The Game of Global Mining

Earlier when I asked her for help, she refused. So what if I ask to borrow instead? What would she say?

Dancing Girl looked at Chun in disbelief: "Are you joking?"

Did I fail again? How frustrating!

𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Chun said helplessly, "I apologize for the rudeness, I’ll be on my way now."

Dancing Girl smiled: "What I mean is, how can an Old Drunkard be worthy of good wine? But are you sure you want to borrow? If so, let’s write an IOU and pay it back with your salary!"

Holy Shit, breakthrough! As long as she’s willing to lend, it’s like a door has opened!

Chun was ecstatic: "I’ll write the IOU!"

Dancing Girl laughed: "How about lending you a bottle of Frost Fire Dragon Wine, valued at 10,000 coins, with interest at three per mille per day, how’s that?"

Holy Shit! She’s really offering the most expensive option, I only earn six thousand coins mining during a public test! The interest alone is 30 coins a day, how much does this wine actually cost?

Chun felt a little uneasy: "Okay!"

——System Prompt: You have signed a loan agreement with Vivian. You cannot renew the loan until this agreement is completed...

Dancing Girl snapped her fingers, and a clerk respectfully brought over a beautifully decorated box with two dragons carved on it.

Dancing Girl said with a smile: "This wine is quite valuable, it might get stolen on the road, so I’ll arrange a car to take you. Please head to the back to catch the ride."

The clerk said respectfully: "This way, please."

This feeling of being treated with respect... seems like something significant is about to happen, making this debt worth it!

"Thank you!"

Then he boarded the clerk’s carriage at the back door and headed for the shipyard. Compared to the millions of players on the previous street, as they reached the suburban area where the shipyard is located, there were fewer and fewer players until there were none left.

Chun was very excited, which indicated he had reached an area that no other players had yet to explore. Of course, even if there were experts who triggered the shipyard storyline, they could only be in Refined Copper Vanguard City, where they could build airships and submarines.

After arriving at the factory, Chun presented his badge to the laid-back security guard and was allowed to enter.

The factory workers were scattered lazily, playing cards and napping. Chun knew that shipyards weren’t Black Iron City’s strength, but seeing such slackness... it’s actually a good thing! The more slack and corrupt they are, the more effective gifting wine becomes...

Then he found the rundown Dock No. 4, where the task prompt led him to a drunken old man—it was him. What level of intelligence does a drunken NPC have?

Chun stepped forward and submitted his badge.

The old man scoffed: "Sent by Baron Fepeng, young man, aren’t there better things you can do..."

Is this profession really that bad? But just for your disdainful attitude towards that fat man, we’re friends.

Chun immediately took out the box: "Sir, this is a small token of my personal regard, please accept it!"

The old man was taken aback, his expression instantly shifted from disdain to shock and then to admiration: "For me?"

Although he was asking, his hands were already firmly gripping the box.

——System Prompt: You have gifted the Old Drunkard with a luxury gift "Frost Fire Dragon Wine", your friendship level with the Old Drunkard has increased to "Appreciation"!

Holy Shit! Directly jumping five or six levels in goodwill from stranger to appreciation, giving a woman a hundred flowers can’t compare to the impact of this one bottle of wine!

The old man immediately hid the wine on himself, glancing around excitedly: "Young man, come to my dorm first!"

Clearly, something good is happening. This is the path of cigarettes and wine, and newcomers meeting benefactors!

The old man said as they walked: "Do you know what your first job is?"

Chun already guessed: "Cleaning barnacles and shells off the ship’s hull?"

The old man nodded: "Exactly, these shells secrete an acid that layers and sticks to the hull, as hard as rock. If not cleaned promptly, they can corrode and cause the ship to sink. Actually, these clustered shells are also a type of Acid Stone Ore used in Alchemy. Cleaning them allows you to practice mining while also practicing swimming. Being a Cleaner Fish requires swimming skills."

Chun immediately felt conflicted: "But I haven’t gone to the Miner’s Guild to learn mining."

The old man laughed: "It’s better you haven’t. This type is underwater mining, not the same as mountain mining. What’s needed is for you to train and understand on your own. That’s the true essence of mining! While starting is tough, advancing to Expert or Master levels becomes much easier later."

Chun suddenly became enlightened. That one sentence highlighted the key to advancing in mining!

The old man pointed towards the distant sea at a needle-like lighthouse: "That’s the North Bay Channel, and there’s an Old Whale there covered with barnacles, suffering greatly. When ships pass by, they hit and scratch it, which generates a lot of business for the shipyard—this whale is actually a high-level profession task for Cleaners! You might want to consider it early on."

Chun was stunned: "Go scrape the barnacles off the whale?"

The old man laughed: "If you’re capable of scraping barnacles, why not just kill it?"

Chun immediately noticed a key point: "If the whale stops hitting ships, wouldn’t that reduce the shipyard’s business?"

The old man laughed heartily: "These things are beyond an old man’s understanding. Also, working in your field requires you to visit some unclean, haunted places. Regarding this, you can consult with that fortuneteller lady at the Astrology Shop on Dark Alley Street."

Ah, so it’s about exorcism, quite a noble profession!

As they spoke, they arrived at the old man’s dorm—a messy warehouse filled with boxes and fishing rods, with flies buzzing, seemingly near the kitchen corner.

The old man rummaged through a box and pulled out something like a snug diving suit with goggles, spraying it with oil: "Young man, this is something I used when I was younger, lending it to you now. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t be so generous."

——System Prompt: You have obtained the equipment "Old Sharkskin Diving Suit Set" borrowed from the Old Drunkard, along with "Shark Oil Spray."

Old Sharkskin Diving Suit Set: Weight 8, Defense +7, Goggles, Corrosion Resistance +87% (Oil Applied), Drag Reduction in Water 74% (Oil Applied). Durability 32/1000.

Shark Oil Spray: Weight 0.6, used for spraying leather to make it waterproof and corrosion resistant. Can be used 4 more times.

...

Chun was stunned, not just because of the two exaggerated percentage attributes comparable to a Divine Artifact, but more importantly, the "drag reduction"! This attribute, like "reducing magic resistance" or "reducing defense", is a high-end attribute! For example, under normal circumstances, to deal the same damage, either increase attack or reduce defense. They seem to have the same effect.

But under abnormal circumstances, like underwater, there’s no such thing as "miracles through force", the greater the force applied, the greater the drag encountered, causing bullets underwater to travel only about a meter. So, in this case, "drag reduction" is akin to a Divine Artifact attribute...

However, seeing the equipment’s durability was only 32, Chun became anxious: "Sir, the durability is low, can it be repaired?"

The old man shook his head and sighed: "This isn’t just any sharkskin, never heard of anyone capable of repairing it. Let it rip when it does; just try to understand something before it falls apart..."

Indeed, this has a durability cap of 1000, while normal equipment has a cap of 100. This is definitely made of Boss-level shark material, and the old man must have quite the story from his younger years!

The old man handed Chun a single-handed pickaxe, much like those used for gathering herbs, and hurriedly waved him off: "Go on, go on, the old man wants to drink. If the pickaxe breaks, just come back to get another one, but try not to wake the old man..."

He actually dares to drink on the job, this slackness has potential!

Time to change and get going.