"Whew..."
After a long while, Chen Mang finally let out a deep breath and continued steering the Train towards the towering mountain that was now clearly visible in the distance.
Not bad.
Although he didn't find any Iron Ore, sometimes when you try too hard for one thing, you end up getting something else instead. In this case, he acquired a permanent Goblin Merchant.
He decided not to spend the 100 Inheritance Points yet, as none of the four available items particularly caught his eye.
After hosting the wedding for Shan Mao Zi and obtaining another 500 Inheritance Points, he'll see what goodies he can get with 600 points.
Among the four items, only one seemed particularly intriguing to him.
The "C-Rank Difficulty Skip Ticket".
With this item, he could unconditionally clear any C-rank difficulty mission or Fortuitous Encounter map, such as the Mechanical Train's job change mission or the Underwater Labyrinth's maze mission.
The other items were rather ordinary.
The Murphy Stone was completely useless to him. Frankly, he thought choosing the C-Rank Difficulty Skip Ticket would be better than selecting the Murphy Stone. Earlier that morning, while chatting with Er Dan, the Train Conductor of the Azure Dragon Train, he learned that clearing the C-rank difficulty maze mission in the Underwater Labyrinth Fortuitous Encounter map would reward him with five Murphy Stones.
At the same price, buying Murphy Stones would only get him one.
Of course—
Hidden maps like the Underwater Labyrinth are not easy to find. Their locations are usually extremely well-hidden, and the methods to reach them are quite demanding. Er Dan was quite generous and directly gave him the coordinates.
He said that such hidden maps are generally only useful the first time you visit them.
Since he had already been there once, it was no longer useful to him. If he ever gained the ability to dive with his Train, he could go check it out.
This hidden map was located at the bottom of a lake in the Shahe Plain.
His Stellar Train currently didn't have the ability to dive, but once it did, he could go take a look. He was quite interested in this Underwater Labyrinth.
Half an hour later.
The Stellar Train finally arrived at the base of the towering mountain. From the Tower of Heaven, only a faint shadow of the mountain peak could be seen, standing amidst the clouds like a light stroke in an ink painting, not very conspicuous.
But as they approached, the true grandeur of this mountain became apparent!
Extremely slender.
The very top was only a few hundred meters wide, which on flat ground wouldn't be considered narrow, but compared to the height of the mountain, it appeared exceptionally tall and slender.
He had naturally visited the library in Sand River City.
This mountain didn't exist before the apocalypse; it appeared after the apocalypse.
"..."
Chen Mang leaned out of the skylight, observing for a long time before sitting back down at the control panel and switching to the Spider Legs to drive up the steep slope. Perhaps only he could make it here.
The mountain was surrounded by extremely steep cliffs.
There were no mountain paths whatsoever.
If the Rabbit Wheels were upgraded to their maximum level, the flight height would be about 3000 meters. Unless someone used Murphy Stones to further upgrade the Rabbit Wheels, it would be difficult for anyone to reach this place.
The moment the Mechanical Spider Legs touched the cliff, they firmly adhered to the surface, dragging the entire Train up as if walking on flat ground, quickly ascending.
The "Spider Legs" were just a green accessory.
Not very eye-catching.
But they had been a huge help to him. These mechanism-based green accessories could achieve their maximum effect with him. For others to achieve the same effect, they would need to spend 27 Murphy Stones on the "Spider Legs" accessory.
Continuing to climb.
He controlled the speed, not climbing too fast. Twenty minutes later.
The front Spider Legs of the Stellar Train finally landed on flat ground, and the entire Train appeared at the mountain peak.
The peak was an extremely vast and flat area, and in front of them was... a large Mine.
"..."
Chen Mang jumped off the Train and smiled at the sight before him. When he was at the base of the mountain, he had already detected that there was a Mine at the peak—five level 2 Iron Ore Mines.
And they were all rich in ore.
He knew it.
Places with such demanding locations usually either had hidden maps or dense resource mines.
These five level 2 Iron Ore Mines could upgrade all the unupgraded accessories on the Train.
