The passage at the bottom of the mine shaft was much narrower than above.
Drip, drip.
Groundwater seeping from the top of the rock wall occasionally dripped onto moss-covered stones, sending ethereal echoes through the confined space.
Ailiya carried Leo on her back, walking steadily through the darkness.
The Eagle Eye Art granted her exceptional vision in dim conditions, allowing her to easily avoid the sharp stones and hidden pits concealed in puddles as if she had calculated the path.
As the two ventured deeper, the “unconscious patient” on her back seemed to grow increasingly restless.
At this close distance, Ailiya could not only clearly hear Leo’s drum-like, powerful heartbeat but also feel the kid’s warm breath brushing against her nape in waves—a frequency much faster than that of a normal unconscious person.
What annoyed her most was that the kid’s cheek pressed against her shoulder, and the corner of his mouth kept twitching upward from time to time, as if he were having a pleasant dream.
‘Playing unconscious, huh?’ Ailiya sneered inwardly.
She could tell with her eyes closed that this fantasy-filled adolescent brat was probably imagining some cliché knight novel scenario about a hero saving a beauty, or even mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Ailiya paused slightly, stopping by a puddle covered in green duckweed.
She deliberately sighed, her voice echoing through the empty passage with a hint of distress and coldness.
“Alas, it seems the Young Master really injured the core of his brain during the fall, and still hasn’t woken up.”
“Carrying a completely unconscious severely wounded person while exploring an unknown underground mine will not only severely slow me down but also increase the mortality rate when encountering danger. If that’s the case, it might be better to just…”
Leo’s heart jolted at these words, and even his eyelashes trembled.
‘But she’s just complaining—surely she won’t really abandon me here?’
Leo continued to hold his breath and keep his eyes shut tight, trying to keep up the act of playing dead.
“I’ve heard that when faced with a deeply comatose patient, using extreme cold and foul smells can instantly awaken dormant nerves.”
As she spoke, Ailiya slowly bent over, tilting her back toward the shallow pit filled with viscous green water.
“This water is freezing cold, and there might be bugs that like to burrow into ears and nostrils. If we soak the Young Master’s head in it to wake him up, it might have a miraculous effect…”
With that, Ailiya made a motion to release her hands that were supporting Leo’s legs.
The sensation of weightlessness instantly struck!
“Holy shit! Nooo!!”
Leo was scared out of his wits. His previously limp body instantly burst with astonishing strength.
He snapped his eyes open, wrapped his arms around Ailiya’s neck like an octopus, and kicked his legs wildly, terrified that his head would actually be pushed into the stinky ditch bubbling with unknown green bubbles.
“I’m awake! I’m awake! I was just in deep meditation just now! No stimulation needed at all!”
Leo yelled at the top of his lungs, his voice deafening in the mine.
“Oh? Really?”
Ailiya straightened up without turning to look at his embarrassed face, her tone dripping with undisguised mockery.
“A moment ago you were on the verge of brain death, and the next you let out such a vigorous howl. It seems the therapeutic effect of this water pit is truly astonishing—comparable to the holy water of the Holy See.”
Now that he was awake, Ailiya mercilessly shrugged her shoulders and threw Leo off her back.
“Ouch!” Leo fell flat on his bottom, rubbing his sore behind, his face flushed red, and a large patch of wet mud stuck to his pants.
“You—you knew I was awake all along, didn’t you?!” Leo pointed at Ailiya in angry shame, trying to turn the tables.
Ailiya turned around, looking down at him, her ice-blue eyes filled with cold scrutiny.
“Since the Young Master has awakened and has all his limbs intact, please walk on your own two feet from now on. Don’t try to seek that cheap and unrealistic ‘sense of existence’ on me.”
“Who—who’s seeking a sense of existence?!” Leo guiltily brushed the dirt off his robe, his eyes darting around.
“I just had… a post-fall sequela! Temporary brain blankness, got it?!”
“Got it. Young Master with brain blankness, please follow and don’t fall into the ditch.”
Ailiya couldn’t be bothered to listen to his excuses, turned around, and continued deeper into the mine.
The two walked one after the other. The passage gradually widened, and occasionally they could see some abandoned rusty mine carts and broken wooden tracks on the surrounding rock walls.
Ailiya, walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
Her gaze locked onto a rock wall not far ahead.
There, a large expanse of exposed gray-black rock formation, with some crystals emitting faint blue light embedded in the cracks.
Ailiya stepped forward, gently scraped a bit of powder from the rock surface with her finger, and sniffed it.
“Blue fluorite.”
A flash of satisfaction flickered in Ailiya’s eyes.
Though the quality wasn’t high, it was definitely enough to grind initial experience for the blacksmith side profession.
She turned her head, her gaze falling on Leo, who was curiously looking around.
“Young Master.”
Ailiya pointed at the base of the rock wall.
“What?”
Leo walked over, confused.
“Didn’t you say before that you wanted to experience the fun of adventurer treasure hunting and gathering?”
Ailiya’s expression was serious, her tone carrying a kind of persuasive magic.
“True experts must not only fight but also possess wilderness survival and resource identification skills. This rock wall contains rich ores, making it an excellent place to train your patience, physical strength, and magic control.”
Leo looked at the hard rock layer, then at Ailiya, stunned.
“You… you want me to mine?! But there’s no pickaxe here.”
“There is. Your short wand is the best tool.”
Ailiya said flatly.
“Huh?!” Leo’s eyes widened, and he hugged his precious wand tightly.
“Are you crazy? This is made of expensive casting materials and mahogany!”
“That’s exactly why this is training. Try attaching magic power to the wand’s surface and then precisely strike the stress points of the rock.”
Ailiya folded her hands in front of her, starting her deceptive spiel.
“If you can mine these ores without damaging the wand, your magic precision control will improve by at least one level. This is far more effective than hitting training dummies in the training ground.”
Leo was a bit tempted by her words, but still felt he was being used as a laborer, somewhat reluctant.
Ailiya, on the other hand, elegantly sat down on a clean rock nearby, leisurely pulled out a clean cloth from her travel bag, and began wiping her dining knife.
“Hurry up, Young Master. After all, you were pretending to be unconscious on me for so long, and now I’m a bit tired. As compensation, you do this rough work for me. That’s fair, right?”
“Fine! I’ll dig! Can’t I?” Leo was rendered speechless, his face and neck red, and he could only pull out his short wand, cursing this unromantic maid in his mind as he walked to the rock wall and began enchanting the wand.
Clang! Clang! The rhythmic sound of the magic-infused wand striking rock echoed through the silent mine bottom, accompanied by the young man’s indignant muttering.
Ailiya sat behind, watching the golden-haired youth who was sweating profusely, cursing under his breath, looking like a bullied kid.
The corner of her mouth curled up into an extremely pleased, almost imperceptible smile.
This energetic free mine worker was indeed much more useful than doing it herself.