Countless dark-green colored towering mountains reached straight to the sky, looking like enormous tusks, surrounding a fertile plain. Huge mineral reserves of heavy metals and crystals were buried under this area. Therefore, the natural magnetic power in this area was amazingly strong. An underground magnetic storm would happen in this area almost every day. Each time that happened, one could see colorful light streams rising into the sky through the straight mountains, blasting in the clouds and forming dragon-like lightning bolts, dazzling all over the sky.
Occasionally, a few electric bolts would strike down and land on the mountains. The mountains would glow blindingly, while the area struck by lightning bolts would be burned glowing-red. After a long while, the burned areas would gradually cool down, and the color of the mountains would turn back normal.
A large number of crystal plates had been hovering between the tusk-like mountains like butterflies. Groups of dark-kind slave warriors with all kinds of crystal weapons, wearing nonconducting, soft leather armors as they carefully squatted on the crystal plates. They bent their bodies and carefully reached half of their heads out from the edge of the crystal plate, vigilantly looking around.
Tusk Basin was a very important mine in Liang Zhu City. Even after years of uncontrolled mining, this mine wasn't depleted. Instead, more and more precious mineral resources were discovered in this area. The deeper they went, the richer mineral resources were found, and the more amazing the reserve appeared to be.
At first, Tusk Basin belonged to a small Flow Moon family. But, as the proven mineral reserves in this area grew larger and larger, this small family evaporated. By now, Tusk Basin was a common property, belonging to the highest council of elders, owned by the twelve families in power.
The mine under Tusk Basin was tremendous like an underground kingdom. Tens of billions of human slaves lived in there, working for the non-humankind and exploiting all resources they could touch.
Generation after generation, some of these human slaves had lived underground for thousands of years. They had forgotten about the glory of the humankind and the origin of human beings. Their brains were empty; they knew nothing but mining and giving birth to children.
But, some of them were sold to this mine not long ago. Many of these newly arrived human slaves were strong warriors from small to mid-scale clans. They were proud and disobedient. They were good workers indeed, but compared with the old slaves who had their brains washed, they caused many, many more troubles.
Because of them, a large-scaled non-humankind army was stationed in Tusk Basin area, preparing to crush a slave revolt at any time.
Each day, large troops of dark-kind slave warriors would patrol in the air with crystal plates designed especially for Tusk Basin, guarding the area vigilantly, in case any slave escaped from the mine.
"This bloody weather!" The leader of a troop of dark-kind warrior on patrol looked around at the five-colored light streams reaching from the mountains to the sky, cursing in a low voice. Their flying plates and weapons were all made from crystals, and would not conduct electricity like metals. But still, the consequences would be troubling if a lightning bolt struck on their heads.
Dark-kind warriors were cheap. Their leather armors were designed to protect them from lightning bolts, but no one knew how much costs of these armors was deducted by their Yu Clan masters. Before, an armor like this could take tens of lightning bolts without breaking. But these years, one lightning bolt could turn a leather armor and its owner into a piece of hard coke.
"We can't live like this! Our life is not even as good as those slaves! These years, their life has been getting better and better!" The dark-kind troop leader murmured in jealousy.
Followed a sizzling noise, tens of water-tank-sized lightning bolts descended from the sky. About ten crystal plates immediately scattered. They fled fast, but a crystal plate carrying ten dark-kind warriors was still hit by the lightning bolt.
Along with a series of shrill howls, ten dark-kind warriors, who had their skins burnt and dense black smoke puffing up from their bodies, leaped up from the plate. They fell to the ground and desperately waved their arms.
"They're dead!" the leader said in despair.
Ten dark-kind warriors were injured so badly that they were almost killed by a violent lightning bolt from the sky. However, the crystal plate they trod on remained undamaged, floating in the sky. It seemed that in the eyes of their Yu Clan masters, these flying machines were much more valuable than dark-kind slave warriors, because the lightning-protection they gave to these flying machines was way better than what they provided to these lowly slave warriors.
Dazzling lightning bolt fell one after another. The crystal plate dodged swiftly to protect itself. By the time this wave of lightning bolt passed, the ten poor dark-kind slave warriors had already fallen on the ground from thousands of meters high and died. Sharp rocks tore their bodies apart.
With sadness, the troop leader drove his crystal plate down from the sky. Hopping off, he walked to his head warriors and cursed with a low voice, "Dishi Jade Coin, that bloody miser, greedy b*stard. He let those human warriors eat meat, but downgraded our equipment to save money over and over again…Please lightning, strike him to death and get us a sane mine manager!"
Surrounded by a group of Jia Clan warriors, Dishi Jin held his head high and walked quickly in the broad mine, wearing a luxurious long robe.
He was the Dishi Jade Coin mentioned by that dark-kind troop leader. Jade Coin was his nickname because he was passionate about all kinds of wealth. He was appointed as the mine manager by the highest council of elders. After taking over this mine, his obsession with money aggravated to a crazy degree.
The living standard of the warriors who were responsible for guarding the mine plummeted straight down. Their welfares were almost taken away, and even their equipment had become low-grade, defective pieces. Dishi Jin tried whatever he could to squeeze the costs from these guards.
However, he was especially kind to human slaves working in the mine. Compared with former mine managers, Dishi Jin's attitude to these human warriors was almost 'as warm as parents'. The human slaves who had been licking his boots all the time, and the hard-working ones, would all be awarded by him. Booze, meat, and some benefits that slaves should never have, had all been given to these human slaves by him generously.
Walking past mine tunnels, countless human warriors bowed to him politely the moment they saw him. Dishi Jin smilingly nodded to these slaves, then nodded and said, "Don't bother, everyone, don't bother. We are following the guide of one Master Shifu. We are all brothers and sisters. Everyone, no need to be over-courteous!"
Dishi Jin giggled happily. Deep inside each of his three pupils, a lotus had been spinning slowly.