I Live on the Land in Global Games
Chapter 110 - 109 Stone Mining Contest

Chapter 110: Chapter 109 Stone Mining Contest

"Let’s go check it out!"

"Let’s move, let’s move!"

The opening day of Quarry Camp had stirred up a sensation almost similar to when the Mushroom Man Theater was recruiting. Anyone with a copper coin or two to spare wanted to join in the fun.

The recruiting at the Mushroom Man Theater had long ended, and the Mushroom Men spent their days cooped up in the theater rehearsing plays. The young Mushroom Men hardly came out to play at night anymore.

The interest in the subterranean luminescent forest had already waned, except for those buying Mushroom Man mushrooms, not many people frequented the place anymore.

Quarry Camp had become the newest hotspot for excitement, as after all, the prospect of money hanging in front was more enticing than beautiful scenery.

Mu Ying had teleported there too, blending into the crowd to observe the first day of mining operations.

Professor Su led the people to the tool room. "As you can see, there are only so many tools available, it’s impossible for everyone to have one, so we are going to hold a stone mining competition. Those who are more efficient can gain priority access to the tools, and the top three in mining efficiency will be offered low-cost rental rights to the rest area rooms, costing only two copper coins per day."

Two copper coins was an absolutely low price, which instantly ignited everyone’s enthusiasm.

This method was both fresh and useful. It spiced up life for everyone while selecting the real mining experts, an idea thought up by Professor Su’s wife, Du Jinlan. She too was a university professor, teaching business.

Yesterday, Professor Su had consulted Mu Ying, who directly employed Professor Du as well, granting her the same status as an official resident and a salary. Her position was Territory Business Leader, temporarily assisting Professor Su in managing Quarry Camp.

As the only family of dual official residents in the territory, the professors’ family was the envy of many.

The participants for the mining competition were quickly divided into ten groups, each containing one hundred people. They competed in different time slots, each group mining for an hour, with rankings determined by the weight of the stone mined.

The first group, equipped with brand-new tools, followed Professor Su into the mine, where he had marked mining spots with sand. They just needed to follow these spots to mine. The size of the stones didn’t matter as the count was based on weight.

An hour passed, and the first place in the first group was a Barbarian known for his strength, who had collected eight pieces of stone. The worst performer was Dong Xiaogang, who was still a child, known more for his agility as a Forest Patrol. He had only managed to collect half of what the first place did.

The mining competition continued into the evening. Many, unable to wait their turn, ventured out of the camp to try their luck, as the protective shield of Quarry Camp only blocked views from outside to inside; those inside could see out and naturally noticed the group of Petrified Lizards lingering in the stone forest.

Although the Petrified Lizards appeared rough and tough, making them hard to deal with, with so many people and the camp so close, they felt they could escape back to it if needed.

Fortunately, Professor Du noticed the signs in time. Using that Petrified Bird, she issued a warning, preventing major casualties.

Of course, those who ignored the warning and bravely took the risk were the ones to pay the price, experiencing a near petrification. Had it not been for teammates carrying him back, he might have ended up in the belly of the eager Petrified Lizards.

With this human statue standing motionlessly there, no one dared to step out any further.

This person might have had low Constitution and inadequate defense, staying rigid even longer than Mu Ying had that day.

Fortunately, they were still at a safe distance and were not completely petrified; everything would be fine when the time was up.

The competition continued into the evening, and the results were tallied and posted on the outer wall of the resting house. Tool allocation was based on these results, with those ranking higher having priority access to the tools, while those at the bottom might have to provide their own tools for mining.

Professor Su also announced that those who ranked high in monthly stone mining could have the opportunity to become official stone miners, provided they maintained their mining volumes and could enjoy the privilege of low-rent resting houses.

Nobody hates privileges, especially now when most people were crammed miserably into a tree house with others; a low-rent house made those who performed well today clench their fists, ready to give their all.

Maybe this enthusiasm was temporary and would eventually dwindle to a few remaining individuals, like what happened with the Mushroom Man Theater, but it was still a good start and brought the construction of the road a bit closer.

According to Mu Ying’s calculations, including the stone she had previously mined, it was still more than two months before they could gather enough materials to construct the road, but with such a stimulus, the mining enthusiasm had increased, and maybe the road could be completed in less than two months.

With the stone quarry now on the right track, Mu Ying felt relieved and started planning how to deal with the Petrified Lizards.

She still couldn’t let go of the idea of breeding Petrified Lizards that Tongbi 559 had mentioned; after all, why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs if you can keep the hen that lays them?

If it weren’t for the fact that Ghouls were Undead Creatures with bodies like rotten corpses, and their nails and tongues could not regenerate after being cut, she would have considered breeding Ghouls. After all, feeding was just a desire for Ghouls; they wouldn’t die if they didn’t eat, which seemed like an extremely profitable business.

The power of the Petrified Lizards lay in their eyes, but the eyes were also very valuable, and Mu Ying was reluctant to waste them.

How could she recycle and collect blood multiple times?

She was keen on building a camp for breeding Petrified Lizards, but such creatures were not something she could just encircle with a camp at will, and they couldn’t be confined if they resisted; the camp would not accept them.

The territory rules could only deal with those who understood and wished to stay within the territory, as the penalties for breaking the rules were either confiscation of property or expulsion from the camp, which were useless against Petrified Lizards.

They had to tame the Petrified Lizards step by step.

How about putting sunglasses on the Petrified Lizards?

No, no, let alone the fact that she currently had no access to materials for making sunglasses, even if she could buy them, it would be difficult to achieve the desired effect. With so many together, a simple nudge could knock everything off, and sunglasses couldn’t completely block the view.

Also, figuring out a safe way to collect blood was a big problem; the only solution seemed to be finding a way to knock the Petrified Lizards out.

That would require effort in the field of magic potions. She planned to visit the library during the trial to look up information and come up with a cost-effective magic potion formula, ideally transforming the corresponding herbs into cultivable plants to reduce costs.

Besides, they also needed to research the diet of the Petrified Lizards to find their favorite food, which would help lure the Petrified Lizards to gradually get used to being fed and transition from wild to domesticated.

The matter was somewhat complicated and cumbersome, but luckily, before the stone materials were gathered, she had plenty of time. With only two spells left to learn to advance to level five, she also had some distance to cover, giving her time to focus on this issue. If mastered, it could become another profitable industry and provide numerous job opportunities.

Once the road was constructed, it would also serve as an attractive point for settlement.