When underwater resource mining using skeletons was successful, the government immediately attached all sorts of rhetoric and made a media play saying that it had taken the first step towards becoming a resource powerhouse.

In the meantime, I commissioned the minerals I brought out as an experiment to the smelter, and the results were truly amazing.

“I have no iron. This is a bit disappointing.”

Iron ore is required to make electronic products.

At my words, the professor jumped up and said,

“What are you talking about! Iron for such a high-grade mineral!”

“yes?”

“This is the perfect mineral itself created by great nature! In the process of the minerals dissolved in the hydrothermal vent being cooled by the seawater, heavy minerals remained…”

“You are saying something difficult again. Easy, easy.”

At my words, the professor cleared his throat and said.

“The melted minerals cooled in the cold seawater, leaving only the heavy minerals on the surface. In a word, this mineral is a high-purity mineral refined by nature.”

“Is it of high purity?”

“yes. See the results here. 200 kg of copper and 300 kg of zinc in 1 ton of mineral. This alone is already half, plus 30 grams of gold and 1,000 grams of silver. It also contains significant amounts of other 20 or so minerals. Do you really not know what this means?”

The professor said with his eyes shining.

“It’s such an insane level of content that there’s nothing to throw away.”

“Is that tidy?”

“Leaving aside everything else, let’s talk about copper for now. Do you know what the copper content of a typical copper mine on earth is?”

“Ten percent?”

Then the professor smiled and said.

“0.3 percent.”

“Poop!”

0.3 percent?!

“If you dig up 1 ton of stone in a copper mine, there are 3 kg of copper in it. It is the copper we commonly see that is made by refining and smelting it. But what about this? That’s 20 percent. Even the rest is mostly other minerals that are not impurities… under. This is truly a mineral from God given by nature.”

“is it so?”

I took out my calculator and banged on it.

“see. The large underwater mining skeletons sent down as a test now average about 1 ton per hour… 24 tons in 24 hours.”

This time, I turned on my cell phone and searched for the price of each mineral.

“Copper is 8,000 won per kg and zinc is 3,000 won. Multiply all of these…”

After completing the calculation, I opened my mouth wide and said.

“100 million a day?!”

One large undersea mining skeleton makes 100 million a day?

So, 3 billion in a month is 300 billion in a month with 100 skeletons.

“Shall we beat them all and do this?”

I was thinking of getting at least the raw materials used by the Seron Group, but this one has a bigger belly button than a stomach.

The Seron Group’s current monthly sales are 700 billion won and its net profit is 200 billion won.

At my words, the professor shook his head and said.

“Probably not to that extent. That’s because it’s the standard after smelting. If you subtract various incidental costs, it’s probably about two-thirds.”

Even at the professor’s words, I said with a bright smile.

“Still, you’re saying that 200 billion comes out, only 100.”

“Perhaps.”

this is crazy

To the point where I feel sorry for myself as to why I hadn’t thought of this earlier.

I immediately called Deokbae Kim.

-Yes, Chairman.

“Please find a used boat right now.”

So far, the government has used ships provided for experiments, but a ship developed by Seron is needed to expand the business in earnest.

-Isn’t that what you decided to do after all the experiments are over?

“It’s an experiment, and I do it unconditionally, unconditionally. It doesn’t matter how much money it costs, so hurry up!”

*

The submarine mining system of Seron Development, which was in full operation like that, was simple.

First, 15 large skeletons are assigned to each underwater mining vessel equipped with a crane, and the skeletons descend to the seabed carrying basic mining equipment such as pickaxes and shovels.

Skeletons descending like that pick up what they can pick up and hit down the ones that need a pickaxe because they are large, and put them in a large barrel sent down from the ship.

While the submarine mining vessel continues to collect minerals while working in shifts 24 hours a day, the carrier that travels between Korea and the submarine mining vessel delivers supplies to be used by the submarine mining vessel, and then loads the accumulated minerals and brings them back to Korea.

And, of course, the results were staggering.

“It’s crazy!”

I sold the mined minerals to the large smelter that I signed this time, and the amount I got was a whopping 30 billion.

This was the amount earned in one month by a ship with 15 large skeletons assigned to it.

I laughed until the corners of my mouth were tearing.

