Chapter 3

### Chapter 3: The Gold Miners - The Dilemma of Raising High

"May the mighty god of time travel bless us, and may the Time Management Bureau approve our actions. Amen."

Wen Desi muttered these words, then, carrying his assault pack, he was the first to step through the wormhole, followed closely by Xiao Zishan and Wang Luobin.

Wen Desi was a hiking enthusiast and had a complete set of camping and travel gear at home, making him well-equipped. However, he only chose quick-dry clothing, a survival box, and a multi-tool knife, along with an assault pack to carry the wormhole exit device.

As for weapons, Wen Desi considered his steel crossbow and hunting knife but thought that if anything really happened, three city-dwelling otakus would be no match for Ming Dynasty people in terms of strength and ferocity. Since the wormhole exit could be moved at will, they could open the wormhole and escape in case of danger. To be on the safe side, Wen Desi brought three stab-proof vests, some smoke grenades, and stun guns to use in emergencies to escape.

Xiao Zishan didn't have such equipment, so he went to a military surplus store and bought a set of training uniforms, a pair of high-top liberation boots, and a replica military backpack.

Wang Luobin wore his usual outdoor work clothes. Each of them brought two days' worth of compressed rations and several bottles of purified water, along with some emergency medications. This was to minimize the need to open the wormhole and avoid exposure.

Xiao Zishan had initially planned to bring only glass cups and plastic powder boxes for promotion, but later decided to bring a bit of everything—after all, they weren't sure about the Ming people's aesthetic tastes and needs, and it was better to bring more samples to explore the market.

After determining the time travel location, Xiao Zishan visited the library several times to roughly find the current position of Haopan Street and rented a room in a nearby budget hotel. Then, Wen Desi opened the wormhole slightly several nights in a row to observe the environment on the other side—Haopan Street was a commercial area with a dense population. Opening the wormhole randomly could land them in someone's bedroom or on a busy street. To be safe, Wen Desi ordered infrared night vision goggles online. If the location wasn't suitable, they would have to change it—purely a matter of luck.

Based on Wen Desi's observations, the space on the other side seemed to be the backyard of a residence, with many rows of gray brick and tile houses. After dark, there was no one around.

What would happen after they crossed over, no one really knew, and there was no one to consult. The initial plan was to hide in a secluded place after crossing over, and when it got light, they would show their goods to shopkeepers to see their reactions.

It was uncertain how the 17th-century people would react to these strangely dressed individuals: whether they would avoid them or cause a large crowd of onlookers. There was also the language barrier, but according to Wen Desi, Cantonese was the dialect that preserved the most ancient Chinese elements, so the difference might not be as significant as modern Mandarin.

The time was set for around 5 a.m., which was the beginning of the hour of the Rabbit in ancient times. Too early, and it would still be dark; during the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was no strict curfew, but night life was sparse, and there were few pedestrians. If they were discovered by night watchmen or patrolling officers, they would be questioned. Too late, and more people would be up and about, increasing the likelihood of being seen when the wormhole opened—three people suddenly appearing out of nowhere would cause a sensation in all of Guangzhou.

In recent days, Mr. Gao had been feeling uneasy at night. The dogs in the back warehouse yard barked incessantly every night, and the guards had checked several times but found nothing unusual. The warehouse itself was a storage area with high walls and side courtyards, making it difficult for even the most skilled thieves to sneak in. However, some people began to suspect the supernatural, saying that strange lights often appeared in the yard at midnight. This made the Gao household uneasy, and the warehouse became a place people avoided at night. The weather had also been strange, with thunder rolling in the evenings but no rain, and the sky often turning an eerie purple. Mr. Gao was in a bad mood, even neglecting his favorite concubine.

Mr. Gao wasn't afraid of ghosts, but the back warehouse was crucial to his livelihood. Haopan Street was home to hundreds of merchants who had made their fortunes from foreign trade. He had converted the goods and silver he had obtained from the Portuguese last winter into silk, silk fabrics, and porcelain, and had also prepared a large amount of saltpeter and iron, which the government had explicitly forbidden from being exported. If anything went wrong, it would cost him his life—his life was a small matter, but half of his vast estate belonged to the eunuch Yang, who, though not as powerful as the Nine Thousand Year Old, could easily wipe out his entire family.

That night, the dogs were unusually quiet and didn't bark. Mr. Gao had a good night's sleep. Due to his recent unease, he had been sleeping alone in his inner study. Just after the fifth watch, he got up and, with the help of a maid, brushed his teeth with green salt and washed his face. He squinted at the half-lit sky, speculating about the weather and whether to go out for a walk...

Suddenly, the dogs in the back yard started barking wildly again. Mr. Gao was startled, and his pleasant mood was completely ruined. He slammed his cup down and was about to call for someone to investigate when his head guard rushed into the yard, rolling and crawling.

Mr. Gao's face changed. This was his inner study, and male servants were not allowed to enter without permission. The head guard's frantic rush indicated that something serious had happened.

"Sir, sir, in the warehouse yard... in the yard... there are... there are..."

"Take it easy, speak slowly," Mr. Gao, who had been dealing with foreign trade for years, quickly regained his composure.

"In the back yard, in the back yard, there are three Japanese!"

Hearing that there were three Japanese in the back yard, Mr. Gao was not entirely clear how they had gotten in, but as long as they were people, they could be dealt with. He sighed in relief and said, "A few Japanese scared you so much! Bind them and put them in the woodshed." He waved his sleeve with a grand gesture, but his mind was racing.

Could these be people sent by Wang Lao Da from Youyu Island? Is there a foreign ship docked now? Gao knew that the Portuguese often had Japanese servants, but it wasn't the right time for ships to arrive, and as his partner, Wang Lao Da wouldn't send a few Japanese without prior notice, let alone sneak them into his back yard.

"Sir, these Japanese... are really strange!" the head guard quickly reported, "The men didn't dare to act rashly."

"Idiots! Useless!" Mr. Gao was furious but also a bit afraid. Although he was from out of town, he had heard many stories about the cruel and ruthless Japanese pirates who had plundered the coast. The reason Haopan Street was now inside the city was because of the rampant Japanese pirates. These three people had sneaked into his back yard unnoticed at night, which was alarming. Mr. Gao remembered hearing from sea merchants that some Japanese warriors could move invisibly and kill without a trace...

Thinking of this, he was terrified. The idea of having the guards capture them first faded, and he quickly asked, "Where are these people now?"

"The men have surrounded them with bows and muskets," the head guard glanced at Mr. Gao's face, "But they don't seem to have any ill intentions..."

"Rubbish!" If they had no ill intentions, why were they in his back yard? Were they here to steal soy sauce?

"Sir, these people have no weapons. This is what the leader among them gave to me," the head guard quickly handed over a small box from his pocket, "He said many things, but I didn't understand much."

Mr. Gao, half-believing and half-doubting, took the paper box and was surprised. The box was incredibly smooth, as if it had been glazed, but the rough edges immediately revealed it to be a paper box.

He thought, "Indeed, strange." He carefully opened the box and found a small, oval-shaped flat box inside. The material was neither jade nor porcelain, but it had a glazed appearance like the paper box, with a color of an incredibly bright pink that he had never seen on any porcelain. Mr. Gao, who had been trading in foreign goods for years and was well-informed, could not identify what it was made of. It resembled a woman's powder box. He tried to open it, and the lid lifted like a shell, revealing a bright interior. Upon closer inspection, his face turned ashen!

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