Evolution:The Bloodthirsty Saga of the Magic Engineer-Chapter 42: Mining

Charlotte, who was right in front of me, suddenly raised her hand, blocking my next step. I looked at her with a mix of irritation and curiosity but quickly realized the reason. The ground there was slippery, covered by a thin layer of moisture and mineral dust. One wrong step, and I could tumble straight into that endless abyss. Death would be certain.

"Before we descend, we need to check in," Charlotte said calmly, without even looking back. Then she turned and started walking on one of the planks that crossed parts of the ravine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Her steps were firm, and she didn’t seem to care about the darkness stretching below, punctuated only by faint, distant lights symbolizing miners far away.

I hesitated for a moment before following her. "Hey, Charlotte," I called, trying to balance my feet on the plank while my eyes avoided looking at the void below. "Why do we have to do this for Miguel?"

She stopped for a moment and turned her head, looking at me as if I had just asked the most obvious question in the world.

"Isn’t it obvious?" she replied with a disdainful tone, shaking her head slightly.

I frowned, annoyed by her vague answer. "I guess I wasn’t clear," I continued, trying to be more direct. "He’s a mage, right? He could just create an automaton to do the mining for him. I mean, several automatons working in sync would be way more efficient than humans. Humans get hungry, scared, tired... It doesn’t make sense."

Charlotte stopped walking as we reached a more open area within the ravine. It was a surprisingly well-lit space, with tents scattered all around. The place resembled a street market, with acolytes coming and going, carrying sacks of ore, tools, and other items. The smell of ground stone and sweat was strong, but the atmosphere buzzed with activity, as if no one had time to worry about the dirt or exhaustion.

Charlotte walked up to a larger tent in the center of the place and joined a line of acolytes waiting their turn. As we waited, she finally answered my question, still without looking directly at me.

"Well... I admit that’s a valid question. But I don’t know the answer either," she said with a shrug, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "And honestly, I’m not crazy enough to question the methods and arrangements of a mage."

I sighed, trying to stay focused, but my mind wandered. I looked at Charlotte, who was still walking ahead of me, striding confidently through the area. Her movements were fluid and assured, and I couldn’t help my eyes from drifting down to her long legs and the alluring shape of her body. "This girl is hot, but so annoying," I thought, suppressing a smirk as I kept my gaze steady. She was undeniably beautiful, and with everything that had been happening, it was hard not to find myself wondering how satisfying it would be to fill this bitch’s womb with my filthy seed.

"I’ll get you one day and pound your pussy so hard it’ll be sore from all the sex…" I went on, letting my imagination wander for a moment. Maybe it was the lack of sexual company—It had been a while since I had contact with another girl. Mia, Olivia, and Sophia were far away, all busy with the teachers who had chosen them.

Before I could go too far, a deep, raspy voice suddenly echoed, interrupting my thoughts:"What is your purpose here?"

I quickly raised my head, averting my gaze from Charlotte’s legs and focusing on the source of the voice. Behind the tent, something was floating. A strange being, almost translucent, its white, ethereal body glowing faintly under the uneven lighting of the area.

"A ghost?" I thought, observing the creature closely. It didn’t look like a free spirit; something bound it to this place. Around its spectral neck was a collar shaped like a blue ribbon with sharp yellow spikes that looked threatening. The creature had a weary expression, as if it were there not by choice but by obligation.

Charlotte, always practical, wasted no time and replied immediately: "We’re here to mine for about five hours."

The ghost let out a deep sigh, the sound reverberating strangely in the air. Despite its spectral appearance, that sigh felt laden with exhaustion and boredom, as though this were the most tedious job in the world. It turned slowly, floating toward a disorganized pile of yellow scrolls and chests scattered across the ground behind it. It was a strange contrast: a messy pile in a place controlled by something so unusual.

After rummaging for a few seconds, it picked up one of the chests and retrieved a yellow scroll from inside, along with a long, thin quill that seemed to be made of some type of bone. Without saying a word, it placed both in front of Charlotte, as if accustomed to this repetitive process.

As soon as Charlotte finished signing the scroll with the quill, she turned to me. Her look said it all: it was my turn. Without question, I stepped forward and took the quill from her hand, leaning in to sign the yellow scroll the ghost had presented to us. The quill felt cold and oddly heavy in my fingers, while the scroll gave off a musty odor.

Once I finished, the ghost spoke in its hoarse, monotonous voice: "If you remain absent for more than five hours, we will declare you missing. After that, we will wait six days before declaring your death, and your name will then be removed from the tower’s student registry."

I frowned at this, a chill running up my spine. It made sense, in a brutal and practical way. This place was immense, and every now and then, distant screams echoed—cries of pain, explosions, or something even more unsettling, like strange roars that seemed to come from the depths. It was easy to imagine someone getting lost here forever.

Charlotte nodded, apparently indifferent to the gravity of the situation, and reached into the pocket of her vest. She pulled out a refined pocket watch made of gold, with small, intricate gears. With a soft click, she opened it and adjusted some gears before looking at me. "We have five hours before this watch goes off."

"ok" I replied confidently, following her down the ravine.

Charlotte moved ahead, crossing another of the makeshift planks that stretched over the ravine’s chasm. The planks swayed under our steps, creaking worryingly. On the other side, we found the entrance to a cave that descended further into the dark underworld. Inside, the air was damp and heavy, smelling of stone and rust.

Once inside, she stopped and began murmuring something in a low, rhythmic tone. "Luminite, come and light the surroundings. Obey my orders and answer my call! Brighter light, shine upon the darkness!"

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I recognized it immediately. Charlotte was casting a light spell.

In the air above her head, a glowing orb began to take shape. "Buzz~~" The orb of light floated gently, illuminating the cave with a clear, steady brightness.

"Of course... useful for her," I thought, watching the scene. For me, it didn’t matter. My virtual lab already gave me night vision, so I could see the environment clearly even without the magical light. But I decided to say nothing. She seemed satisfied with her spell.

We descended further into the cave, now via a staircase carved directly into the ravine’s wall. Each step was uneven and rough, clearly made hastily by human hands. Finally, we reached a secluded spot where the walls seemed untouched and full of potential for exploration.

Charlotte turned to me, determined. "Okay, let’s get to work!"

I gave her a slight smile, trying to appear calm, and replied: "No problem."

I looked at the wall in front of me, pulling the pickaxe from where it was strapped to my back. The feel of the wooden handle in my hands was familiar, but the task still felt... outdated. As I gripped the tool, I couldn’t help but think, "This is such a waste of time. Miguel could easily design an automatic mining tool, like a magical drill. It could pierce through the walls and extract resources much more efficiently."

But such thoughts were pointless. Miguel had his own reasons for sending us here, and questioning them wouldn’t change anything.

I gripped the pickaxe firmly and began striking the wall with force, the metallic sound echoing through the cave. I didn’t bother using my virtual lab to scan for minerals; in the end, anything we found would be handed directly to Miguel. So I opted to do the work as straightforwardly as possible.

Time passed.

.

Five hours later.

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