155: Chapter 155: Sado Gold Mine

Early the next morning, Li Xin stood in the courtyard for a while. The morning light had just broken, dew hung on the dwarf pines, and the moss on the stone lanterns was damp. The air was cool and carried a hint of grass and wood.

Yamashita Kyoko brought over breakfast. Rice, miso soup, grilled fish, pickles, and natto were set out on the table.

"Mr. Li, the car is ready. It is a Toyota Crown, in the garage."

"Good."

After eating breakfast, Li Xin went downstairs. The garage was on the basement level. A black Toyota Crown sat quietly there; the car was neither new nor old, with dark windows, looking very low-key.

He opened the door and sat inside. The interior was beige, the seats were genuine leather, and it was very comfortable. He started the engine; the sound was very light, and the vibration was minimal.

He drove out of the garage and headed towards Hakone.

AI System suddenly popped up: "Zhuzi, you chose a low-key car. A Toyota Crown is everywhere in Japan, but is it really necessary?"

"It is better to be low-key."

Li Xin scanned while driving. It took nearly two hours to reach Hakone.

He had no intention of going to the crowded tourist spots and drove straight to the mountain hot spring inn he had booked in advance. The mountain road was narrow, and the trees along the road were lush, almost brushing against the car windows.

After parking the car, he carried his luggage into the inn. The receptionist was a young woman wearing a kimono, who bowed and spoke in a voice as gentle as water.

"Mr. Li, welcome. Your room is ready and includes a private hot spring."

Li Xin nodded in acknowledgement. "Hmm, thank you for your hard work, please take me there."

"You are too kind, please follow me this way."

Li Xin followed her through the corridor; the floor was made of wood and creaked when stepped on. Bamboo and maple trees were planted in the courtyard, and a winding stone path led to the guest rooms deep inside.

The room was quite large, with tatami mats, a low table, and floor-to-ceiling windows facing the valley. The hot spring pool on the balcony was not large, but the water was clear and steaming.

He changed into a yukata and soaked in the pool. The water was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, and he felt his whole body relax as he soaked in.

AI System floated out: "Zhuzi, are you here for a vacation?"

"What is the rush? Let's figure out the situation first."

"You are just making excuses for yourself to enjoy."

Li Xin did not deny it and said directly,

"Having stayed in the Japanese Military for so long, I have to experience it eventually."

AI System muttered: "Fine, you brat, you are a rich man now, so whatever you say is right."

He soaked for half an hour and then lay on the tatami mats for a while. Fog had risen in the valley outside the window, white and vast, and nothing could be seen.

In the evening, he soaked again. This time it was an open-air bath, with the sky right above his head. The stars had come out; there weren't many, just scattered here and there.

After the hot spring, he had dinner in his room. It was kaiseki cuisine, served dish by dish, and was very exquisite. He ate slowly and drank two pots of sake.

His phone vibrated. Yamashita Kyoko sent a message: "Mr. Li, what arrangements do you need for tomorrow?"

Li Xin thought for a moment and replied: "Help me check the ferry schedule from Niigata to Sado, special class."

"Okay, I will check and send it to you."

Putting down the phone, AI System asked again.

"Going to Niigata tomorrow?"

"First to Niigata, then to Sado. After all, the straight-line distance from Niigata Port to Sado is only about 35 kilometers. It is within the 50-kilometer range."

"Then that is no problem. What about Akagi Mountain?"

"Once Sado is finished, I will return to Gunma."

Li Xin closed the system panel and lay down. The tatami was a bit hard, but the quilt was soft and had a faint fragrance.

He turned over and stared at the night view outside the window.

Tomorrow, off to Niigata.

At six in the morning, just as the sky brightened, Li Xin got up.

He checked out and drove towards Niigata. From Hakone to Niigata, it was over three hundred kilometers, taking four or five hours to drive. He got on the highway, pushed the speed to 120, and wove through the traffic.

AI System continued to Scan in the background.

When passing through Gunma Prefecture, the system suddenly sounded.

"Zhuzi, there is a signal in the direction of Gunma! In the direction of Akagi Mountain, signs of artificial burial!"

Li Xin slowed down, turned on the right turn signal, and pulled into a service area. He parked the car and took out his phone to look at the data sent by AI System.

"Scanning results show: In the direction of Akagi Mountain, about 40 kilometers from the current location, there are clear signs of an artificial cache from the Tokugawa Shogunate period, with an estimated 18 tons of gold buried deep."

