143: Found a mineral vein

Lu Fan gratefully patted the Monkey King's head, "You really are my great savior! You've been a huge help this time."

The Monkey King seemed to understand his words and hopped around happily on the ground.

To thank the Monkey King, Lu Fan decided to roast a pork chop for it.

He took a piece of fresh pork from the food storage area, sliced it into even, thin pieces, and then set them over the fire to begin roasting.

The pork sizzled over the fire, grease constantly dripping onto the flames with a "crackle and pop" sound, and the aroma spread along with it.

The Monkey King sat to the side, staring intently at the grill, its saliva almost flowing out.

"Don't worry, don't worry, it'll be ready soon," Lu Fan said to the Monkey King with a smile.

Before long, the pork chop was roasted, golden in color and bursting with fragrance.

Lu Fan placed the pork chop on a large tree leaf and handed it to the Monkey King.

The Monkey King couldn't wait to take the pork chop and began devouring it in large bites, making "woo-woo" sounds from time to time, clearly very satisfied with this delicacy.

The other Little Monkeys also gathered around, looking at the Monkey King eagerly, hoping to get a bite.

Seeing the Monkey King eating with such relish, Lu Fan and An Lan couldn't help but laugh.

"This Monkey King really is a little foodie, but we really owe it this time," An Lan said with a smile.

"Yeah, we'll have to save more delicious food for it in the future."

After Lu Fan finished speaking, he turned his gaze back to that piece of ore.

He picked it up and observed it carefully, calculating in his mind how to better utilize this coal.

Just then, the viewers in the livestream room also sent in barrage comments one after another.

"Wow, they really found Coal Ore! Great God Lu and the Monkey King are amazing!"

"With coal, life in the wilderness has instantly leveled up several notches!"

"This roasted pork chop looks so tempting; the Monkey King is so lucky!"

Lu Fan was eager to know the specific location of the Coal Mine, but he still patiently waited for the Monkey King to finish eating the roasted meat.

Once the Monkey King finished the roasted meat, Lu Fan looked at it, his eyes full of expectation: "Friend, could I trouble you to take us to the place where you found the Coal Ore again, okay?"

The Monkey King seemed to understand his words, hopped around cheerfully a few times, and made "squeak-squeak" sounds, as if responding, "Leave it to me."

Lu Fan pulled Lightning out from under the shed where it had been grazing.

He nimbly flipped onto the horse's back and shouted to An Lan, "Wait for me at the Shelter, I'll be right back!"

With that, he gently squeezed the horse's flanks, and the steed galloped off, following the Monkey King as it moved flexibly through the forest.

Along the way, the Monkey King was like a professional guide, jumping left and right through the dense forest, skillfully avoiding the intricate branches and bushes.

Lu Fan rode on the horse, focusing all his attention on the Monkey King's figure, afraid he might lose it if he wasn't careful.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, forming pillars of golden light.

Lu Fan felt as if he were in a mysterious world of light and shadow, and this journey was like a fantasy adventure in search of treasure.

As they went deeper, the surrounding environment became increasingly unfamiliar, and Lu Fan couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

But at the thought of finding the source of the Coal Mine, that excitement outweighed all his unease.

Finally, after crossing a small hill, the Monkey King stopped in front of a depression.

This depression looked like a shallow dimple on the earth, and the surrounding mountainside appeared somewhat loose, as if casually carved by time.

Occasionally, bits of black coal dross could be seen emerging from the mountainside.

They shimmered with a unique luster under the sunlight, as if announcing their existence to Lu Fan.

"This is it!"

Lu Fan jumped off his horse in excitement and walked quickly to the mountainside.

[Discovered Shallow Coal Mine]

He grabbed a handful of soil and observed it carefully, seeing some black crystals mixed in the dirt.

He leaned in to smell it, and it gave off a faint scent of coal gas.

"This is top-quality coal!" Lu Fan muttered to himself excitedly.

livestream room.

"Ah, a Coal Mine has been found? Where is it?"

"Is it buried right here in the ground?"

"Looking at how happy Great God Lu Fan is, the Coal Mine must be right here."

Wang Tao said with a smile, "It seems Contestant Lu Fan has confirmed there's a Coal Mine here. Teacher Zhao, could you give us some popular science on this?"

Zhao Hangjun nodded with a smile: "We can see that this is a terrain similar to a Sedimentary Basin, which is an ideal place for the formation and storage of Coal Mines.

In the geological history period, large amounts of plant remains accumulated in low-lying basin environments.

Over time and through geological processes, they gradually formed Peat Layers, which were later converted into coal through processes like compaction and carbonization.

Coal is a much more useful fuel than charcoal; it's more durable and has a higher combustion quality."

To determine the coal reserves here, Lu Fan carefully surveyed the area around the depression.

[The Ore Vein extends to the right]

[High coal content here]

The heavenly dao prompt sound kept giving Lu Fan hints.

After walking around, Lu Fan found that although the coal was distributed somewhat sporadically, the coverage was quite extensive.

Basically, there was a Coal Mine under this whole patch of land, just buried beneath the soil.

After finishing the survey, Lu Fan prepared to return to the Shelter.

He mounted the horse again and waved to the Monkey King: "Thanks! I'll bring you even more delicious food next time!"

The Monkey King seemed to understand, chirped happily a few times, and watched Lu Fan leave.

Back at the Shelter, An Lan had already been waiting expectantly at the entrance.

Seeing Lu Fan return, she hurried to meet him: "How was it? Is there a lot of coal in the place you found?"

Lu Fan jumped off the horse and said with a face full of smiles: "A lot! We won't have to worry about running out of coal in the future."

"It's just that the Coal Mine is buried under the soil and needs to be excavated before it can be seen," Lu Fan explained while leading Lightning back to the shed.

An Lan handed a cup of water to Lu Fan and asked with a smile: "It seems you have a plan."

Lu Fan chuckled: "You forgot, I made so much Gunpowder; blowing up a mountain will be a piece of cake."

An Lan's eyes lit up: "Using Gunpowder to blast it open? That sounds like a wonderful idea! But..."

Her brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of worry flashed in her eyes. "Gunpowder is dangerous; can we ensure it's safe?"

Lu FanHe waved his hand with a smile.，Confidently guarantee.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. When I was making the Gunpowder before, I repeatedly studied its characteristics and power. As long as we control the dosage and the detonation method, it'll definitely be fine."

As he spoke, he walked to where the Gunpowder was stored and picked up a plugged Bamboo Tube filled with the Gunpowder he had made.

"Look, we place the Gunpowder in the right spot, calculate the blast point, and the impact of the explosion will be able to lift the top layer of soil, exposing the Coal Mine. It's like performing a minimally invasive surgery on the earth to extract the treasures hidden deep within."