A few more days had gone by since the extermination team had departed for Ochre. Jacob had finally started teaching some serious Inscription Patterns, starting from the most basic ones, like the ones used to boil water, gather water, or other utility stuff. He would not teach extremely dangerous Inscription Patterns to just everyone. And anyway, he needed those people to have a solid foundation before moving on to more complex things.

But the most important progress was that he had worked hard with some Earth Mages to build some kilns. Forging weapons would be tough without a proper mine around, but Jacob knew that there was one just on top of the mountain close to St. Peter. Since he had finally crossed another level thanks to the quick trip to the Alchemical Garden to gather new Spiritual Herbs, he was now at the 7th stage of the Cockroach realm. The most depressing thing was that Flavius, having an incredible talent, had just reached his same level, and the young man was probably going to surpass him soon.

But Jacob could now use more of his Sword Aura in battle, meaning that his fighting potential was now even higher. Not even he knew exactly how strong he was at the moment.

Demonic Bloody Wolves had stopped coming two days ago, meaning that they probably emptied out the nearby places. Now, with Epagogia and the others acting as a hard border, it was unlikely to see more Demonic Bloody Wolves.

So, finally, Jacob could probably take a trip to check out if the mountain had been changed in the same way it had during his past life. And even if it didn’t, Jacob lived in the most mountainous region of central Italy. There were going to be many more mines, just a bit less convenient to reach.

He had already told Luis Albert about it in order for him to start planning around the Contribution System. So far, it had been a mixed bag. Some people had already qualified for stronger Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques, and Spells, working hard to become stronger. Some other had, instead, just opted for coasting, trying to do the minimum necessary to get food and some resources while just dedicating a small part of their time to cultivation, if any at all.

That was going to be one big problem for Jacob to solve in the near future. But for now, setting up the Alchemy and Smithing lessons was one of the most important tasks on his agenda. All the other things he could probably delegate to Epagogia as soon as the Devil Queen came back, but he had to teach these people how to mass-produce the things they would all need in the future.

He had taught the aspiring smiths, around 30 people who really wanted the Contribution Points, to skin the Demonic Bloody Wolves, as he had already taught to his Inscription Pattern class. And the smiths, too, were being taught Inscription Patterns, but they started with practical things, like hardening patterns that would make armors and weapons more durable.

Smiths usually didn’t have extensive knowledge of Inscription Patterns, but they were still supposed to know the most basic ones. Whenever a great smith created a greater piece, they would fetch a proper Inscription Pattern specialist to enchant it.

Now, before going out and starting his little mining adventure, Jacob had to make sure that someone would keep an eye for the possible appearance of more monsters. Sadly, only one person was strong enough to kill an Advanced Mantis realm Demonic Beast in St. Peter. And Jacob really didn’t like that someone.

He stopped in front of a very rough house erected from the ground and knocked. It was still early morning, and most people were still sleeping. A woman opened the door with a neutral expression that twitched more than just a little as soon as she saw the unexpected visitor.

“Jacob,” Maria Rossi said while trying to keep an even tone.

“Maria, do you mind if we speak for a second?” Jacob gestured with his head toward the outside.

The woman nodded slowly, wary of his presence. She suspected Jacob had spent less time than he wanted to with Francis so as not to upset the delicate balance that them re-entering St. Peter had created.

“I need to go check out a mine close to St. Peter, on top of the mountain.”

Ironically, even though St. Peter was just right in front of said mountain, no one knew its name. Everyone went on and simply referred to it as ‘the mountain’. Indeed, it was understandable that people didn’t want to make an effort for that; in the end, how many mountains could you get confused with when you had one right behind your house?

“I see,” the woman said.

“Joseph and my Aunt Linda will be there too, but I need someone with enough firepower to kill Advanced Mantis realm monsters if it comes to it. It’s probably going to be five to six hours of nothing, and you will be able to cultivate if you need to; but I can’t leave St. Peter without someone strong to protect it in good conscience.”

The woman seemed to respect what he had just said. And with Maria, you never knew what to expect. This time, though, she took it in stride.

“Not a problem. Did anyone sight those wolves yesterday?”

“Not one. We should be in the clear, but we can’t be sure.”

Jacob tried to be as prompt as he could be with his answers. He really didn’t want to prolong his conversation with Francis’s mom more than necessary.

“Well, should I start now?” Maria asked with the same forced neutrality that let transpire some antagonism toward him.

“Yes. I already alerted Joseph and my aunt. You should find them at the wall close to the Spirit Gathering Formation.”

“Ok,” Maria gave him a curt nod and started walking in the direction of said wall.

“And Maria, I’m taking Francis with me for this little expedition,” Jacob announced.

The woman froze on the spot. As she turned to glance at him, she uttered only two words: “Be careful.”

Jacob felt an icy sensation on the back of its neck, sure that the warning wasn’t much of a suggestion rather than a threat.