Bit by bit, the group would head closer to the salt mines while they trained, arriving there in a few hours.
Mao was at the back while riding his giant panda. It was now lumbering along the forest, and if it led the way, it was estimated that the travel time would be twice as long.
Eventually, they reached the mines, and the miners and citizens headed in to start mining with their special pickaxes. Since this resource-gathering mission was technically independent of the territory, each piece of equipment was a miner's personal investment. The quality depended on the weaponsmith whom they had commissioned to make it.
The guards and hired mercenaries, on the other hand, spread out to guard the edges, with one or two walking around in case a beast passed through.
Pang was rolling around the perimeters too, and ran over monsters he could handle and then rolled away from monsters that he could not.