“Why did you just watch this good thing? Thank you.”

Of course, I don’t know why.

Unlike large skeletons that move with their feet on the seabed and even pickaxe, a robot that floats on water in the form of a submersible is incomparable in terms of work efficiency aside from everything else.

No matter how good it is, the efficiency is about 10 percent.

Then, assuming the same working hours, it means earning 3 billion. To be honest, what will be left if you earn 3 billion a month by mobilizing a deep-sea unmanned robot submersible and a large ship?

Right now, I only have 80 people hired by carriers and seabed mining ships’ navigators and shift pilots.

In addition, if you factor in the maintenance fees for boats and robots and the mining rights fee that must be paid to the government, there is a high probability that even if you earn 3 billion won, you will be negative.

But I’m different.

Even after removing all of that, at least 20 billion is left.

“Congratulations, Chairman Han.”

Congratulatory message from Commissioner Jinyoung Lee.

“Uh ha ha. thank you.”

“If the business grows in the future, hundreds of billions will be ridiculous.”

“Is it a matter of hundreds of billions? For the time being, I will only make skeletons for underwater mining.”

Of course, there was a limit to continuing to earn profits from this alone.

For example, for copper, which currently accounts for the highest share, total world production is approximately 20 million tonnes per year.

In terms of amount, it reached about 150 trillion won.

The problem is that the price of this raw material fluctuates enormously depending on supply and demand.

So much so that if I oversupplyed even 10 percent of world production, prices would fall by two-thirds.

In other words, considering other minerals, it might be able to grow up to tens of trillions, but it meant that it would be difficult to grow to more than that.

The proof is that there is not a single mining company in the world’s top 100 companies.

But even so, it is true that there is no way to make more money than this right now, so for now, we should focus on underwater resources.

I looked at Lee Jinyoung and said.

“Anyway, the Commissioner was very helpful. I didn’t know that finding a boat was that difficult.”

I asked Deokbae Kim to look for a used boat.

But, this was surprisingly unusual.

It is difficult to find used items for sale, and the structure of the ship must be changed in order to remodel it.

So I immediately asked for help from Jinyoung Lee.

Lee Jin-young readily agreed, and with the help of Lee Jin-young, he received up to 90 percent of the loan from the government and bought a used boat and successfully converted it into an underwater mining vessel.

“no. Perhaps Korea is at an important crossroads where it may become an exporter from a resource importer, and we should help with what we can.”

“I will definitely guarantee that.”

Anyway, I’m digging for minerals at the level of digging clams in the tidal flats, but what’s difficult?

Anyway, the future is a problem.

“Aren’t there any more used boats?”

A total of six ships have been purchased by Seron so far.

Two of them are carriers, and the rest were bought to be converted for seabed mining, but only one is currently operating and the other three are undergoing remodeling.

The problem is that there is no next 4 ships.

Jinyoung Lee said with a bitter smile.

“It is amazing that we bought 6 used boats of the desired size in such a short period of time in the first place. A boat is not something that can be easily bought and sold.”

Ships are so expensive and large that from the moment they order a new ship from the shipyard, they already have plans for future operation.

Therefore, buying a used boat was not usually difficult.

I wonder if I would have asked Lee Jin-young for help.

“Ahh. There are a lot of skeletons, but I can’t work because I don’t have a belly.”

“Isn’t it right to coordinate with the shipyard and make a proper underwater mining ship instead of an improvised ship like now?”

I said with a sigh.

“When I asked, they said it would take six months from design to drying, no matter how short it is. Even that is backlogged, so you can only get it after two years.”

Orders have been pushed back thanks to the recent revitalization of the shipbuilding industry.

I thought about it for a while and said.

“Isn’t that okay? It would be convenient to build an offshore base on top of an underwater mine. Why, oil drilling does that too.”

At my words, Lee Jin-young laughed and said,

“There is no problem because it was already confirmed when acquiring the development rights.”

“is it so?”

“But the sea base will take longer than the ship.”

“ah.”

“The depth of the quarry is 4,000 meters, but it cannot be made into a fixed type. Then, it is a floating type, and this floating type is also made by fixing a barge-like ship or platform in succession. Then we have to get the boat and the platform again? However, since this is a very special purpose, there will be no used ones at all.”