Generally speaking.
Without using Murphy Stones, the green accessory "Resource Detection Radar" could only be upgraded to level 3, with a detection range of 3000 meters. However, there were ways to detect Iron Ore underground.
For example, by driving a Drill Bit 3000 meters underground, you could detect Iron Ore up to 6000 meters deep, although the efficiency was low, and the speed underground was slow.
Even the Doomsday Abyss canyon had been detected to have mines.
The Doomsday Abyss was 6000 meters deep, beyond the detection range of the Resource Detection Radar. It was said that two Trains cooperated, going to a steel cable factory in Taiping City to find many steel cables, then tied one Train head to another fully loaded Train and slowly lowered it down.
Through the lowered Train head, they detected that there were mines at the bottom of the Doomsday Abyss.
But that was all they could do.
Going down was definitely not possible. A 6000-meter canyon might not sound like much, but if you look at the extent of human exploration into the depths of the Earth, you'll realize how difficult it is to reach a 6000-meter-deep canyon.
Since they had already found the mines.
And it was getting late, they would rest tonight and start mining in the morning.
However, the next second—
"Clatter."
The doors of the rear carriages suddenly opened, and a group of Train Residents excitedly rushed out with pickaxes, spitting on their hands and immediately starting to mine.
"Hmm."
Standing below the Train, Chen Mang watched this scene, silent for a while before sighing softly, "At this rate, Doba won't be saying that Goblins are the hardest-working race for much longer."
Then he shook his head and walked back into his Train.
Let them mine.
After all, the Train's living facilities were basically maxed out. The level 10 Supermodel Effects of Bread Slices and Mineral Water were long-term, slightly enhancing physical fitness. The level 5 Supermodel Effect of Bread Slices could also supplement vitamins, while the level 5 effect of Mineral Water was to clear kidney stones. There was also cola to replenish energy.
With all these living facilities in place, at least the Train Residents wouldn't be worked to death.
As the saying goes, "Before the troops move, the provisions must go first." The Stellar Train's provisions were fully stocked.
Except—
Except, eating the same things every day could get boring.
Sitting inside the Train, Chen Mang looked at the four Roujiamo brought by Xiao Fang and waved his hand, signaling Xiao Ai to find the chef who claimed to be from a five-star hotel and have him prepare some special dishes using the remaining vegetables and the four cured pork ribs from the last haul.
"The Train has all the basic pots and pans. Ask him if he needs anything else."
If he needed something like a spatula, Chen Mang could create it using the Mechanical Heart, consuming a bit of Iron Ore units. But if it was... seasonings, salt, or pepper, the Mechanical Heart couldn't create those.
Although the Mechanical Heart didn't have a clear creation range, it was basically limited to electronic products or household items made of iron, like pots and pans. It couldn't create food or tobacco.
If it could even create seasonings.
Then it wouldn't be called the Mechanical Heart; it would be called "Word as Law."
"He said he's missing everything except the pots and pans. Many side dishes and seasonings are missing, so the flavor probably won't be great."
"Forget it then."
Chen Mang sighed softly, "Don't waste those cured ribs. We'll make them later."
"I've built another carriage. Have Lao Zhu arrange for the livestock and food seeds we found in Sand River City last time."
"Roger."
The Stellar Train had 14 carriages, with the 14th being the Missile Car.
Now there was one more carriage.
The 15th carriage, the "Breeding Carriage."
"Can you handle it?"
Lao Zhu frowned slightly, looking at Uncle Li standing beside him, "Weren't you an executive before? Something about earning a million a year, proficient in accounting and management, and even started a business? Can you take care of these?"
"There are 6 chickens, 5 ducks, 4 pigs, 2 cows, and 3 sheep here."
"Each of these animals has different care requirements. What did you major in in college?"
"No problem."
Uncle Li stood straight, speaking seriously, "I studied civil engineering in college. Before college, I came from a rural area. My family raised pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, and ducks. I've taken care of all of them."
"When I was a kid, I went to school every day smelling like pigs."
