Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence - Chapter 396 - 262: Mining

Chapter 396: Chapter 262: Mining

But now, that piece of dark blue Qi stone stood before everyone’s eyes.

It emitted a gentle yet dazzling light, like a silent slap that shattered all past doubts and contempt.

The technicians who used to shake their heads inwardly now blushed and dared not speak, silently standing where they were, clutching their notebooks tightly, unsure if it was guilt or shock.

“…It really is true.”

“In this abandoned mine that’s been frozen for over a decade… we actually managed to dig up Qi stone.”

They were thoroughly convinced, not because of orders, but because of that stone, which beat like a heart—alive, fervent, undeniable.

At this moment, all doubts vanished.

They finally understood that the young Lord, who seemed so detached and calm within the blueprints and systems, had long seen a future they could not.

And Louis stood on a distant rock hill, his gaze serene and determined.

He did not get excited amidst the crowd’s cheers, nor did he show any hint of surprise.

This was already within his expectations, after all, he held the Daily Intelligence System and knew that the resources of this vein were not limited to this.

He had already made many preparations for this.

Thus, what he held was not just the mining pickaxe, but an entire streamlined, standardized, and replicable industrial system.

Louis quietly watched as the Qi stone was held high by the technicians, while the miners danced with excitement, some even kneeling in the snow to kiss the ground.

The pulse of the Star Forge Territory finally roared, passionate and enduring.

With the first round of trial mining successfully completed, the mining tunnel model and blasting process led by Louis were officially confirmed as feasible.

Not only was the vein confirmed, but the rock layer stability, blasting model, transportation system, geothermal impact, and all parameters reached estimated targets.

Kael was so excited that he patted the mining map like a child, shouting, “We can work it for thirty years without changing the pit! This location is simply tailor-made for you, sire!”

Valentine went further and said, “If this gets out, even those old dogs in the Imperial Capital would come to us for advice on mining explosions.”

But Louis did not become rash because of this, swiftly expanding the entire system to multiple sub-wells in the Seventh Mine Ring.

After the trial mining succeeded, the mines in the Star Forge Territory were no longer a pile of temporary burrows crowded with people, but officially entered an organized, disciplined, and future-oriented industrial mining stage.

The first step was the mining operation system set by Louis.

He did not copy the slave system common around the world, instead establishing a more reliable “three-shift eight-hour rotation system.”

Twelve hours of the day divided into three segments, each shift working eight hours, with two hours for handover and recording, ensuring that mining operations continue anytime, reducing manpower overload, and minimizing accident risks.

From six in the morning to two in the afternoon is the “morning shift,” two in the afternoon to ten at night is the “mid shift,” and ten at night to six the next morning is the “night shift.”

Each team is fixed and cannot be transferred temporarily.

Miners must sign in daily, and those not meeting the required hours have relevant wages and food deducted directly.

Each shift is led by a group of operation technicians, including one duty technician, one safety supervisor, and two support inspectors.

“Won’t this shift system slow down progress?” asked Kael, slightly furrowing his brow upon learning of the regulation.

Valentine didn’t answer immediately but looked at the team of miners lining up.

“So what if it’s slower?” He asked calmly, which was rare, “Do you know how other places mine? Other territories with mines operate day and night, without rest, flogging till bones are exposed, and still they have to go back down.”

He paused, raised his hand pointing at the young miners loading tools: “They’re young and strong, can endure at most for five years. After five years, either perish in mining heat, get buried in cave-ins, or become blind, crippled, and tossed into Snow Forest as bait.”

Kael was stunned, silent.

Valentine sneered, yet his tone carried respect:

“But look here, there’s hot water, handshakes, and records. Three shifts, eight hours each, not because we’re numerous, but because…” He looked towards the distant mine entrance opened by explosions.

“It’s because Louis said, ’Miners aren’t consumables; they are people.’

He suddenly laughed, “Don’t think more rules are for show. We’re not here to grab mines; we’re here to do business for ten, twenty years. If you’re thinking about digging intensely one day to return to the town to drink… sorry, you’re mistaken.”

He patted Kael’s shoulder: “We’re building a mining district, not digging a graveyard.”

Yet at the beginning, few miners believed this place would be good.

Most of them were refugees who fled here in winter to the Red Tide Territory, told they were sent to the Star Forge Territory for mining, their first reaction being: “We’re doomed, it’s slave work, dying without anyone caring.”

Their previous days were hellish.

They never had enough to eat, wore tattered clothes, winter wind chilled their bones.

Their living conditions were even worse, ramshackle huts built from broken planks, roofs leaking, winds whistling through wall cracks, shivering at night from cold.

Few were willing to mine as many went to mines before, knowing it was true slave work.

Almost no safety measures, exhausting to the bone, and no one collected remains, cries swallowed by the snowstorm.

“There, our lives were like grass, trampled casually,” one miner said through clenched teeth.

However, upon arriving at Star Forge, they slowly witnessed the difference.

There was regular downhole safety supervision, calculations for controlled explosions, not random blasting.

The food was vastly better than before, even able to savor hearty meat stew.

The ground-level dormitory was also warm, beds neat and clean, even sleeping soundly during freezing winters.

Valentine and technicians often mentioned the lord personally ordered to ensure miner safety and dignity.

“This Louis isn’t like other nobility, who only know to extract and oppress,” said an old miner pounding his chest, “he genuinely treats us as people.”

“Never expected,” remarked the young man in surprise, “I thought it’d be a cage, yet it’s a thousand times better than our previous shack.”

Finally, one day, a miner stood at a ventilation shaft, gazing at the distant snowfield blowing cold winds, and murmured, “Shouldn’t have doubted Louis. This place at least gives us hope for rebirth.”

They already realized this wasn’t a slave camp, but a paradise in their hardship.