79: Legend at the foot of the 7th volcano

It took a little over an hour to fly from Makassar to Bali.

Li Xin sat by the window, looking at the sea below. The water was blue, and occasionally he could see a few fishing boats drifting on the surface like tiny dots.

By the time the plane landed at Denpasar Airport, it was already the afternoon. As he stepped out of the airport, a wave of heat hit him. He hailed a taxi and gave the address of a hotel in Ubud.

Ubud is the cultural center of Bali, with many tourists, hotels, and restaurants. The hotel Li Xin booked was in a small alley; it was a traditional Balinese building with a yard full of flowers.

The receptionist was a young woman in her twenties with a ponytail, and her English was very good. "Mr. Li, you have booked for three days, is that correct?"

"Yes. Please help me book a volcano trekking tour for tomorrow or the day after."

The young woman nodded. "Mount Agung? That requires a guide, but I can arrange it for you. It departs at three o'clock tomorrow morning."

"So early?"

"It's for the sunrise. The sunrise at Mount Agung is very beautiful."

Li Xin smiled. "Fine."

At 3:00 AM the next day, before dawn, Li Xin woke up. After washing up, he put on his backpack and walked to the entrance of the hotel. A minibus was already waiting, with several tourists sitting inside, chatting and laughing.

The guide was a man in his thirties with dark skin, a lean build, and wearing a windbreaker. His name was Wayne, and he had been a volcano guide in Bali for ten years.

"Mr. Li?" Wayne walked over and shook his hand.

"Yes."

"Get on the bus. We still need to pick up two more people."

The minibus traveled through the night, picked up two more tourists, and then drove towards Mount Agung. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, the horizon was already beginning to turn white.

Wayne led them up. The path was not difficult to walk, but the slope was very steep. Li Xin walked in the middle of the group, taking pictures as he climbed.

When they reached the middle of the mountain, Wayne let everyone stop to rest.

Li Xin stood on the ridge, looking at the distant valley. Mist floated between the mountains like white gauze.

[Ding... Scan complete. Approximately 120 meters directly below the current location, a large gold vein has been discovered. Gold reserves: approximately 95 tons. It is an ownerless mine and can be 100% extracted.]

[Extraction complete. Obtained 95 tons of gold. Cumulative total: 410.3057 tons.]

Li Xin raised his camera and took a picture of the distant valley.

"Wayne, were there any gold mines here before?" he asked casually.

Wayne walked over and glanced in the direction he was pointing. "Yes. There is an old mining area over there that the Dutch used to operate. It was abandoned later."

"Can I go in and take a look?"

"You can't go in." Wayne shook his head. "That area is a protected zone, and entry is prohibited. Besides, the road is difficult to travel, and there are severe landslides."

Li Xin nodded and didn't ask any further.

He continued to climb up.

When they reached the summit, the sun was just rising. Sunlight shot out from behind the clouds, dyeing the entire sky a golden red. Several tourists cheered and held up their phones to take pictures.

Li Xin stood on the summit, looking at the distant sea.

[Ding... Scan complete. Approximately 200 meters below the summit, ancient sacrificial ruins have been discovered. Gold reserves: approximately 22 tons. Type: gold artifacts, gold Buddhas, gold coins. 100% Extraction possible.]

[Extraction complete. Obtained 22 tons of gold. Cumulative total: 432.3057 tons.]

He raised his camera and took a few pictures of the sunrise.

Then he turned around and followed the group down the mountain.

On the way down, Wayne walked beside him and asked if he was a photography enthusiast. Li Xin said yes, he liked to travel around and take pictures, and had been to several countries in Southeast Asia.

"Have you been to Yogyakarta?" Wayne asked.

"Not yet."

"There are also volcanoes there, Mount Merapi, which is very beautiful. And there are ancient temples there, Borobudur, which are very suitable for photography."

Li Xin nodded. "I'll go check it out next time."

When he returned to the hotel, it was already noon. Li Xin took a shower and lay on the bed.

He opened the system panel.

[Cumulative gold extracted: 432.3057 tons.]

[Gold required for next upgrade: 500 tons.]

He was still short by 67.7 tons.

