Only then did the expressions of the second and third siblings change.
It was a look of having not thought about it at all.
"Then, did I do something wrong earlier?"
As the third sibling started to whine, Rockefeller shook his head gently with a kind smile.
"No, it's not that you did something terribly wrong. Since we're young, adults won't easily believe what we say like earlier. But, as we start making money and it becomes noticeable, the rumors will inevitably reach the lord. Then, either the lord or someone below him will come asking about the source of our wealth. That's where unexpected problems can arise."
"So, are we in big trouble?"
"We might be, or might not. But in the end, it all boils down to money, so there's no need to worry too much. Just like our father did, and the Beekeeper from next door, we can just give a portion of our profits to the lord. Of course, this is assuming everything ends well."
The second sibling, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, reflected on the mistake he made earlier and cautiously started to speak.
"Rockefeller is right. We were too rash earlier. From now on, we must not tell others where we are and what we're doing. Those people are strangers to us. They won't look upon us favorably."
The second child, often mingling with peers, seemed to understand human relationships better than the other siblings.
Hearing this, the third child reflected on their own mistake and hung their head in shame.
"I'll be more careful from now on. I acted carelessly earlier because I was too happy."
Rockefeller decided not to dwell on the past incident.
If it served as a good lesson for the siblings, then that was a gain in itself.
"Just be careful in the future. It's better to lose something small than to lose something big."
Rockefeller continued.
"Everyone makes small and big mistakes. Never be ashamed of those mistakes. But repeating them is not good. That's what fools do. You all understand, right?"
The younger siblings seemed to agree as they started nodding their heads.
How long had they walked?
Eventually, Rockefeller and the young siblings arrived at a stream somewhat away from the village.
"Why have we come here? Can we make money here?"
"You don't mean we're here to catch fish, do you?"
As the siblings expressed their doubts, Rockefeller explained the reason for their visit.
"From now on, we're going to pan for gold."
On the way here, Rockefeller had pondered deeply about what he could do to earn money, something that was feasible and could yield the most wealth for the effort put in.
Combining the contents of a novel he knew and everything he had experienced and learned so far, he saw one path.
It was gold panning.
'I did attend a gold panning group for a short while.'
To some, it might seem like a very peculiar hobby, but just like biking or hiking clubs, there were groups that met for the purpose of gold panning.
Although most of these groups were created for fun due to the small return on effort, Rockefeller had briefly participated in such a group, and this experience had led him here.
Watching someone mine gold dust, I became a bit interested and attended it twice, I guess? I only learned the basics, but who would have thought that experience would come in handy here?
If I had no idea how to mine gold dust, I wouldn't have made it this far.
But knowing how to do it, from Rockefeller's perspective, it was a challenge worth considering.
‘If a gold vein war is about to erupt here, it means there's still a massive vein alive nearby. Then there must be a lot of gold dust in streams like this.’
Someone might wonder this, however.
If you're going to mine gold anyway, wouldn't it be better to go to a gold mine and extract gold ore rather than gold dust?
‘No, mining gold dust is something even a non-expert can easily do, but mining gold ore is completely different. It's hard to find a gold vein, and the process of extracting gold is very complex, not something just anyone can do.’
Moreover, considering the risk of encountering wild animals or monsters in abandoned mines, from Rockefeller's perspective, choosing gold dust mining was reasonably the best option.
“If only there was gold here.”
This matter was one that even Rockefeller could not be 100% sure of.
Nowhere in Rockefeller's previous memories was there any mention of gold being mined from this place.
‘People here don’t even consider the possibility that there could be gold.’
If, just if, there turns out to be gold here, and a significant amount at that, how should this be interpreted?
Rockefeller speculated on this, using the knowledge from the novels he had read and the background of the Montefeltro territory.
‘First of all, I'm the only one who knows about the discovery of a new gold vein in this territory. It's not yet known to the public.’
This land, once famous across the continent as the Azrak Goldmine, had its glory days a very long time ago.
‘If those petty and stubborn dwarves abandoned this land, it means this place is as good as dead. The Empire, when integrating this land, probably didn’t have high expectations. It would have been seen as picking up what others discarded. If they had even a little hope, they wouldn’t have neglected it to this extent.’
The fact that there are no currently operating gold mines and the history of gold mining being very old was enough to show how unrelated this land was to gold.
‘So, has everyone given up on the potential of this land? To the point of thinking that there's absolutely no gold? That's understandable, though.’
As Rockefeller started to get a feel for the situation, he found himself nodding unconsciously.
‘After all, if I hadn't known about the discovery of a new gold vein, I wouldn't have come all the way here to mine for gold. I would have thought it impossible. And this place is dangerous. It's close to the neighboring village, and sometimes, it's possible to encounter orcs here.’
This area was known to encounter orcs about once or twice a year.
While the orcs didn't roam around enough to make the place uninhabitable, it was still a place where one might occasionally run into them if they were extremely unlucky.
‘If I hadn't planned to mine for gold, I would have never come here.’
Having finished his thoughts, Rockefeller began to speak to his waiting younger siblings.
"Here, we're going to find gold. Did you know that there used to be many gold mines around here?"
