The moment Thane stepped into the forest, a system notification popped up in front of him.
[Silver-copper mixed ore vein location discovered. Display marker?]
A silver mine?
Thane's heart started racing—he'd just hit the jackpot!
"Display."
Standing perfectly still, Thane focused his thoughts and sensed a blue dot off to his right, still about 950 feet away.
Most silver mines don't exist on their own—they're usually mixed in with iron ore, copper ore, lead ore, you name it.
But that doesn't stop silver production one bit.
"My lord, what'd you find?"
Ryan's voice snapped Thane back to reality.
Thane shook his head slightly.
"Nothing."
The silver mine wasn't going anywhere—no need to rush things.
At night, you could barely see your hand in front of your face up in these mountains, so there was no point risking it in the dark.
Thane didn't say another word. He bent down, collected all the arrows scattered around the forest, then headed back to their campsite.
The best ingredients only need the simplest cooking.
They cut up the wild rabbit, sprinkled it with salt, and roasted it until it was golden brown. No fancy spices needed—just a dash of chili powder made it taste amazing.
Too bad wild rabbits don't have much meat on them. Even after all seven of them ate their fill, they still had to munch on some dried food to feel satisfied.
That night, Pamin and the others took turns keeping watch and feeding the fire while Thane slept like a baby.
The next morning.
As soon as the sun started peeking over the horizon, the team headed into the forest.
The marker in Thane's vision showed a straight-line distance—the target was actually in the valley on the far side.
At the bottom of the valley ran a nearly dried-up stream. What little water was left trickled down through moss-covered rock cracks, forming small pools at the base of the mountain.
Using face-washing as his cover story, Thane brought Pamin down the slope to check out the stones in the water.
A flash of silvery-white caught his eye.
"Bingo!"
Thane thought to himself, reaching into the ice-cold stream and pulling out that silvery-white rock.
"Check this out."
Thane casually tossed the stone to Pamin.
"Is this... silver ore?"
Pamin examined the stone's shine and asked in amazement, "Where'd you find this?"
Thane nodded toward the water, gesturing for Pamin to look into the pit.
In the water hole covered by rocks, there was a barely visible glimmer.
"This is a silver vein?!"
Shocked to his core, Pamin forced himself to swallow hard and keep from shouting out loud.
This was money!
Pure, cold, hard cash!
Without missing a beat, Pamin grabbed a rock by the stream and blocked the cave entrance under the water.
"I don't think we've got the mining setup right now, and we need to hide this, sir!"
Only after tossing the rock did Pamin realize what he'd done, and immediately backtracked, "Sorry sir, I should've asked permission first..."
"You're thinking exactly what I'm thinking."
Thane raised his hand, cutting off Pamin's words. "Even if you'd been wrong, I wouldn't blame you. I know you've got my back."
Right now, nobody could fill Pamin's shoes.
"Thanks for trusting me."
Pamin bowed respectfully.
Then he hesitated for a moment, stepped closer, and said quietly, "Sir, the Northern Borderlands aren't like the Ividaya family's territory. When you start developing silver mines out here, there's a damn good chance people will try to muscle in and take them.
You should start planning ahead."
"Yeah, I know. You'll be back to your old job soon enough."
Thane nodded in agreement.
Pamin had been a top-notch instructor back at Ividaya Castle.
Whether it was the silver mine or the convoys hauling silver ore, they'd all need way more troops for protection.
Training was one thing, but it also meant farmers or slaves would have to drop their regular work.
With just farming, the town's four hundred-plus people couldn't handle that kind of strain.
Thane needed way more food as his foundation.
Not just farmland, but meat, fish, and eggs too.
Shadowpine Ridge still had tons of room to grow.
"Got it, my lord!"
Pamin's eyes were steely, his face lighting up with excitement. "I'll train a whole army for you!"
Thane nodded, giving Pamin's shoulder a light pat.
"No rush. We'll take our time. Everything we need will come together."
...
...
Then he pulled out the map, marked the spot, and climbed back up the slope to keep moving.
Having struck gold—or rather, silver—Thane was riding high and looking forward to whatever else lay ahead.
The forest was massive and the terrain was a nightmare. When they hit steep mountains shooting straight up from the ground, Thane and his crew had to take the long way around.
Luckily, the detour wasn't a total waste—over the next two days, they discovered another iron ore vein in the northeast corner.
What got Thane even more pumped was when Aleya spotted wooden houses with smoke curling up from them at the foot of the mountain.
No more sleeping under the stars.
Everyone was stoked and quickly made their way down the mountain toward the houses.
A small compound made up of three wooden houses soon came into view, with smoke rising from the middle one.
"Aleya, scout ahead and make sure it's safe."
Ryan told his daughter.
Aleya nodded.
"ROAR!"
Before she could even turn around, a bone-chilling roar suddenly erupted from the direction of the wooden houses!
"Black bear!"
Ryan yelled!
Everyone's eyes snapped to Thane!
"Move! We gotta save them!"
Thane shouted urgently. Ryan shot forward like a bullet, sliding straight down the slope!
Aleya and Eliric were right behind him, with Thane and the others hot on their heels, charging toward the houses!
Before they even reached the place, they could hear screaming coming from the yard!
Through the open gate, Thane saw a massive black bear pinning someone down, tearing them apart!
Then a woman burst out of the wooden house wielding a hoe, charging straight at the black bear, only to get backhanded and sent flying!
The sight made Thane see red.
"Kill it! Kill that thing now!"
Almost instantly, Ryan took his stance and let an arrow fly, nailing the black bear right in the back!
"ROAR!"
The wounded bear roared again, whipping its head around to find whatever had hit it!
By then Aleya's arrow was already airborne, instantly striking the bear's neck!
Surprisingly, the black bear was tough as nails. Not only did it stay on its feet, but it charged straight at Thane and the others!
Eliric raised his battle axe to meet the bear head-on, but Thane stopped him cold!
"I'm gonna kill this thing myself!"
Thane glared at the black bear and roared, "Die!"
Seeing Thane charging forward, the black bear actually stopped in its tracks and seemed to back away!
"Scared now? Too damn late!"
Thane didn't give the bear a chance to bolt. He swung his steel claymore and launched himself up, bringing it down while the bear watched in terror!
THWACK!
The bear's head went flying like a football, and its body crashed to the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dust.
Nearby, Pamin rushed over to check on the person on the ground.
The bloody mess made him look away after just one glance, and he grimly shook his head at Thane.
Thane turned to check on the woman who'd been knocked down.
By now Aleya was beside her, trying to check if she was still breathing, but saw a pool of bright red blood spreading from under her head.
Aleya looked up at Thane.
"She's not gonna make it either..."
"That damn monster!"
Thane raised his sword and drove it hard into the black bear's skull!
The excitement he'd felt seeing signs of people living here was now completely drowned in pure rage!
"Sir, you okay?"
Pamin was just as pissed off, but he hadn't expected Thane to lose it like this.