Doyle, anxious upon hearing Murphy's proposal, protested, "What's the point if we're not killing? I dream about slaughtering demons."
Murphy argued, "Instead of killing, we can capture them. Mr. Seth once mentioned that due to worsening financial conditions of the territory recently, many mines have halted operations. Closest to City of Gath are the Lightless Tomb, haunt of skeletons, and the desolate hills ruled by cowardly goblins. I assume you’re planning a trip to the Lightless Tomb, right?"
Doyle and Byron exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
"If you're heading to the Lightless Tomb, just capture all skeletons alive and bring them back. That way, you get your victory, the mines get labor, and the world spirit doesn’t bat an eye. It’s a win-win-win," Murphy reasoned.
"But without killing them, there won’t be any loot or coins," Doyle countered impatiently.
Murphy laughed knowingly, "Mr. Doyle, let's think long-term. How much can you loot from a simple skeleton? If we put them to work in the mines, we’ll just sit back and watch gold coins flow into our pockets. Who cares about initial loot then?"
"And if the skeletons work themselves to death?" Doyle frowned. "Then what?"
"Catch more." Murphy was concise.
"Do you mean to say the world spirit won't punish us if skeletons drop dead of exhaustion?"
Murphy looked puzzled, "Exhaustion? We haven't done anything wrong; they just died naturally. I’m sure the world spirit would understand."
Doyle mulled it over and then nodded, "Sounds feasible. Let's get ready."
"Don’t you jokers think we should discuss splitting the profits?" Murphy chided with a smile.
Catching Doyle off guard, he replied bashfully, "My family's loaded; you two split it."
Murphy started to demur, "I’m a wanderer. Once I leave City of Gath, you'll have a tough time finding me. So, I won't take a share."
Before Byron could weigh in, the entire operation's profit was riding on his coattails.
"How about we name this plan?" Byron suggested cheerfully.
Murphy quickly replied, "The mines, City of Gath, and Lightless Tomb form a triangle. Let's call it the Triangular Trade."
Both men agrееd, and thus, the preparations for the Triangular Trade began.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Doyle and Byron started drilling the City of Gath reserves, but soon hit a snag: they were low on equipment.
Like the 'two thousand' that were really more like two thousand ghosts on their roster, the arsenal had been similarly pilfered and couldn’t arm this rabble.
Out of necessity, Doyle and Byron placed orders with the local blacksmiths and had the soldiers drill rigorously with wooden sticks, while the more capable personal guard of the Earl's estate were spread out as squad leaders, wrangling the less competent troops.
Murphy and his studious apprentice followed the map to a mining area two days northwest of City of Gath. Since Murphy had never been there, his teleportation spell fizzled out, and he ended up flying for two hours until a cluster of deserted mines appeared.
Count Reed’s estate had three main mines: an iron mine, a crystal vein, and sapphire deposits.
After a smooth landing, Pepe asked, "Master, why are we here?"
"This is called recon. Ensures the plan is foolproof. Imagine if there's a hidden boss in those mines, my skeleton troops would be kaput. Plus, I have a hunch about this open world I want to confirm," Murphy walked toward the crystal mine as he spoke.
They entered the mine, with Murphy's light spell leading the way.
The mine's entrance was nondescript, but deep inside, faint reflective glimmers began to shine from the walls.
Murphy found what appeared to be the largest uncut stone and picked up a discarded pickaxe, giving the mine's edge a tap.
"Ding!"
The clear ring echoed through the mine.
Murphy felt for any change then murmured in disappointment, "No effect. Was I wrong?"
"Hold on." After some thought, Murphy swung the pickaxe with more gusto.
"Ding!"
The forceful strike dislodged the embedded stone, and Murphy felt a familiar buzz.
[exp+2]
"Well, look at that! Didn’t I tell you? It's an open world!" Murphy chuckled in delight and handed Pepe the pickaxe. "Your turn. You’ll earn some experience."
Mimicking Murphy, Pepe carefully chipped away at the rocky wall. After much effort, she managed to knock loose a small crystal, and above her head, a golden prompt box appeared in Murphy’s view:
[exp+1]
Could the stone's small size explain the paltry experience points? Murphy wondered.
"So, how does it feel? Notice anything different?" he asked.
"Umm, if I had to say, I think I got the hang of it a bit. Knocking the next one down might be faster," Pepe pondered then replied.
"Exactly! That's what experience is all about. I could see you gained a point. If you keep mining, you'll probably level up too."
"Won't I become a miner if I keep this up?" Pepe asked with concern.
"No, dear. People without a class gain one from such labor. You're already a mage, so mining won't change you into a miner," Murphy assured her.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Pepe replied, "Alright then, that's good."
With their experiment a success, Murphy and Pepe started back to the mine's entrance, planning to inspect the other shafts. "I knew it! Mining gems and gaining experience—now that's a proper win-win!"
Humming to himself, Murphy toured the unspectacular iron mine with his protégé. The place was quiet—devoid of even the rummaging of rats due to the lack of food.
The structure felt akin to the gargoyles' old haunts, just less spacious. Murphy wondered how many iron bars the gargoyles had managed to smelt by now.
Lastly, they stepped into the sapphire mine. As rare as these gems were, the mine’s yield was limited.
Sapphires were not only extravagant baubles but highly sought after for spellcasting, making them perennially scarce in the kingdom.
Murphy intended a thorough search, hoping to upgrade Pepe's "best staff in Little River Village" with a decently-graded sapphire.