The next morning brought bad news from the surface. The east well had dropped again overnight, even with the chisel off. Water now stood in a farmer’s cellar on the west slope.
Xiaoyao laid the complete log beside Austin’s breakfast.
“Every reading changed after we started. Some recovered when we stopped. Some did not.”
Austin read the sheet twice. “The system still gives the mine a green rating.”
“The system did not drink that muddy water,” Gu Qing said.
Austin almost answered that the machine had run for days without a failure. He stopped himself. It had produced ore without a failure. That was not the same thing.
He went to the chisel and pulled the main power lead. Then he tied a red tag to the switch.
DO NOT RUN. WATER AND LEY-LINE REVIEW.
“Production is halted.”
Xiaoyao stared at him. “The foundry quota?”
“We miss it. Thirty crates were my target, not a law of nature. If the shop only works by draining somebody’s well, the shop is wrong.”
He sent workers to open the old spring channel by hand. No powered drills. No star-fire near the vein. The water would recover slowly, and Gu Qing would arrange clean barrels for the affected farms until it did.
Austin gave Xiaoyao the next task.
“Map every water reading. We need a low-impact cutter and a return loop before we make another block.”
***
In the Royal Capital, Xuan Chen reported the same pattern to Emperor Yan Ming. His bronze vessel had recorded regular blows. Provincial inspectors had also recorded cloudy wells and changed spring flow.
“This is not only an unlicensed mine,” he said. “It may be damaging the western water table.”
Grand Elder Tie Kuang stood before the throne in black armor. He controlled the Iron Pavilion and most royal mining contracts.
“Then the operation must be taken over,” he said. “My engineers can secure the vein. Its metal will serve the navy.”
Director Kang Feng, who managed the Pavilion’s western production, bowed beside him. His steel left arm hissed as he straightened.
“Your Majesty, I request permission to inspect the site and negotiate a supply contract. We need reliable metal. We do not need a ruined water system or a buried workforce.”
Tie Kuang gave him a cold look. “A contract leaves ownership with farmers.”
“A functioning mine matters more than whose name sits on the deed,” Kang replied.
The Emperor cared about the navy and the wells. He issued a writ allowing inspection and emergency measures. It also allowed seizure if the operators refused to stop the damage.
Kang accepted the writ with a tight jaw. The concern behind it was real. The power it gave Tie Kuang was dangerous.
***
By afternoon, Kang reached the eastern valley with two hundred guards and three boring skiffs. He did not start the drills.
A scout pointed toward the cliff. “We could be under their floor in an hour.”
“And add our vibration to theirs? Keep the engines cold.”
Kang sent a written notice to Gu Qing instead. It listed the well readings, the royal writ, and a proposed contract for safely produced metal.
At the bottom, Tie Kuang added his own order before the courier left.
If they refuse, seize the mountain and all existing alloy.
Kang read that line and folded the parchment closed.
“One problem at a time,” he said. “First, we find out whether anyone down there understands the water.”