Man With Super Medical Skill (Matthew)

The crisp clang of metal striking stone echoed sharply through the deep cavern.

A moment ago, the smug expressions of the nearby mining merchants were brimming with mockery, but now their faces stiffened in disbelief.

"T-This... How is this even possible?"

As seasoned miners, they couldn't fail to recognize the unmistakable sound of striking iron ore. And finding iron ore within just over 30 feet? It meant one thing-there was undoubtedly a rich vein beneath their feet!

Angus' face lit up with a wide grin, his excitement barely contained. "Matteo, you've got a keen eye! You were absolutely right-there's iron here!" he exclaimed with a guffaw.

Where there was one chunk of iron, there was bound to be more.

Sure enough, the rhythmic sound of pickaxes striking ore grew more frequent, resonating through the cavern like a triumphant anthem.

Before long, a worker climbed up the rope, his face a mask of astonishment. "Mr. Lopez, I've been mining for over a decade, but I've never seen iron ore this pure and this massive before," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "It's so big, we're practically standing on top of a colossal piece of it right now."

The worker's words made Angus beam with unrestrained joy. A vein this large could only mean one thing-an extraordinary haul!

He turned to the group of merchants who had been jeering moments earlier, their smugness now thoroughly wiped away. "Care to take a look for yourselves, gentlemen?" he asked with a wry smile.

"No need! We'll be taking our leave!"

The man with the sharp, almost feminine features felt his face burn as though he had been slapped in the cheek. Without another word, he spun on his heel and stormed off.

The others who had joined in the mockery hastily followed, their retreat as clumsy as their earlier sneers had been confident.

"Mr. Lopez, don't forget to throw us a bone when you strike it rich!" one merchant called out, feigning camaraderie as he departed.

"Exactly! With a find this big, I'll definitely come see it once you've hauled it back!" another chimed in.

"Of course, of course," Angus replied, his face a mask of geniality. "Safe travels, gentlemen."

He bid the merchants farewell with a cordial smile, but as they disappeared from view, his grin turned genuine, radiating triumph.

"Matteo, be honest with me how much do you think this vein can yield?" Angus asked, his eyes sharp with anticipation as he fixed his gaze on Matthew.

Even the first chunk had left seasoned miners, with over a decade of experience, utterly stunned. If they kept digging, the sheer size of the iron deposits would likely be unimaginable. Matthew paused, his brow furrowed in thought. Then, looking at Angus, he replied under his breath, "At least... 10,000 tons."

His words, light as a breeze, struck Angus like a bolt of thunder.

10,000 tons. At the very least.

That kind of figure was staggering. To put it in perspective, the largest known mine on the

island-controlled by the Governor's Keep for decades-had only yielded 10,000 tons to date. And here, they were just scratching the surface of a vein already estimated at the same scale. noveldrama

But Matthew hadn't told him everything yet.

Even with all his experience and composure, Angus found himself floored by the revelation. For a moment, he could hardly wrap his mind around it.

In his gut, Matthew suspected there was another, even larger vein hidden beneath this one. The current vein, capable of producing 10,000 tons, might merely be fragments scraped off the larger deposit during tectonic shifts.

"Mr. Lopez," Matthew said, his tone

low and steady, "you understand how serious this is, don't you? The Governor's Keep has tolerated us holding small veins because they aren't worth their trouble. But if word gets out about a vein capable of producing 10,000 tons, the Keep won't just sit back and watch. They might, no, they will act-and ruthlessly. They'll seize this island,

no questions asked."

Matthew smiled and shook his head.

Matthew's warning made Angus' expression turn grim. "Then, why, Matteo," he asked, his voice tinged with urgency, "did you insist on involving the Governor's Keep's soldiers for patrols earlier? Wouldn't that make it even easier to expose this?"

"Well, People tend to overlook things right under their noses. Tomorrow, we'll let a rumor loose in the market. We'll claim this vein only has 100 tons of yield. Since the Governor's Keep openly sold the rights to this land before so many witnesses, they'll feel no need to look deeper. Add their soldiers patrolling here, and they'll be even less suspicious. Sometimes, hiding in plain sight is the safest way."