"Oh, you must be from out of town," the elderly woman said, glancing at Wilbur as she continued knitting. "The Ezekiel Mine has been closed for a decade. It used to be a thriving site, with up to ten thousand workers coming here annually. But that's all history now." "What? Ten thousand workers at the Ezekiel Mine? But it's such a small mine," Wilbur exclaimed in surprise. "That's right. It is a small mine. Initially, there were only a few hundred workers, and later, it grew to a few thousand. But life is not all about working and surviving. People need to rest, and they have a life outside of work. So, many people set up shops to supply goods and services to the workers. As more people settled here, the town naturally boomed further." She paused for a moment, then added, "However, not everyone came here to work in the mine. Many came for trade, providing basic necessities to those living here." Wilbur understood what the woman meant and asked, "So, at its peak, how many work

"Dragon aura… Just as I thought," Wilbur murmured, looking at the first cauldron. Sure enough, the miners' hard work and resilience had indeed converged to form a dragon aura. The first cauldron sensed this powerful dragon aura and began absorbing its energy. Golden light started to emanate from the first cauldron, flickering and fusing into tiny golden particles, which were then absorbed by the cauldron. A figure in black, Raymond, witnessed the scene from afar. He stared at Wilbur before turning and leaving the area. In a dark underground chamber, an old man named Barker was reclining on a chair, his feet immersed in a basin of thick, black liquid to absorb its energy. Raymond knelt on one knee, hands clasped in respect, and reported, "Sir, Fremont's chosen one has arrived." "What?" Barker slowly opened his eyes. "Are you sure?" "Absolutely," Raymond replied. "I just saw him outside with the first cauldron, absorbing the dragon aura from the Ezekiel Mine." Barker

Their weapons clashed with a resounding clang. Wilbur was instantly blasted several meters away by a powerful force, crashing down from mid-air. As he looked at Raymond, Raymond took a few quick steps forward, his body turning invisible as he dashed toward Wilbur. Wilbur was angered immediately. Initially, he had only been on the defensive, not intending to have a full battle with Raymond. However, Raymond showed no signs of stopping. Wilbur had no choice but to engage in the fight if that was the case. The thunder cleaver cut through the air, and its pale blue energy clashed with the black sword aura. The thunderous crash sent a strong wind outward. In the next instant, Wilbur, holding the thunder cleaver, was locked in a fierce struggle with Raymond. Gritting his teeth, Wilbur asked, "Can't we just stop and talk this out?" Raymond snickered. "I have only one goal, and that's to see you dead!" Before long, both men were swinging their weapons again. Their ene

Meanwhile, in a dark underground chamber, Barker was still lounging in his chair. The black, viscous liquid in the basin where his feet were soaking had reduced by half. Raymond knelt on the floor and said, "Master Barker, I'm back." Barker glanced at Raymond and asked, "How did it go, Raymond? Did you kill the man I told you to?" "I-I failed." Barker's eyes snapped open as he straightened up and slapped Raymond across the face. "You fool, I told you to kill him!" "I'm sorry, Master Barker." Raymond bowed his head. In Barker's presence, he was undeniably a weakling. He dared not face Barker's wrath directly, so he kept his head down, trembling and meekly saying, "Master Barker, rest assured, though I couldn't defeat him, I saw him enter the mine with my own eyes. I didn't leave immediately. After he entered, I destroyed the entrance. He's trapped inside now. It won't be long before he dies in there." Barker stared at Raymond in silence for a moment before saying,

Stone was an existence that was quite solid on Earth. Only weapons that were made of metal and the like could shatter stone. Other than that, magma could use its heat to melt stone as well. Yet, at that moment, the black liquid that suddenly appeared was not magma, so how was it melting stone? Wilbur looked around. The rocks that had been scattered everywhere just now were being consumed by the black liquid, almost restoring the mine to its original state. He observed the constantly flowing black liquid below. If this black liquid could flow to the cave entrance, then the rubble caused by the recent violent shaking and collapse would be completely consumed, which would make it easier for Wilbur to get out. Regardless of what that black liquid was, its appearance indicated that he was nearing the end of the mine, which also meant that there would be no more dragon aura ahead. At that moment, the light on the first dragon cauldron gradually faded. Then, it flew into Wilbur's hand.