I Raised A Black Dragon

Exactly five days later, the engine operator encountered a young lady who asked the same question he had received a few days ago. 

“Well, mister. Where should I go to get to the Baobab mine?”

“Baobab Mine?”

It was a young woman who spoke beyond the platform. She rolled her cascading waves and pushed it into her hat. On the bridge of her thin nose sat a pair of glasses which would cause nausea to anyone who would stare at it. The engine operator responded loudly, diverting his gaze away from the woman’s absurd glasses.

“There’s no mine called Baobab. You seem to be getting something wrong.”

“Isn’t it Baobab… It was similar.” The woman, who gave an impression of a clumsy lady, slowly pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket. “It’s a large-scale mine. The name is… Ah, Maobab.”

“…Perhaps you mean Maobiana. There are a lot of young people who are interested in Maobiana these days.” The operator clicked his tongue, fixing his eyes on the black-haired boy hanging from the woman’s shoulder. “You have a child. Why go to that dangerous place?” 

The woman tilted her head. “Dangerous place?” 

“Yes. Didn’t you hear the rumor? There’s a mysterious death of a group of slaves in the Maobiana mine. That’s also for the whole month.”

“Oh…”

The operator couldn’t see the woman’s face because of her glasses, but the woman let out an exclamation that it was very interesting, rather than frightening. “So, where should I go?” she asked.

“…There, go straight, turn left, and there’s a train going that way.”

“Aha. Thank you. Is there any place in Maomana that needs manpower? I have to stay there for a while.”

Does she want to get a job in the mine? The operator wondered. He tried to impart advice out of worry, but he recalled a few days ago when a young man didn’t even stay to hear his concern, and only sighed. Young people these days seem to be too adventurous.

“There’s always a shortage of manpower. Go to Culton’s office in front of the mine. Because it’s a mining office dedicated to Maobiana.”

“The mining office?”

“Yeah, well. It won’t be hard to get a job because they hire women, children, and old people for a large sum of money. But you have to take care of yourself, miss.”

“Thank you for your concern.” The woman, along with the child, bowed her head and turned away with a light step toward the very mine the young man headed five days ago.

Noah had arrived at the inconspicuous town of Noviscosha. She raised her wide-brimmed hat slightly, wary of her surroundings.

Culton’s Office, Mining State.

A sign was hung at the door of the three-story building. It was said that a middle-aged businessman named Donalian Culton owns the largest Maobiana mine in Noviscosha. The letters on the sign spelled ‘Culton’s Office’; it seemed Noah arrived at the right place.

The raw material used to produce human-like machines, which Kyle mobilized researchers from the Bureau of Investigation and Security for detailed analysis, was Mane Ore, a high-density mineral with a magical power content of 78%.

As such, there is only one place in Noviscosha where such powerful ore was unearthed. A mine that supplied a certain amount every month to the Ministry of Magic of the capital, Tezeba — Maobiana.

It would have been extremely easy to illegally acquire one owing to the mine’s connection with the Ministry of Magic. 

It was only natural that Noah chose this place as her first destination. She picked the area closest to Noviscosha from the list created by the emperor himself where she could perform her volunteer duties, then was forced to share a room in an inn with one of the imperial officials assigned to follow her lest she escapes, and immediately fell on Noviscosha.

Noah tugged the string on her hat and entered Culton’s office with confidence. The male employee sitting at the counter greeted her. “What brings you here, Madame?”

“I’m here for the new mine. I want to mine an undeveloped area behind Maobiana. I’m here to ask Mr. Culton.”

“Oh, I think you’re talking about the valley behind… It’s one of the few areas where mining is prohibited in Maobiana.”

“Really? Why?”

“It’s a cliff area, and it’s also a place where the Ministry of Magic labeled as prohibited. You need to get approval from the Royal Family first.”

It was suspicious. How many areas were directly prohibited by the Ministry of Magic? She thought. A frown appeared on her face, and the employee carefully asked.

“By the way, Madame. If you’ve come to mine development… May I ask which family you belong to?”

“Oh, I…”

The answer to that very question had already been prepared. As she slowly pulled the cloak down, a purple dress, decorated with laces and a flower-patterned brooch, along with a dazzling pearl necklace that hung around her neck, was revealed. Adding to her dashing appearance was a large velvet hat, adorned with feathers, which covered half of her face. 

Then, the corners of her mouth raised into a warm, friendly smile.

“Leonard, I’m from the Duke of the Capital.”

At this point, it should be evident. Noah’s concept was a rich lady who came to see the land.