pjbooks Chapter 42: Swail and Ronaldo Join the Team
Chapter 42: Swail and Ronaldo Join the Team
As evening approached, the group finally returned to the hotel in their cars.
After having a meal at the hotel, we strolled around for a while before everyone went their separate ways.
Jason was woken up early the next morning by a phone call.
"Okay, I'll be down in a bit, just wait a moment." Jason got up and quickly washed up; he hadn't expected the crew to arrive so quickly.
After washing up, I put on my clothes.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Jason was greeted by a man in casual clothes who was clearly the same person he had just spoken to.
With his short, neat haircut, short-sleeved shirt highlighting his muscular physique, and bulging veins on his forearms, coupled with his height of around 1.8 meters, he exuded an overwhelming aura of power.
"Hello, Jason, I'm Ronaldo. The production team arranged for me to come and help you," Ronaldo said enthusiastically, introducing himself as they shook hands.
"Uh, hello, hello." Jason couldn't help but shake his hand twice after letting go. It did hurt a bit; the grip was too strong.
He understood the principle that one should not judge a book by its cover, and he never judged people by their appearance. Therefore, he was still very polite to Ronaldo, who was like a bodybuilder.
Jason asked curiously, "Ronaldo, what kind of help can you offer me?"
"Jason, I'm also a gold prospector, but I have a good relationship with the production team and I'm taking a break recently, so I came here," Ronaldo introduced himself first, and then continued.
"I usually pan for gold in Ballarat; I've been panning for gold in the Gold Triangle for quite some time now."
"Since you came here to pan for gold, you must know a thing or two about this area."
Ronaldo was very curious about Jason's gold rush here, after all, he had heard from the program crew that this young man with a youthful face had made quite a bit of money in the Bering Sea.
Jason didn't speak, gesturing for Ronaldo to continue.
With a shrug, Ronaldo continued.
"I have a pretty good reputation in this area. I can let you tour some of the mines, and secondly, I can help you rent equipment at a lower price."
"You don't have much experience in land-based gold panning, so I think some good equipment can help you achieve more with less effort."
"Furthermore, I am very familiar with the local laws, and I can help you with some of the documents needed for gold mining."
Jason, who had been silent until now, glanced at the burly man in front of him with surprise when he heard Ronaldo's last sentence.
He hadn't expected Ronaldo to be so talented.
But looking at Ronaldo, who was dressed casually and didn't exude any imposing presence, Jason couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Don't look at me like that. I can help you with some small problems, but don't even think about the big ones. I don't have the ability to handle them," Ronaldo said, rolling his eyes as he saw through Jason's thoughts.
Jason nodded in understanding; after all, everyone has connections.
Jason understood most of what Ronaldo had said; there was nothing particularly special about it, but it was just right for Jason, who wanted to strike it rich in Australia.
"Ronaldo, what do you think of the Golden Triangle region? Is it still worth it for me to go gold panning?" After witnessing Banksy's disastrous experience of panning for gold on-site, Jason was curious about Ronaldo's answer.
"Well, there's definitely gold here, even in unexplored areas, but it's all privately owned, very valuable, and they won't easily let people in to pan for gold."
"However, as more and more people come here to pan for gold, almost all the gold that can be found has been dug up, and what's left is hard to find."
Finally, Ronaldo gave his own answer: "My advice is that it's worth buying, but it needs to be investigated."
After all that, we still let Jason make the choice himself.
Jason pondered for a moment and said, "Could you take us to check out some places? If we find a suitable place to start, I think I'll make a decision."
"Of course, that's why I'm here," Ronaldo said with a smile, extending his hand, his smile becoming even brighter.
"Then, boss, please take good care of me during this time."
Jason reached out his hand and responded with a smile.
However, Ronaldo still raised a question about salary, which was addressed by the show's assistant, Cass.
Ronaldo is just a collaborator; they will provide Jason with assistance, but they will not be involved in this kind of employment, nor should they be responsible for his salary.
Jason nodded, agreeing that was indeed the case.
After agreeing on the salary, they had breakfast and chatted about the gold rush situation around Bendigo.
After introducing Ronaldo to everyone, Jason returned to the library while they ate breakfast and prepared supplies.
"Knock knock knock"
A light tap of his finger on the table made Swil look up from his book.
"How about it, want to go gold panning in the wilderness again?" Jason cut straight to the point. If Swail disagreed, he wouldn't say anything more.
Swail closed the book and said slowly, "Are you ready?"
Before Jason could answer, he pulled out his resignation letter from his pocket, placed it under the book, and chuckled as Jason looked on in surprise, "Kid, you should know that an old man like me has to be careful with every choice."
Jason smiled. "Don't worry, you definitely won't be disappointed."
Jason's role with Swail was simple: to give Jason advice about the local area and, as a local, to help Jason avoid potential risks as much as possible.
As an older gold prospector, and especially a local, he was exactly what Jason needed.
Swail and Ronaldo are similar in terms of their roles, but having more players means having more options. The specifics will depend on what the two can bring in the future.
Having lived as a wage earner in his past life, Jason knows his boss's tricks well, and in this life, he will never exploit his workers.
On the way, Jason told Swail about Ronaldo's situation and asked if Swail had any recommendations.
"Boss, I don't know where Ronaldo is talking about right now, but we can go and take a look first." Swail's way of addressing him changed. After all, he had joined Jason's team, and it would be impolite to call him 'kid' anymore.
"Just call me Jason." Jason felt a little uncomfortable when Swail, whose hair was all white, addressed him like that.
However, Jason agreed with Swail's statement; it's always good to investigate further.
After introducing Swail to everyone and giving them a brief introduction, the group got into the car and headed straight for the location marked by Ronaldo.
The lush trees and grasslands gradually turned into sandy soil and weathered rocks, with eucalyptus trees and low shrubs scattered here and there.
A car drove by, kicking up a cloud of dust that swirled in the air.
As they drove further ahead, one mine pit after another, and tailings piles came into view.
Desolation is everyone's first impression.
Gradually, the eucalyptus trees disappeared, replaced by low shrubs and hardy trees.
The car crunched over the gravel, and after leaving the highway, it was driving in the vast wilderness, with very few tire tracks.
After several hours of bumpy travel, the car finally stopped in front of a house nestled among low trees.
The house was small and quite dilapidated, built of sheet metal, and hidden among low trees.
"We're here," Ronaldo said, stretching his back. Every time he came here, he felt like he was going to lose half his life; it was too bumpy.
Ronaldo looked at the locked house and said helplessly to Jason, "That old bastard Carrie has definitely gone out looking for gold again. Let's wait a bit; he should be back soon."
Swail, standing to one side, looked at the house and chuckled, "Old Carrie, how many years has this house been around? Why haven't you moved in yet?"
Ronaldo shrugged, speechless. "According to him, this is the real life of gold prospectors."
"You both know this old Kari?" Jason realized this from their conversation, which made him curious about this old Kari.
Swail lit a cigarette and shook his head: "Jason, you'd better be prepared to get rejected. That old guy values his mine more than anything."
"Don't worry," Ronaldo said with a confident smile. "Old Carri has plans to sell this mine, but not many people know about it."
Jason turned his gaze to Swail.
"Don't look at me, I'm not close to this kid, so I really don't know anything about this," Swell said, shrugging. He was still clueless about it.
Stools were brought out of the RV, and everyone sat idly, chatting.
Fortunately, it was winter, so the temperature here wasn't high.
But when the wind occasionally picked up, carrying sand that blew in their faces, it still made those experiencing the Australian climate for the first time spit out the sand from their mouths.