"According to a statement from the Ministry of Energy, our nation has made a major discovery in the northern Gida Bay region.
Preliminary surveys indicate a giant oil field with an estimated reserve of 1 billion tons. This discovery is expected to significantly improve our national energy structure.
The Shinhan Royal Petroleum Company has reportedly signed a cooperation agreement with Ryūgoku National Oil, and both sides will jointly invest in building a large-scale refinery complex in Lanryō County to deepen collaboration across the petrochemical industry..."
Three days after Shō Kōkei returned from his state visit, news of the oil discovery in Gida Bay was officially made public—just as he and Shō Unkai had planned.
After all, you couldn't hide offshore drilling. Better to announce it decisively and get ahead of speculation.
That said, the published figure for reserves was limited to 1 billion tons. If they'd announced the actual reserve—3 billion tons—it would've been pure chaos.
That much oil was worth trillions.
Neighboring nations like Jawa, the Fimonk Republic, and Malaya would start licking their lips.
Once aired on state television, the announcement exploded across the country.
"Oh my god, this is amazing! One billion tons of oil? We're gonna be rich!"
"Rich? What do you mean we? It's the royal family that gets rich, not you."
"Don't be so salty. If the royals are eating steak, we'll at least get some soup. My cousin in Lanryō says His Highness plans to invest a billion dollars into building a luxury resort on Bangi Island. That's a ton of jobs."
"Exactly. No matter how you look at it, this is a good thing. Didn't you hear the news? Ryūgoku's putting in over 600 million dollars—airport, port expansion, refinery—it's at least ten thousand jobs."
Meanwhile, in the Chang'an royal palace...
"Who were those foreigners?" Shō Unkai asked, pointing toward a group of Westerners leaving the conference room as he walked in.
"Oh, them? Exxon Mayfloat. They came to propose a partnership. Claimed their refining technology is the best in the world."
Exxon Mayfloat?
Unkai's brow lifted slightly.
That was no minor player. One of the largest oil giants globally. Backed by powerful American financial syndicates.
But he wasn't surprised they'd shown up.
He'd predicted it the moment the announcement went live—major international oil firms would come knocking.
A billion tons of oil wasn't small potatoes.
At peak crude prices, it was worth over a trillion dollars.
"You turned them down?"
"Of course," Kōkei nodded. "We've already committed to working with Ryūgoku. Even if we hadn't, Exxon's terms were outrageous. They wanted 70 percent of the joint venture. Way too greedy."
Unkai nodded.
That was exactly what he'd expected. It was why he'd locked in the Ryūgoku deal early.
Sure, Ryūgoku's refining tech wasn't as cutting-edge as the Americans', but it was close enough.
More importantly, Ryūgoku needed the oil.
And Shinhan was right next door.
A partnership would give them a direct supply route, free from the chokehold of the Malacca Strait.
So long as Ryūgoku's leadership wasn't totally brain-dead, they'd be eager to cooperate.
"We rejected Exxon. The Americans won't take that lightly. They're bound to start applying pressure," Unkai warned.
"Be ready. If needed, we should invite Ryūgoku to conduct a joint naval exercise."
"Also, to prevent the Americans from stirring unrest among the people—and to shore up domestic support for the royal family—I suggest we allocate 10 billion Han-yuan to provide direct subsidies."
"Adults earning under 1,500 Han-yuan per month should receive a one-time grant of 2,000 Han-yuan. Those earning between 1,500 and 2,500 should get 1,000."
"Ten billion?" Kōkei frowned. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"
At the current exchange rate, that was around 2.86 billion USD.
Not a trivial sum.
Last year's total government revenue hadn't even reached 12 billion.
Unkai explained, "Dad, now's the time to make a move. The economic crisis last year hit the lower classes hard. Now that we've struck oil, if we don't share the benefits, and foreign agents sow unrest, it could trigger real trouble."
"And honestly, 10 billion is nothing."
"Think about it—a single oil field is worth hundreds of billions. If we want long-term stability, we need to give the people a share."
Kōkei didn't have a system, or cheat codes, or a second life's memories. Naturally, he couldn't see as far ahead as Unkai.
To him, 10 billion Han-yuan was a massive number.
But to Unkai, it was a drop in the bucket.
Once the weight-loss and breast-enhancement meds hit the market, he'd be earning $20–30 billion a year, easily.
After weighing it carefully, Kōkei nodded. "You've thought this through better than I have. Let's do it. We'll distribute 10 billion in subsidies in the name of the royal family."
With his father's approval, Unkai smiled in satisfaction.
Under his aggressive push, the Royal Investment Bureau quickly transferred the funds to the Ministry of Social Welfare.
The ministry immediately held a press conference.
National and online media swarmed the hall.
Minister of Social Welfare Rinken stepped up to the podium.
"In light of the hardships brought by the recent economic crisis, His Majesty the King has generously donated 10 billion Han-yuan to our department. These funds will be used to improve the lives of our people.
"Starting on the first of next month, adults earning under 1,500 Han-yuan per month may claim a one-time subsidy of 2,000 Han-yuan.
"Those earning between 1,500 and 2,500 Han-yuan may claim 1,000.
"The deadline is the end of next month. Please visit your local welfare offices to apply."
<><><><><><><><>
~# Keep the chapters coming — Support with Power Stones!~# We get our encourage by Every Power Stones you send