Gold Rush Starts in the Bering Sea

Chapter 41: The Australian Wilderness

As the sun sets, its afterglow illuminates everything in sight, turning everything in sight golden.

It was already afternoon when we set off, and even with the time spent getting documents and buying supplies, the drive only took three hours, and it was already getting dark.

We drove onto a dirt road and parked in the middle of nowhere.

Several vehicles formed a circle, especially the RV, with its doors facing inwards, to avoid any wild animals or ill-intentioned people appearing late at night.

We pulled out the lights from the RV, then unloaded all the picnic supplies and food we had bought, and the wilderness barbecue officially began.

Some set up tables, others barbecued; everyone did their job.

Brent even bought a small speaker, plugged in a CD player (in 05), and started playing music.

The atmosphere was very lively, and it was destined to be an unforgettable night for everyone.

As night falls, looking up at the sky, one sees a dazzling Milky Way, with twinkling starlight casting its glow, making the night not too dark.

"Jason, come on, try my cooking!"

"Andy, you old man, don't steal any! I just finished baking them!"

"Brent, your cooking is really good, it tastes really good, hahaha."

……

Amidst laughter and chatter, Ellie darted about in the crowd, taking a bite of whatever was ready, her mouth greasy with food.

Bathed in moonlight, listening to music, enjoying delicious food, and drinking beer, it was incredibly pleasant.

The RV was large, but it was destined to be too small for twelve people, so setting up tents became the option.

Some people chose to sleep in their cars, which was nothing to them as they panned for gold at sea.

A gentle breeze made everyone stretch out; it felt so comfortable, so incredibly comfortable.

When sleepiness strikes, some sleep in tents, some in RVs, and some in pickup trucks—everyone has their own choice.

Nothing happened overnight, and the morning sunlight woke everyone.

Relaxing and breathing in the fresh air, everyone washed their faces and brushed their teeth before cleaning up the mess from the previous night.

Because they had to meet with the people sent by the production team the next day, the plan to cross Australia was canceled, and the group changed direction, intending to take a detour back to Bendigo.

With plenty of time, everyone drove at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery along the way.

Australia's scenery is indeed diverse, ranging from lush grasslands and vast forests to endless deserts and Gobi, as well as desolate landscapes reminiscent of the western wilderness seen on television.

A variety of landforms come together, but it is a pity that for most people, only the scenery in Bendigo can be seen.

Brent, driving along, spotted an excavator digging for gold in the distance and suggested over the walkie-talkie, "Jason, should we go check out this gold mining operation?"

"Okay, let's park the car first and find someone to go and discuss it with us to see if it's alright," Jason replied. After all, who knows what might happen if a large group of people suddenly rushed onto someone else's territory.

A group of five cars drove off the highway and parked on the side of the road.

Banks, who was operating the excavator, stopped what he was doing, jumped out of the excavator, frowned, and looked displeased.

On the other side, Dia, holding a detector, also walked up to Banks, his expression grave.

"Are our paperwork all in order?" Banks asked, looking at the cars.

Dia nodded and assured them, "Don't worry, there's absolutely no problem with the paperwork. What I'm worried about right now is that damn environmental protection department. If it's them, we..."

There was no need to explain; Banks knew what he meant.

After Jason and the others got out of the car, Banks breathed a sigh of relief, but his face turned to one of confusion.

There were adults and children, the youngest being a child. This was definitely not some kind of inspection department, after all, they wouldn't bring a child to work.

"This is... a group of tourists?" Dia was both amused and exasperated. He had thought it was something special, but it turned out they were just a group of tourists.

Of course, many tourists have seen gold panning here, but a group like this is rare.

Brent volunteered to take on the negotiation work. He saw the two men standing there, smiling and with their arms outstretched.

As an American, he knew all too well that he had to make himself no threat.

"Hello, I'm Brent. We saw you panning for gold. Would you mind taking a look? Don't worry, we won't disturb your work," Brent said with a smile, extending his hand.

Banks shook hands and asked curiously, "Are you tourists?"

"No, we are gold prospectors too, but we are prospecting for gold in the Bering Sea," Brent's answer surprised Banks and Dia.

