Little Kingfisher had the heart of a child. It loved to waste time in the deep mountain canyons, commanding the birds and beasts with the supreme majesty of the Divine Beast Phoenix, becoming the bona fide King of Beasts.
The Qilian Mountain Range was its playground. It did as it pleased, and if it ever found a beast disagreeable, it would play tricks on it for amusement.
Su Qingluo knew it well and seldom restrained it, allowing it to frolic freely.
"Master, I've found a good place where we might be able to dig up a lot of gold."
Little Kingfisher affectionately brushed against her wrist, excitedly spitting a dark grey ore from its mouth, its pitch-black eyes sparkling with anticipation of praise.
"Is this...a gold ore? You're not joking, are you?"
A string of light flashed in Su Qingluo's eyes as she picked up the grey stone that seemed indistinguishable from a random rock, inspecting it in the sunlight.
"Of course, it's real. With Yin'er's sharp eyes that can discern the world's treasures, we can't go wrong," Little Kingfisher haughtily stuck up its head in pride.
"Impressive. You've practically scoured the entire Qilian Mountain Range."
Amused by the creature's antics, Su Qingluo gently patted its head and teased, "Quick, tell me, where did you find this good place this time?"
"Deep within the mountains, a secluded valley shrouded in mist for years."
Little Kingfisher was extremely excited, "At the bottom of the valley, there's a Dark River. Following the Dark River into a cave and descending to a subterranean grotto, you'll find an underground gold mine. Traces left within suggest it had been excavated sometime long ago."
"An underground gold mine? Interesting!"
There was a playful glint in Su Qingluo's eyes, "Can your Phoenix True Fire extract gold?"
"Of course. The Phoenix True Fire is a divine flame, capable of refining everything in the world." The little bird showed off, puffing up its small body and spitting a spark of fire towards the rock.
"Sss."
The gold ore, the size of a goose egg, was enveloped by the scorching flame. It swiftly reduced in size before the very eyes, turning to ash and leaving behind only a bean-sized nugget of gold.
"Uh, it's so small!"
Little Kingfisher glanced at the gold particle disgustingly, lamenting about its Phoenix True Fire.
It was still a baby with relatively weak divine power.
The capacity to store True Fire within the Golden Core was directly linked to its divine power. With weak divine power, the amount of True Fire it could command was limited. Wasting it on such a small piece of gold felt unjustifiable.
"Hehe."
Su Qingluo burst out laughing at its disdainful expression, an alluring melody escaping from her lips.
"Ah, this is boring, I'm going out to play."
Little Kingfisher initially wanted to present its discovery as a treasure to its Master, boasting about finding a gold mine. However, reality is often harsh as the gold ore excavated cannot be refined, making it no different from ordinary rocks.
The little creature found it hard to accept. Its tender wings fluttered, ready to fly away.
"Ah ah."
Observing its dejected demeanor, Su Qingluo laughed, her eyes narrowed with amusement, "Don't be discouraged, Yin'er. Another day, I'll accompany you to the underground mine to see if we can dig up better-quality ore."
"Great, let's go tomorrow!"
Seeing that her master was interested in the gold mine, the little bird's black eyes flickered, regaining its vigor.
"Tomorrow won't do."
Su Qingluo's eyes dimmed a little, "I heard there've been bandits lurking about recently. My mother is worried and doesn't want me to wander around."
"There are indeed bandits!"
Little Kingfisher, having been out and about every day, was well-informed, "A wealthy family on the other side of the river was visited by bandits. They stole lots of valuable items. The family reported it, and officers from the county came in several waves, but they've not been able to catch anyone yet."