Chapter 49: The Cursed Half-Elf and the Black Gold Mine

“A little girl?”

The cave entrance was not very deep; after descending, they discovered a small girl whose calf was pinned beneath a rock.

She looked utterly piteous.

“Pointed ears, an el… an Elf!”

Upon seeing the small girl, Ahoge Dragon felt a pang of fear.

‘Please don’t let me be eaten!’ she thought.

“Little Ahoge, she’s a half-elf, not a bad person!”

Mao Yuxia reassured Ahoge Dragon, then observed the severely injured half-elf below, feeling a wave of pity.

Stepping forward, she reached out and carefully removed the scattered rocks pinning the girl.

“W-who are you?”

The little girl’s body trembled with fear, partly from terror and partly from the throbbing pain.

“Don’t be afraid; we won’t hurt you.”

Witnessing Mao Yuxia’s gentle demeanor towards the half-elf girl, Ahoge Dragon found herself utterly perplexed.

“Big Sister, what’s going on?”

“Oh, perhaps only a lazy, foolish Ahoge like you, who spends all day idling, wouldn’t know such basic facts!”

Yao Yueli sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead in exasperation before explaining:

“Half-elves are similar to us… no, to Xia and me; they are considered half-demons.”

“However, as descendants of both elves and humans, they are afflicted by a curse for reasons unknown.”

“Under normal circumstances, they can only live for a maximum of thirty years; to avoid death, they must resort to drinking blood, thereby transforming into Blood Elves.”

“While Blood Elves possess eternal life, the steep price is becoming a vampiric monster.”

Hearing this, Ahoge Dragon looked down at the little girl, who indeed appeared utterly harmless.

Yet, the thought of her having only thirty years to live, or potentially transforming into a terrifying monster, stirred a profound sense of emotion within Ahoge Dragon.

“Little Ahoge, do you know healing magic? Her injuries are quite severe!”

As Mao Yuxia helped the little girl remove the remaining stones, she discovered that one of her calves was badly wounded.

Without prompt treatment, this injury could potentially affect her for the rest of her life.

“Oh!”

After learning about the half-elf’s plight, Ahoge Dragon felt a deep pity for her.

She also wondered about Blood Elves: did they truly have to harm others just to survive?

“Wood Magic: Heal!”

A gentle, green light enveloped the little loli before them.

Swiftly, the abraded skin on her body began to mend.

As old skin shed and new flesh emerged, the loli occasionally let out strange sounds, likely due to the itching sensation.

“The healing is mostly done. Little sister, try to stand up?”

Seeing that all the superficial wounds had been treated, Mao Yuxia joyfully lifted the half-elf loli into her arms.

Supporting her, Mao Yuxia wished to see if the girl could walk normally.

“Ah~”

The loli took a step, then cried out in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

This was remarkable, considering she hadn’t shed a single tear despite her severe injuries earlier.

“Wood Magic: Heal.”

Ahoge Dragon continued her healing attempts, but each time yielded the same result; her low-level healing spell seemed capable of mending only superficial wounds.

Ultimately, Mao Yuxia had no choice but to carry the little loli on her back.

“Little sister, what’s your name? Why are you here? Do you have any family?”

Mao Yuxia, being the closest to the little loli, hoped to glean some useful information from her.

Meanwhile, the group proceeded together, venturing deeper into the mountain cave.

This must be a hidden cavern, they mused.

According to Ahoge Dragon, she was eagerly anticipating the discovery of valuable treasures.

However, the little loli remained silent, as if she were mute.

Only when her gaze settled upon Ahoge Dragon did a faint glimmer appear in her eyes.

Along the way, intermittent crystals provided illumination, yet a survey of the surroundings revealed no signs of large magical beasts.

“Wow~, these are Black Gold Stones! Look at these massive piles, far more than what we found in the Mighty Bear’s cave!”

Soon, Ahoge Dragon stumbled upon an unexpected sight: Black Gold Stones piled up like small hills!

These were all Gold-grade materials, certain to fetch a handsome price if they took them back.

“Time to get to work! Time to get to work!”

Ahoge Dragon chirped merrily, noting how the massive Black Gold Stones were irregularly shaped, making it difficult to store them all at once in her Void Dragon Horn.

They would need to be chopped into many smaller pieces!

This task posed no great challenge for Yao Yueli; with her Dragon Demonic Tools, a few casual swings of her blade would suffice!

‘Clang~~ Clang~~ Clang~~’

Faced with such an abundance of Gold-grade materials, Yao Yueli, too, was eager, cooperating fully with Ahoge Dragon.

Before long, piece after piece of Black Gold Stone was being stowed away into Ahoge Dragon’s Void Dragon Horn.

“Eh? What a massive haul, a huge harvest! Big Sister, look what this is!”

As Ahoge Dragon was collecting the stones, she suddenly spotted a Black Gold Stone nestled within a crevice, darker in color and with more intricate golden patterns.

“This is… a Diamond-grade Black Gold Diamond!”

Though it was a small piece, its total value surpassed all the Black Gold Stones they had acquired thus far!

It could even be used to enhance Ahoge Dragon’s abilities!

“Let’s search again, there might be more!”

Ahoge Dragon, having checked the item information, realized that these Black Gold Diamonds were hidden within the Black Gold Stones.

With a flourish, she pulled out all the Black Gold Stones and the barbell crafted from Black Gold Stone.

She hoped Yao Yueli would smash all these Black Gold Stones, as they might unearth several more precious Black Gold Diamonds!

“No way! This isn’t the time for such endeavors; let’s finish exploring and get out of here quickly!”

Yao Yueli lightly tapped Ahoge Dragon’s head.

“You’re right! There might be many, many more good things further ahead!”

Ahoge Dragon beamed, then noticed the half-elf loli seemingly watching her intently.

Feeling a touch of curiosity, she turned to meet the loli’s gaze.

For some reason, the loli’s face flushed, and she quickly averted her eyes.

‘How cute!’ Ahoge Dragon thought.

“Oh! I forgot! This is the little sister’s home, isn’t it? Is it really okay for us to take these?”

Honestly, Ahoge Dragon felt a pang of embarrassment. If these belonged to a hateful magical beast, she would have taken everything without a second thought.

But taking things from this little loli… it felt like snatching candy from a kindergarten child!

The little loli said nothing, merely shaking her head while secretly glancing at Ahoge Dragon.

“Hehe… that puts my mind at ease! Oh, right! Little sister, you’ve been here for a long time, haven’t you? You must have been to the very deepest part! Tell me, are there lots and lots of good things inside?”

Ahoge Dragon leaned closer, grinning, eager to befriend this little rich loli who owned such a vast mining cave.

Perhaps the child knew of some hidden spaces!

Spaces that concealed even more precious treasures!

“A… a big tree… the big tree that makes barbells.”

It turned out the little loli could speak, her voice soft and incredibly faint.

“The barbell, you mean this one!”

Ahoge Dragon recalled taking out the barbell she had obtained from the Mighty Bear earlier.

The little loli must have seen it.

This implied that the Gold-grade Golden Armored Tree, used for the barbell’s central shaft, could still be found inside!

‘What a gain! A huge gain!’ she rejoiced.

“Hahaha! This is amazing! Thank you, little sister!”

Overwhelmed with excitement, Ahoge Dragon immediately lunged forward, embracing both Mao Yuxia and the little loli in a single hug.

The little loli, blushing furiously, shyly lowered her head.