Qu Jianlei built such a grotto because he obviously didn't want the other party to discover how he cultivated.
However, the other party had no intention of prying, let alone worried that he would privately mine minerals.
There is only such a big starship in total. Even if it is mined privately, how much ore can be mined?
It took Qu Jianlei three days to completely build the shipyard, with monitoring and warning equipment surrounding it.
The mine promised him intelligence sharing, but how could he give up his autonomy? At the critical moment, he was the most reliable.
Then he practiced for another five days, and after thoroughly adjusting to the situation, he drove an attack ship out of the shipyard.
It is definitely not advisable to practice blindly. It just so happens that the Purcell Consortium is also a big force, so it should be able to get some information, right?
Qu Jianlei first drove the attack ship to inspect the surrounding area, and then parked the ship outside the living area.
The living area is built against the mountain, somewhat similar to the cave dwellings of Blue Star.
He chose the office area and expressed that he wanted to know the situation.
The other party received him warmly, led by a metallic B-class warrior named Dak.
Qu Jianlei didn't act too cold this time, but he didn't talk much. He mainly asked various questions.
Dake did not hide the relevant information. After all, he was his own caretaker, so more communication was necessary.
This mine is mined by "Wanmi Mining", and the main mineral is platinum.
Platinum plays a very important role in the empire's industrial system and is in great demand.
The Purcell Consortium is not a sole proprietor, but the major shareholder of Wanmi Mining, and some other forces also participate in the company.
Originally this place was stationed by a certain force, but this shareholder encountered something and withdrew the garrison.
The Saier Group feels that it is not very convenient for shareholders to send forces - mainly because there are still some problems with mutual trust.
Duck makes no secret of this, as it is common, especially in precious metal mines.
They are responsible for mining and are not willing to get involved in such things, and their human nature cannot withstand the test.
Therefore, the Purcell Consortium simply looked for an outsourcing team to spend this period of time.
When Qu Jianlei heard this, he couldn't help but ask, "How do you define this period of time? What happened?"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he felt a little regretful. Maybe it was his own fault.
As expected, including what happened to the shareholder, it was all due to the massive loss of the Star Thieves' power, which caused a brief period of chaos.
Qu Jianlei only knows how to practice and modify in a deserted place. He occasionally goes to Lanyun Market and seldom communicates with others.
So he really didn't know that the asteroid belt was much more chaotic than before.
Dak is not surprised by his ignorance. There is news that this force is relatively isolated and has little contact with outsiders.
In fact, for Wanmi Mining, this is one of the important reasons why they chose to invite Qu Jianlei to guard the mine.
Dak and others also welcome such people. The most troublesome thing is when they encounter those forces who covet platinum mines.
It's just that the other party is not an ordinary occlusion. After arriving, they first built their own residence, which made them a little bit dumbfounded.
It is precisely because of this that he is so enthusiastic about Qu Jianlei, otherwise he would have to keep a distance.
Qu Jianlei was a little dumbfounded when he heard this, "After two years, are you guaranteed to be fine?"
"Unrest must come to an end," Dak replied casually. "It only takes a year or two. The old ones can't come back, and the new ones are born."
This is indeed in line with Qu Jianlei's understanding that gray areas cannot be empty forever.
Then he asked if what he needed to be wary of came from space or the two mines around him.
However, Duck said very straightforwardly that in this kind of location, anything is possible.
The first communication ended like this. After Qu Jianlei knew the whole story, he was not in a hurry to get close to the other party.
In the following time, he would come out for inspection every ten days or so, and then chat with the person for a while.
In fact, there is no need for him to conduct special inspections. The mine's various monitoring systems are complete and can be observed from the ground to the sky.
However, since he took on such a job, he felt that he still needed to show his presence occasionally and show that he was dedicated.
The second time, he met the person in charge of the mine, a middle-aged man named Li Ang, with A-level water attributes.
Li Ang felt somewhat alienated from him, but Qu Jianlei also understood that keeping a distance would not test human nature.
In the blink of an eye, three months passed.
Every time Qu Jianlei came out, he couldn't chat with the other party for long, and even declined several banquets.
He was not very interested in contacting outsiders, and the thought of drinking at a banquet made him even less interested.
No matter how high it is, how can others cling to it? A simple working relationship is fine.
His attitude actually gained Li Ang's trust. Pretending is the last thing that can stand the test of time.
Therefore, everyone in the mine is interested in answering his questions, even if some of the information is somewhat secretive.
On this day, Qu Jianlei was practicing in the shipyard when an alarm suddenly sounded.
He turned on the surveillance camera and found Li Ang standing outside the shipyard, tapping an alarm, looking a little anxious.
