Half a month later, three hundred meters beneath the lava lake.
Twelve massive "Volcano Miners" were at work. They had abandoned conventional caterpillar tracks, instead using multi-legged anchoring structures to clamp themselves tightly onto the dark red reefs.
Their drills and mechanical arms ignored the 3,400-degree heat, precisely stripping away high-purity Fire Elemental Crystal Stones before sending them into the spatial compression storage bays in their abdomens.
"Commander, Mining Area No. 20 is now fully operational."
Jarvis's steady, electronic voice echoed in the main workshop's control room. On the holographic sand table, data representing Mining Area No. 20 cascaded past like a waterfall.
"This month's Fire Elemental Crystal Stone excavation has met projections. After deducting energy consumption and mechanical maintenance, Mining Area No. 20's projected net profit for the month is 120,000 Low-Level Magic Stones."
