I run out of soapstone and head down to get some more. I decide to mine some soapstone I spotted in the mineshaft I'd cleared but almost immediately:



Sigh. Well, I set up a couple of view portals and after a while block of the rest of the mineshaft. With my back secure, I break in. I quickly find a mine cart and then



A very complex junction. I think there are four mineshafts here! So I close it off. A skeleton wanders up while I'm blocking it off and I off him. I loot the chest (finding a Thaumium pick and a very nice enchanted book) and mine a number of exposed ores.

I decide to continue along the mineshaft as that will connect to the ravine area. So I open up my blockage and very quickly come to a five-way intersection. Wait, you might say. How do you get a five way intersection with right angles? Simple: there's a vertical mineshaft too.

 I block off the intersection and turn right, putting in view points to see if I can break into that shaft. And shortly:



Oh looky! I break into a mineshaft turning to avoid a mineshaft intersection I hit going along a mineshaft to avoid four other mineshafts. Grand Central Station, eat your heart out!

Quite a collection of ores there, though.

With all these mineshafts, it's time to get some gear.

I manage to make level 30 at this point and I want to test some of the higher-powered metallurgy alloys made from base metals.

I decide to try to enchant a Damascus Steel Chestplate. Damascus Steel is made from Iron and Bronze, and is comparable to Diamond (which I'm a bit short of). I smelt it, craft it, enchant it, and:



Not bad! Looks spiffy too.

I run upstairs to get a little experience for level one enchants on some more gear. I don't have enough Damascus Steel for a full set but I have plenty of Steel. I make a Steel helmet and boots and:



Zeno looks a little more warlike.

I should mention I've changed my skin. I ran across a really nice Greek Philosopher skin, Parmenides of Elea, by MolochBaal. Parmenides wasn't Zeno, but he *was* Zeno's mentor (and perhaps more, Plato hinted). And, it's a really nice skin, so I switched.

I mine out some of the floor to make the whole area more one level.

Better armed, I break into this next mineshaft. It turns out the fancy armor wasn't necessary (although I couldn't have known that).   I do hear a slime above me but it can't get down the vertical shaft (which I block off.) I secure an L-shaped area which includes the cross-shaft I was looking at and the continuation of the shaft I'd been following, up to where it dead ends.

The dead end is right where the dungeon with the zombie spawner is, so I have good access to that. My previous route had to jog around a mineshaft.

I try mining to the side.



Sigh.

I mine some more soapstone and some more Metallurgy minerals. and head back upstairs for more building.