Li Xin wrote down the coordinates and continued on his way.

He arrived in Niigata at noon. The city was not big, the streets were clean, and there was a smell of the sea in the air. He drove directly to a high-end hotel near the port and checked in.

The room was on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the Sea of Japan. The outline of Sado was faintly visible in the distance, grey and hazy, like a whale lying on the surface of the sea.

Li Xin stood in front of the window and watched for a few seconds.

Then he sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and opened the system.

"AI System, Scan the entire Niigata area, 50-kilometer radius, focusing on the direction of Sado."

AI System responded: "Okay, starting Scan..."

The map unfolded before his eyes; the outlines of Niigata city and the surrounding counties became clear, and signal points lit up densely.

The direction of Sado also lit up.

AI System's voice was filled with excitement.

"Found it! In the direction of Nishisanraku-go, Sado, about 35 kilometers from the current location, within the scanning range!"

"Signs of residual gold from the Shogunate period plus artificial cache features, deep burial, estimated around 22 tons."

Li Xin stared at the flickering area on the map. The outline of Sado was very clear in the system; mountains, rivers, and coastlines were all marked precisely. The signal was most concentrated and the color deepest in the Nishisanraku-go area.

"Specific location?"

AI System brought up the exact coordinates.

"38 degrees 01 minutes north latitude, 138 degrees 26 minutes east longitude. Deep in the abandoned mine tunnel of Nishisanraku-go, the main ore vein is about 200 meters underground and extends for about 300 meters."

Li Xin recorded the coordinates.

He pulled up the map in the system again.

Sado: 22 tons. At the current gold price, one ton is 280 million RMB, so 22 tons is 6.16 billion.

Li Xin felt a bit disappointed. "Why is it only 22 tons of gold? It's pitifully small!"

"AI System: Zhuzi, have you lost your head? 22 tons of gold is worth 6.1 billion RMB, and you still think it's too little?"

Li Xin did not reply and continued to study the map.

"Tomorrow morning, take a boat from Niigata Port to Sado. Once near Nishisanraku-go, start the Extraction from 10 kilometers away."

"Hmm, that's a sound plan. You are certainly living a carefree life as a rich man; others come here just for leisure, while you secretly dig away the local gold mines."

"This is what I should do, hehe~"

Li Xin smiled wickedly and stood up, walking to the window. By this time, the outline of Sado was becoming increasingly blurred in the twilight, and there were ships on the sea, their lights flickering.

He watched for a few seconds, then turned to the bathroom.

The hot water washed over his body, and much of his fatigue disappeared. After showering, he changed into clean clothes and went downstairs to eat.

There was a sushi restaurant near the hotel; the storefront was not big, but there was a queue at the door. Li Xin walked over, and the staff said he would need to wait half an hour. He nodded and stood in line to wait.

Two young girls were standing in front of him, chatting softly in Japanese. One said that work pressure had been high recently, and the other talked about her boyfriend. Li Xin listened without interjecting.

After waiting for half an hour, he was led to the bar counter. He ordered the most expensive set menu and added a pot of sake. The sushi chef was an old man with very fast hands, making one piece after another and handing them over.

The taste was indeed good. The fatty tuna melted in his mouth, the sea urchin was cloyingly sweet, the eel was grilled just right, and the sauce was neither too salty nor too bland.

After eating, he paid the bill, which was 38,000 yen.

Walking out of the sushi restaurant, there were not many people on the street. The wind blew from the seaside, feeling chilly. Li Xin stood on the side of the road, lit a cigarette, and smoked slowly.

Returning to the hotel, he lay on the bed. He opened his phone to check the ferry schedule sent by Yamashita Kyoko. There was one at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, first class.

He set his alarm for 5:30.

Then he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, the alarm rang at 5:30. Li Xin got up, washed, and packed his things. He checked out and drove to Niigata Port.

The pier was large, with several ferries docked. He bought a first-class ferry ticket, which was three times more expensive than the regular class. The first-class cabin was on the top floor, with private compartments, leather seats, and tea and snack service.

Li Xin asked for a cup of coffee and sat by the window. The ferry slowly sailed out of the port, and the city outline of Niigata became more and more distant. The sea was calm, the wind was not strong, and the sunlight shone on the water, sparkling.

AI System continued to Scan in the background.

