Chapter 25: Methods of Correction
Lin Yang pondered. Although using an assembly-line method for mining could greatly accelerate the process, it still couldn’t result in a qualitative leap. After all, no matter how fast, it was still limited by the tools’ lifespan.
“If only I could create something specifically for mining,” he mused, recalling explosives and drill bits from his previous world.
“Gunpowder won’t do. The gunpowder in this world isn’t even as powerful as a single spell, and I don’t know how to make it anyway. Maybe I can forge some magical tools for mining instead.”
“As for the transporters, they could just use storage pouches to bring up the ore, instead of hauling it bit by bit by hand.”
“That’s why there are far fewer people assigned to transport than to mining. And more people are needed for sorting than for transporting.” Good. I’ll arrange things tomorrow.
Having made his plans, Lin Yang chose to meditate and restore his spirit.
The next morning, Ming Yang summoned the fifteen overseers once more.
“Last night, after thinking it over, I came up with a solution.”
“One hundred people will be divided into ten groups and follow three steps: mining, transporting, and sorting,” Lin Yang explained.
“There will be seven mining groups, one transport group, and two groups for sorting and storage.”
“Uncle, isn’t one transport group too few?” someone asked.
“Transporters can just load the ore into storage pouches. They can even fly up and down with them. How could that not be enough?”
The cultivator who’d asked seemed momentarily confused, but after a while, realization dawned. “Ah, Uncle, you’re so clever.”
“But whose storage pouches will we use?”
“Mine.” Lin Yang produced ten storage pouches, each marked with the character for “public.”
“The sorters will separate the ore from the slag and dispose of the waste in a designated spot.”
“Anyone who can keep accounts, step forward,” Lin Yang called.
Ye Hui came out. “I can do it.”
“Good. Ye Hui, you’ll handle ore transport and storage. Mo Yang, you’ll be in charge of mining. Chen Fei, you’ll handle transportation.”
“Ye Hui, remember, as long as you collect one thousand catties of iron ore each day, that’s sufficient.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
At this moment, Chen Fei suddenly asked, “We have more than 120 people here. What about the others?”
Lin Yang thought for a moment. “What do you eat here?”
“We bring our own biscuits, steamed buns, or dry rations.”
“In that case, select ten people as a security team to clear out any wild beasts or monsters nearby. If they can’t handle something, have them come to me. The rest can form a kitchen team.”
“Breakfast at 9 a.m., lunch at noon, dinner at 5 p.m.”
“Choose your security and kitchen teams and have them set up the kitchen and dining hall first. The rest of you, follow the group assignments I just gave. Off you go.”
“Yes!”
Once the overseers finished dividing the teams, Lin Yang left and headed to the miners’ wooden cabins. There, he set up a first-tier Spirit Gathering Formation. Feeling the gradually thickening spiritual energy, he nodded in satisfaction.
“This way, the miners will willingly help with the work. Even if their monthly wage is only two spirit stones, with the formation and the reduced mining time, they should be able to cultivate a little.” Lin Yang consoled himself that doing his best was enough.
He returned to his temporary quarters and attempted to craft a miner’s drill. Creating a non-offensive, single-function tool like this was fairly straightforward.
Before long, he’d fashioned a prototype: as long as one infused it with spiritual energy, the drill bit at the front would spin. The materials were simple too—just locally sourced purple iron-gold.
Seventy drills would require seven thousand catties of purple iron-gold.
Lin Yang went to the warehouse to refine the metal, drawing up blueprints as he worked. After all, it was better to teach a man to fish than to give him one. In the future, when these magical tools broke, they could be re-forged.
This time, it took Lin Yang a full five hours to complete the batch.
By then, dusk had fallen. Lin Yang collected everything and went to the mine.
He called Mo Yang over. “Mo Yang, it’s nearly dark. Why are you still digging?”
“We were waiting for you to signal the end, Uncle.”
“Have you finished the soil layer?” Lin Yang asked.
“We finished that this morning. We’ve already mined seven hundred catties of iron-gold ore. Your method is really efficient, Uncle. We got so much done in so little time.”
“Alright, let me say a few words.”
“All mining team members, gather round.” Lin Yang called everyone over. When they’d assembled, he produced the magical tools.
“Come and look. This is a magical tool I invented called a drill. Just grip the handle and infuse it with spiritual energy—the bit at the front will spin, making it perfect for mining.” Lin Yang demonstrated, drilling into the stone wall. The drill bit sliced through the rock like tofu, sending stone chips raining down.
“Wow!” The miners were clearly astonished. Lin Yang handed out all the drills from his storage pouch.
“Alright, each of you try it out. Once you’re familiar, take a break and eat dinner in a quarter of an hour.” Seeing they’d learned enough, Lin Yang left.
Next, he planned to kindle an underground flame. He found a spot near the river—a grassy area beside the purple-gold ore vein, abundant in metal-element spiritual energy. With a ground fire, cultivation could progress rapidly.
But there was a problem: he had no idea how to build a house. The thought left him feeling quite helpless.
“Oh well, I’ll just hire some people from a nearby town tomorrow.” With that cheerful decision, Lin Yang began setting up a formation on the ground to draw up fire energy from below. He opened a fissure in the surface and kept digging deeper.
When he’d gone over a hundred meters down, he suddenly sensed a surge of heat below. He shot upward, and as he did, the ground behind him erupted—a torrent of magma spewed out, the intense heat nearly overwhelming him.
Fortunately, he was lucky and wasn’t touched by the magma.
Soon, a magma lake had formed. Lin Yang took fire-element spiritual herbs from his storage pouch, tossing them onto a rocky outcrop in the middle of the lake. Only the very top of the stone mountain was visible above the magma. At the summit, he planted the two spiritual herbs.
Then, he set up a fire-element Spirit Gathering Formation near the lake.
He also arranged a water-element Spirit Gathering Formation by the lake’s edge and scattered spiritual fish eggs into the water, along with ten mid-grade spirit stones.
He placed the fire and water formations in the north and south, respectively. To the east was a forest—though the wood-element spiritual energy was plentiful, it still felt insufficient. So, he planted many saplings from his storage pouch and created a wood-element gathering formation.
The west was where the purple iron-gold ore vein lay. Lin Yang set a metal-element gathering formation there too, but it still wasn’t enough. Therefore, he added fifty mid-grade spirit stones and over a thousand catties of purple iron-gold ore.
Finally, he gathered all four Spirit Gathering Formations together. The four formations catalyzed each other, forming an earthen-element formation at the center. After a while, the earth-element formation channeled energy underground, and the five elemental spiritual energies surged into the central area.
Suddenly, the five formations resonated, merging into a grand array. At that moment, Lin Yang took out his carefully prepared formation disks and placed them at the five points, each serving as the array’s core. He also added the effects of illusion and concealment formations.
There was no need for a killing formation, as it was unnecessary. Except for some special techniques, this place was only suitable for cultivating spirit plants and raising spirit beasts.
Thus, the great work was accomplished—a perpetual Five Elements Cycle Formation. Though not natural, and unable to grow infinitely, it should last for thirty or forty years before needing to be rebuilt.
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