Chapter 244: Small Adamantine Vein

  Rough fingers forcefully groped the hard ore, feeling the sharp and sturdy texture on its surface.

  Copperbeard excitedly tossed the ore a few times, wiping it like a treasure before turning around with a face full of excitement:

  "No doubt about it, this is freshly mined Adamantine ore, and the quality is quite high!"

  "Burp~~ If Lord Matthew is willing to give me 10 kilograms of Adamantine to craft a bcksmith’s hammer and a battle-use two-handed axe, I will share the Adamantine smelting technique with you!"

  Though reeking of alcohol, Copperbeard’s words carried the unique craftiness of a dwarf.

  Looking at the pile of ore resembling a small hill, Matthew smiled slightly at Copperbeard and lightly patted Yaya's back.

  Under the dwarf’s shocked gaze, Yaya grabbed him by the colr, scaring him into shouting loudly.

  "No, dwarves shouldn’t be taken to high pces, put me down! I can walk on my own!"

  "Where are we going?"

  "Lord Matthew, say something!"

  "I don’t need 10 kilograms of Adamantine anymore, just give me 5 kilograms..."

  "Ahhh..."

  "4 kilograms... no less than that!"

  "3 kilograms!!"

  "Just give me enough to make a two-handed axe; I have a spare hammer already..."

  Before Copperbeard could finish, he realized he was back on solid ground.

  Breathing heavily in relief, he wiped the cold sweat that hadn’t appeared from his forehead, still shaken, looking at Yaya’s pyful smile with a helpless grin.

  Before Copperbeard could fully react, Matthew had already walked past him.

  The shrewd dwarf turned around, and his eyes went wide.

  Staring intently at the small cave in the distance, his eyes fixed on the faint golden shimmer on the cave wall, and he mumbled to himself:

  "Could this be an Adamantine vein?"

  "If this really is an Adamantine vein, then we’ve struck it rich!"

  "Honorable Lord, I must reintroduce myself."

  "My name is Copperbeard, a high-ranking dwarven warrior, a high-level bcksmith, and a master prospector..."

  Before he could finish, Matthew had already walked to the entrance of the Adamantine cave, surrounded by traces of burning and digging.

  Copperbeard shook his head repeatedly, his face full of disdain, clicking his tongue:

  "These trolls are really dumb, using such primitive methods to mine Adamantine!"

  "I bet their smelting techniques are subpar too. Even if they mined a lot of Adamantine, they probably just left it sitting in the warehouse."

  As he spoke, the dwarf ran his hand over the incredibly hard cave wall, looking at the faint Adamantine dust, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

  Having gathered enough information, Matthew confirmed his judgment:

  "A small Adamantine vein, requiring 10,000 kobolds for full-scale extraction, producing 10 tons of Adamantine ore daily, with a total mining period of four years!"

  A total of 40 tons of Adamantine ore. If they mastered Copperbeard’s smelting techniques, they could purify about 400 kilograms of Adamantine!

  This was an astonishing resource!

  Adamantine is as valuable as Mithril.

  Each gram is worth 10 gold coins!

  Whether for armor or weapons, adding just a bit of Adamantine significantly increases hardness and defense.

  Its value also doubles!

  Most Adamantine weapons and armor only contain less than 100 grams of Adamantine.

  400 kilograms exceeded the Netheril Empire's 10-year production.

  This made Copperbeard’s seemingly sly demand quite "greedy."

  However, as Copperbeard grew nervous, Matthew smiled and nodded in agreement:

  "I’ll give you 3 kilograms, but you must not only provide the smelting method, but also personally train ten apprentices."

  Before Copperbeard could show his excitement, Matthew beckoned Yaya over.

  Under Copperbeard’s horrified gaze, Yaya reached out and easily dug out a rge chunk of the extremely sturdy Adamantine ore.

  Copperbeard couldn’t help but swallow his saliva, and the greed in his mind disappeared without a trace as he hurriedly pounded his chest and promised:

  "No problem at all! Leave it to me, and I’ll even teach them bcksmithing... Ah..."

  Before Copperbeard could finish, Yaya grabbed him again, and to his terrified screams, flew back toward the troll castle.

  As for this location, aside from the kobolds sneaking over to mine, no one else would know about it.

  Despite the high value of this batch of Adamantine, Matthew wouldn’t sell it.

  This type of strategic-level scarce resource usually required a hefty premium to purchase.

  Additionally, such wealth would easily attract the attention of others.

  If Copperbeard hadn’t been smart, Matthew wouldn’t have minded letting him stay in the Bay Territory for a few more years.

  After all, dwarves live long!

  With this batch of Adamantine, Matthew could craft better weapons and equipment for the Bay Territory’s high-ranking professionals.

  Maintaining a technological advantage in weapons and equipment would further improve the combat power of Bay Territory soldiers.

  Of course, no one but the users would know the secrets hidden in their weapons and equipment.

  Just like all the other secrets of the Bay Territory!

  "Transport these trolls in batches and send someone to bring more crossbow bolts and alchemical oil."

  Ange began organizing the defense while also managing the supplies.

  Watching the city walls gradually being repaired and reinforced, a trace of worry still lingered in her eyes.

  The troll castle’s location was excellent, with steep slopes on both sides, making it difficult for enemies to unch a rge-scale attack.

  To the south y the troll valley, now mostly occupied by the Bay Territory.

  The city gate was strong, and the walls were high, making it retively secure.

  The only issue was the north, which had fallen into disrepair, but the Bay Territory had prepared in advance. After capturing the castle, they had 5,000 kobolds from the pit quickly rush to the site.

  They were repairing the foundations of the city walls as fast as possible, followed by raising and reinforcing them.

  They weren’t neglecting the outer perimeter of the walls either.

  A wide moat was already beginning to take shape.

  Based on the design of the Murloc Castle, they would also build projecting bastions and tall watchtowers for multi-directional defense.

  The castle’s defense issues would be further addressed and strengthened over the next few days.

  The only thing that worried Ange was the size of the troll castle.

  Even with half of the 2,000 soldiers stationed on the northern wall, it felt a bit sparse.

  If the Gurubashi troll tribe sent too many troll soldiers, it would be hard for the troops to defend.

  Matthew was well aware of her concerns. Before initiating the pn, they hadn’t discussed this far ahead.

  Of course, no one had expected the pn to go so smoothly!

  However, a tough battle still awaited them!

  FALCON-N