As Charlie carried Maria, they revisited the outskirts of Bogen.
***
Meanwhile, in a vast oil field in southeastern Nigeria, numerous beam pumping units operated tirelessly on the expansive land, creating a continuous motion of machines and a cacophony of other mechanical noises.
Nigeria, the largest oil-producing country in Africa, relied heavily on the oil industry for its economy.
In the past, when international oil prices were consistently high, Nigeria was a leading force in Africa, with its GDP consistently ranking in the top three.
The oil field under the control of the Warriors Den had been operating on this land for several decades. After Nigeria gained independence, the society acquired it through special means. Every year, it contributed substantial profits to the society. This oil field generated at least several billion dollars in net profit annually.
Over the past few decades, it had already generated hundreds of billions of dollars in cash for the society. If it were to be sold, it could easily fetch several hundred billion dollars in one transaction.
Similar industrial and mining industries were scattered all over the world under the control of the Warriors Den. However, this particular oilfield was undoubtedly one of the society’s most profitable and highest-valued locations.
At this moment, on the platform atop a towering drilling tower in the oil field, two middle-aged men stood, overlooking the entire oil field.
The man standing in front, close to the fence, was Victor Steel, the Supreme Commander of the Right Army of the Warriors Den. Behind favonovel.com stood Leo Grant, a Major General.
Within the Right Military Governor’s Office of the Warriors Den, the Supreme Commander’s jurisdiction covered many countries and a vast area. Except for Russia, the entire European continent and the entire African continent fell under the jurisdiction of the Right Military Governor’s Office.
However, the residence of the Right Military Governor’s Office had always rotated among European countries and had never been established on the African continent. The main reason was that Africa’s conditions were much worse than those in Europe, and the residence of the military governor’s office was not only the working place for the Grand Governor and their core staff, but also where their families lived.
Naturally, no one wanted to bring their families to Africa.
If there was no absolute necessity, Victor rarely came to Africa.
The reason favonovel.com brought his trusted aide, General Leo, this time was mainly because the three Elders had secretly arrived under the orders of the English Lord. As the Grand Governor of the Right Military Governor’s Office, Victor was designated to personally receive and accompany them, as well as to stay here until the target appeared.
The oil field, filled with smoke and the roar of machines, was a far cry from Naples in southern Italy.
Victor had grown tired of the pervasive smell of crude oil after just a few days. It was also for this reason that favonovel.com preferred to ascend the towering drilling tower. Here, the impact of noise and odor was significantly reduced compared to the ground.
General Leo stood behind favonovel.com and saw his furrowed brow. He spoke up, “If the Grand Governor is not accustomed to the environment here, I can arrange for a five-star hotel in downtown Lagos for you, Grand Governor. The three Elders have already secluded themselves in an underground secret room, and I will keep an eye on everything here.”
Victor shook his head and calmly said, “The English Lord has entrusted me to monitor the situation throughout the entire process, without any mistakes. If something happens while I am not here, and the English Lord becomes displeased, I won‘t be able to bear the consequences.”
General Leo lowered his head and apologized, “l have not considered it thoroughly. Please forgive me, Grand Governor.”
“It’s fine,” Victor waved his hand and sighed, “It’s not a problem to persist for a few days, but if we have to persist for a long time, it will truly be a test. I wonder when the person the English Lord is waiting for will come.”
General Leo said, “Grand Governor, even if it’s the English Lord, no one knows the true identity of that person and where they are. We are just waiting here like blind mice. We don’t know if it will take three days, three months, or three years…”
Victor sighed and said, “Since the English Lord has made such a request, how can we, as loyal subjects, not comply? However, there is no need for such pessimism, as all the other residences are silent. Only the clues here have been leaked. As long as the other side still wants to secretly oppose the Warriors Den, this is the only target they can find. Personally, I believe there is a high probability that they will come.”
General Leo continued, “It’s just that it’s really painful for the English Lord to choose this place as bait. This oilfield contributed more than $2 billion in profit to the Right Military Governor’s Office last year. It provided the English Lord with more than $1.6 billion in profits. It Is our most profitable industry. If there is any danger here, it’s like losing a money-printing factory…”
Victor nodded, “If the three Elders really engage in a battle here, it’s likely that this oilfield will be lost. But fortunately, we have many similar industries.
