Alex still did not entirely understand why his family had become so interested in the mana stones, but he had been sent here under the highest orders and intended to carry them out. Whatever his personal opinions about the mining operation, the task had been entrusted to him, and he would not tolerate someone deliberately obstructing the work. From his perspective, delaying the operation without a legitimate reason was an insult to his house and the authority it represented. The former overseer's behaviour had therefore crossed a line that Alex considered unforgivable, especially when his decisions had caused workers to abandon their posts and brought the entire operation to a standstill. In his opinion, anyone who knowingly created such a mess deserved the harshest possible punishment, potentially even death.
"That is great," Arin replied, apparently satisfied that the situation was at least beginning to make sense. "I take it you have things under control again?" He looked from Alex to Luckes, waiting for confirmation that the strike and the problems with the mine's administration were being dealt with. Both men nodded, as though the answer should have been obvious, and Arin relaxed slightly at the sight. At least the two of them appeared capable of handling the immediate crisis, which meant he could concentrate on discovering why his own family had insisted that he come here. The mine still had serious problems, but he had not yet seen anything that explained the urgency of his assignment.
"Good. I am Arin, by the way, and these are my cousins, Tom, Bill, and Bertho," he continued, making the introductions now that the immediate tension had eased. "We also have someone exploring the forest, since she did not want to walk into this filthy town." His tone conveyed his own displeasure with the settlement, which had hardly improved his opinion of the place during their short visit. The poor conditions, unpleasant smell, and general disorder had made it clear that the town was in desperate need of attention. Nevertheless, Arin was more concerned with the surrounding forest and the mine than with the appearance of the buildings.
"I cannot say that I blame her," Luckes answered, letting out a weary breath as he considered how long he had already been stuck there. "I cannot wait until the next ship arrives so I can take that pig to Brussels to be prosecuted." His eyes drifted toward the cage again, and the contempt in his expression became even more pronounced. "The longer I remain in this pigsty, the stronger my urge becomes to kill him myself." He spoke with obvious disdain, although he clearly understood that the man needed to be transported to Brussels and dealt with through the proper authorities rather than disposed of in a fit of anger.
"And I am Luckes, while this is Alex," he added, completing the introductions. "I should be able to leave here soon, but an expedition from the Ravelino family is already underway to help improve the mine's efficiency, which is sorely needed." He turned toward the documents showing the mine's layout, indicating that the difficulties went well beyond the former overseer's misconduct. Even if the administration could be repaired and the workers persuaded to return, the physical limitations of the mining site would remain. The Ravelino family's involvement was therefore intended to address a problem that could not be solved merely by replacing incompetent officials.
Luckes explained that the mana stones currently had to be transported through more than a hundred kilometres of forested hills and valleys, rather than being processed close to the mine and transported afterward. The main reason was the lack of suitable space near the entrance, where the available open ground extended for only about five hundred metres before giving way to a sheer cliff or an extremely steep hillside. The Sonnenbergs had already widened the platform considerably, but every additional metre had required considerable effort, and there was a limit to what could reasonably be accomplished there. Building larger facilities at the site would therefore demand more than simply ordering workers to move some earth and clear additional ground. The terrain itself imposed restrictions that even a well-organised operation would struggle to overcome.
The mine entrance had been established where the workers discovered an exposed vein of mana stones, making it a natural starting point for the extraction operation. However, the presence of the vein did not automatically mean that the surrounding land was suitable for every part of the mining process. As for whether there might be a better location for further excavation, the Sonnenbergs had not investigated the question in depth because it fell outside their particular area of expertise. Their responsibility had been to understand the forest, establish a safe route, and ensure that the operation could function without needlessly disturbing the surrounding environment. Determining the most efficient way to expand the mine itself required a different kind of knowledge, which was precisely why specialists from the Ravelino family were being brought in.
"Great, because I have absolutely no idea why I am here to check the operational efficiency of this place," Arin admitted, looking between the two men with genuine confusion. "My patriarch was very insistent that this operation could not go wrong, but I have no idea what he expects me to accomplish." He had assumed that his assignment would involve inspecting the forest, assessing the road, or perhaps helping identify environmental dangers that the people managing the mine had overlooked. Instead, he had arrived to discover a disgraced overseer in a cage, half the town on strike, and a mining operation whose most obvious problems were already being handled by other people. Neither Alex nor Luckes seemed to have a better explanation for his presence, and their matching expressions of confusion only made the situation more puzzling.
Before either man could offer an answer, the office door suddenly burst open. Lilian rushed inside, her face pale and her expression far more serious than Arin had seen during their journey. Whatever she had discovered while exploring the forest, it had clearly been enough to make her abandon her investigation and return in a hurry. Arin immediately turned toward her, his earlier confusion giving way to concern as he recognised that something had gone wrong. "Arin, we have a problem," she said.