Mannia Bay was a hotbed of pirate activity.
Transporting large quantities of oil resources out of there was incredibly difficult.
By sea, large cruise ships were the most tempting prey for pirate factions.
Land routes were also unviable. Neighboring countries were not short of oil, and their demand was small.
Selling to them wouldn't even cover the expenses.
It looked like a fat lamb, but if you couldn't get your hands on it, it was the most frustrating thing.
If a hot potato couldn't be held by oneself, it was best to pass it to someone else.
After deliberation with his negotiation team, Kaiyadun agreed to Liu Kai Xuan's cooperation plan the next day.
As soon as Liu Kai Xuan paid the 5 million yuan deposit, the cooperation agreement could be signed.
At this point, Liu Kai Xuan raised further demands.
Liu Kai Xuan believed his oil fields required significant assets for maintenance.
Furthermore, to prevent pirates from transporting oil, a professional escort fleet needed to be assembled.
In essence, Liu Kai Xuan required a private armed force of a certain size to protect his assets.
Kaiyadun was naturally hesitant to readily agree to this demand.
The current chaotic state of Kaiya Kingdom, with its warlords and widespread corruption, was primarily a consequence of the unchecked proliferation of private armed forces.
The number of private armed groups within the country had become unmanageable.
Under such circumstances, how could Kaiyadun possibly allow Liu Kai Xuan to establish his own?
If Liu Kai Xuan's private armed forces were to develop, the royal family would be incapable of maintaining control.
Kaiyadun firmly refused Liu Kai Xuan's request to establish his own armed force, and Liu Kai Xuan did not press the issue.
Liu Kai Xuan proposed that Kaiyadun dispatch some police officers to ensure the safety of the mining area.
However, these stationed police officers would need to respect Liu Kai Xuan's directives.
This demand was even more unacceptable to Kaiyadun.
If the kingdom's police were dispatched, their salaries would have to be paid by the royal family.
Yet, the command authority would rest with someone else, effectively meaning the royal family would be paying to support another's agenda.
However, if command authority was not relinquished, given the typical demeanor of imperial nobles, their presence at the mining site would likely cause more trouble than good.
Kaiyadun was unwilling to send his own men to protect Liu Kai Xuan's interests, but he also understood that the mining site could not be left unprotected.
After careful consideration, Kaiyadun ultimately agreed to Liu Kai Xuan forming a security team to safeguard the mining area.
Kaiyadun only granted Liu Kai Xuan the establishment of a reinforced platoon.
However, this would undoubtedly be insufficient, as Liu Kai Xuan needed to protect the mining site and escort the oil tankers.
Otherwise, if the oil tankers could not leave the bay, all efforts would be in vain.
After repeated deliberation, Kaiyadun took seven days to provide his final answer.
At most, Liu Kai Xuan's armed forces could be maintained at the size of a company.
Furthermore, Liu Kai Xuan's personnel would have to be under the unified control of the empire, and unauthorized expansion of forces would be strictly forbidden.
If Kaiyadun discovered Liu Kai Xuan's armed forces exceeding the permitted scale, Liu Kai Xuan would be considered a rebel.
Simultaneously, the maximum strength of Liu Kai Xuan's armed forces could not exceed 200 individuals.
If the cruise ships lacked sufficient personnel for transport, Kaiyadun could dispatch the kingdom's navy to escort the transport fleet safely.
The negotiations regarding cooperation dragged on for half a month before the final cooperation agreement was finally signed.
With the contract signed and the 5 million yuan successfully transferred to Kaiyadun's account, the royal family dispatched Count Hahn to escort Liu Kai Xuan and his entourage to the mining site the following day.
After leaving the meeting venue, Ouyang Xue suggested to Liu Kai Xuan, "Boss, Lena and I have discussed it!"
"Although they cannot be permanently stationed at the mine to protect us, they can provide training and logistical support!"
"Of course, if we wish, they can help us recruit a group of personnel!"
"Forget it, there's absolutely no need!"
Liu Kai Xuan decisively refused, "We can do without that group of old soldiers from the Thunder Empire!"
"I will be responsible for organizing the company's security forces, and Rem will provide the relevant technical information for the mine!"
"Your task is to organize the workers as quickly as possible!"
"Additionally, I will have Rem provide you with a list of mining equipment, and you will arrange for its procurement!"
Ouyang Xue asked curiously, "Are you sure Rem can help us with the technology?"
In Ouyang Xue's impression, Rom and Rem were security personnel and had nothing to do with technical staff.
Liu Kai Xuan's decision to have those two "warriors" handle technology was truly remarkable.
Regarding Ouyang Xue's doubts, Liu Kai Xuan's response was clear: "That's right, Rom and Rem are top-tier technical personnel!"
"There's nothing related to mining technology that they don't understand!"
"Alright, I will arrange these matters as soon as possible!"
Ouyang Xue, after confirming the situation, felt somewhat relieved.
...
Over the next month, Liu Kai Xuan gradually transferred more than 10 industry experts from home.
The equipment purchased by Ouyang Xue also arrived successively from abroad.
Initially, Liu Kai Xuan had worried that the expensive equipment he purchased might be intercepted by pirates, which would be a major problem.
For this reason, Liu Kai Xuan had specifically asked Rom and Rem sisters to secretly escort the cargo ships.
Unexpectedly, the several supply shipments went smoothly, with no incidents occurring.
The pirate forces in Mannia Bay seemed to have collectively fallen silent.
According to usual practice, if several large ships suddenly appeared in the bay, pirates would have swarmed them like madmen. The reason why no pirates had targeted Liu Kai Xuan's supply fleet this time was, of course, due to a reason.
It was because Liu Kai Xuan had now been added to the pirate alliance's list of "fat sheep."
The reason no pirates were robbing Liu Kai Xuan's ships was that the pirates were "nurturing the fat sheep."
On one hand, the mining equipment being transported on the ships had no value to the pirates.
Even if the pirates seized these items, they could only be sold for scrap metal.
On the other hand, the pirates also wanted to wait until Liu Kai Xuan had "grown and yielded substantial profits" before harvesting.
If they resorted to brute force looting from the outset, what if the fat sheep were scared away?
After deliberation among the pirate leaders of the pirate alliance, they decided on a different strategy.
Allow Liu Kai Xuan's equipment to be safely transported to the oil fields, and even provide some covert protection if necessary.
Once the oil fields began extracting oil resources, they would then bleed these resources dry for profit, which would surely lead to great wealth!