Gold Rush Starts in the Bering Sea

Chapter 10: International Waters

Perhaps my luck from the previous two times has run out.

The information recorded in the notebook was constantly compared with that of the navigation device. Ahead lay an area that had been excavated by a gold-digging ship.

"Jason, why don't we go back to where we were before and make money?" Brent frowned and advised.

These areas in front of us have all been dug up by gold-digging ships, so even if there is gold, the amount is pitifully small.

Although I don't want to admit it, that's the truth.

Brent still wanted to go back to where he was, at least there was still gold there.

"Brent, trust me," Jason said calmly, looking at the navigation screen. "The gold rush season has only just begun. Our current catch is enough for us to find another rich mine."

If Albert hadn't been digging for gold at that location, things would have been fine, but once they started working, the already murky seabed became even more turbid.

If he had a choice, he would certainly prefer to absorb all the gold there, but that's just how it is.

Seeing Jason's focused gaze, Brent didn't say anything more, but simply steered the ship in the direction Jason indicated.

They walked and stopped again, constantly changing directions, and the data recorded in Jason's notebook became more detailed.

Although the numbers changed very little from few to many, Jason was able to tell from the data that there was definitely a rich gold mine not far ahead.

"Jason, we need to stop." Brent stopped the boat; any further ahead was someone else's mining area.

Looking at the marked mining area on the navigation device, Jason shook his head helplessly. He could only pray that the rich mining area he had imagined was not in the mining area ahead.

While many small-time gold miners might be unethical and steal gold on their own, Jason had no such intention.

To avoid trouble, Jason decided to stay away from this place.

Once Jason determined the location on the navigation device, he had Brent take the helm and go around it.

"Jason, this is public waters."

"It's alright, let's go," Jason waved his hand.

In the Bering Sea, besides the contracted mining areas, there are many areas that belong to public waters, which are gathering places for many small gold dredges and gold dredges without mining areas.

If no gold is found, that's fine, but once gold is found, these people won't follow any rules and will just swarm in!

Conflicts in international waters are not uncommon.

His family had mentioned these situations before. Although Jason hadn't witnessed them firsthand, he had experienced the harsh realities of society in his previous life and could imagine what it was like.

Brent was steering the boat, while Jason was curled up on a small sofa in the cockpit.

The two took turns, and in less than two hours, the Lillian, traveling at full speed, arrived at the location marked by Jason.

In this area of ​​uncontracted mining, the public waters are dotted with gold-dredging ships, each with its own lights, though they are not close to each other.

But on the dark Bering Sea, the gold-digging ships stood out so conspicuously.

"Brent, the usual." After going up and down so many times, the two of them had gradually developed a tacit understanding.

Jason donned his diving gear and plunged directly into the seabed.

This time, and like the previous times, Jason didn't take the gold-absorbing pump's tubing again. Finding gold was fine, but if he couldn't, it would be a waste of time.

The seabed here is relatively deep, with an average depth of 15 meters, which can be seen on the detector.

In the pitch-black depths of the sea, Jason turned on his searchlight, and with its detection capabilities, the distribution and abundance of gold in the surrounding area became immediately apparent.

Although it's still not ideal, it doesn't have the golden cluster area I imagined; it's still scattered and somewhat fragmented.

But Jason has no intention of moving.

Detection range: 8 meters (upgradeable: 1 meter for every 100 ounces)

[Detection depth: 1 meter (upgradeable to 100 ounces, upgradeable to 1 meter)]

[Estimated weight: 34.9 ounces]

Upgradeable gold ounces: None

[Note: Gold does not absorb energy; it is only used for upgrading purposes, and its value remains unaffected.]

[Note: Only gold discovered through exploration using one's own methods is of useful value.]

After exploring the ship, the final result came into Jason's view.

After boarding the ship and unloading his diving equipment, Brent handed over his notebook and prepared to head to the cockpit, something that had become a habit for him.

"Brent, we don't need to move."

"Sure?!"

"certainly!"

After receiving Jason's affirmation, Brent was so excited he almost jumped up. He took a few steps to Jason's side and stared intently at the notebook Jason was sketching in.

Jason chuckled and said, "No rush, wait for me a moment."

Brent, looking eager, grinned so hard his wrinkles were showing, and immediately put on his diving gear: "Jason, I'll go down first this time."

Jason placed the notebook with the outline of the sea area in front of Brent and instructed, "This location is different from last time; the areas are more scattered. Pay attention to this, this, and this."

Jason explained the areas he had highlighted to Brent and gave him some important notes.

As Brent sank deeper into the sea, Jason finally had a chance to rest.

"Should I find someone else?" Jason murmured.

Although many small gold-digging boats are only equipped with two people, or even one person working alone, it is clear that two people are not enough to handle the workload given their circumstances.

He and Brent could take turns panning for gold, but that didn't mean they could rest once they got on the ship. The person on the ship still needed to keep an eye on the equipment and communicate with the person underwater.

The rest time is pitifully short!

If Jason hires another person, he will definitely make a profit, both in terms of time cost and later revenue cost!

Of course, this is just an idea, and we'll have to wait until after this return flight to discuss its implementation.

The work of panning for gold in the Bering Sea can be tedious and monotonous, but it is also a time when one's blood is pumping and one's spirits are instantly lifted when gold appears before one's eyes.

The intermittent conversations over the walkie-talkie served not only to alleviate the boredom but also to confirm safety.

But this time, the underwater Brent was not as exciting as before. Although there was a lot of gold, it was obviously not comparable to the gold panning site last time.

Dawn soon arrived, and Jason decided to take a good rest and pause his gold panning work.

"Jason, you might not understand the rules of international waters," Brent warned, pointing to the gold-digging boats in the distance. "Here, whoever finds gold first owns it. We have to race against time."

"Okay," Jason shrugged and put his diving gear back on.

As dawn broke, some gold-digging ships that hadn't yielded much had already approached Jason and his group.

In fact, Jason was noticed as soon as he arrived, but the reason they decided to come was that Jason and his group hadn't moved from their spot.

It's obvious that Jason and his crew have definitely struck gold!

On the ship, Captain Kryn steered his gold-digging vessel slowly toward Jason.

Looking at the name "Lillian" on the hull, he knew that this was definitely one of Albert's brats.

"Lucky brat," Kryn mumbled, eating his sandwich.

Klein did know Albert, but they weren't close, let alone Jason; they'd only met a few times at most.

He could say something if it were Albert's mining area, but this is public waters, and that's the rule in the Bering Sea: whoever gets it first gets it!

At the same time, Corinna, who was not far away, also saw the ship's name through her binoculars as it sailed towards Jason and his group.

Friends are friends, and competition is competition.

She didn't lease any other mining land and was already burdened with loans; she didn't want to go bankrupt after a gold rush season.

"Jason, I'm sorry."

Seeing the Krien and Corinna, which had stopped and were already at sea for work, Brent on board cursed.

"That damned dog, all it does is eat what's readily available!"

Although he was unwilling to accept it, there was nothing he could do.

Moreover, as time went on, other gold-digging ships also began to plunder gold in the surrounding area.

Jason and Brent finished sucking up the scouting locations they had already explored. In Jason's scouting, including this time, there were a total of 249.6 ounces on the ship.

"Brent, there's very little gold left down there, not even enough to cover the cost of oil."

"We need to take a good rest now."

After packing up the equipment, Jason didn't continue the exploration. All he wanted to do after the continuous work was to get some rest.