"There are three historical mining areas on the island with strong signals, and the Nishisanraku-go area is the most concentrated. The mine tunnels from the Shogunate period are still there; the authorities say they have long been exhausted, but that is because they didn't dig to the bottom."

Li Xin held his coffee and looked at the sea outside the window. Occasionally, seagulls flew by, their cries sharp.

It was nearly nine o'clock when the ferry docked. Li Xin got off the ship to pick up his car. The Toyota Crown had been shipped over in advance and was parked in the pier parking lot.

He got in the car, started the engine, and headed straight to the Ryotsu Port Tourist Center.

The tourist center was not big, with a few buses parked at the entrance, and not many tourists. Li Xin walked in and went to the ticket window to buy the most expensive experience package. The ticket plus the package cost 35,000 yen.

The staff member was a young girl who, seeing him come alone, asked enthusiastically: "Sir, are you alone?"

"Yes, I am very interested in the history of gold mines in Japan and came specifically to study it."

"Welcome!"

Li Xin then followed a female tour guide to visit. Her explanation was very professional, covering everything from the discovery of the Sado Gold Mine to the mining during the Edo Shogunate period, and from the tunnel structure to the smelting process.

"At its peak, the Sado Gold Mine produced 400 kilograms of gold per year." The tour guide said in a gentle voice.

Li Xin rolled his eyes on the side. "400 kilograms? I can Scan 22 tons at once; they dug for nothing."

Li Xin pretended to take photos and went around the peripheral path to the north side of the sightseeing area. He stopped about 8 kilometers from the abandoned Nishisanraku-go mine tunnel.

"AI System, do a precise Scan and lock onto the deep mine tunnel signal in Nishisanraku-go."

"Zhuzi, the mine tunnel entrance is about 200 meters underground, the main ore vein is about 300 meters long, and the signal is concentrated in the middle section."

"Good, start the Extraction now."

"Extraction started... 50 tons/hour rate, 22 tons expected in 26 minutes."

A pale blue light, visible only to Li Xin, emerged from the system and extended underground. The progress bar began to jump, very quickly.

18th minute.

Several police officers walked over. Li Xin's heart tightened; there were still 8 minutes left in the Extraction, and it could not be stopped.

"Police, please cooperate with a routine check."

Two police officers stood in front of Li Xin, wearing dark blue uniforms with their hats worn properly. One was older, around forty, with sunspots on his face. One was young, in his early twenties, holding a folder.

The older one showed his ID: "Routine check, please show your ID."

Li Xin took his passport out of his backpack and handed it over.

"I am a Chinese national, here in the Japanese Military for a vacation."

The police officer flipped through the passport and looked at him again: "Just you alone?"

"Yes, traveling alone." Li Xin said with a smile.

The police officer's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds before speaking.

"There are few tourists on the island recently, please be careful."

Then he returned the passport to him.

"Thank you for your concern." Li Xin took the passport.

The police officer nodded and turned away to check others.

Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

26th minute.

The progress bar jumped to 100%.

AI System reported: "Shogunate gold mine Extraction complete, obtained 22.3 tons of gold."

"Cumulative gold: 1925.4057 tons."

Li Xin wandered around for a while and then returned to the hotel.

He hadn't been sitting for long when there was a knock on the door of the next room.

It was the Chinese tourists next door, a middle-aged couple. The man was in his forties, slightly chubby, wearing a floral shirt, and the woman had curly hair and was carrying a small bag.

"Hello, are you a compatriot? We heard some movement in your room."

Li Xin opened the door helplessly: "Yes, I just came back from outside."

The couple invited him enthusiastically: "Let's have a late-night snack together; we brought hot pot!"

"Thank you, but I'm a bit tired. Let's do it another day."

The couple was a bit disappointed but still added him on WeChat, hoping to have a chance to hang out together.

Closing the door, Li Xin breathed a sigh of relief.

The next morning, Li Xin drove to Ryotsu Port and took a ferry back to Honshu.

Before leaving, he looked back at Sado from the pier.

"22 tons secured, next stop Akagi Mountain." He said in a low voice.

"Zhuzi, your harvest this time is a bit lacking; only 22 tons of gold, can't compare to the previous ones!"

Li Xin did not speak.

The ferry sailed out of the port, and the outline of Sado became more and more distant, finally disappearing on the sea.

On the system panel, the cooldown time had already started counting down.

After 12 hours, he could continue extracting.

Just wait,

Now, go to Akagi Mountain and see, hopefully there will be good news there.