Chapter 1642: Chapter 1636: Is It a Recyclable Resource?

“Alright, let’s pick up the pace. I want to get things done, leave the mountains early, and catch a ride home,” Qin Xue nodded, her heart longing to return home.

“Sure, no problem with that.” The elder didn’t object, knowing well that they wouldn’t stay here long-term, so he had no other thoughts about it.

But thinking about the Holy Maiden leaving, Qing Teng would leave too, he looked up at Qing Teng, only to find she didn’t even glance his way. The elder dejectedly looked at the ground; once a mistake is made, it’s hard to correct. Some mistakes are irretrievable.

“Yingying, the place is so lush, do you think there are any natural treasures here?” Qin Xue glanced around; this place was indeed suitable for growing medicinal herbs, but whether there were any was unknown.

“Not sure.” Nangong Beiying hadn’t really ventured into such forests to gather herbs with her master before, so she wasn’t sure if such terrain would have medicinal plants. Perhaps there were, but even if there were, they didn’t have time to search for them.

“Sigh, whether there are any or not, this place is isolated from the outside world and doesn’t trade, so even if there are, they’re for their own use, enough for their needs.” Qin Xue wasn’t thinking of picking herbs to sell but to see if there were new species she could transplant to grow in her space.

“That’s true. It’s a pity such good resources are wasted, but that’s also the good side. Look, the coal underground hasn’t been mined, avoiding ground subsidence. That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” Nangong Beiying and the others continued walking.

Hearing Nangong Beiying’s words, Qin Xue looked down at exposed coal in some places on the ground. She thought it was good this way. Mining implies industrial activity, contact with the outside world, but the people here have lived here for generations, their thinking very closed, perhaps unwilling. So, they could self-sustain on their own; the mountain is big enough for ten generations.

Mining requires permits; as long as they don’t mine on a large scale to sell, using some for themselves should be fine.

While coal can be considered a renewable resource, it’s actually non-renewable in a sense. Why? Because their conversion time is different. As known, coal takes hundreds, thousands, even millions of years of crustal movement to form.

This means the cycle for their formation is too long, reproduction is very slow, so coal can be said to be both renewable and non-renewable. Once mined, it’s rapidly reduced, but its growth cycle can’t meet human needs.

Therefore, it becomes non-renewable. Mining or burning coal is a heavily polluting operation, extremely harmful to humans and the environment.

Many coal miners get pneumoconiosis, and those afflicted must wash their lungs and undergo treatment. Severe cases can’t even lay down, as lying down causes oxygen shortage and difficulty breathing, which is very painful. There were coal miners in her village too.

She had seen firsthand how those with pneumoconiosis lived, and it was beyond tragic. This was one reason she chose to become a doctor; she wanted to help those forced by life circumstances to do harm to their bodies, yet had no choice but to work.

Unexpectedly, she ended up becoming a surgeon, but she also helped many who needed help through her scalpel.

Although her final choice differed from her original goal, her purpose was still to save people, so she hadn’t strayed from her original intent. Otherwise, she wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry.