As clued in the flavortext, these are blackbox grids. Solving gives:
4 1 H H H R H H
3- - - - - - - -3 - - - - - # # -
- - - - - - - -4 - - # - - - - -4
# - - - - - - - 3- - - - - - - -1
- - - - # - - - 2- - - - - - - -2
2- - - - - - - -H - - - - - - - -
H- - - - - - - -1 1- - - - - - - -
- # - - - - - - - - - - # - - -
- - - - - - # - - - - - - - - -
2 R 3 4
4 6 4 H 2 3 H H 5
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - # - - - -6 1- - - - - - - -1
3- - - - - # - - 4- - - - - - - -2
1- - - - - - # - - # # - - - - -
2- - - - - - - - R- - - - - - - -
3- - - - - - - -1 # - - - - - - -5
- - - # - - - - - - - - - - # -
- - - - - - - -5 - - - - - - - -
4 5 2 H H 3
Looking up those spots on the letter grid (which is divided into
quarters in the obvious way) gives NOAGATEORJADEITE, the answer to the
puzzle. (Jadeite, by the way, is the rarer and more precious kind
of jade.)