Captain Grandi, hearing this, exclaid eagerly to Mirabeau Pulinkovic, "What! Say that again, what have you discovered?"
Mirabeau Pulinkovic had to repeat it once more, saying, "Mr. Grandi, we discovered an open-pit mine around the tribes conquered by the Entuya Race!"
"What type of mine is it?" Captain Grandi asked eagerly of Mirabeau Pulinkovic.
Even though Captain Grandi knew the possibility of an open-pit mine being gold was extrely low, he hoped to hear the words "mine d’or" (gold mine in French) from the mouth of Mirabeau Pulinkovic.
Because if the open-pit mine turned out to be a gold mine, it would an he could extract a ten percent commission from it.
The larger the gold mine, the more profit he could extract from it.
Unfortunately, Captain Grandi’s dream of a gold mine did not co true from the mouth of Mirabeau Pulinkovic.
Mirabeau Pulinkovic shrugged and responded to Captain Grandi, "Although I am not very clear about the type of ore, I can be sure of one thing: the ore produced by that open-pit mine is definitely not gold!"
Captain Grandi imdiately showed a hint of disappointnt; in his view, as long as it’s not a gold mine, the value of the mine is significantly reduced.
"Then please have the Governor’s office send soone to check the type of the mine!" Captain Grandi replied disinterestedly, and then dispatched team mbers to return to the Governor’s office to inform Jero Patterson about the open-pit mine.
The exploration team mbers traveled by boat along the Ouenvi River and then went north to reach the Governor’s Mansion of Libreville in the Gabon Region, taking nearly 3 hours in total.
When the exploration team mbers arrived at the main entrance of the Governor’s Mansion, it was already one o’clock in the afternoon.
The person responsible for receiving the exploration team was still the "Chief" Secretary, Rastigne.
"Has sothing happened again with the Entuya Tribe?" Rastigne asked as he handed the brewed black tea to the team mbers.
The parched exploration team mbers unhesitatingly drank the black tea in one gulp and then answered Rastigne, "Secretary, we discovered an open-pit mine near the hostile tribe of the Entuya!"
"What! An open-pit mine!" Rastigne’s breath involuntarily quickened.
Clearly, Rastigne subconsciously assud that the open-pit mine ntioned by the team mbers was a gold mine.
If it were a gold mine, then the Governor’s Mansion of Gabon would reduce its dependency on the Imperial Governnt slightly, and at the sa ti, rely on the gold mine to attract more prospectors to Gabon for "employnt."
Since the successive discoveries of gold in California and lbourne, prospectors from all over Europe have beco keener on exploring unknown gold mines around the world.
As long as news of a gold mine cos from the Gabon Region, Rastigne is not afraid of bold prospectors not coming by.
Unfortunately, Rastigne did not know that his dream of a gold mine would be shattered by the next words of the team mbers.
"That’s right!" The team mbers nodded, and then added, "However, this mine is not a gold mine! It’s a type of ore we don’t recognize!
So Mr. Grandi sent here with the hope that the Governor’s office could investigate the type of ore!!"
Hearing it was not a gold mine, a trace of loss flashed in Rastigne’s eyes.
Just think a little, and you’d understand there aren’t that many gold mines in this world waiting for them to discover.
"I understand! Please wait here for a mont, and I’ll report this to the Governor!" Although Rastigne felt a bit disappointed inside, his face still maintained an unperturbed calm.
"Thank you!" The team mber replied to Rastigne.
Rastigne left the reception room and headed to the bedroom of Governor Jero Patterson.
At this ti, Governor Jero Patterson was lying down for an afternoon nap in his bedroom. Rastigne stood at the bedroom door and gently knocked on it.
Very soon, a slightly weary voice from Jero Patterson ca from the bedroom, "Who is it?"
"Governor, it’s Rastigne!" Rastigne responded quietly.
"Rastigne, co in!" A slightly hoarse voice from Jero Patterson reached Rastigne’s ears, and Rastigne pushed the door open and entered.
Upon entering the bedroom, Rastigne saw Jero Patterson sitting on the bed gently patting his cheeks, and hurriedly apologized to Jero Patterson, "Governor, I’m sorry to disturb your rest!"
"It’s nothing!" Jero Patterson smiled considerately at Rastigne and said, "Tell , what has happened?"
Rastigne told Jero Patterson about the discovery of the open-pit mine by the exploration team while adding, to prevent any misunderstanding by the Governor, "According to the team’s report, that open-pit mine is not a gold mine!"
Governor Jero Patterson’s expression also showed a hint of disappointnt. He waved his hand at Rastigne and said, "Understandable! There aren’t many gold mines in this world; even if there were, they’ve probably been mined already!"
