Interstellar Farming: I Make Potions and Climb to the Top

"The Gold Green Sand extracted from Lan Green Stone not only has incredible light-conductive properties, but it can also shield against cosmic particle interference. A Starship’s ability to navigate safely through the various hazardous environments in space depends on the amount of Gold Green Sand it contains. The more you add, the stronger its resistance to interference becomes." Even Yun Han, despite his noble birth, was visibly moved by the sight of so much Lan Green Stone.

"Let’s mine as much as we can. When we sell it, everyone gets a share." Ning Xuan felt that the mouthful of sand she’d just been forced to swallow hadn’t been in vain. This was certainly a payoff.

The hard rock was much more difficult to dig through than sand. Half an hour later, the sound of flowing water grew louder. They had broken through the rock layer and found an underground river.

The moment the cavern housing the underground river opened up, a wave of damp air washed over them.

Ning Xuan felt the humidity in the air rise sharply. She aimed the flashlight in her hand downward. Its beam pierced the darkness, glinting off shimmering waves.

The river was over three meters wide, its waters surging about two meters below the rock stratum. Phosphorescent light floated on the inky blue surface, and the surrounding rock walls were covered in a dense network of spiral patterns—marks carved by the current.

On the opposite bank, among a cluster of stalagmites, a few patches of glowing lichen shone like eerie green will-o’-the-wisps, illuminating the partial skeleton of some beast.

This underground river carried a lot of water.

"Contractor, are we to follow the river? Which direction?" Di Youlin asked.

"There are Lan Green Stone deposits to the left and right. We’ll split into two teams to mine the ore. Whichever team finishes first will join the other," Ning Xuan said.

They couldn’t just pass up such a valuable mineral deposit.

And so, Ning Xuan, with her Space Ring, led one team to the left, while Yun Han, with his Space Bracelet, led the other to the right.

To prevent the area they had hollowed out beneath the tent from collapsing, they had already sealed the opening above.

The Lan Green Stone deposit was located in the middle and lower sections of the rock layer. The layer of granite above the Lan Green Stone was extremely solid, so Ning Xuan and her team were careful to avoid damaging its structure, mining only the ore from the sections below.

Mining was, in truth, a very tedious process. Fortunately, the Lan Green Stone was rich in color and exceptionally brilliant under the lights. ’Looking at such beautiful stones, I can definitely keep this up for a while longer,’ Ning Xuan thought.

Even as they mined, they didn’t let down their guard, keeping a close watch on the underground river. Zhang Nan’s Golden Hamster seemed terrified of the current below, clinging tightly to him and refusing to climb down.

Whenever Ning Xuan swept her flashlight over the water’s surface, she would see splashes as startled fish darted into the depths.

Just as Ning Xuan was thinking there were no large aquatic creatures in the river, the calm surface was shattered. It was as if something huge had awakened in the water. A massive splash sent icy river water spraying onto Ning Xuan’s face.

Zhang Nan’s Golden Hamster suddenly let out a sharp shriek, its golden fur bristling in the darkness.

The beam from Ning Xuan’s flashlight wavered violently as the surface of the water roiled.

A dark shadow the size of a truck’s cab erupted from the curtain of water. Its moss-covered Scale Armor scraped against the cavern ceiling, sending a shower of loose rock clattering onto the water’s surface.

"Get back, Contractor!" Di Youlin snatched Ning Xuan’s hand and pulled her behind him.

He raised a high-intensity lamp, illuminating the creature. The monster was pitch-black, save for its pale white underbelly. "What is this thing? Does anyone recognize it?" Ning Xuan asked.

"Based on its Scale Armor, it should be some kind of serpent, but its body shape is wrong. I’ve never seen anything like it, and there’s no such creature in the Federal Strange Beast Atlas," said Tang Xue, who had barely spoken throughout the journey.

Snakes usually have long, slender bodies, but this creature was built differently.

Just as they were discussing it, the water’s surface exploded, and three tentacles covered in suckers shot out toward them like lightning.

Di Youlin swung his machete in a wide arc, cleaving into the thickest tentacle. The impact sent a numbing jolt through the web of his hand. The severed piece of tentacle fell into the river, only to quickly crawl back and reattach itself. A moment later, the tentacle was as good as new.

The creature could actually reattach its own severed limbs.

This was terrifying. They were standing on a narrow ledge between rock layers, which was already unstable from their excavation. With the underwater creature thrashing about, Ning Xuan felt the ground beneath her feet feel unsteady, as if it could collapse at any moment.

"Find its weakness! We have to end this fight quickly!" Ning Xuan shouted.

They stopped mining to focus on dealing with the aquatic creature.

"Xuanyuan, it’s afraid of light! I just shined my light on it, and it flinched back." Unable to join in battles like this, Tang Xue was in charge of observation.

Tang Xue’s discovery was a huge help. Ning Xuan and the others aimed all their flashlights at the creature. Sure enough, its movements became sluggish, and they finished it off a short time later.

Reporting an unknown species would undoubtedly earn them Merit Points.

The two teams hadn’t been separated for long. As Ning Xuan’s team was fighting, Yun Han’s team rushed over.

Both teams temporarily stopped mining. After studying the creature for a while, they decided not to dissect it for the time being. Yun Han stored it in his Space Bracelet.

"Contractor, we shouldn’t split up anymore. It’s no big deal if we mine one side first and then the other; it won’t waste that much time." Yun Han was worried that if they were divided and one team ran into danger, the other wouldn’t be able to provide backup in time.

Ning Xuan agreed to his proposal, and they resumed mining together.

The Lan Green Stone deposit was extremely long. After Ning Xuan and her team had mined for three kilometers, the vein began to narrow.

To avoid wasting any, they returned to the other fork and continued mining there. After digging for about five kilometers on that side, the vein suddenly widened and thickened, increasing to several times its previous volume. This massive deposit continued for about two kilometers before gradually tapering off.

Checking the time, they realized they had spent two days and a night underground to finish mining the veins. By then, both Ning Xuan’s and Yun Han’s Space Treasures were filled to the brim with Lan Green Stone.

Next, they followed the course of the underground river, sensing for the concentration of ambient energy, and finally found an exit.

When Ning Xuan’s party climbed out of the narrow opening, they were stunned by the sight before them. For a moment, they couldn’t tell if they were still in the Red Sand Sea.

Ning Xuan checked the coordinates on her locator and confirmed that they were, indeed, still within the borders of the Red Sand Sea.

An Oasis had appeared in the middle of the desert. Before them lay a large, clear lake, where schools of small fish could be seen swimming about.

Along the shore, verdant trees grew lush and full, and vibrant flowers bloomed among the bushes.

The sweet, cloying fragrance of flowers and plants hung in the air.