Lucien descended deeper.
The mine did not narrow.
It opened.
What spread beneath the mountain was not a tunnel network but an underground world carved with intention. The ceiling arched overhead like a buried sky, supported by natural pillars.
There was no darkness here.
The walls emitted light in layered hues like flowing auroras frozen in stone. The air was clean. The temperature was stable. Even sound seemed softened, absorbed by the mineral-rich surfaces.
It reminded Lucien of dungeons.
This was no mere mine.
It was a sanctuary for refinement.
And that made it worse.
At the upper tier of the cavern, Lucien saw them.
Dozens of chambers were carved into the surrounding walls. Some were sealed. Others were open, revealing Alloykins seated within. Their bodies were half-submerged in glowing mineral matrices as they refined and absorbed Astrafer directly into their forms.
