Alien world

Chapter 6 6. Haunted Gold Mine
"Uncle Huo Lin, aren't you asleep?"

In the morning, Annan, who woke up early, woke up Martin who was about to fall to the ground.Martin rubbed his eyes and walked out of the room, and saw Uncle Holling, whose right foot was wrapped in sackcloth, chopping wood in the yard.

The haggard Uncle Huo Lin forced a smile: "I... am worried that something will happen to Annan in the gold mine."

"Good morning, Uncle Holly."

Annan came out from behind, and Uncle Huolin's smile became more sincere.

The aroma from the kitchen wafts in the courtyard, and the rising smoke flows into the mist covering Pinglin Town.

Aunt Susan brought out food, a chicken soup and mashed potatoes, a few pieces of baked soft brown bread, and a bowl of apple pie.

"Why didn't we have these things to eat yesterday?" Uncle Huo Lin, who was sitting in a low chair, was stunned by the abundance of food in front of him.

"You don't need such good food!"

Aunt Susan swung the spoon to knock off the dirty hands of her husband and Martin, and first picked up Annan's wooden bowl and filled him with a full portion.

"Little Annan, eat more, so that you will have the strength to go to work."

"Thank you, Aunt Susan."

Aunt Susan took care of Annan not only because of love, but also because of another reason—the table after Uncle Huo Lin and Martin finished eating was like a devastated land ravaged by demons.

Before departure, Aunt Susan also told Martin: "Take care of little Annan, don't let me down!"

In the early morning, Annan and Martin set off amidst Aunt Susan's worries.

In the story of the bard, this small town named Pinglin Town is located in the borderlands of the birds, surrounded by vast forests that stretch for thousands of miles, bordering the coast, snow-capped mountains, and swamps.There is no church here, no screaming greenskins, no strife and conspiracy, let alone other races.Even those who are tired of strife and yearn for peace think this place is too peaceful—perhaps only those druids who work with the forest, and kobolds and jackals like hyenas like it here.

But the bard also said, never believe what a bard says.They can invent all lies for the integrity of the story, and sing any words for the rhyme of poetry.

The Haunted Gold Mine is located on the edge of the forest, not far from where Annan appeared.

At first Annan tried to find his way back.

On the third day of staying at Aunt Susan's house, Annan and Uncle Huolin set off back to the forest early in the morning with the excuse of stumbling.But when he sneaked out and tried to find the grassland in the forest, he encountered a group of kobolds wandering here.

The barking kobolds, more lizards than dogs, were clad in rags that could not cover their bodies, and armed with crooked spears and slings.

Annan resisted the idea of ​​saying hello to these "fantastic creatures" and fled back to the edge of the forest.Maybe the chance of being killed by a kobold is low, but not zero.

Later, Annan told the bard about this matter, and he said that it was right to run back, and more unlucky people were killed by kobolds than by dragons.These bullies love solitary adventurers the most.

Then he also told the habits of Annan kobolds, such as forests that like to hide from light, caves, and they will never attack enemies with more numbers than them. A single kobold wants to run away when he sees a sheep——

Annan and Martin meet their foreman at a fork in the road, a lame old man named Old Zoren.Said to have been a veteran.

"Can't Holly come?"

Old Zoran looked at Annan.His faded sackcloth, his sickly gray but pale skin, seemed incapable of manual work, but old Zoren was different from the others—he firmly believed that mining was all about luck, "unlucky Huo Lin was stoned in the foot after only one day of work, I hope you can bring good luck."

"Who are you from Hollin?"

"I am Martin's cousin."

Old Zuolun's face softened slightly, and he talked about the rules of the gold mine.The muddy and slang accent made Annan hardly understand...but it's not hard to guess-stealing gold mines is forbidden.

"Martin, take him to the shed first." Old Zolun waved his hand and found that Martin was motionless, "Martin?"

Returning to his senses, Martin puffed up his chest: "He's my cousin!"

……

And Martin, who was slow to react, followed the lame old Zoren to the gold mine.The barren clearing beyond the mines on this desolate hill was littered with huts, and figures walked inside.

Annan thought they were old Zoren's subordinates at first, and then found that the miners ignored him.He also thought that old Zoren was the foreman, but he didn't get on well with the other foremen.

The hut camp is also very strange. According to common sense, gold mines should strictly limit the contact between miners and the outside world.The supervision of this gold mine in front of me is not strict. The miners come in and out of the gold mine at will, cook in the open fire, and the foreman is distributing money...

Old Zoren took out the key and opened the door of a shed.Several simple crooked wooden beds are placed on the mud floor, ants and insects come in and out freely, and the bedside table is both a cabinet and a dining table.

This will be where Annan and Martin will live next.

When he took the iron pick and was about to follow the old Zolun into the mine, Annan saw a gorgeous carriage with a fancy emblem passing by on the road in the distance.

He saw the big boss Mr. Fast was talking about, Ms. Wine.

The luxurious and beautiful carriages and ladies, the dilapidated and dirty shacks and Annan seem to be two different worlds.

Annan lowered his head slightly, and followed old Zuolun carrying an oil lamp into the gold mine.

The gold mine has been abandoned for a long time, and many mines have collapsed and become impassable.Old Zoren lit the oil lamp and led them deep into the mine.There was a faint burnt smell in the air, and the sounds of gouging all around made sonatas.

Depression and darkness make people tense and uncomfortable.

Under the dim oil lamp, the old, scattered abandoned tools, and broken pillars made him realize that this was an exhausted gold mine.And the whispered conversations of other miners made him realize that many of these people were townspeople who came to try their luck.

The same is true for old Zuolun, who hired Uncle Huolin and the others to try his luck, if he found the ore, he would pay for it if he couldn't find it.

This is also good, at least there are not too many conflicts between miners and miners, miners and foremen.Old Zoren dropped them where they had been dug yesterday.It's almost here even if it's not deep, but the pillars are intact.

"I hope you will bring good luck." Old Zolun said leaving one oil lamp behind and left with the other.

Martin took the pickaxe and drilled into the short hole he dug out yesterday. Annan raised the oil lamp and looked around.

It was difficult to distinguish the direction of the chiseling echo, and the dense floating dust walked under the halo of the oil lamp.

"Cousin, I'm stuck!"

A dull cry came suddenly, Annan turned his head and saw Martin's upper body stuck in the short hole, shaking his exposed buttocks.

Annan put down the pickaxe and wanted to help, but hesitated that this posture was not elegant, so he asked Martin to let go of the pickaxe and climb out, and then picked up the pickaxe.

Martin, who got out, went to get the pickaxe, but strangely grasped the handle of the pickaxe and the corner of the short hole.

Annan was about to remind him not to hold the pickaxe horizontally, when Martin suddenly pulled out a pale veil from the short hole.

"Ghost!!!"

Martin dropped the pick and turned and ran.

"Human beings!!!"

The ghost screamed and crashed into the rock wall deep in the mine.

(End of this chapter)