Chapter 37 - A Clue to Solving the Quest

Broken had set out on his journey to the cave where the miners extracted ore. He was confident it was safe to go at night, as the miners seemed to always be in the cave regardless of the time of day. The route to the cave, situated at a considerable altitude, was relatively safe, even though it took a steep incline. Furthermore, a magical guardrail had been put in place to prevent low-level monsters from escaping the forest and entering the populated area.

After several minutes of riding Polly, they finally stopped in front of a cave, where, as usual, the chattering and sounds of people mining ore could be heard emanating from inside. The atmosphere around the cave was extremely dark that night, only illuminated by the faint light from the moon. However, from inside the cave, the light from the burning torches was clearly visible.

"Alright, let's go, Polly," said Broken.

"Hey, who is there?!" one of the miners said in surprise when they noticed someone entering the cave. One of them, carrying a torch, went to investigate the figure. 

"Hey, look who it is! It's Broken!" shouted one of the miners, a man in his 40s.

"Broken, ah…he's finally back," said another.

"Broken…here, we spend the night mining for high-quality ore again. Ha ha ha," someone else gleefully added.

Excitedly, several of the miners, their faces sweaty and exhausted from the day's work, stood up and walked toward Broken.

"Hey, I'm really happy to be back in this cave," he beamed, a hint of excitement in his voice. "I'll be mining again, but maybe not today. There's something I want to ask you guys."

One of the miners, his face aglow in the flickering light of the torch, patted Broken's shoulder and invited him to sit on the rocks in the cave. "Come on, come on. Sit down and tell us what you need," he said, his enthusiasm palpable.

"I got a quest from a blacksmith," Broken began. "I'm sure you know Mr. Fokil. He asked me to look for Moonstone. Do any of you have any clues as to how I can find it?"

"Moonstone?" one of the miners asked.

"I've heard of that," another replied.

"Yes, but I think this is a crazy quest. That Dwarf is really troublesome," said a third miner.

"Ah, it seems the Dwarf doesn't really want you to be able to complete the quest," added another.

Broken's heart leaped when he heard the miners mention Moonstone. He felt a surge of hope and knew he was on the right track.

"Tell me how I can get these things. I really need it," he said.

"Moonstone is a rare material. Not many have found it or even mined it," one of the miners replied.

Broken inquired further, "Does anyone know where I can get the Moonstones? Where exactly?"

The miner shook his head and sighed. "I think you're just being manipulated by that drunken Dwarf. You'd be better off leaving this quest. It won't get you anything. It's just a complete waste of time."

Broken took a deep breath, considering his options. He had yet to put much effort into the quest, and abandoning it was still an option. However, dwarves were renowned for their blacksmithing skills, and receiving a skill passed down from a dwarf blacksmith was something sought after in Immortal Legacy.

"Mining Moonstone is a difficult task, but that doesn't mean it's impossible." Suddenly, a voice called out from a distance.

Everyone turned to see an elderly man approaching them. The miner in his sixties was visibly irritated as he made his way over to Broken.

"I can tell you have a lot of passion for mining," the old man said, "and I believe you would be an excellent candidate for this task."

[Your affinity with Dredge has increased by 20 - a miner who has devoted his life to the art of mining and who has extensive knowledge of the mysteries that lie within the craft.]

"I think I've found a glimmer of hope," Broken muttered under his breath, surprised when he saw his affinity with the man suddenly increase.

"I have a friend who once dedicated his life to mining," Dredge continued. "Unfortunately, he is no longer with us, but I can help you meet his wife. I'm sure she can provide you with some information about Moonstone."

Broken stood and smiled, relieved that he was finally getting the help he needed.

"Meet me tomorrow afternoon at the downtown plaza," Dredge said. "I'll introduce you to that person." With that, he walked back to his mining.

Broken felt content with the information he had obtained and exited the cave. As a low-level player, it was difficult for him to hunt monsters at night, so he headed back to his camp where his temporary "party member" awaited. He logged out of the game and passed the time until dawn arrived in Yunatea.

***

The man, a miner in his 40s with a pickaxe slung over his shoulder, boldly stood before two players - a mage and a warrior - and made a demand. "Give me 1 gold coin and I'll give you the information you seek!"

Elincia, visibly irritated, let out a sigh and handed over the gold. "You're nothing but a money extortionist," she muttered.

Booba, his anger barely contained, demanded, "Tell us how we can get the Moonstone, you jerk! I've wasted so much money asking around for information and all I got was more dead ends." He unsheathed his sword and took a step closer to the miner.

The miner, now trembling with fear, tried to calm the situation. "Hey, hold on. You got the information you wanted, right? And mine is the best among the rest. Plus, you shouldn't harm the locals. It's a crime that's frowned upon by the kingdom. I'm sure you players wouldn't want to get in trouble, would you?"

Elincia, with a hint of authority in her voice, reminded the miner, "I happen to know Princess Alora personally. And she wouldn't appreciate locals like you extorting money in her beloved kingdom."

Booba, still seething with anger, demanded, "Just tell me how to get the damn Moonstone!"

The miner, now visibly nervous, stammered, "Well, there's someone in the Deadbay - his name is Dredge. He knows about the Moonstone."

"Grrrhhh!!" Booba, frustrated and on the verge of losing his temper, growled, "You want me to go talk to someone else again? I'll kill you!"

"You won't get away with it! You'll receive severe punishment!" The miner, in a panic, turned and ran away, fearing for his safety. 

"Let him go, Booba," Elincia said, trying to diffuse the tension

Booba turned to Elincia, his voice filled with desperation. "Little sis, can't you just call me 'Oppa' like you did outside the game? I'm your older brother, after all."

Elincia's reply dripped with disdain. "You may be my older brother outside the game, but here, you're just a noob. You need to improve your ranking before you can claim that title."

She walked away, her tone curt. "I've helped you enough. I have other important tasks to attend to, such as finding Princess Alora's boyfriend. I can't afford to miss out on the main person in charge of this Game of Thrones quest. Goodbye."