"Taking care of these animals is no problem for me. I can handle it."
"And I can take care of those seeds too. My family used to farm and had an orchard. I've been helping out since I was a kid. I know how to do all of this."
"That's impressive..."
Lao Zhu's eyes showed a hint of surprise, "Not bad, Uncle Li. You truly have many skills that don't weigh you down."
"Alright, I'll leave this to you then."
"See those sprays in the corners of the carriage? Those are the Train accessory 'Reproduction Spray.' Lord Mang installed a manual button at the entrance. Just press it, and the animals will go into heat. Press it again, and they'll return to normal."
"You can count on me, Train Conductor Zhu."
15th Breeding Carriage.
Uncle Li looked at the twenty-some animals in the simple carriage and the two refrigerators filled with soil, letting out a long sigh of relief. The anxiety in his eyes completely disappeared, replaced by a sense of relaxation.
Then he leaned against the carriage, lit a cigarette, and with a hint of hidden pride, casually said.
"Not bad, small job."
"Just managing one carriage for now, gaining some experience, and then moving up later."
"Amazing, Uncle Li!"
The young man standing beside him excitedly gave a thumbs up, "Just this afternoon, Lord Mang introduced the Iris Chip, causing you to lose your job. And now, before the day is over, you're already back at work?"
"I knew you could do it."
"And you know so much, Uncle Li. You were earning a million a year, yet you still know how to raise pigs. You're so versatile."
"Know?"
Uncle Li sighed deeply before throwing the cigarette butt on the ground, "Know what? Which rural family farms, grows orchards, and raises chickens, ducks, cows, sheep, and pigs? That would be a landlord, right?"
"Without a few Slaves, you'd probably work the old couple to death."
"When I was a kid, my family only raised a few chickens and a dog."
"Huh?" The young man's excited expression slowly froze, "Uncle Li, if you don't know how to do it, how dare you take on this job? What if you mess up? Wouldn't that cost you your head?"
"Relax, if my head's gone, yours won't stay either."
Uncle Li took a deep breath before putting his arm around the young man's shoulder, "Let's pool our Stellar Coupons, buy a few packs of cigarettes, and I'll take you to meet two people. I chatted with them when I was a Slave. One's family farms, and the other raises livestock."
"We'll chat them up, talk about family, and basically learn how to do it."
"This position..."
"There's a lot of room for error. It's just about learning some experience. As long as we don't kill anything, there won't be any big problems. We'll take this position first and learn as we go."
"..."
The young man remained expressionless and silent for a long time before hoarsely asking, "Uncle Li, can you tell me how you went from studying civil engineering to becoming an accountant?"
"Oh, that?"
"When I graduated, I went to work as a safety intern at a construction site. The building collapsed, and I ended up in jail for a few years. There, I met a lot of accounting big shots. I studied for a while, got my accounting certificate after I got out, and then those people were willing to mentor me, so I slowly worked my way up in that circle."
"Uncle Li, you've had it tough."
"Ah, not bad, just lucky to make a living."
"Is all of that true?"
"Of course."
"Now I feel like nothing you say is true."
"Trust me."
"But Uncle Li, I know why I only earned a few thousand a month before the apocalypse."
"Why?"
"Because if it were me, if I didn't know how to do something, I wouldn't go to Train Conductor Zhu and ask for this position. Even if no one found out for a while, I'd be too nervous. I couldn't get past my own conscience."
"Those who dare, succeed; those who don't, starve. Do you think Train Conductor Zhu, sitting in his position, is really that proficient in management?"
Uncle Li curled his lip.
"I think if I were the Deputy Train Conductor, I could do a better job."
"Given time, I could sit there too."
"But..."
Uncle Li glanced outside and whispered, "This carriage is newly built and doesn't have cameras yet. We can chat here, but don't say anything outside, alright?"
"Step by step, start with this Breeding Carriage, and if there are any other important positions open in the future, I'll go to Train Conductor Zhu and apply."
"Mm-hmm."
The young man nodded seriously.
"Uncle Li, I believe in you."
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