Chapter 377:Mining.
Two days passed quietly within the fairy sanctuary.
After everything they had experienced beneath the Doom Cave, Atheline and Lilith had deliberately slowed their pace. They spent the first day resting, discussing everything they had discovered and making preparations for the mining expedition.
The second day was spent gathering the necessary equipment. They didn’t intend to take a small amount.
The Goddess had sent them here for Moon Crystals and Sun Crystals, and after seeing the size of the deposits beneath the sanctuary, there was no reason to leave most of them behind.
Of course, they also had to be careful.They didn’t know whether removing the crystals would affect the cave or the sanctuary’s barrier. For that reason, they had spoken with Lyria before leaving.
The fairy leader had been hesitant at first after she finally understood the scale of the crystals, not because she wanted to keep the crystals for herself, but because she was still worried about the sanctuary.
Yet after Atheline explained that they intended to take only the naturally formed crystals and would avoid disturbing the ancient structures surrounding them, she had agreed.
The decision was made. They would go into the cave, collect the crystals, and then they would leave the sanctuary. There was no reason for them to remain any longer.
Their original purpose for coming to the Demonic Continent had finally been fulfilled.
Atheline stood outside the small house they had been staying in, checking the equipment they had prepared. Several reinforced mining tools were packed into their storage space.
Containers specifically designed to prevent Aether crystals from interfering with one another had also been prepared.
Lilith had even brought several spatial containers capable of holding large quantities of material without allowing their energies to leak out.
In the blood ocean, the crystals had been mined and stored,so it was easy for them to get.
Their little fox sat nearby, watching them with considerable interest. She had spent most of the previous two days exploring the sanctuary under the watchful eyes of the fairies.
She seemed to have become particularly fond of several of the younger fairies. Now that they were preparing to leave, she remained close to Atheline’s feet.
Atheline looked down.
"You’re following us today? I thought the caves scared you."
The fox tilted her head.
Lilith smiled.
"Most of the danger is gone, beasts have the best instincts."
She reached down and scratched behind her ears. The fox immediately wagged her tail.
Atheline laughed.
"Then I suppose you’re coming."
The little creature happily followed them. Lyria came to see them off when they were ready with several other fairies gathering behind her.
They had only known each other for a short time, after all, but the atmosphere was warm.
Lyria held the ancient book they had returned to her.
"We will remember what you told us."
Atheline nodded.
"And we’ll remember this place."
Lyria smiled.
"You’ll always be welcome here."
Lilith gave a small bow.
"Thank you for your hospitality."
Lyria’s expression became slightly more serious.
"If you return... be careful."
She looked toward the direction of the Doom Cave.
"That place has protected us for generations, but it has also frightened us for generations."
Atheline glanced toward Lilith.
Lyria smiled faintly.
"I suppose that is an understatement."
After a final farewell, Atheline and Lilith moved away from the settlement. The fox followed close behind.
Once they were far enough from the village, Lilith stopped.
"Ready?"
Atheline nodded. She stepped closer and placed one hand lightly against his arm. The surrounding space began to distort as dark Aether gathered around them.
Unlike the first time they had traveled to the cave, there was no need to walk for hours through the forest. Lilith already knew the exact location and the danger had been eliminated.
The world around them blurred, then, they vanished. They reappeared directly outside the Doom Cave.
The fox appeared between them a moment later, she looked around, seemingly unimpressed by the sudden change in scenery.
Atheline laughed.
"It’s different isn’t it, from the time when you came here."
The fox simply sniffed the ground.
Lilith looked toward the cave.
"Let’s finish this."
They entered and the familiar darkness welcomed them. This time, however, the atmosphere felt considerably less threatening.
The whispers were still present. Soft voices echoed through the tunnels, though neither Atheline nor Lilith could understand what they were saying.
Their footsteps echoed through the passage as they descended.
The fox stayed close, she occasionally stopped to sniff the ground or stare toward a dark passage, but she never wandered far.
Eventually, they reached where the crystals had been discovered.
The sight still amazed them.
Moon Crystals covered portions of the walls in glittering silver veins, and opposite them, Solar Crystals shone with a warm golden radiance.
Atheline looked around.
"Now that we’re actually here to collect them..."
