"I don't know which part of Yunxin City you wish to explore. While Yunxin City may not be considered vast, it's not small either, and there are quite a few surrounding mountain ranges. I can introduce you to them," Zhang Yang said.
"That would be wonderful," Zhou Yan replied, naturally unwilling to reveal his true objective.
The other party produced a map and began explaining to Zhou Yan, "This is Yunxin City, and these are the surrounding mountain ranges..."
Zhou Yan glanced at the map and quickly located the mountain range where his target lay. He then pointed to ten of them and said, "These ten will do. If there are any discoveries, that would be best, but if not, I'll have to try my luck in the mountain ranges of other cities."
"I don't know if those mountain ranges have any ore; let's discuss the terms of our agreement," Zhang Yang stated. If there were ore, Zhang Yang would have already acted on it, leaving no opportunity for others.
"Agreed," Zhou Yan responded.
Both parties presented their conditions. Zhou Yan mentioned the need for a considerable number of miners, but not too many soldiers.
Seeing Zhou Yan's sincerity, the other party naturally did not quibble over details and then presented their terms.
They offered Zhou Yan several options. The first was to directly purchase the mining rights for the ten mountain ranges at a hefty price. Once purchased, regardless of whether ore was found, the mining rights would belong to Zhou Yan within the agreed timeframe.
The second option was a taxation-based approach, which involved the least cost. Zhou Yan would provide labor and resources. If no ore veins were discovered, neither party would suffer significant losses. However, if ore was found, the other party would collect a twenty percent tax and send their own personnel for supervision.
The third option was a cooperative venture. Both parties would dispatch personnel for exploration. If ore veins were discovered, they would each contribute half the workforce, and the profits would be split equally.
Without a moment's hesitation, Zhou Yan chose the first option.
Zhou Yan was absolutely confident that he would be able to mine ore, and not just any ore, but Nine-Star Spirit Stones, a top-tier material that was scarce even with ample funds.
Spending a mere "trillion" spirit coins to acquire ten mountain ranges was trivial for Zhou Yan.
Thus, the two began to negotiate the price, and Zhou Yan ultimately secured the mining rights for the ten mountain ranges for ten years at a price of two billion spirit coins.
They proceeded to sign the contract, affix their handprints, and record a video as evidence, ensuring that any breach of contract would result in corresponding repercussions.
After the contract was signed, Zhou Yan immediately paid Zhang Yang two billion spirit coins.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Zhang Yang said happily, having exchanged ten seemingly useless mountain ranges for two billion spirit coins.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Zhou Yan replied, equally pleased, as two billion spirit coins were a drop in the bucket for him.
Both were delighted, each inwardly considering the other a fool.
City Lord Zhang Yang provided Zhou Yan with a coordinate, which was located outside their country's territorial boundaries.
Zhou Yan could directly teleport to a location near this coordinate. The deviation was usually not significant.
However, before leaving, Zhou Yan could first dispatch the miners and soldiers from his territory, thus avoiding a lengthy journey.
A total of three thousand miners and one hundred soldiers was the maximum concession City Lord Zhang Yang could offer, and Zhou Yan did not waste further words on the matter.
These miners were the top-tier miners from the territory, and even the soldiers were carefully selected.
Zhang Yang would indeed have his people monitor the individuals dispatched by Zhou Yan, primarily to prevent any harm to nearby villagers. However, Zhang Yang's personnel would not interfere with any of Zhou Yan's actions; instead, they would offer assistance.
After reaching an agreement, Zhou Yan entrusted the excavation work to one of his subordinates, assuring them that he would return shortly. This matter was of great importance, and Zhou Yan wished to ensure everything was properly arranged before leaving it.
Zhou Yan returned to his territory. Of the reconnaissance planes dispatched earlier, only twenty remained, while the others flew back to the territory.
Zhou Yan then initiated the teleportation of his territory to the coordinate provided by Zhang Yang.
With a flash of light, the territory blinked and appeared in its new location.
Standing at an elevated position, he could see several other territories in the distance.
These were lords who had come to the Xuanfeng Dynasty for tourism or business.
Zhou Yan instructed the soldiers of his territory to maintain vigilance, while the remaining soldiers returned to their usual routines.
He then handed over the affairs of the territory to them.
Afterward, Zhou Yan himself teleported back to Yunxin City.
Seeing Zhou Yan use a teleportation item, Zhang Yang was unfazed and asked, "Then I'll arrange for someone to escort you now. If you need anything, you can contact my subordinates directly."
"Alright."
Escorted by Zhang Yang's guards, a group of people began heading towards the nearest mountain range.
To maintain the illusion, Zhou Yan had arranged for professional personnel to conduct the ore exploration.
However, along the way, they found nothing. Zhou Yan deliberately put on an appearance of disappointment.
With many people involved, the exploration proceeded rapidly. The first mountain range was quickly surveyed, followed by the second and third.
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Yang smiled knowingly. He had always known that those areas lacked any valuable ore veins; otherwise, he would have already partnered with others for their exploitation.
However, he was not entirely certain, as his own exploration personnel were not particularly skilled.
A day passed without Zhou Yan discovering any useful ore veins. He then instructed his people to set up camp and rest, telling them to notify him immediately of any developments.
Zhou Yan took out a City Return Stone and returned to his territory. After completing his cultivation, he returned to the mountain range to continue the exploration.
Finally, in the afternoon, they reached the target location. He ordered the surrounding area to be cordoned off, preventing outsiders from approaching, as this area had already been purchased by Zhou Yan and thus fell within his mining scope.
The individuals sent by Zhang Yang found it inconvenient to approach and left immediately.
Zhang Yang received this news promptly. While slightly surprised, he did not pay it much attention, as Zhou Yan had spent two billion spirit coins, and any discovery, even if minor, should not be of great significance.
Zhang Yang instructed his subordinates not to interfere with Zhou Yan's activities as long as they did not cause trouble.
This was precisely what Zhou Yan had hoped for.
The three thousand mining professionals, all top talents from Zhou Yan's territory, excavated with the efficiency of machines. Even their equipment was of gold-grade or higher. With thousands of people working together, a mine shaft was quickly excavated.
Zhou Yan waited here for a considerable time. After several hours, they finally unearthed spirit stones, but they were not Nine-Star ones.
The Nine-Star spirit stones, he knew, would be at the very bottom. Zhou Yan instructed them to continue digging, as it would eventually be incorporated into his territory once completed.
Seeing that everything was in order, Zhou Yan felt at ease. However, he reiterated the importance of safety, reminding them to avoid causing trouble, as they were on someone else's territory.