Empire of the Ring

Chapter 498: Searching for a Vein of Gold (1)

These days, the market price per kilogram of the gold bar was about 40,000 dollars, so a ton of gold cost as much as 40 million dollars. The amount of ten tons of gold could be enough to buy five of the latest Gripen fighter jets. 100 tons of gold bars could buy 50 jets, and 200 tons could buy 100 jets.

With 100 of the latest fighter jets, Kazakhstan would be equipped with both tremendous attack power and war deterrence. Moreover, if the world went back to the gold standard, the price of gold would skyrocket, making it worth a few times more than the current price. Youngho was busily calculating this in his head.

"Your Highness, we're all here."

"Have we arrived already?"

"What are you thinking that you don't enjoy the scenery outside?"

"I'm trying to figure out how many more fighter jets we can get with gold bars."

"Hahaha…"

"I'm thinking of introducing fighter jets to Kazakhstan. We'd better find a thick gold vein here."

"I hope so, too."

"This place is a paradise compared to the West since gold is buried in such a beautiful landscape. I'm sorry to have to make a tunnel through the mountainside to dig out gold, but we do not have other options."

"If we just dig out the ore and smelter somewhere else, we can stop the destruction of the environment."

The Alatau Mountains were beautiful with the high mountains more than 3,000 meters above sea level and the ice cap. There were also lakes everywhere as well as high coniferous forests growing high. In Youngho's eyes, which had only seen the bleak fields, it was indeed a paradise.

"I hear the vein of gold is expanding here?"

"Yes. This year's output is likely to exceed last year's output by 30 percent."

After Youngho's group arrived at the mine, the manager of the mine escorted them to his office. He was now reporting that gold productivity had increased dramatically compared to last year, which was quite surprising.

"Is that so?"

"Veins of gold are not always consistent in its thickness. Sometimes it's thin and sometimes it's thick. We must've hit the thick section of the vein this year."

"I see. It is the result of you and the miners' hard work. I'm glad to see increased productivity, but please don't overdo your work. The safety of workers is the most important priority. I don't care how much it costs, but please maintain the pleasant working environment for them."

"I'll remember that."

"And I think we need to make some improvements to the workers' accommodation facilities. If necessary, build a residential complex under the mountain so that workers could live with their family members. The royal family will pay for the construction. We'll expand the schools around here for the workers' children."

"That's what the most workers dearest wish. They'll all look forward to it."

"I'm sorry that I haven't been improving the living and working conditions here. I apologize on behalf of the nation."

"Oh, there's no need to feel sorry, Your Highness. Even now, the workers' motivation is reaching the sky because of the much more improved working conditions."

Productivity had been boosted by better working conditions and the supply of the latest equipment than before, but the real reason that encouraged workers to work hard was the actualization of their payments.

Youngho had experiences of mines from his experience in the gold mine in Baku's Serbian ranch, so he had been taking care of mine sites all over the country since the revolutionary government.

Encouraging the desire to work soon turned out to be productivity gains, and that was the shortcut to increasing national wealth. The recent burst of a vein of gold was not just luck.

***

After a few days of touring several gold mines near Almaty, Youngho ordered related government officials to suggest ways to drastically improve the production methods and find new mines.

Although the method of collecting alluvial gold from gold placers had been developing, the method of mine excavation had been done in old-fashioned ways. This was because most of the miners relied on their instincts and experiences. They recklessly dug in until the vein came out. Most of the mines near Almaty were gold-producing places from ancient times, they had not been looking for new mines since it was extremely difficult to find gold.

Nowadays, however, the method of exploration had been developed dramatically, so the underground facilities had been expanded by electronic exploration.

Electromagnetic exploration was a physical electronic exploration technology that measured electric and magnetic fields within the earth and found information about the location, size, shape, and nature of minerals buried underground.

Youngho was no expert in this field, but his friend Park Young-sun, a geology doctor was a good source of such information. As the Duke was well versed in exploration techniques, officials in the relevant ministries were awestruck.

"Your Highness, Doctor Park is here."

"Why don't you bring him at once?"

Suh Min-seok let Park Young-sun wait in the waiting room just like any other guests who came to Youngho's office to keep royal customs and procedures.

