Dusk soon approached. The difference between night and day was not really noticeable in the mines, but it was only during this time that the workers could be paid. Several tens of miners sounded like beasts as they released savage growls and pushed their containers containing the mineral ores. It was time for the offloading.
One by one, all the miners exchanged their gains. For every 100 kilograms, they received ten gold coins. One gold coin was enough for a typical family to eat for one week. However, that was for "Normal" individuals. Regarding those who could wield Essence, ten gold coins could barely buy a white pill. So they had to keep coming back to mines or going out to hunt dangerous spiritual beasts.
It was a vicious cycle that benefited only the large forces. This system made sure to take full advantage of the wilderness inhabitants.
Ju slowly came from the interior of the mines. Behind him was the container almost filled to the brim with ore. The young boy was dragging it gently and unsteadily.
Old Kai and the men around him didn't say a single word as they watched the small child make his way to the mountain of ore placed outside and then pour the contents of his container. Ju then took the paper slip he had received from the foreman. Patches of red, blue, and grey could be seen around his clothing.
His white hair was littered with the same colorings, and his breaths were fast and a bit forced, but overall, the teenager's aura was stable and yearning.
Seeing Ju walk over, Old Kai's eyes shimmered a bit. He looked at the paper slip and nodded several times.
"Not bad, the attendant calculated that you mined almost 300 kilograms, not bad at all. I am supposed to give you 27 gold coins, but I would make it 30!"
Old Kai laughed. Perhaps he was expecting a joyous reaction from Ju, but he was disappointed as the youngster just said softly.
'Thank you."
Old Kai rubbed his nose.
"Do you want to get the money directly, or are you interested in exchanging the amount for resources that the mine offers?"
Ju nodded.
"I want items in the Mine store."
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
For the first time throughout the day, Old Kai got up from his chair; the key to the store could only be opened by the supervisor and no one else.
Ju noticed that Old Kai's gait was a bit crooked; however, each step the man took was full of power and purpose. An unseen pressure was palpable in the air as Ju walked.
"How strong is he truly?"
Ju could only wonder how much the old man had advanced in the Essence arts to control such a large mine on behalf of those foreign forces.
Some minutes passed before Ju and Old Kai got to a large door that seemed to be made out of stone. Old Kai took out a small talisman and placed it in front of the door. The item fitted in perfectly, and the door gave way to reveal the contents of the mining store.
The mines had a system of providing basic amenities for workers, another tactic they used to attract people to come and work there so that all the gains would literally go back to the mines.
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Ju looked at all the items that were neatly arranged; there were food items, weapons, drugs, and even white pills were present.
But the young boy pointed at something else entirely.
A strange look appeared in Old Kai's eyes; this young lad was just full of surprises.
"Are you sure?" the mining supervisor asked.
Ju nodded.
He requested crystal essence water, the purest form of water you could find in the wastelands. Although it was called water, this liquid was used only to make medicinal pills and drugs. No Wasteland inhabitant would use such an expensive resource just for dietary needs.
Clearly, Ju was not an alchemist, and he certainly didn't look like the extravagant type, so what did he want to use the water for?
Old Kai could only wonder.
One pint cost five gold coins. Ju took 6 pints.
As he prepared to leave, Old Kai took a long look at him and brought out several large pieces of bread from the counter.
The mining supervisor then threw it at the boy.
"Brat, mining is a hard task as you continue. Make sure to eat well before coming. Remember, now you owe me five gold coins extra. I will take it out of your payment tomorrow."
The boy caught the bread and carefully put it away, as he had for the water container. He then bowed deeply to Old Kai before leaving.
As he saw the young boy leave the mines, Old Kai sat on his chair and muttered to himself.
"Perhaps I didn't do that boy much of a favor; after all, those other scavengers have noses like rats… The boy might be torn apart and even worse… I might lose five gold coins."
Old Kai looked at the men behind him.
" Do you guys think I would lose five gold coins?"
One of the men responded,
"Who knows."
Old Kai shook his head.
"But crystal essence water, such extravagance." One of the men remarked.
"He is raising a kid." Old Kai said in a low voice.
"What? With his age, how can he be raising a child?"
In the Wastelands, Children had a very low survival rate; this was due to the amount of violence that occurred every day; a child could find himself without his parents in an instant; another reason was the dense amount of impurities present; it was not easy for a child to thrive, or be able to sense and gather Essence.
In a place like the Wasteland, the inability to wield Essence was synonymous with a death sentence most of the time.
"If a young child below seven years of age takes only crystal essence water and eats clean things, plus with the right medication and talent, in the future they have a higher chance of becoming an Essence Artist with ease, even in a shit hole like the Wastelands. The brat, although still very young, is clearly above ten; he is unlikely to be the apprentice of an alchemist…so that's the only explanation. I am sure of it."
"How do you know all this?"
"Because I have also raised a child before." Old Kai's tone grew gloomy as he revealed.
The men in blue were shocked.
"You never told us you had a child, Old Kai. Where is he now?" one asked curiously.
"He is dead." Old Kai said simply with a tone of finality.
The men in blue wisely didn't ask anything further, and slowly, dusk ultimately overcame the day. This was the period when the numerous lone wolves that roamed the Wastelands were most active, and some of these wolves had their sights on a smaller wolf, a wolf cub even.
As he gradually left the mines, a cold light shone from Ju's eyes as he slowly brought forth a dagger.
Essence rumbled through his body as a violent clash soon broke out a few seconds later; perhaps it was because he held precious water and bread meant for his girl sibling. Ju fought even more ferociously than before, and within minutes, three of the miners had already been dismembered.
Other vultures, seeing how Ju treated the first wave, wisely chose to retreat. The young boy's journey home was peaceful afterward.
Time slowly passed. Ju would go to the mines, all covered up as usual, mining the same amount of ore each day. The only difference was that the money he owed Old Kai had gone up to 40 coins.
A few more times, the teenager was attacked outside the mines. However, it was unknown how such a young person could be so strong; life or death was determined within seconds of trying to engage him; gradually, his infamous reputation spread, and Ju was not bothered by the other miners again; it took about 20 deaths to achieve this result.
When he heard the news of Ju's activities, Old Kai just shrugged and lazily commented.
"Wolves are more vicious when they have something to protect."
Regardless of how many miners had died, the sun rose as usual, and many more were available to take their place.
Three months later, it was unclear whether it was due to the bread Old Kai always gave him or because the boy grew stronger with Essence. The amount of ore he could mine per day increased, filling up a container and a half, and as a result, the amount of money he owed slowly decreased.