Looking at the row of new cars parked along the roadside, Dia exclaimed, "Is gold panning in the Bering Sea really that profitable?"

"No, gold panning in the Bering Sea isn't very profitable," Brent shook his head, and amidst the two men's disbelieving gazes, he laughed, "However, my boss did make money in the Bering Sea."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Banks and Dia agreed to the visit request.

Seeing Brent waving, Jason beckoned everyone over.

"Hello, I'm Jason. I'm sorry to bother you," Jason introduced himself and apologized, as their arrival had indeed affected their gold mining work.

They introduced themselves and gradually became acquainted, especially Ellie, who was full of curiosity, especially when Banks took out the gold they had dug up that day, she kept asking questions.

Of course, Banks and his crew also learned of Cass's and Cass's identities, and their smiles became much brighter when facing the cameras.

"Banks, I wonder how much you guys harvest each day?" Jason asked curiously, standing in front of the large pit dug by the excavator.

"Not much, in fact, it's not even enough to make ends meet," Banks said with a bitter expression. "It all depends on luck. If I'm lucky, I can make some money, but if I'm unlucky, I'll lose a lot of money over the course of a year."

"Although there are many large gold nuggets here, we haven't dug them up yet."

Jason nodded in understanding; after all, the gold buried shallowly had already been dug up, and the gold buried deep depended entirely on luck.

Moreover, Bendigo attracts a considerable number of gold prospectors every year, and the places where large gold nuggets have been discovered have been trampled over and over again.

"What about you guys? Your income over the Bering Sea must be pretty high, right?" Banks asked curiously, looking at the row of new cars.

"It's alright," Jason hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Sometimes a single trip at sea can bring in anywhere from one hundred to four hundred ounces, but it's mostly based on luck."

Although his words were very calm, they almost made Banks and Dia swear.

The gold yields range from 100 to 400 ounces, and even the lowest amount represents their annual gold mining target. But this is just the income from one of their sea voyages!

Dia swallowed hard, her eyes practically gleaming. "Banks, can't we go to the Bering Sea instead?"

Jason was both amused and exasperated by their behavior. Banks hadn't hidden his situation; he'd only mentioned it out of politeness, but he hadn't expected it to spark their interest in panning for gold in the Bering Sea.

"Every place has places with lots of gold panning and places with little gold panning. You have no experience in underwater gold panning, and the equipment required is not cheap. You might as well focus on your current gold panning."

Jason kindly advised him that he was just an exception, and the chances of a novice finding gold in the Bering Sea were extremely slim.

Standing at the edge of the pit, Jason curiously activated his detection capabilities.

Detection range: 15 meters (upgradeable: 1 meter for every 100 ounces)

[Detection depth: 15 meters (upgradeable to 100 ounces, or 1 meter higher)]

Estimated weight: 19.6 ounces (including 13% impurities)

[Upgradeable gold ounces: 817.35 ounces]

[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.]

When the detection results appeared in his eyes, Jason couldn't help but twitch his lips. Nearly twenty ounces, and that was only within a radius of 15 meters and a depth of 15 meters.

You say it's a lot? It certainly is.

However, the distribution is too scattered. There are large gold nuggets, but the most are only two or three ounces. If excavators and ore washing machines are used, the cost will basically be equal to the harvest.

Doing it is like working for nothing, and you might even lose money.

Jason asked, "How big is your mine?"

Banks pointed to the marked spot and said, "It's five hundred meters from here to that spot, which is the marked area, and the width is about forty meters."

Jason nodded, picked up a shovel and a gold pan, and started walking around the area, occasionally squatting down to dig a hole and put some sand and gravel into the gold pan to sift through.

The area wasn't large, and Jason quickly made his way back and forth.

Jason was at a loss for words as he watched Banks talking to his family about gold mining and Dia using a detector to look for gold.

If nothing unexpected happens, this place should have been dug up by other gold prospectors long ago; the gold content is indeed too low.

But one has to admit, it's truly worthy of Australia.

This level of gold content can be found in any gold panning spot.

Before parting, Jason ultimately did not reveal his findings. After all, would people believe him if he just spoke without evidence?