Jiang An sighed, tenderly stroking the marks left by the knife fish. They were deeply embedded in the hull, ruining the originally smooth surface.

These marks broke her heart, after all, the surface had been brushed with precious pearl powder!

Thinking back to the large river clam they had harvested from the seabed, Jiang An felt a pang of regret.

The pearl that the clam had nurtured was large and beautiful, and the color of the steamship was exactly the same as that pearl, making it absolutely stunning.

Now, the collision with the knife fish has made the boat's appearance less perfect. Although it does not affect the boat's performance, it is undoubtedly a loss of beauty for Jiang An.

She shook her head helplessly, turned and went back into the cockpit, her gaze falling on the mileage display. They had already sailed 180 kilometers on the sea today; more than half the mission was complete.

Jiang An sighed softly, "It seems we've entered the territory of another sea creature." She muttered to herself as she hugged the cute little turtle tightly in her arms.

Then, without hesitation, she took the little turtle with her.

He leaped from the deck into the sea, plunging into the vast and boundless ocean world.

Let the little turtles play freely in the sea.

She took her weapon, the Water-Splitting Blade, and dived into the sea.

The seabed topography is ever-changing, and the conditions on the seabed are different in every area. Having arrived at a new sea area, how could she not explore it!

Perhaps it will be another new discovery! With this thought in mind, Jiang An quickened her pace and soon reached the seabed.

Sure enough, the produce here was somewhat different from that of the previous sea area.

The creatures swimming among the coral reefs are not clams, but a type of deep-sea shrimp.

The deep-sea shrimp are transparent all over, which is very beautiful. They are not very big, the largest being only about the size of Jiang An's palm.

Deep-sea shrimp are highly nutritious and are also a favorite food of turtles.

The little turtle has another dish on its menu. Jiang An certainly couldn't miss this unexpected treat.

She pulled a burlap sack from her backpack and grabbed it directly from the coral reef.

It is unknown how much time has passed, but the deep-sea shrimp in this area were either stuffed into sacks by ginger or escaped.

In short, there wasn't a single deep-sea shrimp left around.

This underwater trip also served as a reminder to Jiang An that he should collect as much coral as possible.

It is one of the raw materials for frostbite medicine. There are also corals in this area, but it is uncertain whether there will be any in the next area.

He put his only excellent-grade weapon into his backpack, took out a Tang sword, and began collecting coral.

It's important to know that weapons will wear out and get damaged if they are used frequently.

Therefore, aside from using it in combat, she usually doesn't dare to use the water-splitting blade lightly.

Before long, Jiang An had cleared out the entire coral reef, harvesting a total of 1,024 corals.

Looking at her backpack full of treasures, she didn't rush back to the ship, but instead swam leisurely on the seabed.

After swimming around, she only found some small fish and shrimp, so she decided to turn back immediately.

However, at that moment, Jiang An suddenly stopped. It turned out that she heard the noisy voice of the little turtle in her mind.

The little turtle seemed no longer content with just circling the boat, but longed to follow her deeper into the sea to play.

After a long period of calming, Jiang An finally calmed the little turtle down and promised it that he would take it with him next time he went to sea.

"Huh!" Jiang An's gaze inadvertently fell on a peculiar spot.

With the mindset of not missing any opportunity, she swam to that place without hesitation.

At first, she was filled with doubt, but as time went on, excitement gradually appeared on her face.

It turns out that a small coal mine was hidden there.

The ocean floor is rich in resources. She was just wondering where to get coal, and here it is!

If there are coal mines, then other mines, such as iron ore, copper ore, gold ore, and even more advanced mines, might also appear on the seabed. With this thought in mind, Jiang An secretly kept this matter in mind, and in future seabed explorations, he must pay attention to the appearance of various mines.

The discovery of a mine was enough to offset her entire day's earnings.

Jiang An didn't even bother to rest. He took out a pickaxe from his backpack and started digging in the small coal mine.

Jiang An excitedly dug into the coal mine, and soon he had hollowed it out.

She packed all the coal she had dug into her backpack, intending to take it back with her.

A total of 127 tons of coal ore were harvested.

This coal can be used as fuel for steamships and is a very practical alternative to charcoal for heating.

In addition, Jiang An also collected some associated resources from coal mines, such as graphite and waste rock.

She didn't know the uses of graphite yet, but waste stone was useful and could replace rocks.

Jiang An returned from his underwater exploration with a full harvest, and without lingering on the seabed, swam directly back to the surface.

He held the little turtle, which was playing happily on the sea, in his arms.

Back on the boat, Jiang An first released the little turtle and then gave it a large bowl full of deep-sea shrimp to eat.

Sure enough, the little turtle really liked the shrimp.

She could feel its inner joy.

Then we began processing the harvested items.

Coal ore cannot be used directly as fuel. Like iron ore, it needs to be broken down into coal using a crafting table before it can be used.

One piece of coal ore can be broken down into three pieces of coal.

Jiang An harvested 381 tons of coal this time.

She couldn't wait to see the difference between coal and charcoal.

He picked up the little turtle that was playing alone on the ground and headed towards the fuel tank.

Unexpectedly, Jiang An discovered something surprising: the little turtle stopped being hungry after eating only a little bit.

"Little turtle, why aren't you eating? Is it because the deep-sea shrimp doesn't suit your taste?"

After a difficult conversation with the little turtle, I finally learned that the little guy had been secretly hunting in the sea.

When playing, if they encounter small fish or shrimp, they rely on their hunting instincts and swallow them whole.

When Jiang An learned the reason, he immediately stroked the little turtle's head and said, "Little turtle, you can be self-reliant from now on, that's great!"

After receiving Jiang An's praise, the little turtle immediately raised its head, its expression full of pride.

Upon arriving at the fuel compartment, I tested the effect of coal. Sure enough, it was similar to charcoal, and even burned longer.

After getting a satisfactory result, he returned to the cockpit with the little turtle in his arms.

"Xiao Zhi, continue at top speed." After giving the order, Jiang An leaned back in his chair, gently stroking the little turtle's shell, and closed his eyes wearily.