Chapter 8

The rugged and uneven roads were no match for my semi-truck using four-wheeled drive as thankfully, we were mostly going downhill as we headed to the location I had picked out for the mines.

And while we rode in the truck, Keqing and I had nothing better than to do, than to talk really. While I remained sparse on the details of my life outside of 'Mondstadt' Keqing had no issue telling me more about Liyue and herself.

"As the Yuheng, I can always get the best deals for shopping, not only due to shops and the stores of Liyue pushing to give me a discount, but with my position, I am well aware of when they are doing sales!" She said proudly.

"And that's not an abuse of your power? Lady Yuheng?" I said teasingly while putting weight on her job title making her snort and I could feel the amused eye roll being aimed at me.

After a bit more bantering as I learned what her favorite kind of tea was. I asked a more pressing question. "So, what can we expect in terms of monsters in the mountains?" 

Keqing fully looked over to me with a frown as she said slowly. "Jake. What most city dwellers don't learn within the relative safety of the city, is that only the Cultivators and major Martial Artist Sects and Clans can establish territory... And that's only due to those organizations killing literally a hundred thousand plus monsters in that area in order to concentrate that area as that of humanity's territory." Keqing sighed taking a breath before continuing with her voice tired.

"And even then. Like in the very city of Liyue, lesser base monsters will constantly attack those territories without fear as they are simply too stupid to realize the area ahead, is equal to a death sentence... And in the end? With the numbers they constantly are assailing the cities it's only the god's so-called grace that keeps the worst of the hordes from our homes." She finished sullenly and I was silent.

Like what could I say in this situation? Sorry, this world is a far worse than the normal version of Genshin for people without a vision or whatever.

But regardless I took a breath as I realized this endless tide of monsters was likely why my Satisfactory tech ran off of some game logic. If there were truly endless tides of monsters, then I would need almost endless tides of supplies to match them.

So we rode in relative silence for another hour until we finally reached the location of the mines a good couple dozen miles away from the city of Liyue. The clearly abandoned mining area was a small village of thick stone buildings that had been cut apart by some great force, and I could easily see thick gouges across the ground leading up to the large cave that was leading up into the mines.

"What made these gouges?" I mused aloud as the guards started feeding and watering their tired horses while a couple of them went to inspect the area to make sure there weren't any monsters in the immediate area.

Keqing who had jumped atop one of the mostly collapsed buildings heard my question and spoke up. "A Xiantian Rank, Storm Eagle... It didn't like the sounds of the mining as it lived in these mountains. It used to be cordial with humans and actually helped keep some of the lesser hordes away from the city, but it slaughtered several villages and mining facilities when it evolved into a Xiantian lifeform which made it arrogant." Keqing's voice was cold but there was a dark smile on her face as she continued.

"The Storm Eagle was killed three days later by a party of ten higher ranked Martial Artists from Liyue... The bird was delicious and its energy-rich flesh helped me reach the Innate stage of Martial Arts." She finished and then fully looked down to me as I continued to take apart the trailer so the machines within could be hefted and placed down onto the ground.

After quickly setting up the Satisfactory driller unit, I peered into its stats for the minerals it could extract from the ground and in the general area. [Iron, Copper, Tin, Sulphur.] [Efficency will max with five Lvl 1 drill units in the area of five miles of this drill unit.] 

I took a breath nodding as my mind sorted out the information and purity of the materials I could get and then I moved several solar panels out and set them up to aim at the sun and then aim at the moon for far less power. But it would still gain power.

With power setup, I then used the forklift I put on the truck bed to move the next two important machines. A Satisfactory, Forge which would smelt and purify the ore the Driller brought up. And a Constructor that would forge the single materials into whatever shape and design I needed.

The constructor would greatly speed up all my automation as no longer would I have to agonize over setting up the audio array to vibrate materials at insane speeds and strength to get shit made en-mass.

So with the first three major machines of Satisfactory are complete and hooked up with some conveyor belts to send completed materials to the next machine when done. I then started hooking up power to said machines.

With a mighty roar of mechanical might, the Driller came to life as its large drill pressed into the ground and disappeared into the stone rubble that fell into the hole it created.

"That thing is so loud!" Keqing shouted with a frown and with my sheepish nod she continued with that same frown tightening. "That noise is going to awaken the monsters sleeping in the damned mountains Jake!" 

I bit my lips at having to stop the machine, but Keqing's complaints died as iron ore started pouring out of the Driller unit and then as she stood there spellbound at the scene of dozens of pounds of ore coming out of the driller unit every second she finally gaped at seeing a stack of ingots pass out of the Smelter.

"Keqing! Can we just run it for five minutes!" I questioned loudly and she looked at her guard captain who shrugged.

"I just need some materials and I can put up some walls to soften the noise!" I shouted and she finally grimaced but nodded. But just in case, while the three machines went to work making thick iron plates, I got back into my truck bed and with a grunt of effort popped open the wooden cases I put the Gatling guns and their boxes of ammo within.

"Keqing, help me set these up for the guards!" I said and Keqing's face twitched seeing the much larger and longer machine guns that contrasted with the oversized shotguns I sold to her.

Now we just apparently had to pay horde defense until I could get the materials to silence my driller unit.