Lilith smiled.
"We have a lot of work."
They began with the Moon Crystals. Lilith carefully separated the first cluster from the wall. She didn’t simply smash the rock around it; instead, she used controlled Dark Aether to cut through the surrounding stone while preserving the crystal itself.
The first Moon Crystal bunch came free, roughly the size of her palm. She held it up, the pale light reflecting across her face.
"Beautiful."
Atheline nodded.
"And incredibly pure."
They placed it inside one of the prepared containers, then they continued.
Atheline handled the larger deposits while Lilith worked on the more delicate formations. Whenever a vein extended deep into the wall, they carefully followed it.
They didn’t want to leave behind valuable crystals simply because they were inconvenient to reach.
Hours of this passed. The place slowly changed, the walls that had once glittered with light gradually became darker. Each extracted crystal was carefully stored.
The larger clusters required considerably more effort. Some were buried several meters into the stone, while others had grown around ancient fragments of rock.
But with their strength and Aether control, nothing presented a serious obstacle, even so, they worked methodically, since they weren’t in a hurry.
This was a resource that had taken thousands of years to form, they could afford to spend several hours collecting it. The fox eventually curled up near one side of the chamber and fell asleep.
Atheline noticed and smiled.
"At least someone isn’t working."
Lilith glanced at the sleeping creature.
"She has important responsibilities."
"Such as?"
"Supervising us."
Atheline laughed.
"Of course."
Once the Moon Crystals had been collected, they turned their attention toward the Solar Crystals.
These required a little more caution since the Solar Aether within them was much more concentrated.
Lilith created several additional protective layers around the containers. Atheline carefully removed the first cluster. The moment it came free, the chamber brightened. Golden light spilled across the walls.
The crystal was warm against his palm. He stared at it for a moment.
"I understand why the Goddess showed this us."
Lilith nodded.
"They’re far purer than the ones we’ve encountered outside."
The two continued. Piece by piece, and cluster by cluster.
The Solar Crystals were removed from the walls and placed into specially prepared containers. By the time they finished, their storage spaces were filled with an enormous quantity of both resources.
Atheline stood in the center of the chamber and looked around. The once-brilliant cave was now considerably darker, only small traces of Moon and Sun Crystals remained scattered throughout the stone.
Lilith looked around as well.
"That’s everything."
Atheline nodded.
"Everything we could safely remove."
He glanced toward the deeper part of the cave.
"We shouldn’t touch anything else."
Lilith agreed.
They had already discovered far more than they had expected, there was no reason to become greedy.
The ancient sanctuary had survived for thousands of years. They weren’t going to destroy it simply because they had found valuable resources.
Atheline looked toward the tunnel.
"Let’s go."
The fox immediately woke up. She stood, stretched lazily, and trotted toward them.
Lilith laughed.
"It heard that."
"Of course it did."
They began walking back. The journey through the cave was surprisingly peaceful. Atheline occasionally glanced toward the walls.
Now that he knew what had happened here, the cave felt different. He could almost imagine the fairies who had once walked these tunnels.
This place was more than a mine, it was a grave, a monument, and a surviving fragment of a world that no longer existed.
Eventually, they reached the entrance. Sunlight immediately spilled across them.
Atheline squinted.
After hours underground, even the evening light felt surprisingly bright. The fox ran ahead into the grass.
Lilith stepped outside and looked back. For several moments, she simply stared at the cave.
"We’re really leaving."
Atheline nodded.
"We’ve taken what we came for."
Lilith looked toward the distant forest.
"It feels nostalgic."
They had arrived on the Demonic Continent because of a vague message from the Goddess. They had not expected a simple search but not a hard one either; instead, they had discovered an ancient fairy sanctuary.
They had learned about the Cataclysm, they had witnessed a fragment of the battle between the Sovereigns, Atheline had awakened power that had been sealed within him, they had uncovered a history that even the fairies themselves had forgotten, and now they possessed the Moon and Solar Crystals the Goddess had sent them to obtain.
It was time to move forward.
Lilith reached for his hand.
"Shall we?"
Atheline intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Let’s go."
The fox hurried back toward them. Lilith looked around one final time, then she activated her spatial magic. Darkness gathered around the three of them.