Chapter 805: Mountain & River

The resources they could procure in Paradise Valley were a lot more valuable and abundant than initially expected.

First, it looked like Paradise Valley didn't have much more to offer than the Sacred Desert. More resource deposits had been found, but the quality of resources wasn't several times higher in Paradise Valley than in the rest of the Sacred Desert. That was until the scouts discovered that the Blazing Sand Mountain Range was more than a pile of burning sand.

The Blazing Sand Mountain Range didn't exist during Starheaven Pharaoh's era. Paradise Valley, on the other hand, existed. Therefore, Michael and others presumed that the Blazing Sand Mountain Range was piles of sand compressed into sandstone and other resources that were, more or less, without substantial value. However, that wasn't the case.

In the first place, the Blazing Sand Mountain Range was an ordinary mountain range. It was merely covered by sand, just like the remaining parts of the Sacred Desert. The Blazing Sand Mountain Range might be on fire, burning fiercely day and night, isolating Paradise Valley from the rest of the Sacred Desert, but that didn't mean the entire mountain range burned.

The outer area of the mountain range was covered in flickering flames by eternal flames, but the same couldn't be said about the inner area of the Blazing Sand Mountain Range - the area pointing toward Paradise Valley. Only small areas of the inner parts of the mountain range burned fiercely. Other areas could be used to establish mines and more advanced excavation sites to harvest the untouched ore and resource deposits found deep within the Blazing Sand Mountain Range.

Even though the mountain range didn't exist during the Starheaven Pharaoh's era, he presumed that nobody dared to excavate the rare materials from the Blazing Sand Mountain Range because of the Primal Phoenix's presence. The Primal Phoenix would attack whoever dared to take what belonged to it.

But that wasn't the case with Michael and his people. Michael's claim note didn't give him the rights of the entire Blazing Sand Mountain Range, but the Primal Phoenix had accepted them. It had also accepted some workers' attempts to create a path leading out of Paradise Valley. Some workers had already begun researching the Blazing Sand Mountain Range, only to be visited by the Primal Phoenix.

Putting aside the fact that two workers had to be brought to a healer after having a heart attack, nothing happened. The Primal Phoenix observed them curiously as the workers did their job. At some point, the Primal Phoenix left, only to come back and observe them now and then.

Interestingly enough, Nyx never attacked the workers or obstructed them. If anything, the Primal Phoenix scared them to death. Well, almost. Nobody died just yet from the Primal Phoenix's surprise visit, and the heat radiated naturally. However, some sustained heat strokes, which wasn't intended - obviously. A few workers would have died if not for the healers' presence.

The reports about the Blazing Sand Mountain Range and success at finding various untouched resource deposits were a pleasant surprise. It was even more pleasant to hear that the resource deposits were larger than initially expected and that ores of the highest quality have been found in the cores of some deposits.

The ores were precious, but hardly anyone would be idiotic enough to sell them. Michael and his subordinates weren't that foolish. They had the Relic of Draka and a semi-complete production method for Spirit Armaments. They had the means to create High Spirit Armaments for the Summons who would ascend to Higher Lifeforms at some point.

Yet, even the high-quality ores weren't as valuable as the treasures the Starheaven Pharaoh had hidden from Michael and others until now.

"You will get your very own Energy Vein!" Starheaven Pharaoh declared, smiling as brightly as before.

Michael felt like punching that smiley face. Even the thought of breaking a few bones came to his mind. Upon realizing what he was thinking, Michael shuddered and began frowning.

'What the hell. Is that the aftereffect of the Wicked Spear Arts?' He wondered, shaking his head. His attention pulled back to the Starheaven Pharaoh.

"So, you're telling me there has been an Energy Vein underneath the Primedival Pyramid all along?" Michael asked, his hair standing up to its end.

"That's the sole reason the Primedival Pyramid was built there then. Without the Energy Vein, a different position would have been chosen," Starheaven Pharaoh nodded, but he shrugged it off, "But it's not like the Energy Vein helped that idiot to survive. He mined the Energy Stones that formed around the Energy Vein mindlessly, nearly destroying the Energy Vein. For the record, the instability of the Energy Vein was part of the reason we managed to kill him."

Starheaven Pharaoh shook his head, "That idiot was probably too stupid to spell sustainability."

Energy Veins were far from simple. They were among the most valuable natural treasures in some regions and the cause most Regional Wars were fought. Energy Veins are massive streams of highly purified energy. They possess enough energy to influence a wide area around them, stimulating mutations and evolutions within the flora and fauna while also transmuting the natural resources and materials around them dramatically.

Energy Veins were well-known for forming Energy Stone deposits, another reason nobody desired to destroy or absorb them. They were natural treasure troves desired by everyone.

Almost every energy-rich region had an Energy Vein. In fact, the regions above the Beginner grade had, at least, a 1-Star Energy Vein. The requirement for a Beginner Region to be 'upgraded' was to form an Energy Vein or for an Energy Vein to pass through it.

Michael was not sure how an Energy Vein was formed out of nowhere, but he never really idea about it in the first place. He could only guess that it was possible to use the Will or the Achievement Shop to steal another Region's Energy Vein or to create one somehow. Another possibility was to change the course of a nearby Energy Vein to lead it through your region.

Fortunately, Michael never idea about the need to create an Energy Vein or how to upgrade his region. The Untamed Jungle had an Energy Vein, a high-ranked one at that. That was the only way he could explain the Untamed Jungle's energy density.

Of course, Michael had no clue where the Energy Vein of the Untamed Jungle was located. It could be anywhere.

"Either way, we had to close the Energy Vein once we got rid of that idiot. It would have been great if we could have used the Energy Vein to our advantage, but it was on the verge of destruction. Nature had to reclaim it for the Energy Vein to recuperate from the damage done over the course of centuries," Starheaven Pharaoh elucidated with a trace of sadness in his voice.

It would have been great if he could have made use of the Energy Vein during his time. Many things would have been different. Everything would have changed.

"We filled the Energy Vein using Earth Elementals and the likes, for durability purposes and such, knowing that it would take millennia before the Energy Vein would have fully recuperated."

Michael stared intently at the Starheaven Pharaoh.

"These millennia passed..." He murmured, "And the Primedival Pyramid hasn't been discovered or looted until now either...

since the Second Epoch."

Starheaven Pharaoh nodded, his ugly, vibrant smile widening even further.

"The Energy Vein must have recovered," Michael concluded.

"Exactly," The Starheaven Pharaoh nodded, "And it should also have formed a considerable amount of Energy Stones by now."

Michael was about to be filthy rich.