Chapter 181: Chapter 132: Mining Gold; Shocking Change in the Mountain Range
The others’ eyes lit up as well.
It was just a thin layer at the bottom, but this was from a single shovelful of dirt.
This hollow spanned at least a tenth of an acre!
How much could they dig up!?
Cheng Zongyang stood up and poured the Golden Sand, which weighed about a gram, into a clean ceramic bowl. He handed it to Zhou Zhenyuan and said, "Brother, I’m entrusting this Golden Sand to you."
Zhou Zhenyuan took the bowl and nodded firmly. "Don’t worry. I’ll keep it safe."
Cheng Zongyang gave a slight nod and looked at Zhang Guangwen and the others. "Just follow the sa procedure I did. Pour the fully washed Golden Sand into the ceramic bowl. Steward Zhou will be in charge of keeping it safe. Work diligently, and I guarantee your Contribution Points will far exceed everyone else’s. You’ll be able to use those points to buy farmland, pay for your children’s schooling, or even for Martial Arts Training."
"Yes, Young Clan Leader!" everyone exclaid, their excitent palpable.
After that, Cheng Zongyang started instructing them. Zhou Zhenyuan, in addition to working alongside them, was also responsible for supervision, ensuring no one pocketed any gold after their shift ended each day. anwhile, Zhang Guangwen, who also knew how to cook, was in charge of preparing lunch.
Once they got the hang of it, Cheng Zongyang began to survey the river, checking for other hollows upstream and downstream.
Bends in the river are where the current hits the hardest. These areas beco collection points for river sand and Golden Sand, and are also the reason why the river sotis changes its course.
He inspected the river upstream and downstream. He found that the channel upstream was fairly straight, but the downstream section had a few bends. There were four spots that showed signs of the river having changed course, including the one where they were currently panning for Golden Sand. These four locations also had softer, looser soil.
Cheng Zongyang made a note of the other three locations.
Once everyone was fully accustod to the work, Cheng Zongyang continued to train Zhou Zhenyuan in the Basic Saber Technique while also standing guard over the panning crew.
A day passed, uneventful and ordinary.
With the gold operation underway, Cheng Zongyang had no ti to enter the Wilderness World. He still needed to guide the others in crafting more efficient tools to improve the panning speed.
They had no machines, but they could still fashion so wooden tools with their carpentry skills.
「Two days passed in the blink of an eye.」
Aside from the increasingly sultry weather, the hall system and Contribution Points system at the Inner Mountain Pass were gradually refined as various issues arose.
At Cheng Zongyang’s direction, they built simple wooden rocker boxes, which greatly accelerated the multi-stage washing and sifting process.
The Salt Workshop and Gold Panning Workshop were rged into the Ministry of Works Hall, with all their output being sent to the Storehouse.
Cheng Zongyang wasn’t in a hurry to take the Golden Sand they had panned. He was waiting for tomorrow, when he would find an excuse to "go to the city" and take it away.
The Ministry of Works Hall later absorbed the carpentry workshop and the construction workshop as well.
The forr was responsible for making various furniture, processing lumber, and so on. The latter had already finished the communal buildings but continued to oversee the construction of new houses in the clan’s Henei territory. It also handled requests from people who would eventually use their Contribution Points to have their own hos built.
In addition, there were the kiln, farming, and husbandry workshops.
These divisions were created to clearly define responsibilities and streamline "business operations" in the future.
Though they were short on manpower, their overall workload wasn’t too heavy. Once he recruited a second wave of people, he would be able to fill the various vacancies.
As early autumn arrived, dawn the next day painted a serene and beautiful picture across the Inner Mountain Pass.
The sun had just begun to rise, its rays spilling over the layered mountain peaks to bathe the small settlent of Inner Mountain Pass. The scattered wooden rooftops, of all shapes and sizes, glinted with a faint golden light.
A mountain breeze rustled through the forest, yet it carried waves of increasingly sultry air.
But on this particular morning, just as the people were laughing and chatting, ready to begin another day’s work, a sudden, ear-splitting shriek of unknown origin echoed throughout the entire Celestial Break Mountain Range.
In the Extragalactic Region of the Inner Mountain Pass, Cheng Zongyang and the others held the children who’d been startled awake, clamping their hands over the little ones’ ears. Their faces paled as they stared at the sky. The rest of the settlers, with looks of horror, did the sa for their own children, enduring the discomfort to gaze upward. For a mont, they all forgot the pain caused by the piercing cry.
To the west, a dense swarm of enormous, fireball-like objects shot into the sky. Then, they exploded high above, transforming into a shower of teors that rained down in every direction.
The sight made everyone’s face turn deathly pale.
A profound aura erupted from Cheng Zongyang’s body as he let out a furious roar. "Everyone, to the cellars!! Now!!!"
The roar, nearly drowning out the piercing shriek, instantly snapped everyone back to their senses.
Spurred on by the shouts of Cheng Guanghai and the other leaders, everyone scrambled toward the three cellars used for storing supplies and sheltering from disasters.
"Dad, Mom! Quick! Take the children inside! We’ll handle the others!" Cheng Zongyang shouted.
Cheng Zongyang told his parents to take their family mbers into the cave behind the ancestral hall. He then took his two cousins to direct the remaining people into the cellars.
The Inner Mountain Pass had three cellars and one cave.
The cave was used for the clansn’s Foundation Establishnt dicine Baths and for storing the clan’s valuables.
The only way into the cave was through the ancestral hall; there was no other entrance.
The three cellars were for storing supplies from the Storehouse and also served as shelters for the Outsiders. There was no guarantee that Exotic Beasts wouldn’t appear, so having a place to hide was better than nothing.
’I just never thought they’d be used for sothing so bizarre!’
BOOM!!
A fireball slamd into a mountainside not far from the Inner Mountain Pass. The resulting shockwave obliterated the surrounding trees, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as flas instantly ignited the area.
Cheng Zongyang forced a few people to the ground. As the blast wave dissipated, he continued herding them toward the cellars.
But a continuous barrage of fireballs followed, igniting massive wildfires across the mountains!
At this, Cheng Zongyang’s expression turned grim.
He scanned the surroundings, thankful that the area imdiately around the Inner Mountain Pass had been mostly cleared of trees. Even if the fire spread, it wouldn’t reach them here.
"Damn it! My dad!"
Zhou Zhendong rembered his father and the other workers at the Salt Workshop. He imdiately spun around to leave but was grabbed by Cheng Zongyang. "Where are you going?"
"I’m going to find my dad!" Zhou Zhendong cried, his voice laced with panic.
He had just gotten back last night after hauling four hundred-pound bags of salt and had taken the night off. He’d planned to head back this morning, but he never imagined sothing this terrifying would happen!
"I know. You stay with Brother and get everyone else to safety! I’ll go get my uncle!"
Cheng Zongyang spoke quickly, then turned and shouted to Zhou Zhenyuan, "Brother! Once you get everyone into the cellars, take shelter in the cave!"
"Okay!" Though frantic with worry, Zhou Zhendong could only obey. He knew his cousin was far stronger than him and had a better chance.
Zhou Zhenyuan didn’t hesitate either. He agreed instantly and turned to yell at the crowd, "Hurry up! Don’t bring anything! Move it!"
Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang executed his Wind-Stepping Step and shot off toward the Salt Workshop.
He had been planning to find an excuse to take the Golden Sand and "go to the city" this very morning. His goal was to try out the Cultivation Room.
But once again, his plans had been upended by a sudden turn of events.
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