In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

The saddle, made of finely worked leather and metal, was imbued with shape adjusting magic. Michael draped it over the area between Marcus's shoulders. The saddle automatically expanded to fit perfectly against his massive frame. He tightened the straps securely around Marcus's body, ensuring a snug fit.

"Alright, Marcus. Try jumping a bit," Michael instructed.

Marcus leaped into the air without hesitation, testing the saddle's stability. Despite his vigorous movements, the saddle remained firmly in place. Satisfied, Michael climbed onto the saddle, gripping the reins embedded between Marcus's scales. Marcus, in turn, crouched low to make it easier for Michael to mount. Once everything was secured, Michael called out, "Let's go!"

With a powerful beat of Marcus's enormous wings, they rose swiftly into the sky. The ground fell away beneath them as Michael marveled at the stunning view of the open sky, the vast landscape below, and the distant mountain range.

Perhaps thanks to his training as a pilot, the flight felt unexpectedly smooth. Glancing back at him, Marcus's eyes sparkled with a hint of challenge. "[Can we go faster, Michael?]"

Michael chuckled. "Go ahead. As fast as you like!" Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

With a small smirk, Marcus flapped his wings even harder. He had secretly expected the human to struggle, but to his surprise, Michael seemed completely unfazed.

'How is he still so calm?' Marcus wondered incredulously.

Michael kept his eyes open, enjoying the wind rushing past him. Although he was wearing specially designed goggles crafted by Leonardo, it was still remarkable to see a human remain so composed in the sky.

Marcus, curious about Michael's resilience, decided to test him with a series of acrobatic maneuvers. He dove and climbed rapidly, twisting his body freely in the air. Yet Michael's expression remained unchanged; in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

Admitting defeat internally, Marcus finally acknowledged Michael. Well, at least someone of his caliber deserves to be my contractor.

Despite Marcus's antics, they eventually arrived at the mine nestled midway up the mountain range. The mine was embedded in a massive rock face, and as Michael dismounted onto the overgrown clearing in front of it, he clicked his tongue.

The mine entrance was overgrown with waist high grass, and abandoned mining tools were scattered haphazardly, showing how long it had been since operations ceased. Michael bent down to inspect the ground. Picking up a piece of brown tinged iron ore from a mining cart, he handed it to Marcus.

"Here, Marcus. This is what we're looking for. If you can figure out how much of this is here and how deep it runs, I'll make sure to decorate your lair with even more gold. Your future diet of plump cattle—or, heaven forbid, scrawny sheep and goats—depends on your work today. So, do your best."

Marcus snorted in indignation.

"[Scrawny sheep or goats? Watch and see how skilled I am at locating minerals! But tonight, I demand a cows as a reward, no two cows.]"

The kitten shot Michael a shocked look, torn between chastising him for exploiting Marcus or berating the gullible dragon for being so easily manipulated.

Watching Marcus storm toward the mine entrance in a huff, Miaomiao sighed. "[That fool… Doesn't he remember we already agreed on a set food allowance? Michael, you tell me to be nice to the chick, and yet… What's this about?]"

Michael coughed lightly. "Sometimes compromises are necessary in social situations," he muttered.

Meanwhile, Marcus sniffed the ground, shook his head, and pressed his paws against various spots as if searching for something. Suddenly, he lifted his head sharply and pointed in a direction with the tip of his wing.

"[Over here! The vein extends this way. Get on my back.]"

Miaomiao grumbled. "[It's rare to see a dragon so eager to carry people, Miao.]"

"Shh! Don't complain. If he's being cooperative, what's the harm in that?" Michael said, silencing her.

With Miaomiao mumbling something about disgraces to dragons and divine beasts, Michael climbed onto Marcus's back. Marcus, already familiar with the process, waited patiently while Michael secured the harness to the saddle. Do other dragon riders have dragons this compliant? Probably not, Michael mused.

"Thanks, Marcus. Let's go," Michael said.@@novelbin@@

With a nod, Marcus launched into the air, beating his wings powerfully as they ascended. He flew over the mine and continued deeper into the mountains. As they traveled farther, Michael grew suspicious and asked, "Wait, Marcus. Are you sure? It feels like we've already left the mine's boundary."

Marcus tilted his head to look back at Michael, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "[Of course, human. Are you doubting my ability? I'm following the vein, and the quality of the ore is improving the farther we go.]"

Michael burst out laughing. "Haha, not bad at all. Good job, Marcus. I'll ask the chef to prepare extra steaks for you tonight as a reward."

"[Ha! This is nothing. I can find even more if you want!]" Marcus declared, lifting his head proudly.

Miaomiao, unimpressed, shook her head and muttered, "[That fool…]"

The extent of the vein far exceeded what Michael had seen on maps in the royal palace. It stretched across the mountains, reaching a small plateau and even a lake. Seeing this, Michael called out, "Marcus! Is there iron ore beneath that plateau and lake too?"

Marcus lazily flicked his tail. "[Yes, human no, Michael. The amount of iron ore beneath the lake is several times greater than what's on land.]"

Michael fell into thought. It was clear that the Crown family had only mined the most accessible areas of the mountains. He recalled hearing that the mines had been abandoned due to the low quality of exposed ore, which made it difficult to produce high grade iron and required costly charcoal imports. However, the ore beneath the lake and plateau was far superior.

Excitement bubbled within Michael at the new possibilities. "Miaomiao, do you think we could mine the plateau and lake areas using Marcus and some mages from the capital?"