Berserk: The Prophet

"Who used to be in charge of refining these ores around here?" Green asked the disheveled Elibert, who was probably the only one who knew the inside story.

“This area is basically full of furnaces for refining ore, but the alchemists should have left by now, right? These houses must be where they used to live.” Elibert surveyed the columnar furnaces and the houses around them, then led Green inside.

As soon as the heavy, half-open iron door was opened, a stench of decay wafted out. A male corpse with his throat slit was sitting in a chair inside. His limbs and face were already rotting, his eyelids were gone, and his sapphire blue eyes were turned outwards.

"Ugh~" Green, who had just caught some fresh air, was immediately suffocated by the stench and took a long time to recover after breathing fresh air outside the door.

Perhaps we should be thankful it's not summer, otherwise these corpses would definitely stink to death from a great distance.

Jacob stepped forward, frowning as he carefully examined the corpse. "It looks like it's been dead for quite some time. It must have been done when the Fierce Bear Gang was leaving."

Despite his nausea, Green went back inside and searched the surroundings, hoping to find some useful clues.

There were many documents about ore refining in the room. On the table, he found a tattered notebook that recorded some data and methods for ore refining.

"Perhaps this will come in handy." Green carefully put the notebook away.

"Send a few men to check if there are any survivors in the nearby houses. If not, they've probably run away. See if you can bring them back then." Green instructed Jacob and the soldiers on this matter; he really didn't want to smell that stench anymore.

"Is there no one else here besides these alchemists who can refine it?" Green and Elibert came out of the room. Although there was ore here, it was difficult not to know how to refine it. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste?

Although he studied a little chemistry, he has forgotten most of it now. In addition, due to the rigid education system in China, he has never even seen what those substances that can be used to extract gold and silver look like.

“Hmm… I remember Sumel used to like going to Blackrock Prison here and hanging out with those alchemists. He got a lot of scoldings from his father for it.” Elibert recalled, as if he was reminiscing about some childhood fun amidst the harsh reality, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Upon hearing Elibert's words, a glimmer of hope ignited in Green's heart. "So, it's possible that Sumer knows about ore refining?" he asked eagerly.

Elibert nodded slightly. "My lord, although I am not sure if Sumer has really learned how to refine ore, he was indeed very interested in this subject before and often spent time with alchemists. Perhaps he knows something about it."

Green pondered for a moment and decided it was worth a try, since his soldiers were good at fighting, but none of them knew how to do alchemy.

"Sir, all these alchemists died in the house; not one of them survived."

Listening to Jacob's report, Green felt a chill run down his spine.

"Well, let's go back and check on Sumer first. Maybe he can be of great help."

So Green prepared to lead everyone back to the temporary camp. As soon as he stepped out of the gate, he heard the soldiers shouting at him.

"Roar!!"

A brown bear was seen trying to steal a red deer leg from the camp. The bear was huge, with messy, brown fur, and it roared as if trying to intimidate the soldiers in the camp.

Green frowned, thinking that the brown bear might have some kind of performance in store, when the black-armored archers started whispering among themselves. Then, the ten men formed a linear formation and began to draw their bows and nock their arrows.

The sight of ten 10-meter-tall adult men standing like a wall would create an inexplicable sense of oppression for any animal. Just as the brown bear took a few steps back, considering whether to retreat...

It's unclear who gave it the courage, but it suddenly became frenzied, roaring and assuming an attack stance as it charged towards the black-armored archers' position.

However, ten arrows pierced its left and right eyes, instantly penetrating the brown bear's skull. Its massive body fell at the feet of the black-armored archers in an instant, without even having time to let out a wail.

"...That was truly spectacular." Looking at the fallen brown bear, Green couldn't help but admire the black-armored archers' superb archery skills. If there were a group of soldiers like them in battle, they would surely shine on the battlefield!

"Process this bear; we can keep the meat to eat, and we can also make use of the bear skin," Green instructed.

Afterwards, Green led everyone back to the temporary camp. Seeing that the crisis was over, Sumer held Bren for a long time, unable to come to his senses, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Bren seems to be in relatively stable condition now; at least his face isn't as pale anymore. After the fright he just experienced, his dark eyes are constantly darting around, and his little hands are tightly gripping Sumer's clothes. It seems he's feeling better.

Unlike Green and the others, Liberty didn't calm down as quickly. The scene he had just witnessed had startled him. Good heavens, he almost thought he was going to lose Sumer.

Libert quickly ran over and hugged the father and son, gently kissing the forehead of Sumer, who was still sweating from the fright of the scene. Their actions were unlike those of ordinary brothers.

Hmm...it seems to be Nantong.

Green keenly noticed the unusual intimacy between Libert and Sommer, but he didn't reveal anything on the spot.

In such chaotic times, everyone has their own secrets, and as long as they can be used to one's advantage, these details are not important.

Once they had calmed down, Green stepped forward and whispered to Sumel, "Sumel, I heard that you used to deal with alchemists from Blackrock Prison and have some knowledge of ore refining. Is that true?"

Sumer looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then nodded. "Sir, I have indeed learned some things from them, but I only know the basics. I don't know if it can be of any help to you."

Green was delighted. "As long as you know a little, that's fine. We've found a lot of gold and silver ore in the mine, and we're worried about who can refine it. See if you can use the tools and conditions we have to refine these ores."

Sumer looked at Green and hesitated for a moment. “Sir, I can give it a try, but the tools and materials here may not be complete, and I haven’t done refining work for a long time. I can’t guarantee that I will succeed.”

Green patted Sumel on the shoulder and encouraged him, "It's okay, just do your best. We'll support you wholeheartedly, just let us know if you need anything."

Sumer nodded. “Sir, I need some charcoal, crucibles, and some material for separating gold and silver. Some of these things may be found in the houses near the mine, but the material for separating gold and silver may be more troublesome. It may need to be obtained from the bottom of the hot spring and the salt lake, or perhaps some special gray-black metal.”

Green pondered for a moment, deciding that while these places were somewhat troublesome, they weren't inaccessible. "Jacob, you arrange two teams. One team will search for charcoal and crucibles, following Sumer's instructions, and look around the houses near the mine. The other team will go with Sumer to the bottom of the hot springs and the saltwater lake to retrieve the materials needed to separate the gold and silver. Make sure everyone's safety is ensured, and report any developments immediately."

Jacob immediately accepted the order and quickly selected personnel and assigned tasks.

One group of soldiers followed Sumer toward the hot springs and saltwater lake, while another group dispersed in the houses around the mine to search for charcoal and crucibles.

Green turned to Elibert and said, “Elibert, you’re more familiar with this area, so come along and help guide us. I’ll arrange for other soldiers to help take care of Bren.”

Elibert glanced at Bren, then at Sommel, hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded. "Yes, sir." He then followed the group.

Green stayed at the camp to help the black-armored archers deal with the brown bear carcass. With that glossy fur, this bear must have had a good meal.

But...don't brown bears usually hibernate in their dens during the winter? Could it be...?

Green had a terrible thought, but then thought, "Forget it, I'd better not think about it. These days, it's common for animals to eat people."