Empire of the Ring

Chapter 225: Hot Summer (3)

“Hahaha…”

“Don’t laugh! I was going to claim the discoverer’s right this time, but I have none.”

“What if you do?”

“Of course, I’ll break away from you. I’m going to be my own boss.”

“Hahaha…”

What Youngho and Jong-il brought as samples were pyrites which were a Sulfide mineral and a mixture of sulfur and iron. Because many people misunderstood the mineral as gold, it was often called ‘fool’s gold’. Because the two had no knowledge of native gold, they had misunderstood the mineral as gold.

Seeing the two bickering at each other, Park Youngsun smiled. Then, what came out of his mouth was significant.

“This mineral is not common. You might’ve found something more valuable than gold. There are many geological cases that many minerals are mixed in a place. I think a treeless mountaintop collapsed in a great flood. And the fact that there are a lot of these pieces is that a giant rock might have been blown up by water absorption. I’ve got to take a closer look at the scene.”

Park Youngsun continued his explanation for a while.

It was difficult to understand all of his words, but the conclusion seemed to be that their discovery would make them a lot of money. Sulfide minerals consisted of minerals such as gold, nickel, iron, copper, and lead which were of great economic importance, so he said that it was too early to give up yet.

“Dr. Park. You’re saying that this mineral is not useless.”

At Park Youngsun’s explanation, Jong-il’s eyes sparkled.

“You’re right. It looks like you’ve made an interesting discovery. Especially, if the mineral was confirmed to contain nickel, you’ll definitely be able to raise your voice.”

“See? You’ve been laughing at me, but you’ll need to look good to me now. If I become the owner of a great mine, you’ll not even be going to get the soup.”

“Okay. I won’t need to get the soup, so you make sure you’re the owner of that mine, alright?”

“You know what? This is the timing that we should be dealing about how much percentage of the share is going to whom. Man, this is not fun. I’m quitting.”

“Jong-il, come here. Let this brother give you a big hug.”

“Why are you trying to give a hug so often these days? You’re disgusting.”

As Park Youngsun had triggered the two men’s curiosity and motivation, it was obvious that they would not sit and wait. The two immediately flew back to the Koryoin town with Park Youngsun and began their land investigation.

They heard two opposite perspectives, so joy and sorrow mingled together.

The story that made Youngho, who was crazy for gold, sad was this. The alluvial gold that had been mixed with sand below the stream of the valley was from the Sulfide minerals as a result of weathering. The streams had swept down the gold from the minerals and into the valley and luckily they were deposited in a calm stream. And this meant that there was no rich vein of gold around.

What made Jong-il joyful was that the Sulfide minerals contained a lot of nickel and copper, so they seemed to be a very important resource.

From that day, Jong-il acted so high and mighty. He claimed that he would go find a fallen kingdom and make another autonomous state in Kazakhstan, but he was stopped by Youngho’s slap on his back.

“Youngho, why don’t we make it official and develop the mine legally?”

“If only that’s possible, but I’m just worried that the Kazakh government won’t allow it. I have no proper reason to buy the land. This is obviously not farmland or place for ranching. The government will think we’re suspicious.”

“You should just tell the truth to the president.”

“I know it’s not a strategic mineral, but if the government decided to develop it on its own, the field will be taken away from us. I don’t know if the president will be able to give us that kind of privilege.”

The two tried to come up with a way to get the land near the Koryoin town, but they could not think of something.

Kim Ilkwon, who was sent as Youngho’s special emissary, returned from Bosnia.

According to him, there had been many nameless war crimes in Bosnia and it was hard to listen. He had made a negotiation with the Bosnian government, so Youngho decided to donate five million dollars to help war widows under the name of the Arirang Foundation. It was because the Bosnian government did not want any financial help from Serbian people.

It was something that could be forgotten by the people soon and something that could not be settled by financial compensations, but Youngho’s donation was to show sincerity. When he had even taken care of war orphans, it made sense to take care of the Serbian immigrants and their past faults. He never intended to stop supporting Bosnia after a temporary help. The plan was to hold the immigrants also accountable for some of the compensation from now on.

Youngho had taken an action because it was likely to be burdensome for Leon after he and Fatima died. When the Arirang farm continued to develop and later became an influential group in the international community, it could not be hampered by its ancestors’ irresponsible handling of what happened in Bosnia. That was why he decided to thoroughly examine the Serbian immigrants who would be moving in the future.

Nothing was free in the world.

In the beginning, Youngho was glad to receive loyal and diligent immigrants who were the descendants of the Serbian Kingdom. On the other hand, there was a dark shadow. However, it would be unfair if the entire population was treated as a harmful group because of some immigrants. That was why he wanted to clean up the past by taking an active step. Kim Sungchan praised Youngho for his decision. It was not good to dig up the hurtful past, but the past faults must be corrected. A group that had not corrected its past could never move forward.

