Chapter 317: Chapter 313: Beneath the Mine
Perfikot had an idea of what she might see once she descended into the mine.
After all, mining has always been a grueling job throughout history.
In the past, it was mostly convicts and war prisoners who did the mining, as the harsh environment and intense labor would quickly ruin their health and consume their lives.
Even now, despite using various advanced technologies to improve mining efficiency, the situation in the mines remains largely unchanged, with little improvement.
The only difference might be that miners can now come up to the surface to clean themselves and rest well, as opposed to the past when miners would stay underground for years, evolving into earth-dwellers.
In the past, the most common method was to send a group of convicts or war prisoners into the mines, then seal the exits, demanding they extract a certain quota of ore daily, or else they wouldn’t be fed.
Miners, striving to get enough food, would work relentlessly, ultimately earning only a scant amount of food.
However, Perfikot would obviously not employ such cruel means of mining.
Rather than using such outdated production methods, she might as well roll a few large excavators to open up the entire mountain for extraction, resulting in inefficiency beyond imagination.
Of course, rolling a few excavators is purely an impulsive statement; it’s not that she couldn’t, but Perfikot obviously wouldn’t actually do it.
So, for now, this mine still relies on relatively inefficient manual extraction.
"Why are you all standing around here? Aren’t you supposed to be working?" The manager barked a few times, and the miners froze at Perfikot’s arrival, prompting them to return to work. Only then did he lead her to a small room aside and invite her to sit on the only relatively clean chair before explaining the situation: "Count, as you see, this is what the mine is like.
This area is relatively okay; it’s not the mining area, so space is still somewhat sufficient. When the robots were sent down earlier, they primarily operated in this section.
As for the deeper mining surfaces, the space is so cramped that people have to crawl on the ground, making it impossible for robots to go deep."
At this point, the manager did not forget to advise Perfikot: "Count, you should hurry back up! This place down here is no place for humans, and you, being someone of noble stature, shouldn’t be here.
Moreover, you’re a woman, and those miners work without clothes; if they accidentally bump into you, it would be offensive."
Perfikot was prepared for the situation the manager described; she also anticipated what was happening here.
Yet she had no intention of leaving, instead wanting to delve deeper to understand more of the situation.
Her request undoubtedly put the manager in a tough spot, but he had no choice but to reluctantly take a safety helmet woven from rattan and coated with a thick layer of black grease, gesturing for Perfikot to put it on.
He dared not let Perfikot continue deeper into the mine without wearing a helmet; should any danger arise, he would truly be in trouble.
However, Perfikot found the dirty helmet utterly distasteful, so she directly placed her hand on the ground and used alchemy to make herself a helmet, which she wore.
She also crafted helmets for each of her accompanying White Bear Knights.
Seeing Perfikot and others with their helmets on, the manager had no more excuses, cautiously leading Perfikot deeper into the mine.
The mine tunnels were intricately complex, but fortunately, there were iron tracks for the mine carts, allowing them to walk near the tracks without encountering any severe difficulties.
Even so, Perfikot still felt the stifling air, dim lighting, and the most perilous gas issues in the mines.
"Are there gas detectors installed underground?" Perfikot asked the manager, while her gaze wandered to the miners’ lamps used for illumination.
This lighting device was designed specially to burn and provide illumination underground, simultaneously preventing ignition of underground gas and causing explosions, greatly enhancing mining safety.
Yet, even so, the gas issue in the mine remains very dangerous, which is why Perfikot inquired about the installation of gas detectors.
The manager, not hiding this matter, nodded seriously and stated, "We have installed gas detectors at all critical locations, with personnel responsible for inspections to ensure no gas explosion issues arise."
Perfikot did not think he was lying, but placed little trust in his assurance that no gas explosion issues would occur.
After all, in her original world, technology had developed to the information age, humans had ventured into space and landed on the moon, yet gas explosions still occurred in coal mines, which is not something safety checks can fully prevent.
Therefore, Perfikot did not ask further, realizing that for this era, the manager was sufficiently responsible.
But when they reached a mine’s fork, the manager suddenly stopped Perfikot, refusing to let her proceed any further.
Perfikot looked at the miner’s height behind the manager, only reaching her chest, and shook her head helplessly.
She knew exactly what the situation was and understood why the manager would not let her continue.
However, she did not fault him, just took a deep look at the manager and said, "I don’t want to see children here anymore."
After saying this, Perfikot turned and left.
She hadn’t told anyone that as a perfect life form, her eyes possessed low-light vision, which, while not allowing her to see well in utter darkness, made the dim environment indistinguishable from midday sunlight.
Therefore, what the manager tried hard to prevent her from seeing, she had already clearly seen.
Moreover, for Perfikot, the insights from her original world and the information she could access in this world were enough to help her understand the dark secrets buried within the mines.
This is not something that can be simply prohibited with an order but rather controlled to the best extent possible.
The main reason she insisted on descending into the mine herself was to see firsthand the hidden darkness and evil that lurked below.