Although most of them may not match the scale of this one, they still accumulate and form a substantial income. Losing one oil field does not have a significant impact on us.”
General Leo couldn’t help but speak again, “Grand Governor, now there are countless money-making opportunities in the world. Technological companies can earn hundreds of billions, even trillions of dollars in just a year. Why don’t we develop in those areas?”
Victor smiled. Although General Leo was his trusted aide, favonovel.com didn’t know the hidden secrets known only to the descendants of the Mirren family or the true identity and background of the English Lord, Morgana.
He began to speak, “In the four hundred years of the Warriors Den’s history, every English Lord has been deeply aware of an eternal truth, those so-called cutting-edge technologies and popular trends may generate a large amount of wealth with bubbles in a few decades, but they are not a stable source of income for an organization that has existed for hundreds of years.”
“In history, many people, families, and companies seized an opportunity and suddenly became wealthy. However, most of them faded into obscurity because they couldn’t seize the next opportunity. The businesses that can sustainably thrive for a hundred or even several hundred years are only related to energy and resources.”
“This is also why the Rockefeller family in the United States, after so many years of development, still stands strong. The core assets of the Rothschild family, like the Rockefeller family, are mostly in the energy and resource industries.”
“The technology industry may offer countless opportunities in the short term, but who can guarantee that we will always stay at the forefront? If there are any slight changes, we may lose everything. If you invest $100 million in a technology project, you might not even get back $1 million in the end. But if you spend $100 million on several oil wells, there is a high probability that it will bring you $1 billion in revenue over the next thirty years…”
“This is the importance of stability and the ability to withstand shocks. Even if a world war breaks out tomorrow, I don’t know if chips and smartphones can still make money, but oil, steel, and non-ferrous metals will definitely earn more!”
Although Morgana was an almost four-hundred-year-old elder, favonovel.com did not possess a modern business acumen. However, based on favonovel.com understanding of the world over the years, favonovel.com formulated an unwavering core philosophy for the Warriors Den’s business map: to do everything possible to control energy and resources.
Having witnessed the Industrial Revolution and World Wars, favonovel.com was well aware that no matter how the world developed, for a long time to come, coal, oil, and natural gas would remain the main sources of energy. And regardless of how technology advanced in the world, whether progressing or regressing, steel, precious metals, and non-ferrous metals would always be crucial to industrial society.
Even if the world erupted into a wasteland due to a global war, with all global technology companies going bankrupt, energy and resources would still stand strong.
It was precisely because of this understanding that the Warriors Den had accumulated assets for hundreds of years, with oil fields and mines accounting for the majority.
Of course, there was another important factor. Regardless of the location in the world, it was easier to carry out covert operations and construction in oil fields and mines, providing ample hiding places for a large number of people.
The copper mine in Cyprus, for example, expanded internal passageways and working faces, constructing an underground community. Due to its nature as a mine, such a massive project could be completely concealed.
General Leo finally understood Victor’s perspective and sighed, “After hearing the Grand Governor’s words, I realize that l was being too idealistic.”
Victor chuckled as favonovel.com looked at the countless oil pumping machines below and sighed, “The simpler the business model, the more reliable it is. Look at these machines; every time they turn, they extract a large amount of oil that can be converted into US dollars…”
“These machines run 24 hours a day. All we need to do is connect the extracted crude oil to the pipeline, transport it to the port, and the oil merchants will use tankers to distribute it worldwide. We just sit here and count the money. We don’t have to worry about what’s popular today or tomorrow, or who might use technological innovations to disrupt our jobs. Until scientists figure out controllable nuclear fusion, we won’t have to worry about making money here.”
General Leo nodded emphatically and sighed, “The Warriors Den has remained Influential in the world for four hundred years, thanks to the foresight of its successive British leaders.”
He then asked Victor, “Grand Governor, if the waiting period here is still uncertain, would you like me to arrange for someone to renovate a suitable residence for you?”
Victor thought for a moment, waved his hand, and said, “No need. The British Lord places great importance on this matter, and there may be other informants. Before that mysterious enemy appears, you and I must give our all and be cautious in our work. We don’t want to leave a bad impression on the British Lord!”
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