Eternal Thief

The Black Hermit Mines were older than the city itself—older, even, than most duchies in the Obsidian Myriad Kingdom.

Long before the first stones of Black Hermit City were laid, the mines pulsed in the depths of the abyss, a labyrinth of veins glowing faintly with ore-light.

Their existence was uncovered centuries ago by an ambitious Evernight Marquis, who stumbled upon the peculiar metallic hearts that would later be called Heartsteel Ore. He thought to make a fortune in secret.

But secrets never stayed hidden long in the Abyssal Plains. The discovery drew whispers, then attention, and finally—inevitably—the gaze of the Dread Duchess herself!

By the time neighboring lords and rival Dukes learned of the mines, they were already branded with the sigil of Dread Duchess. The Marquis who found them was rewarded by the Dread Duchess but stripped of any ownership.

From that day forward, the mines belonged solely to the Duchess, and through her iron hand, to the Evernight Council!

However, conflicts followed among the Dukes, as greedy neighbors tried to contest the claim. Yet every attempt ended in ruin—entire houses collapsed overnight, their names erased. The lesson was branded into the marrow of the land; what the Dread Duchess claimed, none could pry away!

Now, to this day, the mines still thrive. The Duchess, shrewd as she was merciless, had turned them into a source of endless profit.

The upper tunnels were opened to the public—for a price.

The way to the Black Hermit Mines wounds southward from the city, paved in blackstone and lined with towering rune obelisks. Merchants with carts, rogue cultivators in patched cloaks, and nobles flanked by armored guards all made the same trek.

At the yawning abyssal gate, the rules were written in gleaming crimson script for all to see:

Entrance Fee: 10 Tier-6 Abyss Gems, non-negotiable.

Harvest Tax: thirty percent of every haul surrendered upon exit. All treasures recorded, inspected, and logged by the city’s overseers.

Storage Rings: confiscated at the gate. Miners were issued uniform Evernight rings—engraved with runes to prevent smuggling, swapping, or theft.

Restriction: Abyssal Lords are forbidden entry unless licensed by the Evernight Council. Even then, ten percent of their findings were owed directly to the Duchess.

No one dared bend these rules. Tales abounded of greedy fools who tried to conceal ore or smuggle contraband out of the tunnels. They were executed at the gates, their corpses hung on black pikes as a warning.

Thus, the mines remained a steady vein of wealth for the Obsidian Myriad Kingdom—and a place of danger for all who entered.

At this moment, the colossal arch of the mine’s gate loomed ahead, its mouth a black chasm that thrummed faintly with an abyssal power.

Rows of guards clad in shadow-forged armor lined the path, each one exuding the pressure of an Abyssal Lord Realm Demon.

Ace’s figure, hood drawn low, stood in line among dozens of cultivators waiting their turn. He appeared utterly unremarkable—just another seeker hoping for fortune in the depths.

When his turn arrived, a horned overseer stepped forward, a black-jade scroll in hand. His eyes glowed faintly as he measured Ace with a glance.

“Name, purpose, and fee.” The guard’s tone was clipped, bureaucratic.

Ace produced a pouch and handed over the Abyss Gems without hesitation. The overseer counted quickly, then gestured. “Storage treasure.”

Ace glanced at the gleaming crimson script and calmly surrendered the storage ring off his finger. It was promptly swept into a black box inscribed with runes.

Furthermore, the overseer used an array plate to scan him, and after making sure there wasn’t any storage treasure on him, he didn’t inquire about other treasures on his body, and Ace was given a plain, iron-black Evernight ring.

The overseer then dismissively said, yet his voice carried a threatening chill, “This ring is marked. All ore and materials found within the mine must be stored here. Attempts to conceal or tamper with it will be considered theft from her grace, the Duchess.”

Ace simply nodded and slid the ring onto his finger.

Mirage Shadow’s hoarse whisper stirred in his mind, “Young lord, a token from Lord Khazar could bypass this farce. Or I could silence them with a thought. Why humble yourself before ants?”

Ace’s lips curved faintly under the hood in a wry smile as he had already answered this question before and patiently replied again, “I said before, senior, there is no need for such trouble. This is her highness’ domain, and I must abide by her rules no matter what.”

He also added in a peculiar tone, “Furthermore, if I had used Lord Khazar’s token, it would’ve definitely caused a stir and draw unwanted attention on me, which I can’t afford as of this moment.”

Mirage Shadow’s mind raced when she heard this point, and something came to her mind as she questioned in a hesitant tone, “Could the young lord be going to…?”

But before she could finish her words, the overseer marked a final rune onto his jade scroll, then jerked his chin at the gate. “Go.”

Ace nodded and stepped past the line of guards and into the gaping darkness of the Black Hermit Mines while replying to Mirage Shadow in even tone, “Yes, the task my master required for me is related to the Black Hermit Mines. That’s why I would now request that the senior please wait at the entrance, I can’t take anyone with me, or my master’ll punish me! I can’t disobey this order!”

The reason for Ace coming to the Black Hermit Mines was that he wanted to create the illusion that his master’s task was related to this place while also offsetting Mirage Shadow’s doubt about the City Lord’s Castle.

Furthermore, Ace also selected this city because of the Black Hermit Mines, as they were pretty mysterious and dangerous, so it was a perfect location for an Abyssal King’s disciple to perform a mission.

Mirage Shadow’s thoughts also wandered in the direction Ace wanted them to go, and hesitation gripped her mind since she knew the Black Hermit Mines were very dangerous, especially the deepest regions.

Nonetheless, as Ace said, this was a task related to an Abyssal King. If she dares to intervene, it would be disrespectful to Ace’s master, not to mention that she still doesn’t know if the Abyssal King was monitoring his ’disciple’; however, the chances of it being true were very high, and Dread Duchess also warned her about it beforehand.

After a moment of dilemma, she relented, “I won’t interfere in your task. However, please bring this talisman with you. If you fall into life-threatening danger, destroy it, and I’ll appear for your aid!”