He closed the panel and took out his phone. Chen Hu had sent a message: "Boss, there is a temple complex in Yogyakarta called Borobudur, a World Heritage site. Are there any legends of treasure there?"

Li Xin thought for a moment and replied: "Help me look into it."

Then he opened the map and found the location of Yogyakarta.

Borobudur, a Buddhist temple built in the 9th century, is known alongside China's Great Wall, India's Taj Mahal, and Cambodia's Angkor Wat as one of the four great wonders of the ancient East.

In a place like this, it is impossible for there to be nothing underground.

He booked a flight to Yogyakarta for tomorrow.

Then he turned off his phone and closed his eyes.

The sunshine in Bali outside the window was lovely, and the wind blew in, carrying the scent of flowers.

He turned over and soon fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Li Xin flew to Yogyakarta.

When the plane landed, he could see Mount Merapi through the porthole. The summit was emitting white smoke, as if it were breathing.

After leaving the airport, he hailed a taxi and gave the address of a hotel near Borobudur. The car drove for about an hour until they reached a small town.

The hotel was not big, a two-story building with a few coconut trees planted at the entrance. The receptionist was a young woman with a sweet smile.

"Mr. Li, you have booked for two nights, is that correct?"

"Yes. Please help me book a tour of Borobudur for tomorrow morning."

"To watch the sunrise? The sunrise at Borobudur is very beautiful."

"Fine."

At 4:00 AM the next day, before dawn, Li Xin arrived at Borobudur.

There were not many tourists, just a few scattered groups. He bought a ticket and walked in.

The temple was huge, stacked layer by layer, with a large stupa at the very top. He walked up the steps, looking around as he went.

When he reached the third level, he stopped and stood on a platform. In the distance, he could see Mount Merapi, its summit shrouded in mist.

[Ding... Scan complete. Approximately 30-150 meters below the Borobudur temple complex, multiple ancient treasure chambers have been discovered. Total gold reserves: approximately 58 tons. Type: gold artifacts, gold Buddhas, gold coins, gold leaf. These are ownerless historical relics and can be 100% extracted.]

[Extraction complete. Obtained 58 tons of gold. Cumulative total: 490.3057 tons.]

He was still short 9.7 tons to reach 500 tons.

Li Xin continued to walk up.

When he reached the top level, the sun was just rising. The sunlight shone on the stupa, dyeing the entire structure gold.

He stood there, looking at the distant volcano.

[Ding... Scan complete. Approximately 80 meters directly below the current location, a small treasure chamber has been discovered. Gold reserves: approximately 9.8 tons.]

[Extraction complete. Obtained 9.8 tons of gold. Cumulative total: 500.1057 tons.]

[System upgrade conditions met.]

Li Xin kept taking pictures of the sunrise.

After a while, he turned around and slowly walked down.

When he reached the entrance of the temple, he stopped and bought a bottle of water at a small stall.

He unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

He silently recited in his mind: "System, upgrade."

[Upgrading... Please wait.]

The upgrade took longer than before. The system was loading new features, and the detection range was constantly expanding.

Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds, one minute.

[Upgrade complete!]

[Gold Search and Refining System 2.0]

[Host: Li Xin]

[Level: 14]

[Detection range: 22,990 meters → 27,990 meters]

(Note: This upgrade consumed 500 tons of gold; 1,000 meters were added for every 100 tons, for a total increase of 5,000 meters)

[Current cumulative gold extracted: 0.1057 tons]

[Gold required for next upgrade: 1,000 tons]

The detection range had expanded to nearly 28 kilometers.

Li Xin looked at this number. His fears did not materialize; he had been worried that the upgrade might cause a system crash. His heavy heart was slightly relieved, and a smile almost spilled from the corners of his mouth.

He threw the water bottle into the trash can and walked out of the temple.

A taxi was parked at the entrance. He opened the car door and sat in.

"To the airport."

Li Xin looked at the scenery outside the window.

Rice paddies, coconut trees, and the distant volcano—it really had a unique charm.

He sent a message to Chen Hu: "Where to next?"

Almost in the same second, he already had the answer in his heart.

Next stop, Sulawesi.

On that island hidden between the deep sea and the mountains, two super gold mines were quietly waiting for his arrival.