It was a day like many other. Gray was in the middle of mining when he heard noises from the entrance.
"Hello! Is anybody in here?" A voice shouted, echoing through the tunnels.
Gray froze, holding his breath.
"Did you hear something? I thought I heard some noises." Another voice spoke.
"I don't know, I don't hear anything now…"
Gray flew into a panic. He was not prepared for other people to invade his mine. The tunnel he dug was long and narrow and he would be trapped here if he did not get out. He didn't want to meet the people who came in. A small orphan like him with so much ore and money was bound to be beaten up and robbed. He wouldn't get out of it unscathed.
He shoved all of his belongings and anything valuable in a cloth sack. He didn't have time to clean up any further. Under the cover of darkness, he dashed into the main tunnel complex. His eyes allowed him to move without making too much noise. He couldn't leave yet because the entrance was blocked. He could only find a place to hide.
The tunnel lit up as four people appeared. The leader carried a crude torch and Gray recognized him as a teenage miner from the village. He didn't recognize the others but they each carried a pickaxe. They seemed like brand-new miners.
Nobody owned the mountains. People were free to come and test their fortunes and they often did. Hunting, foraging, and mining all made more money than simple farming. Mining was the easiest so some occasionally tried it out. If one had the strength to discover a mine and defend it against others, then it was theirs.
The teenager was paid to be the guide for these new miners and the first place he took them to was an abandoned mine to get them acclimated. Gray was unlucky enough for it to be his. He had no strength to stop them.
"Hey, what's this?" The guide paused, right in front of Gray's tunnel. "This looks newly dug."
Gray's body shook when he heard this.
"Let's take a look then!" One of the men said.
The four of them filed into the tunnel. Gray was now able to escape but his legs refused to move. He couldn't bear to leave his iron ore deposit. It was his, it made him a lot of money.
He stayed where he was, hoping against hope that they wouldn't find anything.
A few moments passed and then…
"Is this iron ore?"
"I think so, let me take a closer look."
Their voices became excited.
"Hey, it is!"
"This is a good iron deposit, look at the earth around us, the color of the dirt. There's no doubt about it. There's more iron here."
"Can we claim it? What if it belongs to one of the mining gangs, what if they come back?"
"Look at the footprints, they're small, they belong to a child. Looks like only one."
"Hahaha, there's no problem then. Brothers, this mine is ours now! Little Hu, I have to thank you!"
Gray punched the ground in frustration. He dug this tunnel. He found the iron deposit. And he was going to get robbed just like this. He felt bitter and helpless. He almost cried. One orphaned boy stood no chance against a group of grown men. If he tried to argue that the mine belonged to him, they might even kill him to avoid trouble.
The only choice was to give up. He was reluctant to leave but if he didn't leave now, there would not be a better chance. He wasn't going to risk his life over this.
He made it out of the mine without being noticed and left the hillside. He went back to the village and wandered around aimlessly. He did nothing but wallow in dejection about the loss of not only his source of income but his hard work. He blamed himself for being too relaxed. He questioned his carelessness and lack of preparation. He wished there was some way to turn back time and do it over again.
He lasted like this for several days until money and food ran low. He had to get back to work, otherwise, he would starve to death. One mine was gone but there were other abandoned mines around the valley. He could always try his luck again. It was his only option anyway.
He chose a copper mine that had not produced a single scrap for many decades. It was infamous among the miners of Blue Lake Village for being a trap for newcomers. Many had starved to death there trying to strike it rich. The teenage guide would not lead new miners there or else his reputation would be ruined.
Gray was confident in his unique abilities. He bought more food this time, enough to last a month. His pickaxe was sharp and he was much stronger now than compared to two months ago. He would be able to find copper, he was sure of it.
The mine was completely deserted as expected when he arrived. There was no sign of any recent human activity. He covered his tracks more carefully this time around and didn't even enter the mine until the third day later just to make sure he wasn't followed.
The inside was a massive underground complex that had several layers and too many tunnels to count. It had been dug over and over by people across several generations.
He made camp inside and got to work. He checked every corner of the mine and made countless test tunnels. It took him two weeks for his special ability to trigger and lead him to an unassuming section.
He knew there had to be something good here so he began to dig earnestly.
Clang!
Clang!
A dull brown light filled his vision and his swings became more determined.
Finally, a brownish chunk of copper ore fell out and tumbled to his feet.
---
Gray's copper mine lasted longer than the iron mine but it eventually met the same fate. This time, he wasn't able to escape and was robbed clean of everything. The mining gang took the mine, the copper ore he had dug up, his spare coin, and even his pickaxe. He was kicked out with nothing but the ragged pants he wore. They even took his new shirt!
This time he did cry. The bullying was intolerable. Those miners even dared to tell him he could be their slave. He ran away with the sounds of their laughter behind him.
Old Li lent a hand at this critical time once again and gave him another rusty pickaxe. They worked out an arrangement where Gray would store all of his spare coin with Old Li. It wasn't much but it meant that he wouldn't be destitute if he was robbed again.
Afterward, Gray headed out once more, vowing not to give up.
Gray lost his third mine, another iron mine, a month later. He managed to escape without being robbed of everything but had to leave a huge pile of iron ore behind. He was just getting ready to sell and it was worth over one silver. His heart truly bled for that loss.
Gray's fourth mine was robbed three months after that. He had learned his lesson and adopted his habits. All the ore he dug up was buried outside of the mine in several locations. Because of his careful preparation, he managed to earn a slight profit but it didn't make the feeling of being robbed any better.