Ahh.

Do you have to suck your fingers over this bonanza?

I said with a sigh.

“ha. I can’t help it. I will coordinate with the shipyard.”

“You did well.”

“Instead, keep looking for used boats, if there are any that are useful, we will buy them unconditionally.”

*

I coordinated the schedule by meeting with the shipyard.

I begged to do it as soon as possible, but the shipyard also expressed disapproval, saying that there was no way, so the time to deliver the first ship was finally confirmed at two years.

“ah. stuffy. Ahh!”

For me, who ran without hesitation, even hitting machines with skeletons, two years is too long even if it is long.

“sh*t. Even if the bones only float in the water.”

If bones had the property to float, I would have built a sea base out of them without looking back.

But bones sink as soon as they are put in water.

Of course, if you put a structure with air in between, there’s nothing you can’t do, but there’s no way the government will allow such a clumsy offshore structure.

“After all, the sea is not easy.”

Then Deokbae Kim knocked on the door and said.

“President.”

“yes?”

“These are the new employees who joined this time.”

When hiring a new employee at the Seron headquarters, the process that must go through was an interview with me.

It doesn’t mean much, but it’s a kind of show-off show that is done just once when you join the company for reputation management and encouragement.

“Ask me to come in.”

That’s how the door opens, and about 10 new employees enter in a state of discipline.

“Nice to meet you. This is Han Ji-hyeok.”

The new employees shouted in an immobile posture.

“It is an honor to meet you! I will work hard for Seron!”

“yes. I am also happy to work with you.”

After giving such a soulless answer, he throws a few words of trivia.

“Then you live around here.”

“That’s right!”

“hahahaha. Also, close proximity to the company is the best. I know because I have been to the company.”

The moment when you want to talk moderately like that and pass it on.

“hmm?”

One new employee at the far end stands out.

A middle-aged newcomer with wrinkles on his face.

I said while looking at the resume Kim Deok-bae handed over.

“see. This is Jang Cheol-woong.”

Then Jang Cheol-woong shouted.

“you’re right!”

“Are you a newcomer?”

“Even though I’m old, I’m ready to face it with the same spirit as a rookie!”

There is nothing strange about Gunsan, where there were so many unemployed people.

Rather great.

Giving up all the experience you’ve built up so far and applying as a new recruit is not usually a resolution.

“I look forward to using the experience I have accumulated so far in Seron.”

“of course! I will show you that the spirit of building ships is still alive!”

···uh?

ship?

I urgently checked Cheol-woong Jang’s resume.

“Sidae Heavy Industries Gunsan Shipyard?”

“yes! I worked at Gunsan Shipyard, which closed six years ago!”

“Isn’t the shipbuilding industry booming again these days? Is the door still closed?”

“yes? Ah, yes.”

“Please explain in detail. There was talk that the Gunsan Shipyard would be restarted.”

Then Jang Cheol-woong, who was watching, said.

“We talk about reopening in consultation with the city, but among us, it’s just a show for show.”

“Why?”

“The shipbuilding industry has revived a little, but it is not at the level of its heyday, and expansion is not dreamed of. After expansion, if the same recession hits again, there is no way to survive. The Gunsan Shipyard is also an extension of that.”

Clearly, the amount of orders has increased, but are you saying that shipbuilders who have been hit by a recession are reluctant to increase their tables?

“One more question. How big is the Gunsan Shipyard?”

“Uh… I didn’t understand the meaning.”

“It means that you can build a big ship.”

“I don’t know how big a ship you are talking about, but I am proud that no other shipyard in the world can make a ship of a size that cannot be built at Gunsan Shipyard.”

Jang Cheol-woong speaks so naturally that he does not understand.

“Perfect!”

okay.

Rather than waiting for orders, I’ll just make it with my own hands.

In the future, I have to make countless ships for underwater mining, but if I were to make them anyway, it would be cheaper and better to make them with my own hands.

I don’t know, but if you just build a ship for underwater mining, you’ll get a few years worth of work.

I told Deokbae Kim.

“Chief Kim! Please contact the mayor and set up a meeting. And Sidae Heavy Industries too!”

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