Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 359 Bashan Mining Area
“In his academic papers, the silver pheasant did document highly complex cases of treating heart defects in young children using surgery,” the renowned physician once told her. “But with all due respect, Ms. Catherine, you are absolutely not one of those cases. I can say with absolute certainty that your heart is perfect, perfectly healthy, and shows no trace whatsoever of surgery!”

Catherine couldn't understand it at all. But the silver pheasant healer had long since passed away, and the mystery remained unsolved.

Fortunately, judging from the current progress of her relationship with Su Ming, it won't be long before she will be able to confront the key figures who orchestrated these events back then!

She will definitely treat these covenantists well!
****
Outside the bathroom, there was a slightly hurried knock on the door, and his anxious question to the maid.

Catherine sighed helplessly and got out of the steaming bathtub.

Soon, she simply put on a set of winter loungewear, her long, wet hair still dripping, and met with Gerndal, who was waiting in the hall.

The deputy, with a grave expression, immediately handed over a sealed intelligence scroll. "Sir, it's about the investigation into the whereabouts of the Shattered Light Sword Saint, Atia." He paused, his tone heavy. "Now, the situation is completely confirmed."

Catherine unfurled the cold scroll, her gaze quickly sweeping over the words, and her heart sank—sure enough, the intelligence clearly showed that Atia had been attacked by unknown assailants and died more than a year ago!
This legendary swordsman was known for his unruly nature, and he lingered wherever he pleased.

However, for over a year, there was no clear news of his activities, nor did he change his residence. Especially when his daughter, Zijin, was wanted and faced a large-scale manhunt, he did not intervene at all.

Combined with the fact that a year or so ago, the divine weapon symbolizing great power suddenly changed hands and fell into the hands of the cultivator Jin Hui, Catherine had a deep intuition that there must be a hidden story behind this matter.

“I… still held onto some hope.” Catherine’s voice was filled with deep regret. “Thinking of Atia, perhaps she was just trapped because of a particularly troublesome injury… In the end, it was still…” Her words were filled with endless sighs, and the image of Violet couldn’t help but appear in her mind. For a moment, she didn’t know how to convey this devastating news to her.

“However,” Catherine’s eyes suddenly sharpened, she raised her head and looked directly at Genndal, her voice icy, “who exactly killed Atia?!”

“We are still investigating with all our might,” Grendel responded immediately. “One lead suggests that Leoni was at the location where Atiyah was last seen around the time of the incident.”

Leoni, 'Nightmare of the Icefield', a Saint-rank Ranger, has left behind countless legends on the frozen wasteland.

“No wonder…” Catherine murmured as she instantly connected the clues, “Leonie was seriously injured more than a year ago and fell from the Saint rank, along with his terrifying and ferocious silver wolf battle pet… Immediately use all available channels to find Leonie’s whereabouts!” She commanded decisively, “I will personally interrogate him!”

Leonie might be a victim of the attack, but more likely, he was a participant! Catherine thought to herself. After all, there are very few people in this world capable of harming Atia.

It would be impossible to stop her if fewer than three Saint-level experts joined forces!
"Then, what about Lord Ainz and Miss Violet?" Gendal cautiously inquired about the next steps.

This matter must be told to Violet; there's no way to avoid it. Catherine hesitated for a moment, then made a decision, "...let's postpone it a little longer."

Currently, Su Ming and Zi Jin are still within the territory of the Feather Clan, handling urgent matters. Informing them of this devastating news after they leave the Feather Clan's territory will minimize the impact.

Besides, they are still looking for Leonie. It would be more appropriate to tell them the whole story once they find him and have more accurate information.

****
North Iceland, Bashan mining area.

After a period of adjustment, the trainees and assistants following Su Ming had become quite proficient in their operations. They methodically directed the Feather Clan personnel to clear a straight, sufficiently long makeshift runway through the thick snow.

Meanwhile, the trainees themselves set up wind speed measuring devices and other monitoring equipment around the track to collect meteorological data.

Violet then commanded several burly frost wolves to steadily drag the "Rainbow-4" drone to the starting point of the runway.

As for why it's "number four"? This is because when exploring a foreign land where no one knows you, some mishaps are inevitable.

As the winged race watched the drone descend from the sky, kicking up a cloud of snow dust that eventually transformed into a breathtakingly brilliant burst of fire, everyone cheered wildly.

"Even the way Lord Ainz Ooal Gown's summoned beast lands is so unique and earth-shattering!" The accompanying Minister of Minerals of the Feather Clan exclaimed sincerely, his tone filled with awe.

