The Tyrant Billionaire

To be honest, Governor McGowan couldn't quite understand why Hardy wanted to buy so much land.

If someone wanted to mine, the usual procedure was to conduct an exploration first, find a suitable vein, then apply for a mining license. This would grant mining rights to the discovered resource, and even if one wanted to purchase land, they'd usually only buy the area surrounding the mine.

But Hardy, who seemed determined to buy everything regardless of its value, was a first for McGowan.

Even the major American financial groups didn't casually spend billions of dollars on land that might be worthless. If there were no resources below, this investment could end in a total loss.

He could only think that the wealthy truly have deep pockets and no idea where to spend that money.

But in reality, Hardy wasn't just being reckless with his wealth.

You could say he was greedy.

He knew that beneath Western Australia lay a treasure trove of mineral veins. He understood the value of these mining fields. In later years, Western Australia's annual mineral sales would reach around 40 to 50 billion dollars.

Take iron ore as an example—by 2020, the price of Australian iron ore had multiplied several times, and Australia would earn 48 billion dollars from Aisa alone.

If Hardy could acquire the land in Western Australia, it would be like having these iron mines in his hands. In the future, he could establish a large mining enterprise, and then even the major mining companies like BHP Billiton and Vale would have to consult him before shaking up the market.

And speaking of that...

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Now that Hardy had established himself as a capitalist, it was time for him to advance to the next stage: controlling resources. Capitalists generally fall into two categories—those with money and those with control over resources. While many might believe that wealth and technology are the ultimate advantages, this is not entirely true.

In reality, those who control resources, particularly oil and rare minerals, hold the true power to influence politics and even the direction in which a country is heading.

Regardless of how others viewed this land, Hardy was convinced it was a goldmine, with at least several hundred billion dollars of hidden wealth. As long as he bought the land, he could gradually mine it.

No one else would be able to touch it.

The two sides entered negotiations, with the main issue being the price. Even reducing the price by just ten cents per hectare would represent millions of dollars.

The Western Australian government also made another request: once purchased, the land could not remain idle for long. It had to be developed, and only through mining and development could the government earn more revenue.

Hardy readily agreed to this on a condition that mining taxes on his land wont increase for the next 40 years.

He was buying the land to make money, after all. The gold mine would be operational within two years, and as for the other areas, he would invest more resources to conduct exploration. If there were any minerals, he wouldn't leave them untouched.

A single mine, especially a large one.

With massive reserves,

Could continue to produce for decades. Once discovered, it could be mined gradually. Even if Hardy didn't mine it himself, he could sell the mining rights to other companies.

Many large mine owners did just that.

They would lease out the land and mining licenses to mining companies, sharing the profits. With just one or two major discoveries, Hardy's current investment could easily double in return.

Such a large land deal required approval from the state parliament due to the significant transaction amount. With Christmas approaching, Hardy and Andy returned to Los Angeles.

Jason, the vice president, stayed in Australia to continue negotiations and monitor the situation.

As Christmas approached, Taylor came back.

She contacted Hardy, only to find out that he had gone to Australia, which left her feeling disappointed. When Hardy finally returned and contacted Taylor, the young woman rushed to him immediately.

At the estate, when she saw Hardy, she leaped into his arms.

The two of them played around by the pool, teasing and laughing. In the bedroom, they shared intimate moments. Taylor, her breathing quick and shallow, looked at Hardy with her deep purple eyes filled with emotion.

"Hardy, I want to stay here tonight."

The girl's breath was soft and fragrant.

Hardy knew what she meant, gently pinching her nose.

"You haven't reached the legal age yet. You're tempting me to commit a crime," Hardy said.

"In fact, I've asked many of my friends. Some of them... they had their first experiences at sixteen, even younger. And in many states, it's legal to get married at sixteen. I'm almost seventeen," Taylor stammered, still shy despite her words.

Hardy leaned down and whispered softly into her ear: "On the day you turn eighteen, you'll give yourself to me. I'm sure it will be a beautiful moment."

Taylor's face flushed even redder.

Her shyness was boundless.

As she thought about that moment, she leaned closer to Hardy, and the two kissed again.

In truth, whether it was sixteen or eighteen didn't matter much to Hardy. Would a man who rose from a life of crime really be restrained by such things as morals and law?

At the current level of Hardy, breaking certain laws didn't really mean much.

He simply liked the little girl and wanted to extend these romantic moments as much as possible. Youth is precious, and living these romantic moments before going for the next step in their relationship will become a priceless memory for Taylor.

...

Christmas Eve.

Every woman received a gift from Hardy. He had acquired numerous luxury brands in Italy and France, including Bulgari.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

After purchasing shares of Bulgari, he ordered a batch of jewelry.

What's the best gift to give a woman? Of course, it's jewelry precious and luxurious, the perfect thing to satisfy a woman's vanity.

In fact, ninety nine percent of the time, women wear jewelry out of vanity. Never believe the other words they use; those are merely a cover. Hardy knew very well that they loved jewelry just to fulfill their vanity.

Some say that giving gifts requires thought.

Hardy wanted to say, "With so many women, putting thought into every gift would be exhausting." So his method was simple and straightforward: every holiday or birthday, he gave them jewelry.

All kinds of jewelry.

Jewelry that would touch a woman's heart.