The largest magic crystal vein in the history of the Yulan Continent had been discovered by the Baruch Kingdom, which had only been established twelve years ago.
"The Land of Chaos has been plagued by constant warfare for thousands of years, so no power had the chance to mine the veins there. Who would have thought that as soon as this area was unified, such a massive vein would be found?" Lin Lei sighed inwardly in amazement.
Yet Lin Lei also felt something odd.
A magic crystal vein was, in essence, a massive accumulation of World Elements that had solidified into crystals. To form a vein of this magnitude, how many World Elements must have gathered? Why would so many gather in this specific location?
However, when Lin Lei had searched with his Spiritual Power just moments ago, he hadn't detected anything special underground.
"Oh no." Wotton's face suddenly changed.
"What's wrong?" Lin Lei looked at Wotton in confusion. Bei Bei also looked at him. "Little Wotton, you've found a magic crystal vein, and you say 'oh no'?"
Wotton shook his head and said solemnly, "Brother, this magic crystal vein is worth hundreds of billions of gold coins, maybe even more. The wealth is one thing, but the most important aspect of this vein is... its use in warfare. You know that, right?"
Lin Lei nodded. "You're talking about the Magic Crystal Cannons?"
The birth of the Magic Crystal Cannon was a turning point for alchemy. It meant large-scale magic no longer required top-tier Grand Mages to cast. Back in the day, the Holy Capital, Fenn City, had possessed them. Unfortunately, on the Day of Destruction, even Saint-realm Magic Beasts had descended, along with hordes of flying beasts... so the cannons didn't have time to fire more than a few shots before being overwhelmed.
In truth, the Magic Crystal Cannon was a terrifyingly powerful weapon in war. Top-tier cannons, which consumed vast amounts of magic crystals, could unleash a blast with the power of a Level Seven or Level Eight spell in a single shot, capable of killing hundreds instantly. In battle, just setting up ten of these cannons and firing a few shots... could result in tens of thousands of enemy casualties in the blink of an eye. It would change the course of a war dramatically.
But the cannon was a "gold-devouring beast," consuming an horrifying amount of magic crystals. During the Baruch Kingdom's unification wars, no such cannons had appeared, because those impoverished regions simply couldn't afford them.
Magic crystals were far more expensive than gold coins!
"A small number of magic crystals might be purchased with money," Wotton said, his expression serious. "But large quantities are controlled by the major empires and not allowed to be sold abroad. Smuggling exists, but how much can really be smuggled?"
Lin Lei nodded. Military supplies—would enemy nations allow you to purchase large quantities?
Wotton continued earnestly, "Purchasing the cannons isn't difficult. With our kingdom's resources, we could even manufacture them ourselves if we spent the money. But with this crystal vein combined with the cannons... our military would be formidable on the battlefield."
Mages were rare. As Lin Lei's own childhood test had shown, becoming one was difficult. Those who reached Level Seven or higher were even scarcer. Only the major empires, the Holy Alliance, and the Dark Alliance on the continent could assemble true mage corps.
Lin Lei's Baruch Kingdom didn't have that capability; at best, they could organize a low-level mage squad. But dozens of large Magic Crystal Cannons, with a sufficient crystal supply, possessed power no less than a mage corps.
"Brother," Wotton looked at Lin Lei. "You know how it is on the continent. The Four Great Empires and other kingdoms fight, and unless it's a war of annihilation, the Saint-realm experts won't intervene. If they don't get involved... then the Magic Crystal Cannons become capable of changing the outcome of a war. If the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness found out we have the entire Yulan Continent's largest magic crystal vein, the consequences..."
Lin Lei's expression also grew grave. His prolonged cultivation had made him overlook secular wars.
"You're right. If the Churches found out, they might even join forces to attack our kingdom." Lin Lei felt the threat. There had been an agreement that Saint-realm experts were not allowed to participate in normal wars. So... could the Baruch Kingdom, with a population of only around one hundred million, withstand a combined assault from the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness, whose territories were far more populous and economically developed? Their combined population likely numbered four to five hundred million.
"Brother, what do we do now?" Wotton looked to Lin Lei.
A cold light flashed in Lin Lei's eyes. "We can't worry about too much. For now, we find ways to purchase as many Magic Crystal Cannons as possible. We'll also ask the Dawson Trading Company for help! Then, we mine the crystals covertly and under heavy guard. If the Churches really come... we'll use the cannons to offset our lack of manpower."
"Yes, Brother." Wotton's eyes lit up.
In his heart, Lin Lei made his decision: no matter what, he would not back down.
Soon, a large number of people were deployed to begin mining the magic crystal vein, surrounded by a tight military cordon. During mining, the workers were forbidden any contact with the outside world, though their pay was extremely generous. To the outside, the kingdom merely announced the discovery of some "relatively precious mineral vein."
The Baruch Kingdom's secrecy was remarkably tight. For a whole month, no news leaked. However, the Church of Light and the Church of Darkness had planted numerous spies within the kingdom. Despite all precautions, a slip was inevitable. Ultimately, a Church of Light intelligence agent managed to extract the information by approaching the relatives of personnel in the geological survey department.
Inside an elegant noble mansion.
"The largest magic crystal vein on the Yulan Continent? Spanning at least ten li?" A silver-haired young man looked at the secret letter in his hand, his expression immediately changing. As he carefully read the analysis within, his face grew even more solemn.
This silver-haired young man appeared young, but he was actually older than even Haitins or Wusennu.
Because... he was a Saint-realm Angel serving the Church. He had descended to the Yulan Continent over three thousand years ago. Although an Angel's strength couldn't increase and their potential paled compared to humans, the vast expanse of time granted them wisdom no lesser than any human's.
Alfonso, the Four-Winged Angel, was currently the Church of Light's leader in the Land of Chaos.
"How fortunate," a faint smile appeared on Alfonso's face. He then instructed the subordinate who had delivered the letter, "Immediately leak this information to the Church of Darkness. Let's see how they react."
"Yes, my Lord." The middle-aged man bowed respectfully.