Who told him to make the cards!

They were covered in mud, their faces were mottled, and their hair was tangled, as if they hadn't washed in a long time.

The mining area shouldn't be like this.

Even if it's poor, it should at least have a decent village.

The people in the village shouldn't be in such a sorry state.

There was also a man in the distance getting a replacement card.

Only his appearance was the best among the miners.

Everyone else had their heads down and backs bent, but he sat upright.

He was pressing down on the card with one hand and holding a needle with the other, filling the damaged structure with inferior card ink.

The man seemed completely oblivious to their arrival, or perhaps he thought it was just a mining truck and not worth his attention.

The old servant was slightly surprised to see Chen Zhi's movements seem quite skillful from afar.

"Are there people in the mining area who understand cards?"

"That's really rare."

"Just some amateurish methods."

Shen Qinglian's voice was light and airy.

This is a purely objective evaluation, devoid of emotion.

The man used cheap and inferior tools, and his technique was crude, lacking both method and aesthetic appeal.

His face is more interesting than his looks.

And the ore in the box.

That's... azurite?

Ding Mao noticed that Chen Zhi hadn't bowed, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes.

What a clueless idiot!

He cursed inwardly.

He couldn't make a scene in front of the important guest, so he could only write down the bill and settle it with Chen Zhi later.

"Miss Shen, it's too dusty outside. Shall we go inside and talk?"

"Row."

This time, Shen Qinglian didn't embarrass him. She withdrew her gaze and walked towards the steward's building.

……

Once Shen Qinglian, Ding Mao, and the others entered the house, the miners breathed a sigh of relief and began to chat.

"The noble lady who came this time is quite beautiful."

"Judging from the badge, it seems to be from Qinggong Academy?"

"What are the people from the academy doing in our mining area? Investigating an accident?"

"Have they been able to find out the truth?"

An old miner sneered, "They haven't even found all the bodies of the people who died six months ago, and now they're back again."

"They always say they're investigating, but every year people die..."

Shh, keep your voice down.

"If you want to die, fine, but don't drag us down with you."

"No need to keep your voice down."

The old miner put on his work hat and walked out.

He hadn't planned to talk much anyway.

They certainly wouldn't try to curry favor with anyone.

Whether the important person comes or not has nothing to do with them. They neither arrest Ding Mao nor raise wages, and they have too much trouble.

"Disperse, disperse, go down the well."

……

Inside the main building.

The scenery here is completely different from that outside.

There was no smell of dust at all.

The floor tiles were so clean that you could see your shadow when you walked on them.

"Please, everyone, have a seat."

Ding Mao warmly invited Shen Qinglian and the other two to sit down.

Young Liu Bai opened the book, and three audio cards flew out, forming a complete recording card set with the video card on his shoulder.

"Manager Ding."

He said, "You should know the rules of the Blue Palace Academy: the entire investigation must be recorded on video. So our next conversation, and everything we saw in the Black Stone Mine afterwards, will be fully recorded and uploaded to the information protocol center."

Is there a problem?

No, no.

Ding Mao hurriedly said, "I'll go make you some tea."

“No need.” Shen Qinglian got straight to the point. “Steward Ding, we’re here to inspect Well No. 13.”

"Did you write the accident report that the Blackstone mining area submitted to higher authorities half a month ago?"

"Yes."

"How did you write it? Tell me."

Ding Mao sighed, his expression heavy with grief: "This accident was too tragic; it was like a nightmare."

"On the night of the incident, a local earthquake occurred in area 13. As soon as I received the news, I immediately led the rescue team there to carry out a full-scale search and rescue operation."

"Unexpectedly, less than two hours after we went down there, the mine collapsed a second time."

"To avoid further casualties, I only ordered everyone to evacuate first and temporarily seal the well to prevent the legal implications from spilling over onto the ground."

Ding Mao said with shame, "Our initial assessment is that the accident occurred on the sixth floor, but the road was blocked, and with the secondary collapse, the rescue team simply couldn't get down."

"We only went as far as the fourth level, and we didn't see a single person along the way..."

"That's why I wrote in the report that no one survived."

"Are you so sure they're all dead?" Shen Qinglian asked.

Ding Mao sighed, "I don't want them to die either."

“Miss Shen, you live in the city and don’t understand what happens down in the well. In this situation, it would be good if you could at least leave with a whole body.”

Shen Qinglian remained noncommittal, then asked him, "You wrote in your accident report that the cause of the mine disaster was the activation of legal principles, but you did not attach any samples of such activation."

"Leaving aside the fact that the person couldn't be saved, didn't they even have time to pick up a few pieces of ore?"

Ding Mao's expression froze for a moment, then he immediately bowed his head and apologized: "I'm sorry, it was my oversight."

“I can make up for it.”

"Don't rush, Steward Ding, we have other things to ask you."

Young Liu Bai asked, "You just said that the well was sealed shortly after the accident. Has anyone gone down into it since then?"

"Of course not," Ding Mao said confidently. "The entrance is sealed off by a magic array that cannot be moved by human power. I have also specially assigned guards to take turns on duty, and no one is allowed to enter."

Liu Bai and Shen Qinglian exchanged a glance.

He adjusted his glasses and asked, "So, since the accident, have any new mineral veins appeared on or below the sixth floor of Building 13?"

Ding Mao looked troubled: "This..."

"Everyone inside the well is dead, and people outside can't get in. I don't know what's going on inside."

"Then let's go down and take a look."

Shen Qinglian spoke.

"No, no, no!"

These words startled Ding Mao, who became somewhat incoherent. He quickly waved his hand and said, "The accident only happened half a month ago. Well No. 13 is extremely unstable right now and could collapse again at any time. What if the legal principles come back into force..."

"You are a student of Qinggong Academy, with a bright future ahead of you. If something were to happen to you, I wouldn't be able to explain it to my superiors!"

"Don't worry, Steward Ding."

Shen Qinglian said calmly, "Qinggong Academy isn't that unreasonable. If it's something that has nothing to do with you, you can't be blamed."

"All you need to do is find us a guide."

"..."

Ding Mao hesitated for a long time, but finally had no choice but to nod in agreement.