Moving forward along the giant bridge, the surrounding smoke grew thicker and thicker.
Beneath their feet now lay the rolling lava, emitting a heat so intense it felt as if it could melt steel.
The three of them were naturally equipped with fireproof suits, which allowed them to resist the thick smoke to some extent, but they still felt their breathing become labored and their heads grow slightly dizzy.
“It really is toxic, but I can manage.”
Manfred was not at all surprised by the toxins in the smoke.
“Wait, Captain, ahead!”
Several blurry figures appeared on the bridge in front of them.
Monsters?
Manfred immediately grew alert and drew his sword, while Weiss raised his shield, ready to defend at a moment's notice.
Rhine hid behind Weiss, her wand raised and ready to release magic.
As they drew closer, the blurry figures became clear.
Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be monsters with four arms, purple skin, no hair, and several eyes on their heads!
Manfred recognized them instantly; he had encountered one of these monsters before on the Desert Stratum.
The creature had not only possessed intelligence but had also wielded a magical artifact, with quite impressive combat methods.
Just as Manfred and his group noticed the purple-skinned blacksmiths, the blacksmiths also noticed Manfred’s party.
The two sides stood in a tense standoff.
Ultimately, Manfred took a deep breath and took the initiative to sheathe his sword.
“We wish to cross the bridge. Could you please let us pass? We are willing to pay a toll.”
Manfred took out some dungeon coins from his money pouch; he did not want to engage in battle with intelligent monsters.
Furthermore, the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was special, as it had its own currency system.
And judging by the monster merchant's attitude, these monsters likely needed these coins as well.
Other dungeons also possessed intelligent monsters, but they were invariably hostile toward adventurers.
But the Well of Eternal Imprisonment was different. The monster merchant had shown all adventurers the possibility of establishing good relations with the intelligent monsters of the Well of Eternal Imprisonment.
Seeing Manfred take out the coins, the purple-skinned blacksmiths glanced at one each other, and finally, one of them stepped forward.
“This bridge hasn't been finished yet. The path ahead is broken, so there is no way to pass.”
“Crossing the lava lake from here is impossible.”
The purple-skinned blacksmith's words sent a chill through Manfred's heart.
There was no way to cross the lake via this bridge.
“We have been repairing the bridge for some time now. If you want to see it finished, it will likely take another few months.”
A few months... by the time the bridge was finished, he feared he would already be suffering extreme punishment in the Grey family's dungeon.
“Is there any other way to cross the lava lake?”
Manfred took out a dungeon silver coin and handed it over.
The dungeon silver coin was a currency that had recently appeared in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, exchangeable for ten dungeon copper coins and benchmarked against the gold coins of the outside world.
Taking the silver coin, the purple-skinned blacksmith in front of him frowned and thought for a moment.
“There are too many dangers in the lava lake. There is indeed one way to cross it, but it remains fraught with peril.”
Hearing that there was a way, Manfred spoke up hurriedly.
“Please, tell us.”
“I belong to the purple-skinned blacksmith tribe that lives in the lava lake. Near this lake, there is a special ore that can withstand extremely high temperatures.”
“By smelting this ore, one can cast a fire-resistant iron boat capable of withstanding the high temperatures of the lava.”
“However, as for how you will steer the fire-resistant iron boat across the lava lake, that will be up to you.”
A fire-resistant iron boat!
Hearing that there truly was a way to cross the lava lake, the three of them were overjoyed.
“How do we cast a fire-resistant iron boat? Can you cast one for us? I am willing to pay.”
Hearing Manfred's words, the purple-skinned blacksmith shook his head.
“Our tribe is currently busy constructing this great bridge. Where would we find the time to cast a fire-resistant iron boat?”
The purple-skinned blacksmith waved his hand in refusal.
“Is there really no way? I am willing to pay double.”
Hearing this, the purple-skinned blacksmith stared at Manfred once more.
“You don't even know the price of casting a fire-resistant iron boat, yet you dare to say you'll pay double?”
Manfred's heart tightened as he immediately asked for the price.
“A standard fire-resistant iron boat can travel on the lava lake for seven days and costs 3 magic crystal coins.”
“Meanwhile, a fire-resistant iron boat cast from pure fire-resistant iron can navigate the lava lake indefinitely and will never be melted by the lava; that costs 49 magic crystal coins.”
Although he had already made some guesses, the price still stunned Manfred.
It was far too expensive!
Those were magic crystal coins. How rare were magic crystal coins in the Well of Eternal Imprisonment? Each one could only be found in treasure chests.
Elite monsters had an extremely low chance of dropping them, and even bosses only dropped a few upon each kill.
“Besides, even if you pay now, we don't have the time to cast it for you.”
“Unless...”
He had thought there was no hope, but hearing the purple-skinned blacksmith's tone change, Manfred immediately stood up straight.
“Please, speak!”
“Sigh, it's still about this bridge. The bridge piers are submerged in lava, and ordinary materials simply cannot withstand the high temperatures.”
“The only thing that can endure the lava is fire-resistant iron ore.”
“To build this bridge, our purple-skinned blacksmith tribe's stock of fire-resistant iron has fallen short of demand. That is why we are unwilling to spare any to help you cast a boat.”
So that was it. No wonder.
“The core of the bridge piers requires iron pillars cast from refined fire-resistant iron as material.”
“Refined fire-resistant iron is the magic-rich core of fire-resistant iron ore, and mining it is extremely difficult.”
“If you are willing to help me mine five tons of refined fire-resistant iron and ten tons of fire-resistant iron ore,”
“We would be willing to make the time to cast a fire-resistant iron boat to sell to you.”
Manfred's lip twitched.
Five tons of refined fire-resistant iron ore and ten tons of fire-resistant iron ore.
With his power as an extraordinary being, mining normal ore would only take a day.
Including transportation time, it would take two days at most.
But from the purple-skinned blacksmith's tone, that ore was clearly no ordinary ore and likely wouldn't be so easily mined.
However, there was no other choice now.
All for the sake of crossing the lava lake.
“We agree.”
“That's wonderful. Purple Furnace, take them to the mine and prepare pickaxes for them.”
“Yes!”
Manfred and the others were led off the bridge.
This was the first time they had interacted with monsters in such a way, and now they were even going to help monsters mine ore.
This dungeon, the Well of Eternal Imprisonment, was truly too unique.
After leaving the bridge, they traveled along a steep rock wall for a while before finally arriving at a mine shaft that sloped downward.
Manfred and the other two were each handed an iron pickaxe, including the mage, Rhine.
The purple-skinned blacksmiths were staunch believers in gender equality; the work within the tribe was the same regardless of gender, with no distinction made between men and women.
Purple Furnace then brought over a pushcart and marked out an area.
“The ore you mine should be piled here. We will come every evening to record the weight.”
Sighing, the three of them walked into the mine.
As they headed down the slope, they occasionally saw members of the dwarf miner race.
Dwarf miners were small in stature and possessed lower intelligence than the purple-skinned blacksmith tribe; with their sharp claws, they were a race specialized in mining.
But even for the dwarf miners, the efficiency of mining refined fire-resistant iron ore was very low.
When they reached the bottom of the shaft, the three of them saw their target: the refined fire-resistant iron ore.
There was also a purple-skinned blacksmith overseer.
And several old acquaintances who were currently mining.
“Caiman!!”
“Manfred!!”
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