The moment Huo Wu mentioned the ore vein, everyone's eyes lit up.
Ore veins were exceedingly rare in the Divine Realm, let alone in the Star Moon Kingdom. The Star Moon Kingdom was a kingdom with relatively balanced resources — herbs, ore, timber, ingredients, and the like held no particular emphasis. As a result, ore veins were even scarcer here.
Whenever one appeared, a fierce scramble was sure to follow.
"An ore vein? What kind of ore vein?" Shi Feng couldn't help asking with curiosity.
He wasn't particularly surprised that a vein had appeared in the Valley of the Flame Demon. After all, this was mountainous terrain and a resource-rich dead zone. While ore veins generally held high value, they also came in different grades. A Bronze Ore Vein and a Magic Crystal Ore Vein were worlds apart, and even though a Bronze Ore Vein would be tempting for ordinary large guilds, it wasn't particularly attractive to the current Zero Wing Guild.
That was because this was a dead zone.
Dead zones were inherently dangerous to begin with, and the environmental factors made mining even harder. Even when veins appeared in dead zones within kingdoms or empires, it was extremely difficult for super guilds to establish mining operations there — let alone in dead zones on neutral maps.
Under normal circumstances, the major superpowers would simply ignore veins in dead zones.
The return on investment simply wasn't worth it, and the yields were too meager to justify spending the time and manpower.
"An Origin Fire Vein!" Huo Wu exclaimed excitedly.
When those words left her mouth, everyone in the team drew a sharp breath. In their eyes, finding a Red Gold Vein or a Mythril Vein would have been impressive enough.
But what lay before them was an actual Origin Fire Vein.
"Origin Fire?" Even Shi Feng's heart stirred upon hearing this.
This was a genuine second-tier ore vein, and unlike other second-tier veins, it was an attribute-specific vein — making it extremely rare even among second-tier deposits.
Normal ore veins carried no elemental attribute, just as raw ore typically had none. But the moment an attribute was attached, the price immediately skyrocketed. Cold Iron Stone, for instance, was an ice-attribute ore. Weapons crafted from these materials would inflict ice-attribute damage, and armor forged from them would grant ice resistance.
It was precisely for this reason that attribute-specific veins commanded vastly higher value. Even a third-tier attribute-specific vein would be a target that first-rate guilds and even superpowers fought over, let alone a second-tier one.
If the major superpowers caught wind of this, they would stop at nothing to claim it. Perhaps in raw value it couldn't rival a first-tier vein, but for guild players pushing through dungeon clears and map exploration, it offered immense help. Even at a tremendous cost, they would seize it for themselves.
What surprised Shi Feng, however, was that in his previous life he had never heard of an attribute-specific vein inside the Valley of the Flame Demon. Otherwise, it would have sparked a massive war among the major superpowers, becoming known throughout the entire Divine Realm.
"Send me the coordinates. We'll head over immediately."
Having thought it through, Shi Feng wanted to verify it with his own eyes. If it was real, then the Zero Wing Guild would be set — whether for crafting ships, weapons, or equipment.
Huo Wu promptly sent her coordinates to Shi Feng, and he personally led the team, proceeding carefully toward her location.
Huo Wu was situated in a narrow canyon gorge flanked by mountain ranges and lava flows. The visibility was excellent, with no dark smoke lingering about. However, the terrain was treacherous, and a great number of Lava Behemoths made their home here. Moreover, guarding the canyon's entrance was a colossal Level 80 Legendary beast lying in repose.
Lava Demon Hound. Elemental Creature. Legendary. Level 80. Health: 450 million.