"The scientific expedition being able to discover a mine on the second day of venturing inland is already sothing to be happy about!"
"Governor, should we dispatch soone who understands minerals to go over and inspect the site together? It might be the minerals we need!" Rastigne asked Jero Patterson.
"Do we have anyone here who is proficient in mineralogy?" Jero Patterson asked with a frown.
Rastigne was stunned for a few seconds, constantly recalling the administrative officials within the Governor’s Mansion, then smiled bitterly and said to Jero Patterson, "Governor, there is no one in the Governor’s Mansion who is proficient in minerals!"
"Then what should we do now? We can’t possibly send soone back to France to invite soone!" Jero Patterson asked Rastigne.
After pondering for a while, Rastigne replied to Jero Patterson, "Governor, my suggestion is to recruit suitable people locally!
If we really can’t recruit suitable people, then we can consider inviting suitable people from France."
"That will work too!" Jero Patterson nodded in agreent with Rastigne’s suggestion, pointing to Rastigne and ordered, "You personally draft the docunt and issue the invitation!"
Subsequently, Rastigne asked Governor Jero Patterson whether the French Governor’s Mansion should establish a subsidiary agency of the Ministry of Minerals to survey colony minerals.
"Do as you said!" Jero Patterson decisively replied to Rastigne.
"Should we let the scientific expedition stay a few more days, or should we send soone to take over the mine?" Rastigne asked Jero Patterson again.
Jero Patterson pondered for a mont before responding to Rastigne, "It’s better that our people take over the mine! After all, Mr. Grandi’s task is to explore further! Even if we leave him there, it won’t have any effect!"
"Yes!" Rastigne respectfully responded.
After resolving all the issues, Rastigne bowed and left Jero Patterson’s bedroom, while Jero Patterson lay back in bed for a nap.
Leaving Jero Patterson’s bedroom, Rastigne returned to the drawing room where the scientific expedition mbers were.
The scientific expedition mbers promptly stood up and asked Rastigne, "What did the Governor say?"
"The Governor ans you can continue to move forward with the expedition! The open-pit mine will be handled by us!" Rastigne said to the scientific expedition mbers, then added another sentence, "If this open-pit mine indeed has value, we will pay you the deserved portion!"
The scientific expedition mbers nodded at Rastigne and said, "Okay! When will you co over to take charge?"
"We can do it now! Co with !" Rastigne responded, and then took a carriage with the scientific expedition mbers to the military camp.
At the military camp, Rastigne issued an order under the na of the Governor’s Mansion of Gabon to the only remaining Major Andrei Milanovic in the camp, "Major Milanovic, imdiately deploy two companies (one company consists of 3 officers and 115 soldiers and enlisted n) to embark!"
"Secretary Rastigne, has sothing happened with Major Mirabeau Pulinkovic?" Andrei Milanovic hurriedly asked Rastigne.
"No! It hasn’t!" Rastigne shook his head and explained to Andrei Milanovic, "The scientific expedition discovered an open-pit mine, so I’m sending you over to guard it! This way, the scientific expedition can continue to go deeper!"
"Understood!" Andrei Milanovic solemnly responded to Rastigne.
"Move a little faster, I’ll go prepare a ship for you now!" Rastigne reminded once more, then turned and left the military camp towards the port of Libreville.
At the port, Rastigne swiftly located a troop ship docked at the pier and then issued an order for it to depart at any ti.
The captain and crew of the troop ship quickly took their positions, and the boarding steps were slowly lowered onto the dock.
After a while, two companies led by Andrei Milanovic, totaling 236 people, boarded the troop ship one by one.
By now, it was already 2:25 in the afternoon. With the scientific expedition mbers traveling on a steamship as a guide, the troop ship followed behind and set off.
The two ships sailed for nearly three and a half hours, arriving near the Enthuya Tribe.
Boats carrying the Foreign Legion were gently lowered from the troop ship onto the river surface, and a few Foreign Legion mbers rowed the boats to the shore.
The boats continued to row back and forth several tis until more than 236 soldiers, enlisted n, and officers arrived.
All the soldiers ford two lines and under the guidance of the scientific expedition mbers, arrived near the Enthuya Tribe.
Since Andrei Milanovic’s team did not fly the French flag, the Entuya soldiers on sentry instinctively mistook them for enemies upon seeing the two companies.
Thus, the sentries quickly reported the information to their superiors, and the superiors who received the information ran to the Old Chief’s room to quietly inform him of the "enemy" invasion.
The Old Chief, sitting cross-legged with Grandi and Major Mirabeau Pulinkovic on the red carpet, couldn’t help but show a hint of panic upon hearing this.
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