Youngho tried to convince him not too, but he was stubborn because of Count Niksic's teachings.

He found the Serbian Kingdom's royal rules from hundreds of years ago and applied to the new royal family of Kazakhstan. He was now nitpicking everything done improperly in the royal palace and making everyone follow the rules.

While Fatima and Youngho were just letting him have his way, others were disgusted by Niksic's passion. Especially, Jong-il and Niksic now engaged in an argument on a daily basis. Niksic, who was mad at Jong-il ignoring the royal rule that he had set, even issued an entry ban to the royal palace. Despite that, Jong-il had been coming to the palace every day.

"Dr. Park, you look great. I guess you had an amazing honeymoon time."

"I'm enjoying a new chapter of my life. It's great to have someone who cooks for me every day. But, I've got to get back to the work field. I'm now getting a little fidgety since I've been home for a while."

Park Young-sun recently married a widow from the village of Serbian ranch. The bride was the temporary maid who accompanied Fatima when she and Youngho first met the Danish royal family at a Swiss ski resort.

Knowing that the two had dated for a while, Youngho insisted for them to get married and arranged their wedding previously.

"Where are you going to run away when you're newly married? Now, you have to step down from the front line and leave the scene to other people."

"Oh, I don't know how long I'll last doing that. By the way, you're in a good mood. I guess something fun is happening, isn't it?"

"I called you to talk to you about something good that might happen."

"If you called me, it would be something about the underground resources. Did a vein of gold burst out or something?"

"Well, rather than bursting out, we found one."

"It's an expression used among geologists and miners when we found a vein of gold."

"I see, but how did you know that?"

"Your face looks brighter than when we found oil in the royal territory."

"Hahaha… I was so thrilled at the time."

Park Young-sun was eager to hear what Youngho had to say.

"It's not a vein of gold, it's rather a gold field. Look at the picture here."

"Oh…!"

"What's your perception on this?"

"Hmmm…"

Park Young-sun, looking into the picture, was not giving him an answer but was just groaning. He seemed to be stunned too.

"Your Highness, as you said, it's too thick to describe it as a vein of gold. I haven't seen a vein like this in my entire life. I don't know where this is, but you should designate this special area."

"This place is the Alatau Mountains near Almaty. You're talking just like the mine manager."

"It's because it's likely to be a unique natural treasure. It's very likely that the whole area around this place will be a gold field."

"So I visited both gold mines a little bit away from there. And those places were where more than four tons of gold is being produced every year."

"I'd like to check it myself."

"Of course. You must see it. Kazakhstan has long been known for its gold and the alluvial gold that's everywhere in streams. Isn't this proof that there's a lot of gold exposed on the surface?"

"The alluvial gold could have been exposed because of the earthquake activities in southern Kazakhstan. Based on where the alluvial is, there's a very good chance that we'll find some of the gold veins."

"I see. Dr. Park, what do you think about designating all the areas with alluvial gold as a special zone? So we could keep the areas safe."

"That's a great idea. If the government keeps the areas as special zones, people won't try to dig up gold illegally. And if you set up a voluntary foundation and continue to crack down on it, the underground gold market will disappear naturally."

"Then all the gold available in the future will be managed by the central bank."

"Yes, the state control of gold means a healthy society. It's also a way to raise the international credibility of the country."

"That's why I wanted to see you today. I'm planning to open a new department, so please be in charge of it."

"I don't know about working with government officials. I just want to be in the field."

"I'm asking you to take over the department so you can't stay in the field. You're not young anymore to go on an exploration quest anymore, are you? And it won't be a government agency. It'll be a royal department, so there's nothing to do with bureaucrats."

"You want to keep it under the royal family?"

"The central bank is also a power-driven institution, and frankly, we don't have complete confidence. So, the gold mines declared by the royal family as a special area will be managed by the royal family."

"Your Highness, there might be a heavy criticism on the royal family."

"So I'm planning to buy Almaty's gold mine with the royal fund."

"They're all nationalized already. How are you going to buy them?"

"The Kazakh government has spent a lot of royal funds. It'd have to pay back somehow. I'd like to get them back with gold mines."