After the Earth Vein Sound Wave Device completed the basic mapping, Louis finally decided on the location of the test mining point.

On the west side of the Seventh Mine Ring, in a depression where the rock layers are stable and the sound waves echo clearly.

Compared to the crisscrossing abandoned mine tunnels across the mountains, this place can be considered an untouched land.

The test mining began immediately, with the process meticulously divided into several stages. Everyone followed the "Operation Deployment Brief" from the Red Tide Lord's Hall step by step.

In the first few days of the construction phase, the entire Seventh Mine Ring was immersed in an atmosphere of tension and order.

The first to move was not the hoe or the mining pick, but the heavy hammer sound of the Earth Vein Sound Wave Device.

"Boom—Boom—" The low-frequency thuds spread in circles inside the mountain, with technicians kneeling on the rock layers, lightly touching the animal skin vibration plates to record each pulse.

The geological survey team, under Valentine's command, carried out the re-mapping of the entire mine area with diagrams and copper wires.

The old mine map was already inaccurate. Louis clearly stated that the mining lines must first be determined to ensure the most basic safety.

Soon, a brand new "Mine Strata Blueprint" appeared on their canvas. Red lines indicated active mines, black lines marked collapsed relics, and blue lines showed areas where water flow, marsh layers, or cavities might exist.

"Seeing this map, it's clear the past nobility were recklessly mining," Valentine remarked, looking at the map. "This isn't merely a mine vein; it's a trap."

Kael looked at Louis standing nearby and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "My Lord, this map..."

"I know why they failed," Louis said calmly, "so I must ensure our success."

Then followed clearing obstacles; the entrance to the old mine tunnel was as snow-filled as bones, with collapsed rocks mixed with permafrost, making direct access impossible.

Craftsmen and teams of trained refugees worked in groups, using rollers, crowbars, and warming lamps to reopen the main passageway that collapsed ten years ago.

A few young miners tried to pry at the frozen stones but failed. They were soon replaced by experienced craftsmen who carefully handled the fault line seams.

Valentine directed from a high point, alternately scolding and nodding, wielding his seasoned experience effectively.

While the mine tunnel clearing was ongoing, infrastructure planning was carried out simultaneously.

Temporary scaffolding workshops, miner rest areas, and material warehouses were set up on the ground. Bellows and blowers connecting air shafts and mine openings were also installed successively.

The water supply pipeline was rebuilt to follow the mountain's contour, diverting into a collecting well set at the mine's low point, with craftsmen installing manual pumps for scheduled drainage.

"First ventilate, then drain; only then can we talk about safety," Valentine repeated over and over.

The reconstruction of the shaft structure was even more complex.

The old main vertical shaft was chosen as the main vertical transport channel, reinforced inside with stakes and metal support rings, with a small derrick set up at the top, fitted with a "hand-cranked pulley lifting device."

Though not as convenient as large machinery, it was stable and safe enough, best suited for initial operations.

Lighting was also not overlooked, with oil lamps and phosphorus stone lamps methodically set along both sides of the mine tunnel, bright and durable.

Each miner carried a whistle, signal rod, and hand bell to prepare for unexpected collapses or gas leaks.

"The mine is life, wind is the lungs, water is trouble, and light is the eye," Louis said at the first internal briefing. "If you can't guard these four, don't go down the shaft."

Next was the laying of the track wheel slide system, which Louis particularly emphasized.

This was not traditional wooden tracks or beast-dragged transport but a new "embedded track slide rail" module developed by the Red Tide Blacksmith Group.

Each section of the metal guide groove could be pre-assembled and combined, and when assembled, it only required a dozen people to push the cart forward.

Shock-absorbing copper pads were embedded between the track wheels, making almost no noise or jolting during ore transport, remarkably stable.

"This is for the future use, not a temporary goods stack," Louis once said.

Kael was puzzled: "Future?"

"Ten, twenty years later, we won't need manpower to do this," Louis replied, looking back at him.

As for safety protection, Louis proposed a rare "Craftsman-Knight Coordination System."

Each mine corridor team was equipped with a knight standing by outside the shaft entrance, not entering the shaft but mastering the bell cord mechanism.

Should any anomaly be detected, such as collapses, tremors, magical beasts, or gas abnormalities.

The bell cord would be pulled, immediately triggering the "shaft evacuation mechanism," thereby initiating the knight team's response and lockdown.

Kael was silent for a long time after hearing it, finally sighing, "My Lord, you've... thought of everything for everyone."

Valentine was more direct: "What kind of lord is this... it's like treating us as if we are his own sons."

This entire set of preliminary designs, from geological surveys to slide rail systems, from support trusses to hazard escape routes, was all hand-drawn by Louis and implemented by Valentine and his team.

They almost continuously watched the paper map, practically without sleep, unlike other nobility who were aloof; they genuinely shared the work with the workers using their brains.

This greatly impressed the management of the Star Forging Territory like Valentine and Kael.

Thanks to this, before the mine tunnel was even excavated, the "skeleton" of this mine was already in place.

It was not a temporary labor site but an industrial artery leading from the shaft opening to the future of Red Tide.

Once all the preliminary construction work was completed, the next task was to attempt mining.

Valentine, leading a few core technicians in person, brought two different structures of blasting devices to the forefront of the mine tunnel.

"This is a seismic magic explosion bullet," he said, patting the metal casing, explaining to Kael.

"It's mainly used to 'fracture' the rock layer structure. The principle is similar to the old era's explosives, but ours uses demon marrow petroleum combined with a compressed seismic energy core. The shock wave control is highly precise upon detonation, resonating no more than three zhang, avoiding collapse of the echo chamber."

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