Chapter 161: Redstone Mining

The surface of the once underground magma lake now retained only the glowing magma zones used for illumination; the rest was covered by obsidian. The sheer hardness of the obsidian transformed this space into a natural operational platform.

After the mod consciousness, Fang Yanling, was conquered and persuaded by Mo Fangyuan, this vast red lake was officially declared open to the mining industry for extensive extraction.

Countless miners poured into it, carving out a tomorrow for the development of the Block Kingdom with their diligence and sweat.

Along with the influx of a large number of miners, Mo Fangyuan also ordered the Department of National Security to dispatch troops to station themselves in the underground magma lake, preventing monsters from emerging from the unexplored caves along the perimeter rock walls and harming the miners.

The recently returned field army troops went into the Black Forest to execute the second phase of Operation Broken Lock, clearing out the gathered monsters within designated areas.

"Little Tiezi, love cannot be forced. It requires mutual willingness and the smoothing of time... Only a marriage like this can endure, and only love like this is eternal... In this matter, I cannot help you, otherwise, it would become an arranged marriage, and where would freedom be? It wouldn't be fair to your sister, so you must rely on your own efforts..."

Mo Fangyuan imparted some knowledge about free love to Tie Nizi, emphasizing that so-called arranged marriages were unfeasible and that true love could only be won through one's own efforts.

"Sigh, this kid is a lost cause. He actually fell in love with his sister, even though she's adopted... If this were back in my past life, his legs would still be broken for this..."

Afterward, Mo Fangyuan came to the underground magma lake to inspect the progress of the Redstone Extraction Project and check for any loopholes that needed correction.

"This is, after all, the home where I lived for so long. It carries my scent..."

Fang Yanling suddenly popped up beside Mo Fangyuan, saying with a reluctant expression.

Fang Yanling's core essence had integrated into the Blockonian system, becoming an inseparable part of it. While she could not move about completely unhindered throughout the entire Blockonian forces, within the Block Kingdom—the very Blockonian faction that had taken her first blood—she could teleport directly to any citizen of the Block Kingdom who held faith in Mo Fangyuan.

"I have a few fun recreational activities here that are definitely more comfortable than going up and down..."

"Deal!"

After sending Fang Yanling away, the redstone extraction in the magma lake resumed.

The first phase was to mine out all the redstone exposed on the rock walls, and the second phase would be excavating tunnels based on the caves along the edge of the magma lake to search for minerals.

Many raw redstone ores spawned on higher rock walls, requiring the construction of rising scaffolding to be mined. During the scaffold-building process, attention also had to be paid to safety facilities to prevent casualties.

Since this was a magma lake area, wood could not be used, and the only permitted building materials were stone... Overall, it was quite... relaxing!

"Your Majesty, this magma lake area is simply too vast. Our number of miners is far from sufficient, so we can only concentrate our forces for now, focusing our main efforts on the rock walls with abundant resources, and leaving the rock walls with fewer redstone ores for later..."

Wearing an iron safety helmet, the head of the "Redstone Responsible Group" under the Ministry of Industry and Administration, who managed the redstone mining operations at the magma lake, spoke thus.

"Understood. Can the miners adapt to this environment?"

"According to our survey this morning, although this area is a bit muggy, our miners possess a noble spirit, fearing neither hardship nor fatigue. They are fully capable of adapting to these conditions."

"With the provision of water buckets and an extra half-hour rest in the middle of both morning and afternoon, daily work quotas can be completed without any negative effects on the workers' physical health."

To convince Mo Fangyuan, the head of the Redstone Responsible Group presented detailed data reports for Mo Fangyuan's inspection.

Ever since rough draft paper and mathematics were introduced into national political work on a large scale, drafting rigorous and meticulous data reports had become an essential skill for departmental staff.

Inadvertently, Mo Fangyuan had fostered a culture of rigor in the workplace.

"Very well. You may go back to your duties; I'll look around."

After scanning the data report handed to him, Mo Fangyuan expressed his approval.

"Yes, Your Majesty! All members of the working group will do their utmost to ensure these projects are completed excellently and thoroughly!"

Seeing that His Majesty approved of his plan, the young man looked as though he had been pumped with adrenaline.

Striking his left chest, the young group leader said passionately.

This was the passion and vitality of youth; they represented new energy and creativity... Only a nation with youth could have hope and a future.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

"Thud, thud, thud, thud..."

The sound of pickaxes striking the rock walls echoed endlessly.

Arriving at the nearest redstone mining site, where there were about thirty exposed redstone ores, several miners were vigorously swinging their iron pickaxes to strike the ore.

"Keep it up, brothers! The very first redstone drop will come from our hands! This is supreme glory!"

The miners, swinging their iron pickaxes, were unaware that their king had walked up right behind them to observe their actions.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound resonated throughout the entire magma lake.

The first redstone drop appeared, and the exact location was none other than the miner squad directly in front of Mo Fangyuan.

"You've worked hard!"

Before this miner squad could pick up the drop on the ground, a gentle and calm voice rang out from behind them.

This voice was known to everyone in the Block Kingdom; none were unfamiliar with it.

It was His Majesty the King!

Having already grown accustomed to being in the spotlight, he stepped forward amidst the astonished gazes of the miners and picked up the redstone dust scattered on the ground.

"One, two, three, four... nine!"

Clearly, it had been heavily modified. In the original version, a block of raw redstone ore, when mined with an unenchanted pickaxe, typically dropped around four or five pieces; here, however, it dropped nine.

"Not bad! Not bad! Truly not bad!"

When it came to redstone, the more, the better; you can never have too many supplies.

The square particles of redstone dust were held in Mo Fangyuan's palm, where he continuously kneaded them.

This was redstone dust mined independently by the Block Kingdom in the truest sense, carrying significant meaning.

"You've worked hard! Compatriots!"

Repeating his previous words, Mo Fangyuan once again smiled as he thanked them for their contributions.

"Then please continue to give it your all, compatriots! The future of the Block Kingdom rests on you! Whether the children have a bright prospect also depends on you!"

After taking a tour around the perimeter of the magma lake, Mo Fangyuan felt that the current situation was acceptable and returned to continue handling his voluminous and complex official duties.

[The Currency Project]
[The Laws and Regulations Project]
[The Moral Framework Construction Project]
[Operation Broken Lock Project]
[The Redstone Extraction Project]
[The Practical Application of Redstone Science and Technology Project]
[The Freeman Militarization and Force Expansion Project]
[The Lost Kingdom Plot Participation Project]
[...]

Countless arduous projects awaited Mo Fangyuan and the various departments of the Block Kingdom to conquer one by one.

The sheer volume of tasks, the massive scale of the engineering, and the complexity of the information...

Without a solid foundation, precise rigor, and well-defined divisions of labor among national departments, one could only grind through it all slowly with time.