Chapter 1801 - 926: The Harsh Winter of Frozen North

Aligned with the position of the exploration point marker, under material interference and Giant Que's support, it penetrated into the mountain like a long needle, inch by inch.

One section after another, inch by inch!

Only the deafening roar continued endlessly, until in the end, it turned into what seemed like the roar of the entire ice plain. From beneath the ground, a screech like some monstrous creature echoed fiercely, growling!

Earthquake!

A causeless earthquake spread across this frozen plain once again.

In the command center of the relay station, the massive screen finally completed its intricate circuit-like framework, displaying the confirmation notification of the completed connection.

"The seventeenth Earth Vein Needle has been fixed."

Ji Jue snapped his fingers: "Let's stir up some commotion and examine the composition."

In an instant, a shrill buzzing sound erupted, echoing briefly in the storm, and everyone felt the ground underfoot tremble slightly once more.

Next, on the originally pitch-black screen, dense points of light appeared one after another, piling up together to form three overlapping, winding rivers that dazzled.

"This is..."

The captain was stunned, having not yet reacted.

"Through imitation of sonic detection used in modern geological exploration, forcibly injecting spiritual substances with seventeen Earth Vein Needles, causing explosive transformation, and finally deriving precise outcomes and trajectories."

Ji Jue explained: "Now, what you see is the mineral vein itself... Oh, this composition is terrifying, even the iron elements on the surface are excessively concentrated. You could practically dig out a piece of soil, dry it, and use it for smelting."

Ji Jue sighed, contemplating the various metal compositions, "Worthy of being the end of the worldly realm, the tip of the Dragon Vein, the earth vein crystal that has remained dormant for thousands of years, it is practically inexhaustible. In terms of metal resource abundance, it is by no means inferior to Kunwu and Central Earth."

The captain, hearing this, could only respond with a bitter smile and silence.

Left speechless.

The abundance of resources in the Northern Realm, who could be unaware?

Seeing it with one's eyes and holding it in one's hands, is it truly the same?

This land that kills even with breath; if it were to thaw, wouldn't it become miles of fertile soil? And throughout history, haven't people starved to death on this frozen land?

Even currently in the 'summer,' the perennial Frozen Zone maintains temperatures below seventy degrees, with frozen rocks and ice layers accumulated over hundreds of years everywhere.

Now, the areas barely navigable, once the brief summer passes, will immediately face the terrifying cold of ninety degrees below, or even more.

Any excavation tools and advanced equipment will become a joke here. Even the hardest metals will become brittle rapidly in extreme cold; hitting the ground with all their might would only chip out a pitiful white speck.

Forget pickaxes; even explosives could hardly yield anything on soil frozen over hundreds of years. Even the extremely active spiritual substances, post-transformation, struggle to change here.

Once separated from the Chosen One, and time passes, they will completely go dormant with no response.

The cold of the Northern Realm is not merely physical; it seems almost like a Curse, clinging to every Northern Realm inhabitant... Once aging and succumbing to death, their marrow carries ice shards.

That pervasive malevolence does not require much action; merely being in the Northern Realm allows one to feel the omnipresent cold and pain.

"Mr. Ji, there's no need for me to elaborate on the richness of the underground mineral deposits, but I must remind you, over the years, who knows how many have contemplated similar ideas..."

The captain sighed, filling his pipe with tobacco: "But things you cannot hold in your hands are illusions; best not to be deceived by those illusions."

No matter how advanced industrial equipment might be or how extensive the investment, sinking them into this white desert is a futile endeavor.

Including those autonomous devices you demonstrated, and those incredible robots... No matter how grand the initial vision, once large-scale excavation begins, the torment and trouble will begin ceaselessly until you become disheartened and give up completely."

He observed the technology from the Coast.

Including those devices seemingly alive and the incredibly magical mechanical cats, he understood it well.

But it is not enough; merely piling manpower is insufficient. If technology alone could solve it, the Federation and Empire's conglomerates would have long seized it by any means possible.

But they can't.

Not due to the remote location and difficult provisions.

Simply because of the cold.

The cold that leaves many losing fingers and arms, becoming disabled or even corpses when venturing into the snow; the cold that any exposed equipment begins to malfunction, lose control, break, and become unresponsive.

Unless deploying a team of Chosen Ones at the Transformation Rank or higher, wielding iron picks like miners, tirelessly excavating downwards... Then, in one quarter, they would produce the yield of a week from a medium-sized mine in other regions, earning mere pennies incapable of covering the costs.

With such forced competence, even taking orders from Desert Market or engaging in private contracts could secure a lavish lifestyle for the entire family.

Every individual who joins the exploration team once harbors unrealistic dreams, but ultimately, each dream will be awakened. Despite the richness and abundance of the mineral deposits before them, ultimately, it's inconsequential.