The result was tragic. The miner had never been married. He did not dig up much black opal, did not make a fortune, and no woman chose to marry him.
However, the miners of Lightning Ridge admired his determination and perseverance and honored him as the 'Bachelor Prince.' After all, he had built a real castle.
The kitchen was close to the hall, and the boss was very talkative, constantly telling them about the town's past.
Everyone who came to Lightning Ridge to mine had a story, especially in the years after World War II. The people who came were even more special.
There were former British spies, former members of the Nazi Party, members of the British royal family, has-been stars, and some important members of the bankrupt government.
"What I said is true. If you meet some old miners who are over 70 years old, you can ask them for evidence. I think they would be very willing to tell you about those thrilling times," the lame boss solemnly promised them.
The lame boss promised them solemnly. He probably felt that what he said was a little exaggerated and that Li Du and the others would not believe him.
Li Du believed what the boss said. There was evidence for many of the things he said.
The barbecue steaks were constantly served, and they began to eat.
Unexpectedly, the steak tasted very good. The combination of the fragrant beef and the fresh oysters, seasoned with salt and black pepper, maintained the original flavor of the meat and the deliciousness of the seafood. Li Du and the others were full of praise for it.
Sucking the oil from his fingers, Li Du asked, "Boss, what's the output of the town's gemstones now?"
Hearing this, the boss quickly responded and asked, "You are not here to travel. You want to mine for black opal?"
Li Du said, "Both. Wouldn't it be better if you could find a good gemstone mine?"
The lame shopkeeper laughed and said, "You're oversimplifying things. Finding a good gemstone mine along the way? Do you think black opal is as common as cattle? "
He shook his head, pointed to his leg, and continued, "Do you know how I got hurt?"
Li Du guessed the reason and said, "Was it because of mining? Was it because of the ore? "
The lame boss shook his head again and said, "No, I found a good gemstone, and then I was robbed. I was hit by a car!"
Li Du was surprised. "The criminal is so arrogant?"
The lame shopkeeper still shook his head and said, "Actually, he's not a criminal. He's one of my buddies. He dug for two years and found nothing. In the end, he decided to rob me."
Li Du did not speak. The reality that the boss had told him was really cruel.
"I know Richard, so I didn't sue him. I know he's a good man. He was forced by reality," the boss said.
As he spoke, the boss suddenly became excited and said, "Think about it, buddy. You have a wife and a child. You have a tough job that pays enough to support your family."
"But you decided to quit because this job won't allow your wife to buy Dior and LV, your children won't be able to go to Disneyland, and you won't be able to buy a Mercedes."
"After resigning, you came to Lightning Ridge full of longing. You thought that you were the chosen one and had good luck. You thought that you would be able to dig a gem mine worth millions here."
"And the result? You've been working for a month without any results, and you're short of money. You worked for half a year without any results, your wife had no money to buy clothes, and your child had no money to go to school. You work for a year without any results, so you divorce your wife and leave with your child. "
"Who wouldn't be desperate? At this time, a guy as unlucky as you got a gem. Wouldn't you go crazy? "
Looking at the boss's sad and angry look, Li Du was shocked. He quickly handed him a glass of beer and said, "Calm down, old buddy. Calm down."
After drinking the beer, the boss calmed down.
He said, "Sorry, I lost my composure just now."
Li Du patted him on the shoulder and said, "I understand. It seems that mining is not a good job."
"It's terrible. It's simply terrible. "I sold the black opal I dug up, stopped dreaming, and opened this restaurant honestly."
Sophie said, "To be honest, your cooking is really good. The steak is delicious."
The lame boss laughed and said, "Yes, I'm confident about that. In fact, my grandfather and father were both chefs. They taught me carefully, but I didn't learn seriously at the time."
Later, more customers arrived, and Li Du and the others paid the bill and left.
Although the boss had warned them, Li Du still decided to enter the business. He had the little bug to help him, and there was no financial pressure, which was different from other miners.
The next day, Li Du saw the Bachelor Prince's castle.
It was a small castle, crudely built with primitive reddish-brown ore. It looked good from a distance, but it was not beautiful up close.
Considering that it was built by a miner alone, it was amazing enough.
Although small, it had all the essentials. The castle had a main castle, a secondary castle, a tower, a chapel, a dungeon, a basement, and so on.
The Bachelor Prince eventually left Lightning Ridge. He gave the castle to the town, which set it up as a tourist attraction. It cost five dollars to enter and take pictures.
Li Du and the others walked around, then drove out of the town center and into the mine.
Digging for opal in Lightning Ridge was different from digging in the national park. Here, one had to buy a piece of land, use machines to dig holes, and look for gems in the excavated stones.
Outside the town, there was dust, and several construction sites had machines working.
Some sites had excavators digging holes everywhere, and some sites had a mine. The miners went down to work with helmets, lamps, and pickaxes.
Li Du released the little bug. The little bug flew around the surrounding land, but after flying for a while, it did not find anything.
This was normal. The gemstones in Lightning Ridge had been excavated for decades, and the gems that were easy to find had been found. Moreover, the gemstone content here was very low, so it was not easy to find them.
The car kept driving out. There was an interesting building outside the town. It was hard to tell the specific identity of the building. It was a bit like a castle, a bit like the Great Wall, and a bit like a building.
It was also the masterpiece of a miner. It was said that he was imprisoned for killing his wife. After he was released from prison, he went to the town to become a miner, using this strange way to vent his resentment.
The story was a bit like "The Shawshank Redemption," but this one was fiercer. The miner carved his experience on the walls of the building.
It was said that the case attracted a lot of media attention after the building was built, and the Australian police re-investigated the case.
Looking at the building, Li Du released the little bug into it.
As the little bug flew around the building, everything in the building appeared in his vision, including the stone used to build the building, and the situation inside.
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