Unlike other mines in Vanne, the relationship between a considerable number of miners and mine supervisors at the Rock Lake Mine is very harmonious, which is related to the local traditions of St. Steele and Overwatch.

The people of St. Stihl are very close to kinship, especially in areas close to the plains and the Isa River, where family and blood ties can be said to be an important link between the local population and the settlement.

Scholars of Van En generally believe that this habit of the people of St. Steele has a lot to do with the bitter cold climate of the region.

In the long ago days before the concept of kingdoms existed, the inhabitants of the northern regions tended to live in groups as family units, or even establish tribes based on them, and in order to survive in this cold and harsh environment, they had to choose to trust and be close to their own tribes, and within these tribes, people who were related to each other were closer to each other.

It is a very natural and very reasonable choice.

In the eyes of some scholars who specialize in the social structure of Saint-Steele, the royal family of Saint-Stille was established on the basis of such a social structure, and even a considerable number of people believe that the fundamental reason why the royal family of Saint-Stille is so "long-lived" and stable among the ruling class is that this kinship relationship is repeatedly emphasized.

The City of Watch, which is located on the border of the Kingdom of St. Steele and adjacent to the plains, attaches great importance to this kinship.

In the local area of Overwatch City, there is even a very classic joke.

A convict is always smiling when he is taken to the prison in Overwatch City, because he is almost like he has returned home—his distant cousin is his captor, his father is the one who guards him, and his aunt is the one who interrogates him...... When he was released, no one came to take him away, he just had to take the slip and go to his relatives to sign it.

Although this joke may seem exaggerated, it is indeed a true portrayal of the kinship of the local residents of Overwatch.

As a member of the large chamber of commerce, Hadra is naturally not a pure and generous person, but he has extremely real and deep feelings for the wars that took place in the past, for the land under his feet, and for the relatives who live on this land.

For his homeland, for Saint-Steele, Hadera was full of love, for the fire of life he believed in, he was extremely religious, and for the stable and ordinary life in the past, his heart was full of nostalgia.

If it weren't for this war, if there wasn't that black shadow in the sky, if there wasn't that damn Black Sun Society......

Thoughts like these would always flash through Hadra's heart, but he himself knew that in today's environment, these thoughts were nothing more than ethereal fantasies, and what he was really facing was no longer the good life he could envision, but those terrible beings who were shrouded in the shadow of despair.

Overseers and soldiers with lethal weapons were among them.

The Black Sun Mage who used malevolent magic to kill the miner leader was one of them.

The damned baron who had just taken over the camp and wanted to take over the miners was one of them!

Especially this baron.

Hadera was able to maintain the most basic composure in the face of the vicious mage of the Association before, but when the young face appeared in front of him, Hadrera felt an unprecedented fear - he felt as if his memories had been dug up, and all his secrets, whether it were emotions, experiences, or momentary thoughts, seemed to be seen through by the other party, which made him lose the last bit of security and all confidence in the current situation.

The naïve young people gloated over the fact that the overseers had been assigned to work, but Hadera, who had a lot of experience and knew the thinking of the "big guys", was terrified.

He didn't think it was Baron Fiorlando's show of kindness to the miners, nor did he think it was a sign that the baron looked down on the miners, and in this signal, Hadera felt only an extremely strong threat.

The fact that the baron chose to discard the grain stored in the warehouse, although of inferior quality, showed that he did not care about the fate or life of the miners—all he cared about was the empty rooms and warehouses that could be used by his private soldiers, and the fortifications that could be used as a line of defense on the battlefield, and nothing more!

Hadera unreservedly told the miners about his observations and conjectures, causing everyone in the room to shut up, and then the old director looked at the tall, lanky man.

After the previous leader of the miners died at the hands of the mages of the Society, he became the new leader of the miners' community.

However, the middle-aged man's prestige in the mine was not so high, mainly because the middle-aged man was not a native of Overwatch, and it was only known that he was a soldier, possibly a soldier, or even an officer, who had retired from the front.

He was the deputy of the previous leader and an important staff member, but within the miners' community, few people knew where he came from, and no one even knew his real name, and everyone just liked to call him 'veteran'.

"Uncle Hadera, if the situation is really as you suspected, then you are probably in danger too...... Especially since you're coming to us right now. ”

Although the veteran was not a native and had no blood ties to the miners, he used the rather affectionate title to the mine's director.

In this regard, the old director just shook his head: "Didn't you listen to them, the war will break out again soon, this time the situation will be even more dangerous, I don't know how many countries' armies may attack Watch City, and then there will be battlefields everywhere...... Our home is going to be destroyed, and it's no different from killing me. ”

He sighed, "I can feel that the baron is serious, he really wants to do something with that list, so you must go......"

