Gold Rush Starts in the Bering Sea

Chapter 29: Gold Smelting

Inside the gold-separating plant, the gold miners who had paid rent had long since finished their separation work, and Albert, sitting in the plant, was separating the gold.

Jason and his two companions, who had come in the rain, took off their soaking wet raincoats.

The fireplace in the warehouse continuously emitted heat, dispelling the chill from the three of them.

Albert glanced at it, then continued with his work.

Ada greeted them, "Jason, you're here! Wait a minute, it'll be over soon."

"No rush, we can wait a bit."

Jason found a stool and sat down, while Andy and Brent huddled together next to Albert, watching the gold separate.

The separation of gold is usually done by experienced workers or captains, which is to avoid disputes and is also the default rule.

Especially Andy, despite having panned for gold in the Bering Sea for over a decade, he's only had a handful of actual gold-separating experiences.

As for Brent, he had little experience in gold mining, let alone the work of separating gold.

Under the watchful eyes of Andy and Albert, he completed the separation process, followed by drying and weighing.

"Andy, Brent, you two take over the gold," Jason said, handing the job over to the two of them. He then sat at the table, leisurely eating snacks.

He couldn't do everything himself; he only needed to focus on finding the gold.

Moreover, he knew the exact amount of gold he had panned from the Bering Sea, and the separation process would be roughly correct. Besides, the separation plant was his own property.

After confirming with Jason several times, the two realized that Jason was not joking.

Andy and Brent began the operation, one holding a spoon to separate the felt, while the other cleaned it up.

The photographer on one side quietly recorded the scene.

"Hey kid, come here for a second," Albert said, beckoning Jason while holding an electronic scale in one hand.

The container is reset, and gold is slowly poured in.

The final value was 264.2 ounces.

I changed to a different container, zeroed the electronic scale again, calculated the amount on the calculator, and then poured in the gold again.

"52.84 ounces, is this number correct?" Albert held up a calculator, showing Jason the value on it and confirming it for him.

"No problem," Jason nodded in confirmation.

Jason carefully placed the gold into a stainless steel bottle; he couldn't have had too much of this.

"By the way, Old Hart also gave you 20% of the profits. It was all done under your mother's watchful eye, so you can rest assured," Albert told Jason about Old Hart's situation.

Lillian also arrived at the separation warehouse at some point, holding a bottle in her hand, which contained Old Hart's share of the spoils.

"Jason, here is Old Hart's share, a total of 45.35 ounces," Lillian placed the bottle on the table in front of Jason.

One is 52.84 ounces, and the other is 45.35 ounces, for a total of 98.19 ounces.

Andy and Brent were envious; this was pure income. As long as Albert and Old Hart went out to sea and dug up gold at the locations Jason provided, Jason would receive a share.

They may envy them, but they know they don't have that ability.

The location isn't just randomly drawn. If you can't find the gold, you'll be lucky if you don't get a share, let alone a beating.

They could only admire Jason's abilities from afar and feel envious.

Jason grinned as he added nearly 100 ounces to his collection. The more gold, the better, so he wouldn't be strapped for cash back in Australia.

Ada sighed; ever since Jason first sailed out to sea and reaped gold, her envy had never ceased.

Later, Jason's gains increased, and even his own father followed Jason's plan to pan for gold. He felt both frustrated and proud of Jason's achievements.

Inside the separation warehouse, the separation equipment was running, and Andy and his companion gradually became more proficient.

After three days of panning, it took an hour and a half to finally separate the gold.

After drying them, and passing them through the magnet again, Andy and Brent came to the table in front of Jason.

When the electronic scale was turned on, Andy and Brent's breathing became much lighter.

Albert and Old Hart's share of the profits is none of their business, but they are entitled to a cut of the gold here.

First, tiny gold fragments the size of a fingernail were poured in, then gold as fine as sand was slowly poured onto the electronic scale. Once all the gold had been poured in, the result was revealed.

269.63 ounces.

Jason found two small bottles and filled each with 2.7 ounces of gold.

When the two received the gold, they immediately held it in their hands and examined it carefully.

There is a lot of gold on the table, but that is not yours. What you have in your hand now is yours. The two have completely different meanings.

After these two golden share distributions, Andy finally understood why Jason valued them so much.

Excitement and elation filled them, especially Andy, who whispered to Brent, "Hide the gold well. We'll meet at the tavern later; I'll treat you to a few more drinks."

As for Jason, Andy didn't call him either, knowing that Jason wasn't exactly a fan of alcohol.

The two agreed to part ways.

Jason, meanwhile, was tidying up the gold. He only breathed a sigh of relief after the value of his detection ability changed.

Although it has happened quite a few times, Jason still gets a little excited every time.

Lillian, emerging from the smelting room, looked at Jason, who was carrying gold, and asked, "Jason, why don't you melt down your gold? It'll be easier to carry around that way."

"Alright, let's melt them all down into gold nuggets then."

Jason acted immediately, especially after the gold that Lillian had hidden before was also brought out, and he realized that the task was quite large.

Including this haul, Jason has now mined 2488.05 ounces of gold this gold rush season.

Jason plans to break the gold into fifty gold bars, each weighing 50 ounces.

"Jason, watch me work," Albert said as he was smelting gold. When Jason came in, he gestured for Jason to watch his movements.

Heat, melt, pour into mold, and cool.

Albert pointed out the key points of each step of the operation, teaching Jason one by one.

Is it difficult? Not really. To put it simply, it's just a matter of heating and fusing together, but it requires a few details.

Jason took the plunge and started off a bit slow, but he got faster and faster as he went on.

Outside, the rain poured down, pounding against the windows. Inside, the heat was intense; Jason was already drenched in sweat before he had even smelted a few pieces of gold.

It has to be said, it was incredibly hot, especially when the gold was being melted; the waves of heat that swept over us further intensified the temperature inside the smelting chamber.

The quantity wasn't too bad, but fifty pieces of gold, each weighing fifty ounces, Jason overestimated himself.

When Jason reached the tenth piece, he couldn't grip it with the pliers anymore and had to ask Ada for help.

He helped Jason pour the gold out of the mold and put it in water to cool. Seeing that Jason was exhausted, he said, "Jason, there's no rush with this. Take your time."

Wiping the sweat from his face and feeling his slightly trembling arms, Jason nodded. "That's all for today. We'll talk again when we have time."

After handing the smelted gold nuggets and unsmelted gold dust back to his mother Lillian and locking them in the vault, Jason quickly rushed into the bathroom.

After Meimei took a shower and ate dinner at the dining table, Jason gradually recovered.

Everyone dispersed. There was still some time before evening. Some people made plans to drink, some made plans to discuss business, and some needed to settle accounts.

As for Jason, he looked around, then sprawled out on the living room sofa and turned on the TV out of boredom.

Ellie, Jason's younger sister, sat down next to him at some point and whispered, "Jason, can you buy me a doll? Lots of my classmates have them, but I don't."

At home, Dad listens to Mom. Ada has money, but she has to be mindful of her dad's feelings. Only Jason has money.

Jason tilted his head, looked at Ellie whose eyes were full of expectation, and nodded, saying, "Okay, but not snacks."

Ellie, who was about to speak, immediately pouted and said to Jason, "Jason, you're so annoying."

"I hate it when I buy you toys," Jason chuckled. "Then should I stop buying you toys altogether?"

"Jason, you're my brother!" Ellie grabbed Jason's hand, shook it, and said in a cute and coquettish manner.

The two were playfully bickering on the sofa, making Lillian shake her head with a smile.