After quickly settling Petilil, Draconis immediately set off for the Mine.
When he arrived, he saw a group of miners in the distance, using pickaxes and shovels to dig clay from the ground.
Freshly excavated soil was loaded onto carts pulled by Bouffalant and then transported back to the territory.
On the surrounding mountain paths, some wild Geodude could vaguely be seen, but the miners' work area was some distance from them, so they were not attacked.
"Where is that serpent monster?" Draconis asked, looking at the huge ore in front of him.
Morik pointed at the ridge in front of him and replied with some fear, "It's right there. That monster ran out from there before. The ground rumbled like an earthquake! But it didn't attack us and quickly disappeared into the mountains."
Listening to Morik's description, Draconis thought, "It's indeed Onix."
The Mine in front of them had already been opened up by the miners led by Morik.
The cave was very dark, so the miners lit torches for illumination.
But when Draconis went in to investigate, he was surprised to find that there was still a very large space inside!
The entire interior of the Mine was a labyrinth of passages, with some even extending underground.
"Did you dig this out?" Draconis asked, somewhat surprised.
"No, of course not!" Morik shook his head. "We don't have the strength to do something like this yet, but judging by the size and shape of these openings and passages, they were most likely dug by that enormous serpent monster!"
Draconis nodded. He looked around; there weren't too many Pokémon on the outskirts of the Mine, only some Geodude and Roggenrola.
"Our workers found traces of iron ore and coal below, but it's very dark down there, and terrifying monster Growls come from the depths. We don't dare to go deeper yet..." Morik said.
Monsters living underground... probably the evolved forms of Roggenrola, like Boldore and Crustle?
"I'll go down and take a look." After a brief thought, Draconis made his decision.
"Your Highness, no!" Morik quickly stopped him. "It hasn't been thoroughly investigated down there yet. It would be terrible if you encountered danger!"
"Don't worry, I can protect myself," Draconis reassured him.
Both iron ore and coal were extremely important resources for their territory.
They couldn't give up so easily.
"Your Highness... then let us go down with you?" Morik hesitated and said.
"No need." Draconis shook his head. "The passages below are narrow; too many people would only make things more dangerous. Give me a torch, and you all just wait up here."
The others had no choice but to follow Draconis's instructions and bring him a torch.
Draconis took it and then entered the Mine with Snivy and Dratini.
The underground Mine was pitch black, with the torchlight illuminating the surroundings.
Here, Draconis saw a Pokémon ecosystem completely different from the surface.
Sandshrew rolled forward on the ground, curled into a ball. Besides them, Roggenrola and Dwebble could still be seen here.
Continuing forward, Draconis soon discovered a wild Drilbur nearby.
That Drilbur was attracted by the commotion on his side. The moment it saw him, it immediately panicked, dug a hole with its sharp claws, and burrowed in, quickly disappearing from sight.
"Hmm, most of the Pokémon on this level aren't very aggressive. If we don't provoke them, there shouldn't be too much danger," Draconis thought.
However, just then, a terrifying roar suddenly came from the depths of the Mine.
This sound immediately alerted Dratini and Snivy.
Draconis also heard the sound, and he frowned instantly.
Was that the roar Morik mentioned?
This sound didn't sound like Onix's Growl; instead, it sounded like the Growl of a Pokémon Draconis had heard before.
The shame of the Dragon clan, Druddigon!
"The sound seems to be some distance away from us," Draconis thought.
But even so, he couldn't guarantee that Druddigon wouldn't come this way.
Because Druddigon are known for their savage and cunning nature; they steal the nests dug by other Pokémon to use as their own homes.
They wouldn't even spare the tunnels dug by Excadrill, Onix, or even Diglett and Dugtrio.
It was possible that one day, that Druddigon would come here to attack the miners.
"Snivy?"
At this moment, Snivy beside Draconis seemed to sense something, and it cast its gaze towards a tunnel.
Draconis followed its gaze and saw a gigantic stone slab carved with strange patterns.
Half of the stone slab was exposed, with the rest buried in the mud.
When he clearly saw the ancient patterns on it, Draconis was stunned.
That was... the patterns resembled some kind of ancient design. Draconis's gaze swept over it, and he found it somewhat similar to an ancient symbol of the sun.
Could it be traces left by some earlier civilization?
As far as Draconis knew, their current time period roughly corresponded to the medieval era in the real world.
But before that, some even older civilizations had existed in this world.
For example, totem civilizations similar to primitive tribes.
Looking at the ancient stone tablet, Draconis couldn't help but guess: Could it be that the interior of this Mine concealed the tribal ruins of an ancient civilization?
Just then, a Geodude slowly floated out of a passage.
Initially, that Geodude didn't react, but when it saw Draconis and the others, it immediately waved its two fists and angrily rushed towards them.
Draconis: "..."
Indeed, it was a Geodude, famous for its foul temper, stubbornness, and aggressive nature.
"Snivy, Vine Whip."
Snivy stood in front of Draconis, delivering a powerful Vine Whip to Geodude. Under a four-times type advantage, a single blow sent it flying.
"Rumble!"
It seemed that the commotion here had attracted the attention of some presence; a huge sound came from the depths of the Mine again.
Immediately after, a massive figure quickly rolled towards them from the end of the Mine.
That was... Geodude's evolved form, Golem!
Draconis's expression changed slightly. In such a narrow passage, if that Golem rolled over them, they would have no escape!
At this moment, that Golem also noticed the unconscious Geodude lying on the ground.
It immediately glared at Draconis with an angry look.
Seeing this, Draconis gave the order without hesitation:
"Dratini, Twister! Snivy, Vine Whip!"
"Woo!"
"Snivy!"
The two moves were unleashed simultaneously, but they seemed to have little effect on Golem's hard, rocky body, only further enraging it.
Seeing this, Draconis turned around without hesitation: "Retreat!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
With huge, thick fists, it pounded its own body. Golem roared at the sky, then suddenly rolled towards Draconis.
But fortunately, at the critical moment, Draconis managed to return to the upper level of the Mine with Dratini and Snivy.
Golem let out a huge roar from below.
Looking at the miners, whose faces were filled with worry, Draconis said,
"Don't go down to Mine for now. Let's finish mining these upper-level veins first!"
...
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