He released his senses and made some gains. Then he took out the handheld device and took a look. Sure enough, it was out of battery.
He opened the small door of the shipyard and walked out, asking blankly, "What's going on?"
Not only is it cold here, but the air is also thin, but A-level awakeners can still stay for a short time.
"There is an intruder," Li Ang said anxiously, "Can your force hold back a supreme leader?"
Qu Jianlei sighed quietly, "This is really disturbing... Let me tell you in detail."
"Someone is here to collect protection money," Li Ang replied in a deep voice, "There are three armed merchant ships parked above Godley."
The people who came did not land, but passed the message down in the air.
Ordinarily, Wanmi Mining does not object to paying protection fees, but this time, the offer was a bit harsh.
In addition to protection fees, they also need to purchase 10% of platinum production at half price.
At the same time, the starship released supreme pressure, showing that we are supreme.
This means that the opponent has the strength in both air combat and ground combat.
Ordinarily, 10% of the output is not too much, but Qu Jianlei found out a few days ago that the platinum output of Wanmi Mining accounts for 80% of the output of the surrounding star field.
Bazheng is Tietie's monopoly, so the loss is not just a matter of money.
Qu Jianlei was a little surprised when he heard this, "How dare they ignore the Purcell Consortium?"
Sel is not just one or two supremes, but can pull out one or two supremes at any time to participate in the battle.
Li Ang grimaced and said with embarrassment, "We have already reported the consortium, but the joint-stock system... is not yet a holding company."
In addition to not being a controlling shareholder, the Purcell Consortium also has some considerations, such as maintenance issues.
It’s not difficult for the consortium to send a few supreme officials over, but the difficulty lies in solving the current crisis. What to do in the future?
The above believes that if the other party dares to speak like this, regardless of strength, it is likely to be an act of avoiding war.
Godley's star is fixed, at least it has a stable trajectory, but the forces that collect protection fees are alive.
Wanmi Mining must mine on the planet, and the other party can come and leave as they please.
It is impossible for the Supreme Being sent by the consortium to participate in the war to stay in Goedli forever.
A place where birds don't poop - that's wrong, a place where there aren't even birds. No matter how many people there are in the house, they won't have such a wasteful place.
As mentioned before, guerrilla warfare is really common in the empire.
This is the reason why the big forces are willing to pay protection fees. They all wear shoes, and they can just spend a small amount of money to get rid of the barefoot ones.
As for a few supreme bureau camps... you can have this, but how to calculate the cost?
Let me repeat, the Saier Consortium does not control Wanmi Mining, it is just a major shareholder!
So the reaction of the consortium is: isn't our protection outsourced? Can the other party hold back a supreme leader?
"Hold on..." Qu Jianlei pondered for a moment and asked, "If we hold back one Supreme, you can kill three warships?"
Li Ang answered simply, "No, but they have made similar requests to other mines, and we can join forces."
The other two mines have no dealings with Wanmi Mining, but under the current circumstances, it is normal to join forces.
Qu Jianlei thought for a while and asked, "Is it possible that one of the two families is up to something?"
"Harmful," Li Ang smiled bitterly, "It's very possible. These big forces often do things very dirty."
Qu Jianlei was stunned when he heard this. Didn't you even scold the Saier Financial Group?
But then, he realized something, "Don't those two families view Wanmi in the same way?"
Li Ang could only continue to smile bitterly, "Yes, no one can give up resistance, even if it is a fake fight, there will be a fight."
Qu Jianlei shook his head when he heard this. Otherwise, people can't help themselves in the world, and even big forces have times when they have no choice but to do so.
But this is good news. At least those two families cannot be held back during the battle.
Therefore, this battle can really be fought. All that needs to be considered is what kind of strength should be shown.
However, he still has one last question, "Can 10% of output really affect the pattern?"
The Purcell Consortium has indeed formed a de facto monopoly, but Godley is only one of the consortium's many platinum mines.
Li Ang was obviously well prepared, and the answer came immediately, "They don't need to affect the entire situation."
"It's normal to hoard these minerals, it just takes a critical moment to do something bad!"
"Besides, since I have already obtained 10%, who can be sure that there will not be another 10%?"
Can a blunt knife cut flesh? Qu Jianlei frowned, feeling that there was something wrong with this argument.
"If the next Issei really appears, can the Purcell Consortium endure it?"
Li Ang shook his head, looking confused.
"I don't dare to talk nonsense about this, but Seer's meaning is very clear. Since the guards are outsourced, why not give it a try first?"
Qu Jianlei spoke thoughtfully, "In the previous agreement, there was no such thing as fighting against the supreme, and there were no relevant clauses."
"If we hold someone back, or even win... what is the reward?"
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