By early spring, Sentry Mining had become more than just a company it was an engine powering an entire region.
Trucks moved steadily between the mining site and distribution points, helicopters buzzed overhead with survey teams, and job applications flowed in like river meltwater. Whitehorse, Haines Junction, and even smaller towns were buzzing about Evan Cross the "Golden Ghost" as the local papers had begun to call him.
Evan didn't particularly like the nickname, but it stuck.
And he didn't slow down.
His next move wasn't just about gold. It was about something older something simpler. Land. Soil. Growth.
The 400-acre farm he'd inherited sat nestled against the rolling foothills of Kluane National Park. Bordered by dense pine forest and icy rivers, the farmhouse had been untouched for years. Its barn was half-collapsed, the fields overrun with brush, and raccoons had claimed the attic as their ancestral homeland.
Evan stood in the driveway, arms crossed, as the wind swept down off the mountain.
Carter pulled up behind him in a utility truck and stepped out, glancing around. "This place looks like it got into a bar fight with time and lost."
Evan chuckled. "Yeah. But it's got potential."
The system's interface flickered across his vision.
[Land Suitability: High for Berry Cultivation — Soil Profile: Acidic, Nutrient-rich, Minimal Contamination]
He smiled.
By the end of the week, he'd hired a team of contractors and local carpenters to begin renovating the farmhouse. The roof came off, the barn was bulldozed and rebuilt from scratch, and a new solar-electric grid was installed. The farmhouse would serve as his private retreat somewhere to think, plan, and breathe outside the noise of the mining site.
Simultaneously, Evan launched the next phase: Sentry Agri-Grow.
He met with agriculture experts, botanists, and even a few old farmers who knew Yukon soil better than any drone or satellite ever could. With their help, he drafted a plan to turn his surrounding land into a berry farm blueberries, cloudberries, and a hardy, experimental raspberry variety.
He installed heated greenhouses, hired eight workers full-time for soil prep and planting, and invested in cold-storage facilities for long-term shipping.
Locals were skeptical at first.
"Berries? In the Yukon?" one old-timer at the general store asked.
But Evan just smiled. "Everything seems impossible until someone does it."
Word spread quickly.
More workers applied many from struggling towns nearby. Some had mining experience; others were former loggers, delivery drivers, and grocery clerks laid off over the winter. Evan hired them in waves on merit, on passion, on need.
He didn't just give them jobs.
He gave them purpose.
The mining company expanded its logistics division, managing transport for both ore and agricultural goods. Some of the older trucks were repurposed for cold-chain delivery. A deal was made with local markets, then restaurants in Whitehorse and Dawson City. By summer, "Sentry Berry" jam and preserves were stocked on shelves across the Yukon-labeled with a black mountain silhouette and golden lettering.
Even Carter was impressed. "You turned gold into food. That's a first."
"I'm just getting started," Evan said.
But with expansion came influence.
Evan's name began to carry weight in the territory. He received invites to economic meetings, sat in on development discussions, and was asked to advise on a new provincial resource plan.
A few politicians even visited the site, smiling for photos and asking about "the magic behind the operation."
Evan stayed neutral, always careful with his words. He didn't want politics. He wanted legacy.
And his people loved him for it.
Bonuses were paid monthly. Meals were hot. Medical needs were covered. Evan even funded a childcare center in Haines Junction, staffed with rotating nannies and educators. Single parents began applying to his companies in droves, grateful for someone who actually gave a damn.
One night, as the sun dipped low but never truly disappeared the strange twilight of a Yukon spring Evan stood near the river behind the farm, sipping tea made from his own blueberries.
The system pinged softly.
[Wealth Report:
- Mining Profits: $11.2M (after expenses)- Agricultural Revenue: $520K (and growing)- Asset Value: $36.7M]
His mouth curled into a quiet smile.
Not bad for a dead man reborn.