Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 359 Huge Gold Mine_1

Chapter 359: Chapter 359 Huge Gold Mine_1

Why would Wang Ye share all this with A Bu?

Obviously, he had his own motives.

This was his way of implying that his relationship with the Kremlin was now very good!

From what Wang Ye knew of A Bu from their "past lives", this man was intelligent and suspicious, but also a bit timid!

A Bu only began to thrive in the late Oligarch era.

With his shrewd eye, he had bet on The Emperor, believing that he could secure his position and willingly drew closer to him.

In retrospect, this was the right move.

The Oligarchs either died or escaped, while A Bu flourished.

Given his relationship with The Emperor, he should have been able to accomplish much more.

But A Bu, for fear of following in the same footsteps as the oligarchs and being "cleared out", started to withdraw from the scene cautiously.

His appointment in Chukotka State demonstrated this.

On second thought, if he hadn’t opted for self-imposed exile to the frontier, but had instead sided with The Emperor to help consolidate the energy and metal industries together...

He probably wouldn’t have wound up settled in London, completely duped by the Ansas!

The Emperor desperately needed someone like him, but A Bu kept dodging in turn facilitating Mikhail’s rise...

Well, maybe A Bu, foreseeing the consequences of "serving the Emperor is like serving a tiger", deliberately chose this path.

Either way, he had made enough money, earning a bit more not being particularly meaningful unless it’s 100% safe. Ensuring his personal safety was his top priority!

This led to a conflicting situation.

A Bu wanted to gain The Emperor’s approval and trust because this guaranteed the safety of his person and his property.

On one hand, he dared not align himself too closely with The Emperor. Distance breeds respect. If he got too close, who could tell whether he would displease The Emperor?

So what was he to do? A Bu noticed Wang Ye, or should we say, Mikhail...

This young guy seemed to be tightening his ties with The Emperor. It was no secret to A Bu that Mikhail already had a good relationship with Gavriil.

A Bu was surprised to find that even The Emperor greatly appreciated Mikhail, to the point of inviting him to dinner more than once!

A Bu himself had not even enjoyed such an honor...

Given this, A Bu hatched a new idea.

What if he became business partners with Mikhail?

They would be tied together by interests!

This way, he could make money safely. Moreover, indirectly, this alliance with Mikhail would also be an alliance with The Emperor -- a perfect match for his needs!

......

After chatting about the election for a while, A Bu subtly changed the subject.

He said to Wang Ye with a chuckle, "Did you know? We’ve just discovered a huge gold mine here in Chukotka."

Wang Ye was taken aback. A gold mine...

If there’s anything more profitable than selling oil, it could only be mining for gold!

A gold mine that A Bu had solemnly described as "huge" couldn’t be small.

But why is he suddenly telling me this...

Wang Ye asked curiously, "A huge gold mine, huh? Does this mean that Chukotka State has struck gold? By the way, is this mine on state-owned or private land?"

His questions were reasonable.

In Russia, land ownership is divided into four categories: state, provincial, city, and individual!

Of course, the first three essentially belonged to the state, accounting for about ninety-three percent of the total land area!

Only seven percent of land was privately owned, mostly residential, which still wasn’t a small amount.

A Bu chuckled, "It’s provincial government land. Therefore, we can either mine it ourselves or issue mining licenses. Moreover, this news hasn’t been leaked out yet, as the exploration team was privately hired by me and they report directly to me."

Saying this, he gave a very meaningful look at Wang Ye.

If Wang Ye didn’t understand the meaning of A Bu’s words now, then he shouldn’t be in this world anymore.

He immediately responded, "Uncle A Bu, congratulations, then! Your empire will now include a large gold mine. You’ll soon become Russia’s biggest tycoon in the non-ferrous metal industry, haha."

After selling off his shares in the Siberian Oil Company, A Bu’s remaining industries were the Russian Aluminium Group and the Civil Aviation Group!

Of course, his account also held a staggering two billion US dollars in cash...

A Bu shook his head and said in a low voice, "Although I hired the exploration team that discovered the gold mine, I can’t personally buy the land and start mining. After all, I’m the Governor here. I won’t be able to explain it easily. Those who don’t know might even think that I became the Governor of Chukotka just for the gold mine."

Now Wang Ye understood A Bu’s intentions.

In essence, A Bu wanted to acquire the gold mine but didn’t want to bear the risk!

Gold mines are accompanied by huge risks...

Honestly, who wouldn’t be lured by the news of such a treasure trove?

Many people might attack A Bu, accusing him of filling his pockets and using his power for personal gain!

Even with The Emperor’s protection, A Bu might not be able to handle it.

Plus, it’s doubtful whether The Emperor was willing to protect him always.

Otherwise, A Bu would not have fled to Chukotka...

Now A Bu seemed to have "spotted" Wang Ye and proposed him to join him in exploiting this gold mine.

The reason for asking Wang Ye to join in was naturally that he had seen the power behind him and The Emperor’s appreciation for Wang Ye!

If anything went wrong, Wang Ye would bear the brunt, and the harm wouldn’t reach him.

...

After figuring this out, Wang Ye calmly asked, "So Uncle A Bu, what are you thinking now? Do you want to hand over this gold mine to the state?"

A Bu shook his head over and over. He had put so much effort into finding this gold mine, how could he willingly hand it over to the state.

He was not as "patriotic" as Berezov...

If he were really patriotic, he would not have later transferred his assets abroad, settling in London.

Remember, the money he spent buying football teams, super yachts, private planes, and castle mansions abroad, wasn’t it all earned in Russia?

"The state is privatizing its enterprises, what’s the point of handing it over? Even if I did, they would probably auction off the mining rights. Instead... Misha, are you interested in this gold mine?" A Bu stared at Wang Ye, speaking earnestly.

Wang Ye also responded straightforwardly, "Of course, I’m interested! It’s a gold mine, who wouldn’t want to own it? Uncle A Bu, now it’s just the two of us here, you can speak frankly about your plans."

Having discussed it to this point, A Bu stopped beating around the bush.