It was just like the ground was solidified after the rain.

When the immigrants learned of the situation, they also volunteered to help. They said that they would raise a certain amount every month and make it a fund to help the war victims in Bosnia. They also said that they would set aside a certain amount of wheat profits to be distributed at the end of the year. They realized that if they failed to make up for their past wrongdoings, their descendants would suffer the damage.

This had brought the residents together more tightly than ever before as they worked toward one goal with the same heart. The drunk people who walked around the streets in a disorderly manner also disappeared lately. It was proof that people were finally getting a grip on themselves. The productivity was also increased among the Serbian residents.

“Mr. President, it’s only because you favored me that I didn’t, but I even thought about secretly digging out all the resources.”

The president laughed his head off at Youngho’s remark.

“Lee. The more I meet you, the more surprising you are. You know how mineworkers are in the country.”

“How would I know?”

“The owners are usually Russians and they only report about one-fifth of the amount that they really produce. Knowing all that, I overlook their reports. It’s because if I get down to the bottom of that, the relationship with Russia would be affected by it. Kazakhstan has no strength to ignore Russia yet.”

Youngho was not sure how to react to him since his remark even sounded a little self-mocking.

“What do I need to do, to not to cause you any trouble?”

“If I give you permission for mining, what can you give to Kazakhstan?”

“…”

“Kazakhstan has inexhaustible underground resources. It won’t be depleted because you dig some out. There won’t be anyone who’d bother you even if you submit fake reports like Russian minefield owners. Just promise me that you won’t take the money outside Kazakhstan. I’m saying you should use it for Kazakhstan only.”

“Ah!”

Youngho was deeply touched by the old president’s request.

Unless there was drainage of national wealth, the money would be circulated in the country. His made a broad-minded suggestion that he would not touch any of Youngho’s activity if he did not take out the money he made to foreign countries. Also, there was a hidden warning in his words. If Youngho had broken the promise, the safety of Arirang Farm would not be guaranteed.

“Mr. President. All I’ve earned here, I’ve used it for Arirang Farm’s wellness. Although I used it for Serbian immigrants who had nowhere to go, but eventually it is the same as making investments for Kazakhstan. Anything I earn from mining will be the same. I’ll use it for Serbian immigrants and it would circulate around the regions of Kazakhstan.”

Understanding Youngho’s intention, the old president smiled.

Youngho had requested a private meeting with President Nazarbayev and he was finally meeting him today.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no justification for securing the land. So, Youngho explained everything that happened in the Koryoin town to the president. Since he had already learned about the old president’s personality, he decided to be honest and take the bull by the horns to resolve the problem.

Even if his request was declined, there was nothing for him to lose. He would rather be imprinted as an honest businessman.

Because there would be not much alluvial gold left to collect, Kim Sungchan and Park Youngsun both agreed and suggested to get official permission to develop the minefield from the government. So, Youngho came clean to the president and the reply was even more generous than he had thought.

“Russian minefield owners sometimes brought bribes too.”

“…”

“I used all of the bribe money for the country’s economic development. Some went to support the opposition party that is trying to stop the dictator government.”

Feeling comfortable around Youngho, the president was having another cup of tea and was telling side stories.

“Western countries don’t know why I’m maintaining the opposition party by providing their political funds. It’s because if they used black money, it will ruin Kazakhstan’s future. In short, I’m raising a healthy opposition party.”

It was like the president was determined to impress Youngho today. He was sharing private stories.

“Then, I should too…”

“Hear me out until the end. Russians use most of their profits here, but they still take the money to their homeland secretly. That’s why they bribe me to appreciate that I’m turning a blind eye to them. You won’t have to give me anything if you use the money earned here in the country.”

“I take that to my heart.”

“But, I won’t stop you collecting what you’ve invested in here. If a bad rumor was spread out, who would make an investment in our country?”

“I understand, Mr. President.”

“I trust Koryoins than anyone. You’d already know that there are many Koryoins in my close circle. I also know you’ll keep your words.”

After meeting with the president, Youngho’s heart was light.

The president had shown his trust to Youngho and there was a little wiggle room for him as well. Youngho was impressed by the president even though he was a dictator. It was quite impressive that the president supported funds for the opposition party.

The old politician was preparing things for the time he had retired as well.

Since Youngho gained the president’s trust and expectation, he wanted to repay his favor. If Kazakhstan was developed, Arirang Farm would be benefited by it too, so there was no reason for him to be hesitant.

The meeting today was quite impressive to Youngho.

Humanly trust was something that could not be bought with money, but the president was one of the people who trusted him.

It was the best feeling when honest move worked rather than an expedient.

This summer was especially hot and Youngho’s heart was even warmed up with passion.