Speaking of this, Hadra lowered his voice: "Didn't you dig out the abandoned tunnels left by the old mine when you were digging Cave No. 6 before?" Just go out there! Barça had secretly mentioned it to me only two days before he died, and he said that you had already secretly explored the tunnel, right? ”

"That's right, it does walk, it's stable, and there's even wind in it...... But we don't know where it leads. ”

"That's enough! Even if it goes to the sea, you have to get into it! ”

The little old man took out some of the momentum of being an elder, he raised his hand and wanted to slap the table to strengthen his tone, but he was afraid of causing too much movement, so he had to quickly stop his hand, he licked his dry lips, and said: "I left a batch of dry food that was not processed today, and added a few dried fish and two bottles of sweet wine to it...... Don't look at me like that, that stuff is unpleasant, I don't like it! ”

He stared at the middle-aged man and said, "As a soldier, you have to take responsibility and take them away, at least take most of them away, and take that tunnel...... Even if you hide in it for a few days, you can find a way to escape......"

Before he finished speaking, the middle-aged man stepped forward, he bent down, and gave the little old man in front of him a big hug.

After a brief hug, the veteran let go of the supervisor in front of him, and he whispered, "Uncle Hadera, you have to come with us...... If that baron is really a demon who kills people without blinking, as you say, then you don't have any point in staying, and if the miners are gone, it's useless for him to keep you as the director of the mines. ”

Old Hadra's mouth trembled, he wanted to argue, but before he could speak, the young man who had opened the door for him before hurriedly echoed: "Yes, uncle, you have to come with us...... Veterans can't control the others, they trust you more. ”

Having said that, it was not up to Hadera to agree or not, so the miners in the room sprang into action, and they quickly slipped out of the house and towards the hut and house where the other miners had gathered, while the veteran himself and a few others dug up a pile of soft earth in the corner of the room and pulled out a wooden box from it.

After opening the lid of the box, a bunch of weapons of various forms appeared in front of everyone's eyes.

Short knives and swords made from discarded shovels and pickaxes are indispensable, as well as some of the most convenient tools used by miners when working in the mines, such as small hammers for striking rocks and shovels with sharpened edges.

And underneath these things, there are several weapons in the true sense of the word.

"Wheel crystallization, old style, I used the methods in the army to change it reluctantly...... It may not be easy to use, but it should all work. ”

As he spoke, the veteran quickly checked the state of the rudimentary firearms, and after making sure that they were all functioning, he distributed them to several of the veterans who followed him, and then went to the corner of his bed, broke open a plank, and took out a cloth bag hidden under it.

"That's all there is to the crystalline bullets, ten rounds per person, one no more and one no less."

In this way, the former miners silently made the final preparations, filling the magazines of the crystallized guns and arming themselves with the rudimentary weapons that had been distributed.

"Uncle Hadera, you need to help us make a way...... It's still a bit of a stretch from here to the mine, there's a sentry on the way, and we'll have to find a way to pull them out......"

Then the veteran turned his head and warned the soldiers viciously: "Remember, everyone, we must not shoot until everyone has withdrawn into the mine, not under any circumstances!" ”

Hadera trembled and grabbed the veteran with his hand: "Soldier, are you going to save everyone?" ”

"Of course not."

The veteran shook his head categorically: "Those who have joined the association, or those who intend to join the association, may become traitors, we ...... We can't afford to take that risk, we won't notify these people and where they are. ”

Hearing this, the old supervisor gritted his teeth: "Okay, then let's go!" ”

……

For this moment, these soldiers who have witnessed the brutal battlefield have been preparing for a long time.

The previous miners' leader, Barcelona, disagreed with this kind of preparation, and he always believed that the mines and the miners were very important at present and in the future, and no one would destroy such an important facility - they always needed coolies, right?

The veterans have always been very opposed to Barcelona's somewhat naïve idea, but there is no way to persuade Barcelona with only a few people.

Perhaps, as he suffocates in the vicious magic cast by the mage of the association, he will regret his past thoughts?

Warm blood spilled on the veteran's lips, and the familiar bloody breath returned to his world once more.

The figure of the veteran was hidden in the darkness behind the crystallized spotlight, and he covered the sentry's mouth vigorously, and the short knife that had just slashed through his neck quickly turned in the palm of his hand, and then stabbed the sentry in the chest.

One time, two times......

Soon, the body he was bound to stop moving.

The veteran gasped vigorously as he pushed the body down into the darkness on one side, only to see a faint light flickering on the guard tower on the other side, indicating that the guard post on the other side had also been cleared.

It was a very, very good start, but the veteran was a little unhappy.

Cautious habits and a keen intuition had saved him many times.

This is true on the battlefield, and even more so after fleeing the front line.

And now, what was happening in front of him was once again unsettling him.

Although they had no way out now, the situation in the mine seemed to be a little different than he had envisioned, and although in the past, there weren't too many soldiers and guards inside the Rock Lake Mine at night, but at least those magical rituals should be working, not to mention the dreaded dark dogs that remained near the sentry, and the veterans were ready to fight these strange beasts.

Now, however, neither the sound of magical alarms nor the attacks of those terrifying dark dogs have happened.

The level of vigilance in the mine seems to be somewhat ...... Some are too low.

The veteran glanced at the corner of the tower in confusion, and then he realized that the metal ritual that was supposed to keep the magic ritual running had some pitted gaps on it, and it was these gaps that made the secret instrument impossible to work at all......

"It was destroyed in advance? Who did this to you? It can't be a mouse, right? ”

(End of chapter)