The Tyrant Billionaire

500,000 square kilometers—about the size of France.

However, Hardy was still somewhat dissatisfied.

He had already prepared the funds, but the other party had suddenly changed their mind. Hardy and Andy immediately led a team to Australia.

In Perth, they met with Governor McGowan again.

McGowan shrugged helplessly. "Honestly, I would like to sell you the land, but the parliament didn't approve the full amount. They argued that if your development failed, it wouldn't benefit Western Australia. They need to retain some land to attract other investors."

"Is there no way to change this?" Hardy asked.

"I'm afraid it would be difficult. I can submit the proposal to parliament again, but the process could take a long time, and the outcome might not be what you hope for," McGowan replied.

Hardy shrugged.

"Fine, 500,000 square kilometers it is. Can I at least choose the land?" Hardy asked.

"Of course. You can choose from any green marked areas on the map, as long as the total area doesn't exceed the limit."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The state land department provided a thick set of maps, totaling over a dozen pages. These maps were incredibly detailed, showing village names, marked mountains, lakes, and other geographic features.

Hardy didn't let anyone else assist him. He spent three full days in his room studying the maps. What was he studying?

Since his rebirth, Hardy's memory had become extraordinarily sharp. He could recall books, magazines, and news from his previous life with great clarity. Over these three days, Hardy cross-referenced his knowledge of Australia's mining industry with the maps.

And sure enough,

He found many useful details.

At that time, Australia had a population of around 7.5 million, and Western Australia was sparsely populated, with about 800,000 people, most of whom lived around Perth. Outside of Perth, the rest of the region was mostly wilderness and desert.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Australia's economy relied heavily on sheep farming. It was the world's largest producer and exporter of wool, earning the nickname "The Country on the Sheep's Back." However, to the Europeans and Americans, Australia was seen as an undeveloped and backward place, often referred to as "Dirt Australia."

It wasn't until after World War II that the mining industry began to rise, gradually becoming a pillar of Australia's economy. Large mining companies started moving in, and Australia became a major mining nation. In the future, over 60% of Aisia imported iron ore would come from Australia.

As Hardy looked at the names on the map, memories surfaced. Pilbara and the Hamersley Basin that area seemed to be a major iron ore production zone.

He drew a circle.

The Mid West region also seemed to be an iron ore production zone.

Broome that name sounded familiar. It seemed to have nickel mines. Another circle.

Gold Bay this place seemed to have gold mines too. Another circle.

Shark Bay there seemed to be an oil field along the coast in the future. Another circle.

Here, copper mines. There, iron mines.

Since they were restricting him, Hardy decided to play smart. He only chose areas he had heard of for their mineral resources. As for the places he hadn't heard of, they probably didn't have much left.

People often say: "Whatever's left after others have picked through it won't be much good."

And so, Hardy circled several large and small areas on the maps. After three days, when he emerged from his room, he had lost weight—two pounds, all in the name of making money.

He handed the maps to Andy. "Buy the areas I've circled. Make sure it adds up to 500,000 square kilometers. As for the price, I'll leave that to you."

"No problem, boss."

With the locations selected, the rest was simple. Ultimately, Hardy Mining acquired 50 million hectares of land in Western Australia for $220 million. All the land, including the mineral resources underground, now belonged to Hardy Mining.

Originally, Hardy had taken out a loan of $450 million by mortgaging various assets.

Surprisingly, half of it was still left. Returning it wasn't an option since the contracts were already signed. Now that he had the money in hand, Hardy wasn't worried about finding places to spend it. The world was big, and there were countless places to invest in. Next, he planned to head to the UK to see if there were any industries worth investing in.

However, with the Labour Party nationalizing many industries, he wasn't sure what would be left.

After the UK, Hardy wanted to take a trip to Hong Kong.

Then, he'd head to Japan, which was still struggling to recover. Now was the perfect time to buy up big businesses and banks at rock bottom prices.

Hardy certainly wasn't going there to offer economic aid. Whether in his previous life or this one, Hardy had no fondness for Japan, so he felt even more inclined to make the trip.

Back in Los Angeles.

After completing the land acquisition, Hardy and his team returned to Los Angeles. A few days later, Hardy Mining announced that it had spent $450 million to purchase 50 million hectares of land in Western Australia, with plans to develop its mineral resources. They believed there were more untapped resources waiting to be discovered on the land.

The announcement shocked many investors. Spending $220 million on a pile of useless land caused Hardy Mining's stock price to drop instead of rise.

Why? Because many people didn't believe in the potential of Western Australia.

$220 million was an enormous sum, and even though the land was vast, people still felt it wasn't worth the price.

Hardy wasn't concerned about the falling stock price after all, everything had been mortgaged to the bank.

...

Hardy Mining allocated $50 million for the development of the gold mines. The Kaiser Group, part of the California consortium, had its own mining company and also sold mining equipment. Hardy Mining began collaborating with the Kaiser Group, purchasing equipment and seeking their assistance in mining.