Chapter 100

The reason for the river's gentle flow was quickly found by Hong Tao. This area was all plains, extending inland for over 30 kilometers before any mountains appeared. The river's course was also winding, so even if the water wanted to flow quickly, it couldn't. After entering the mountainous area, the river channel clearly narrowed, and the water flow speed increased significantly, but it wasn't enough to affect the Explorer's navigation. So, Hong Tao continued upstream for half a day, wanting to see how long the river was and if there were any villages upstream. However, he neither found the source nor any human presence. Along the way, there were only various animals and layer upon layer of mountains, with no end in sight.

That evening, Hong Tao and his group anchored in a slow-flowing area where the river made a sharp turn and spent another night on the boat. It was better to anchor on the shore, but not only because of the risk of local attacks; the snakes and insects in the jungle were also dangerous. This time, the anchoring was not in vain. The next morning, while washing up by a small tributary with clear water, Hong Tao discovered something that made his pupils almost square: gold sand!

Those glittering little grains lay quietly in the sand by the water, waiting for someone to discover them, and Hong Tao was that person. He was no longer calm, and after confirming that these were indeed gold, he didn't tell anyone. He took Karl, armed with a crossbow and a machete, and hiked upstream along the tributary for half a day before returning to the Explorer. He then ordered the return voyage, heading directly back to Ximao Island, thus ending this long-distance exploration.

"Do you recognize these stones?" Hong Tao pointed to the rocks on the sea chart table, which were shimmering with a metallic yellow glow.

"Gold!" Karl's pupils also became somewhat square.

"You're more obsessed with wealth than I am! This stuff is more valuable to me than gold. It's brass ore, and it's of very high quality. It's a good thing!" Hong Tao originally just wanted to check if there was more gold sand upstream, but he found not only gold sand but also several yellow and greenish stones. These stones were very familiar to Hong Tao because they were described and illustrated on the silk scroll that Luo Youde had shown him, which was the list of prohibited goods issued by the Southern Song Maritime Trade Office. The illustrations were very realistic, almost identical.

With the gold mine, Hong Tao had the potential for development. With the brass ore, he could think even further ahead. Now he needed to readjust his development plan, advancing some steps and considering some issues he hadn't thought of before.

"Are we rich now? If we sell this news to the king of the Song Dynasty, how much money would it be worth?" Karl wasn't disappointed that it wasn't a gold mine. He knew that the Song Dynasty lacked copper, and their coins were made of copper. Finding a copper mine was like finding a mountain of copper coins, no different from digging up copper coins directly. However, his mind was still stuck in the Holy Roman Empire, always thinking of the king.

"He would cut your head off and hang it on the city gate! This is not your country, and your methods won't work here. Besides, this is not Song territory. What we found should be ours. Why should we give it to others? Can you mine?" Hong Tao wanted to hit Karl but, seeing his bearded, weathered face, he held back.

"No..." Karl shook his head.

"I guessed you couldn't. Oh, we lack manpower... Seeing money everywhere but unable to get it, with just a few of us, we can't start a mine! Let's go catch our whales first. Keep this to yourself, don't tell anyone, or I'll hit you on the head with this!" Hong Tao sneered, thinking Karl was a parasite, good at nothing but sword fighting, a useless person.

"Sir, we can capture slaves to mine. You can pay taxes to the king of the Song Dynasty and then capture prisoners from enemy countries to mine for us!" Karl was still unwilling to give up on the gold and copper mines. Not being able to get the money affected his return time, so he tried to persuade Hong Tao to get rich quickly.

"Slaves!... You guys are really stuck with this mindset. Why didn't I think of it?... Let's not talk about this for now. Let's go catch whales. When the time is right, I'll make you the captain of the slave-hunting team." A person from the future was indeed less flexible in some aspects, mainly due to the modern values that influenced his thinking. Hong Tao, reminded by Karl, instantly imagined a picture, but looking at the few people and the crossbow, he suppressed the idea. The timing wasn't right; they lacked ships, people, and weapons. Capturing slaves was a risky business.

The wind was favorable for the return journey, a side wind, and the weather was clear, but the harvest wasn't great. They only encountered one group of whales, but they didn't dare to attack. It was a group of toothed whales chasing a group of manta rays. When these toothed whales got aggressive, even sharks couldn't stand up to them. The sea was churned into a bloody mess, and the sight made everyone on the ship shudder. They quickly turned to avoid this area, fearing that the whales might mistake their sailboat for a target.

"Actually, I'm just afraid of trouble. Besides, there's not much oil on them. If I wanted to, I could take them down one by one without your help." Hong Tao looked back to see if the toothed whales were following, and he was still boasting. If he wasn't afraid of the boat's bow being damaged by the waves, he would have raised the ball sail. The scene was too bloody and terrifying.

Blessed land! The waters northeast of Ganshui Island, about ten nautical miles away, were either above a trench or a place where fish followed ocean currents. Regardless, the whale population here was clearly denser than in other areas. Besides the elusive pilot whales, there were also groups of baleen whales, more than one group!

"Alright, let's go for this one today. Azhu, keep an eye on it. Our son's new boat depends on your skills! Everyone, get ready. Prepare the sailboards, each with five harpoons. Follow me and aim for the same spot. Don't damage the skin; I need it for the sail." Finally, Hong Tao found a whale of the right size. Too big would be a waste to carry, and too small wouldn't provide enough skin for the sail.

With the previous whale-hunting experience, Hong Tao and Karl were quite calm. Whale hunting was actually a safe job, as long as you didn't choose the wrong target. Attacked whales generally didn't fight back; they just tried to escape. What was the right target? Two points: first, it must be a baleen whale; toothed whales were not to be messed with. Second, it shouldn't be a group with calves, as whales are very protective of their young. A group of baleen whales, even without teeth, would fiercely protect their young, and the Explorer, a small boat, couldn't withstand even one attack.

"See, this is the symbol of my hometown. Draw it, and the spirits will protect you, repelling all evil. Charge!" Hong Tao hadn't gotten tired of whale hunting. Sailing on the sea and harpooning these giant animals was very exciting, making his adrenaline surge, more thrilling than smoking. To infect the hesitant Bojiao and Huang Tao with this excitement, Hong Tao drew some black lines on his face with black dye, like an Indian totem. Whether it worked or not was secondary; it made him look fierce and might boost the morale of the two novices.

The four small sailboards formed two rows, moving in parallel. Bojiao followed Hong Tao, and Huang Tao followed Karl. Their only task was to follow the person in front and mimic their actions. Azhu, on the Explorer, followed about 100 meters behind, both tracking the injured whale and providing backup harpoons to the four whale hunters on the sea.

Soon, the whale Hong Tao targeted was hit by the first wave of attacks. Three sharp harpoons accurately pierced its back. Bojiao, possibly due to nervousness or lack of strength, threw his harpoon shallowly, and it was washed away by the waves.

"Don't just stand there. Go back and get another one. No one can guarantee success every time. Keep going!" Seeing Bojiao trying to find the lost harpoon in the water, Hong Tao had to turn back and block his path with the sailboard to prevent him from being hit by the suddenly surfacing whale.

"I hit it! I hit it!" Bojiao's second throw was much better, and the harpoon almost grazed the whale's existing harpoons, deeply piercing the skin. A spurt of whale blood was splashed by the waves, covering his face and head.

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