Seeing as there were literally no guards or any source of defense around the supposedly "sealed" mine, Adrian must’ve left it relatively open as bait, knowing Rosalia would bite.
And just like he thought, she did bite.
It was likely a test for both siblings. One for Rosalia, testing her greed and ability to withdraw from a losing battle. And the other for Felix, teaching him how to keep a winning position without overreaching too much.
As stubborn as the old man was about "worth", Rian had to hand it to the patriarch for at least trying to teach his kids, albeit extremely indirectly.
Still, it helped Rian as well, as he was expecting to have to sneak through guards and various traps just to get inside.
〈Alter Shade — Gardine〉
[Curtain of Darkness]
Reaching down into his own shadow, Rian grabbed onto a black curtain before pulling it over himself, similar to how Alicia had done it, before approaching the tunnel.
[Estimated Lifespan: 24 days, 11 hours, 05 minutes.]
’Thirty minutes to get here, and roughly twenty minutes for the spell? Not bad.’
He approached the entrance, making sure to check his sling bag for everything he needed. Rian had prepared a few mana crystals from Nadine in advance, as well as various spellbooks in case he needed to learn new spells on the fly.
While on the carriage toward Eisenbran, he had already attempted to memorize them all at once. But doing so caused his head to start thumping like someone drilled a hole through his head.
Consequently, he forgot most of what he read. Even basic spells like [Ward Glacia] were beginning to dim in his memory. So the only conclusion he came up with as to why this was happening was the fact that he only had one Magic Circle.
To put it in simple terms, it was like a phone with limited storage. Rian would constantly have to delete old spells in order to make room for new ones.
’I need to hurry up and create a second Circle, as soon as possible...’
Secondly, Rian also discovered the fact that [Life Force Synthesis] had a cooldown. After absorbing a mana crystal, there would be a timer of roughly thirty minutes before he could absorb another.
Evidently, this made mana crystals less efficient than Rian had hoped. Each one granted an hour, but the thirty-minute cooldown meant that continuously consuming them produced a net gain of only thirty minutes per crystal.
Still, it was quite good in a pinch when he needed lifespan quickly.
And he had only tested standard mana crystals. There was no telling what would happen when he tried absorbing higher purity ones.
But Rian would also have to find out a better way to extract mana from said crystals, as chucking them one by one seemed highly inefficient. Or find a way to bypass the cooldown.
"Urghh...too many problems and not enough lifespan..."
Deciding to leave said problems to his future self, Rian slipped through the entrance and descended into the mountain.
Within several steps, the light behind him dwindled.
〈Ars Lux〉
[Estimated Lifespan: 24 days, 10 hours, 58 minutes.]
A small ball of light formed in his hand, barely illuminating the way enough for him to see where he was going.
The passage was just wide enough to accommodate a single minecart. Rian had to keep close to the wall whenever the warped rails shifted toward the center, while the low ceiling forced him to duck beneath several wooden support beams.
Well, calling them support beams was quite generous. Most were cracked, crooked, or rotting from moisture. Several had already begun bending.
The rails weren’t in much better shape either. Iron spikes had come free, entire sections split apart, and temporary wooden boards served as ’solutions’ over the worst breaks.
Though the damage told Rian more than he needed to know.
Rosalia really hadn’t intended to operate the mine for long. As per the novel’s information, as well as her own confession, she had extracted as many crystals as she could while spending the bare minimum required to keep the tunnels standing.
Because why waste money on something she knew would eventually be discovered and confiscated?
Instead of developing the mines, it was more adequate to say that she had looted it instead and got out.
However, nothing suggested workers had worked here recently.
There were lanterns hanging along the walls that had long since burned through their oil. A thin layer of dust covered everything, and most recent boot prints had begun losing their shape.
’So she kept her word...’
Once the mines were sealed and Rian had recommended that she come clean and stopped mining, she really did just that.
As he kept walking, his sling bag caught against another support beam, nearly pulling him backward.
"Why did Rosalia have to dig this tunnel so small?!"
Still, he descended until the cavern eventually flattened out, indicating that he had reached some kind of uniform level. His instincts were even more confirmed, as a sound could be heard from nearby.
Drip...drip...drip...
’...Water?’
As he approached, the stale air became cool and strangely fresh. Yet what caught his attention was the faint blue light that seemed to mix with the ball in his hand.
And by the time Rian turned the corner, his entire body froze, and he stared in awe at the sight before him.
An enormous cavern that was mostly occupied by a vast underground lake. Its surface was so calm that it resembled a sheet of dark glass.
Responsible for the light were the hundreds—no, thousands of mana crystals that protruded from the cavern walls.
Some were no larger than fingernails, scattered across the stone like a starry night sky. While others were clumped in clusters the size of Rian’s fist, reflected in the lake’s clear water.
"So this is the Eisenbran Crystal Mine..."
Calling it a mine hardly felt appropriate. Mines were dark, suffocating places where laborers tore valuables from stone.
It was... an oasis, something not meant for human eyes.
Something shifted inside Rian’s coat. The small spirit poked its head out of his pocket, staring at the cavern with widened eyes. A moment later, it slipped free and floated toward the lake.
Ripples appeared across the water beneath it, as several blue lights rose between the crystals. But from here, Rian could tell what they obviously were...
Spirits. Water spirits, specifically.
They took the form of pretty much any sea creature. From jellyfish, eels, and even various kinds of fish and sharks, they were all here. Far too many for Rian to count.
They had avoided Nadine for more than five years, yet an entire colony had been living practically beneath her feet.
Threads of blue mana drifted from the spirits and sank into the surrounding stone. What looked just like normal rocks were slowly turning a blue hue, becoming purified crystals.
"So I was right—"
The mana crystals weren’t attracting spirits to Eisenbran. The spirits were producing conditions that allowed mana crystals to form.
"...All along."
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