"Those people worked very hard, and maybe the digging would have started earlier than I had expected. ”

In fact, the villagers worked too hard, much to Magellan's surprise.

"How much money did you give them?"

The countess's various magical tools also played a far greater role than expected, and when the two were combined, the excavation was now far ahead of Magellan's most optimistic predictions.

"A truly reasonable incentive is far from being explained by a lot of money," the countess did not tell Magellan the answer, "and I hope all this will not be in vain." ”

"I can't guarantee it. ”

Despite the fact that everything went unexpectedly, the excavation had not yet reached the depth of the ruins, and no one knew what would happen until then.

"Don't rush those people. ”

Magellan smiled helplessly: "I often urge them to rest early, but no one listens to me." ”

......

In the middle of the desert, a huge sand pit gradually expands and goes deeper at the same time.

The villagers work in the morning and evening, when the temperature is most comfortable in the desert, and they return to the village to rest during the hot noon and cold midnights.

There were many villagers who wanted to extend their working hours, but Magellan strongly refused, not only to ensure the health of the villagers.

The countess's magical items have advanced rapidly along with the rapid advancement of essence technology, and each time it startles Magellan, and this time she has brought out something especially terrifying.

For example, Magellan only dared to use an excavation machine after all the villagers had left.

It was a hollowed-out spinning top, ornate metal filaments woven into a conical silhouette, and through the gaps between the essence-infested metal, the delicate mechanical structure inside could be clearly seen. It was a uniquely styled machine, with no gears or pipes for steam to pass through, but only a thin, neat pattern carved into the metal surface. And in the center of the machine, the most conspicuous place is a shining magic gem, the brilliant transparent gem reflects the colorful flames, especially dazzling in the desert.

If you haven't seen it in action, everyone will think of this small thing as some ingenious ornament, but in reality, it is an extremely powerful and extremely dangerous machine.

Every time it worked, Magellan hid in the distance, his heart full of sighs.

The overflowing essence spreads around the top as the center, and brilliant lines appear on the sand wherever it reaches, and then slowly descends silently.

That's the essence that erodes the sand.

Magellan didn't know how all this was done, he only knew that in the same amount of time, the machine dug down a dozen times as far as all the villagers combined.

No one knows what would happen if a person stood next to a working machine.

"At least it works well. ”

......

Time passed, and the excavation finally reached a place where there was no sand, and the earth was exposed to the sun, and the next trouble came to Magellan.

He wasn't quite sure what was going on.

Despite the Luoyang shovel, Magellan was unable to determine the complex subterranean situation, which had reached the depth where the groundwater and continental rock formations were located, and a spring might appear under a rock at any point.

That's not a good thing, the water will ruin the excavation site, and all the efforts made so far.

The countess then gave Magellan another magic item.

"This thing must be very expensive, right?" Magellan sighed involuntarily as he looked at the shining blue ** gem in the center of the round ball similar to the style of the top.

"The cost of these things, including those used by hired villagers, will be deducted from your final reward. ”

As she said this, the countess smiled with Magellan's familiar smile.

Magellan glanced at her, and then held up the ornate openwork metal ball to the chandelier on the roof: "The traces of essence erosion are very new, this direction, this thing was just made by you?"

"Yes," even the countess looked surprised, after all, Magellan had always been very slow about things related to essences, "This sentence is worth a lot of money. ”

"How?" Magellan cautiously put the ball in front of his eyes, "this thing can't be that dangerous, right?"

The countess raised her right hand and snapped her fingers.

Then a spherical ball of essence spread outward from the sphere, instantly enveloping the entire room.

"Ah...... It's kind of scary. ”

At that moment, Magellan remembered the magic of the Morning Star.

Then another darker, translucent sphere emerged from Magellan's hand.

It showed the surroundings in a strange but precise way, even the underground beneath Magellan's feet.

"Really...... Terrible. Magellan was not so surprised, but there was a subtle sense of nostalgia, "A long time ago, I imagined that something like this, able to penetrate the barriers of the earth, can see all the buried treasures......"

"But the reality is that there is no treasure hidden in the earth of the whole world as much as the treasury of a king," the countess shook her right hand, and the two orbs disappeared, "so we seek the truly priceless." ”

"It's going to be fast, this stuff is useful. Magellan waved his hand and prepared to leave.

Just as he was approaching the door, Magellan hesitated and stopped.

"I have a hunch that something might be going on in the desert, and don't get too far from here lately. ”

......

The sun has set.

There is only a short time in the day when Magellan will love the desert.

The sky is full of clear blue-green and warm pink gradients, and the sky seems to open up a lot, and then stars emerge from the pure black night, like jewels under the abyss.

At that time, the whole desert fell silent in the raging cold.

But today, Magellan does not have the calm he once had.

Something was brewing in the darkness of the depths of the desert.

"Is this a delusion, Athena?"

The goddess did not respond.

......

The next day, the excavation continued.

The villagers still worked hard, and they did not notice Magellan's absent-mindedness at all.

Magellan had already seen the ruins in the illusion of the Essence, a small city buried underground, somewhat dilapidated, but clearly visible.

It was a city that fit perfectly into the speculations of Magellan and the countess, made of stone, with traces of human life such as clay pots and fires.

There is also a statue of Isitar.

Thanks to Magellan's best efforts, the villagers slowed down their excavations.

But they're going to succeed.