.’

’But now, it seems that might not be the whole story.’

’Of course, this doesn’t mean the Lawrence Clan isn’t colluding with the Goblins. It’s more likely that the Goblins, having grown powerful enough, now have ambitions of their own and are starting to slip out of Lawrence’s control.’

’And the reason they want Secret Silver Ore is quite simple.’

’The Goblin Race has Casters among them, and Secret Silver Ore has the same effect of amplifying their Magic.’

’Although Goblins lack the ability to forge the ore as humans do, they can manage simple refinement. The resulting Mithril, while far less effective than true equipment like a Secret Silver Staff or Secret Silver Gloves, can still give their Casters a considerable boost.’

’This also suggests that Lawrence’s attitude toward the Goblins is likely one of control and exploitation.’

’So, after having the Blood Sea Gang steal the ore amidst the chaos, he had no intention of sharing it with the Goblins.’

’This is probably why the Goblins followed them into the mine and even clashed with the Blood Sea Gang.’

’For Silver Stream City, a rift between the Goblins and Lawrence is rather good news...’

’If a major conflict were to break out between them—specifically, if the Goblins have truly grown strong enough to break free from Lawrence’s control and even turn on him—then the pressure on Silver Stream City would be significantly eased.’

’Most importantly, who doesn’t love to watch a dog-eat-dog fight?’

Of course, none of this was of any immediate help to them as they guarded the mine.

Whether it was the Goblins or the men from the Blood Sea Gang, their objective was the ore, and they were certain to return tonight.

Mithril is an incredibly rare material. Even from the ore within a Secret Silver Mine, the yield is exceptionally low. A single ton of Secret Silver Ore can be refined into less than a gram of Mithril at most.

Although those guys stole some yesterday, it was nowhere near enough.

Therefore, it was time for his side to start making preparations.

The defensive force at the Secret Silver Mine was not weak. There were two to three hundred Guards in total, and that was after a portion had been recently reassigned due to the severity of the Goblin rampages. Originally, there were even more.

However, the Combat Power of these Ordinary Guards wasn’t particularly high. Only a dozen or so captains among them had reached the Professional Level.

The strongest among them was the Guard Commander, who was in charge of the entire garrison. He was a Level 3 Warrior.

Normally, this was more than enough to fend off petty thieves and the Crystal Ore Beasts near the mine. In special circumstances, reinforcements from Silver Stream City would be sent to provide support, just as they had been.

The massive theft at the Secret Silver Mine was a serious dereliction of duty, so the Guard Commander now seemed to be itching for a fight, ready to redeem himself tonight by teaching the thieves a harsh lesson.

Logically, their opponents this time should be mainly members of the Blood Sea Gang. The Ordinary Goblins didn’t seem like much of a threat.

Of course, that was based on yesterday’s events. Since the two sides had clashed, it was entirely possible that they would commit more forces tonight.

"It’s still early. Why don’t you all have a quick meal in the camp?"

the Guard Commander said enthusiastically.

Lin Mo was taken aback. ’It’s almost dark, isn’t it? The thieves could show up at any moment, and he’s in the mood to sit down for a meal?’

"That won’t be necessary. We brought our own rations. We’ll just have a quick bite..."

"Is that so..."

The Guard Commander’s expression faltered for a moment, then shifted to one of deep gratitude. "Then I must thank you all for your generous assistance!"

With that, he led them toward the mine.

"So this is the Secret Silver Mine?"

They walked a hundred meters into the mine, but it felt no different from an Ordinary cave.

Only when they were deep inside the mine did they finally see the area where the workers excavated.

Since it was now nighttime, the miners had already gone home for the day, leaving behind only neatly arranged tools like shovels and pickaxes.

On the surrounding stone walls were faintly glowing rocks. ’These must be the Secret Silver Ores.’