Jiang Qinyu had made plans before coming; some things cannot be hidden.

However, as long as no one asks her, she pretends not to know.

Even if someone were to ask her something without any sense of propriety, she could easily brush it off with a half-truth, whether they believed her or not was none of her concern.

As expected, although Xiao Rui and the others had their doubts, none of them came to ask.

However, after that, people would intentionally or unintentionally look at the bundle she was carrying.

Jiang Qinyu didn't care. After all, the bundle was just a cover. The space was on her, and no one could take it away.

Let's get back to the present.

That afternoon, Jiang Qinyu led Xiao Rui and the others to several mineral deposits, including iron ore, copper ore, and saltpeter, but no coal mines.

Jiang Qinyu compared the map with the map in her mind. They had marked the area around the large mineral deposit. Next, they were going to see what that huge area was.

“Although the copper and iron ore we just discovered is valuable, based on the experience of the masters, the yield is probably not high, so I don’t plan to touch it for the time being.” Xiao Rui took the initiative to talk to Jiang Qinyu.

Jiang Qinyu nodded upon hearing this, "It's understandable that Young Master Rui would have such considerations."

After all, mining requires a lot of manpower and resources. This place is a day's journey from outside the mountains. It is really not worthwhile to make such a big fuss over such a small mine.

Just then, a prospector came running up, excitedly saying, "Young master, we've found the stone you mentioned up ahead!"

"Really?" Xiao Rui was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly asked him to lead the way.

Jiang Qinyu followed, while Lu Wanqing asked curiously beside her, "Madam, can the stone ash you're talking about really be burned?"

She only found out today that her cousin and his friends had gone into the mountains to find a type of flammable ore.

"Yes," Jiang Qinyu affirmed.

Coal mines served more than just combustion, but the industrial level of that era was far from sufficient to develop other uses.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wanqing became anxious and grabbed Jiang Qinyu's arm, chasing after them.

Jiang Qinyu quickened her pace passively, glancing down at the arm that was being held, and found it somewhat amusing.

This girl is really something. In front of Xiao Rui, she acts like a well-bred lady, but in front of others, she can't help but show her charming and straightforward side.

It's a pity that such a girl like her actually likes Xiao Rui. That man is incredibly cunning. If Lu Wanqing really follows him, she'll be completely under his thumb for the rest of her life.

The thought flashed through Jiang Qinyu's mind, and she had already arrived at the place where the coal mine had been discovered.

The situation before her left her feeling both amused and exasperated.

The map provided by the system was absolutely accurate, showing that there was a mine about fifty meters underground from the surface, and sure enough, a coal mine could be seen on the surface.

"Young master, shall we test whether the stone ash can really be burned?" the explorer asked eagerly.

Xiao Rui had seen coal mines in Dingshui Village, but what he saw were either coal dust or finished coal briquettes.

"Okay, let's take precautions and give it a try," Xiao Rui nodded.

It would also be a good opportunity for him to see what would happen if pure coal were burned without making coal briquettes.

Eleven immediately ordered people to make preparations, and also sent several other explorers to survey the area of ​​the coal mine and estimate the total amount of coal in the area.

Before long, a fire was lit in front of Xiao Rui.

Everyone cheered, and Xiao Rui also showed a relaxed smile.

Lu Wanqing stared at the fire with bright eyes, clenching her fists as she said, "That's great! The people of Yukang Prefecture won't suffer from the cold this year!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qinyu looked at her with newfound respect.

No wonder she likes Xiao Rui; this girl is kind-hearted.

I hope they can continue to think about the people in this way!

Not long after, the people who went to survey the terrain returned.

They excitedly told Xiao Rui that the coal mining area was very large, and if it were to be mined, it was expected to last at least five years.

"Five years?" Xiao Rui didn't quite understand the concept, but he was sure it would solve the current problem, so he nodded and said, "Make the necessary markings, and we'll go down the mountain tomorrow."

This time, they're not only going to search in Yushan, but also to explore other mountain ranges within Yukang Prefecture.

Over the next twenty days, Jiang Qinyu followed Xiao Rui and the others to several mountains in Yukang Prefecture, finding a total of three large coal mines, more than a dozen small coal mines, and some copper and iron mines, etc.

Of course, there are definitely gold and silver mines, but Jiang Qinyu intentionally or unintentionally overlooked those of a certain scale.

Although Xiao Rui appeared kind and considerate of the people, there was still a long way to go. Jiang Qinyu trusted Lu Yanzheng more. She memorized the gold and silver mines and several large-scale copper and iron mines, thinking that she would hand them over to Lu Yanzheng if needed in the future.

However, Jiang Qinyu was still conflicted about the gold and silver mine issue, because the system would remind her every time it came up, and she was starting to waver.

The day before the map hint function failed, Jiang Qinyu finally made up her mind and went to a small gold mine, avoiding Xiao Rui and the others.

She had already collected enough ore for the mission these past few days, and now she was checking how much gold ore the system upgrade required.

Jiang Qinyu selected "Submit" on the system interface.

The next moment, the ground in front of her suddenly sank more than three meters!

Jiang Qinyu quickly retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Fortunately, she wasn't standing on the gold mine in the first place, otherwise she would definitely have fallen into the pit by now.

Immediately afterwards, the system's mechanical voice sounded in her mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, host! The system has been upgraded to Lv2! Dimensional trading function activated!]

What is that? An interdimensional trading function?

Jiang Qinyu was about to open it to take a look when she heard Lu Wanqing calling her.

"Madam...where are you?"

Jiang Qinyu quickly replied loudly, "I'll be right back!"

After saying that, she quickly ran back, determined not to let Xiao Rui and the others come over!

When they returned to their resting place, Xiao Rui and the others did not suspect anything. Only Lu Wanqing pulled Jiang Qinyu aside and whispered, "It's inconvenient to come out with them. If Madam needs to change clothes next time, please call me to come with you so that we can look after each other."

Jiang Qinyu forced a smile and said, "Okay."

When she said "changing clothes," she meant going to the toilet. Jiang Qinyu doesn't have any special fetishes. Who would want someone watching them go to the toilet?

Xiao Rui's side is already preparing to continue down the mountain.

Jiang Qinyu and Lu Wanqing walked in the middle of the group, where they were in the safest position. So Jiang Qinyu took the opportunity to open the system in her mind and first looked at the mission item prompt map. She found that the location of the small gold mine that she had just gone to collect was no longer marked with a green dot!

Good heavens, a system upgrade requires a small gold mine?

Jiang Qinyu wailed inwardly, "I can't afford to raise this, I can't afford to raise it! Who the hell can level up like this?"