The meteorological data was quickly compiled, and the flight control system indicated that the current operating conditions were good and provided the optimal flight configuration recommendation.

"Refuel to 80% of the maximum range, and double the amount of antifreeze and de-icing fluid," Su Ming clearly instructed the ground crew.

Northern Iceland is extremely cold, so preventing frostbite is crucial.

"Roger that!" The fuel pump started working. The fuel supply here is a major problem. The fuel supplied by the dwarves is not only scarce, but also extremely unstable in quality, fluctuating wildly.

Not to mention that the values ​​and characteristics of oil vary greatly between different batches, even the composition of the upper and lower layers of the same barrel of oil in the same batch may be significantly different.

This situation left Earth's engineers speechless. In their world, any supplier who dared to provide this kind of oil would have been shut down long ago, and every single logistics personnel involved would have been punished.

But Su Ming's side is in another world, so they could only grit their teeth and rack their brains to design and manufacture this highly adaptable, lightweight, and compatible internal combustion engine.

As Ji Su jokingly put it, "With this engine now, even if you put engine oil in the fuel tank, it can still burn and fly!"

The engine started successfully, and the propeller at the tail of the drone began to rotate smoothly. After a careful inspection, the ground crew signaled that it was ready for takeoff.

Su Ming did not rush to take off immediately. He patiently waited for the engine temperature to rise and ensured that all systems, sensors, and equipment were fully preheated before starting the formal takeoff operation.

****
About half an hour later, the first batch of detection data began to be transmitted back to the ground control station in real time. The complex terrain of the Bashan mining area, which was covered by a thick layer of ice, finally unveiled its mysterious veil to the world for the first time, revealing its true and rugged face.

Countless deep ravines formed by ancient glacial movements, along with crisscrossing massive fissures beneath the ice, create a treacherous underground world that resembles a labyrinth, causing Su Ming to gasp in shock.

"This...this terrain below...it turns out to be so treacherous." The Minister of Mines leaned closer to the screen, muttering to himself, his voice filled with shock.

"With such terrifying geological conditions, how did your Feather Clan carry out prospecting and mining operations in the past?" Su Ming asked in bewilderment. As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that the Minister of Minerals beside him was silently shedding tears.

"I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing." The Minister of Mines immediately wiped it with the back of his hand.

As the data processing finished, the image resolution on the screen further improved. Su Ming discovered many unnatural obstacle outlines in certain areas of the ice. Upon closer inspection of the image, some of the obstacles clearly revealed human-shaped outlines, and there were quite a few of them!
Behind him, several more suppressed sobs came. Su Ming didn't turn around; he instantly understood what he had discovered—these were the remains of his fellow Feathered Clan members who had tragically perished beneath the ice during years of mining exploration.

"With this precious map...we...we finally have a chance to bring them home." The Minister of Minerals turned to Su Ming, his voice choked with emotion but filled with gratitude, "Lord Ainz, we are deeply grateful!"

"You're welcome," Su Ming said. "May the sky take away their mark."

****
After a busy day, Su Ming finally completed the surveying work on this vast mining area.

With this, the geological mapping of the ice layer in North Iceland has come to a temporary end.

The area currently explored has reached several thousand square kilometers. Such a vast area will keep the Feather Clan's exploration and mining departments busy for quite some time.

Su Ming didn't intend to spend any more time here. Moreover, from the perspective of long-term cooperation and transactions, fulfilling the agreement in installments and phases was also a very important process.

Su Ming summoned a tablet computer with greatly simplified functions and intuitive operation, imported the exploration results, including 3D map data, into it, and taught the technicians of the Feather Clan's mineral department how to use it.

"This device is powered by electricity." Su Ming handed them the matching solar charging panel as well. "It needs to be placed in sunlight to charge and work properly."

The Minister of Mines respectfully accepted these amazing tools with both hands, handling them with utmost care, as if they were rare treasures.

Mission accomplished, Rainbow-4 automatically returned to base, and Su Ming piloted it to land.

This time, Su Ming's operation was perfect. From entering the slide to touching the ground and then slowing down to a stop, the whole process was smooth and exceptionally stable.

"Hmm... the landings today weren't exciting at all," a winged creature among the onlookers muttered, scratching his head with slight disappointment.

"It must be that Lord Ainz's summoned beasts are tired from working for so long," another winged creature analyzed seriously. "They can't be as imposing and noisy as they were yesterday."

"..."

(End of this chapter)