Chapter 246: Unexpected Intelligence

The second thing Luoning wanted naturally had to do with the iron mine in Chishan Town.

However, he also understood that it was impossible to try and claim a share just by relying on the father-son relationship.

Furthermore, Weijinsi only held a small share of this iron mine, so he could not make the final decision.

Therefore, Luoning did not even think in that direction.

"I hope Father can help me talk to the people in Chishan Town, so that the iron ore produced there can be sold to me at a preferential price."

Last time, he had Luogena and the others purchase fifty thousand jin of iron ore at a price of eight copper coins per jin, costing four hundred gold coins in total; this did not include transportation costs or subsequent Iron Smelting costs.

"You want iron ore?"

Weijinsi caught Luoning's intent and was immediately somewhat surprised: "Do you want to do your own Iron Smelting in Wubei Territory?"

Luoning nodded, "Wubei Territory has a large amount of trees that can be used as fuel, so I can completely do the Iron Smelting myself. This way, I can also save quite a few gold coins."

From iron ore to wrought iron, the selling price increases by at least five or six times.

Smelting it himself would not only save a lot of money, but the key was that it could produce the molten iron he wanted for casting.

"How many jin of iron ore do you estimate your territory needs per year?" Weijinsi asked immediately after.

"I made a rough estimate last night; the annual demand for iron ore in Wubei Territory is about two hundred thousand jin. However, this is only the current situation; once Wubei Territory develops, the demand will be even greater."

With two hundred thousand jin of iron ore, at the current level of smelting, it would be quite good to produce sixty to eighty thousand jin of iron.

With this much iron, the current Wubei Territory might not necessarily be able to consume it all.

But that does not matter; Wubei Territory has no iron mines, so being able to purchase iron ore cheaply from outside can also be considered hoarding strategic resources.

Kabier, standing to the side, looked at Luoning with newfound respect.

This young Viscount could report this number without hesitation, which showed that he had a clear understanding of the situation in his territory.

He could not help but think to himself: "Luoning has been a lord for less than a year, yet he handles matters like a seasoned lord; when did he change so much?"

On the other side, Weijinsi was calculating in his mind to see if there was any profit to be made.

After Along while, he said: "I can offer you a preferential price of six copper coins per jin of iron ore, but these ores need to be transported by you from Chishan Town to Wubei Territory; I am not responsible for the transportation."

The market price for iron ore is between five and eight copper coins per jin, but this range is not fixed and is often affected by transportation costs and demand.

If it were wartime, the price of iron ore as a strategic resource would inevitably rise.

Although Weijinsi made Luoning handle the transportation problem himself, this selling price of six copper coins could be considered a concession.

"That is fine, but Father, you must not sell me poor-quality iron ore."

Weijinsi laughed: "Rest assured, the quality of iron ore produced by the Chishan Town iron mine is not necessarily the best, but at the very least, it will not be bad."

His mood suddenly improved.

He held a ten percent share of the Chishan Town iron mine, which amounted to a share of about three hundred and sixty thousand jin of iron ore per year.

However, he was not responsible for the mining, transportation, or sales processes; he only had to collect money from Keruien and Haen every year.

By reaching this order with Luoning today, it was equivalent to selling a large portion himself, and thus, he estimated he could earn a few hundred extra gold coins.

"Luoning, if your Wubei Territory can consume more iron ore, I might be able to give you even more discounts. For example, for the next one hundred thousand jin of iron ore after this twenty thousand jin at six copper coins, I can give you a price of five copper coins per jin."

Luoning grinned and said: "I believe that with the help of Father and Kabier, the population of Wubei Territory will increase, and perhaps in two or three years, I will need even more iron ore."

"Hahaha, good!"

Weijinsi laughed heartily: "Manage your territory well; I have high hopes for you!"

Kabier also chimed in: "With Luoning's ability, I believe that in the near future, a large city on the scale of Wushan City will surely appear in Wubei Territory."

The leisurely afternoon hours passed quickly, and as twilight descended, the guests arriving at Wushan Castle for tonight's banquet appeared one after another.

In addition to the nobles, Daianni also had Huoerhuate find the best performance troupe in Wushan City.

After all, such a banquet would naturally be boring if it only involved drinking, eating meat, and socializing; things like musical performances, dance shows, and ballroom dancing had to be arranged.

In both his past and present lives, Luoning had never experienced such a lively birthday; all of this was thanks to the "noble" class.

Of course, it was more due to the change in his status and position today.

Taking his unlearned predecessor as an example, his previous birthdays were just him finding some friends at the Wushan Extraordinary Academy to celebrate.

At the birthday banquet, Lulansi also made an appearance; besides having a cordial exchange with Luoning, he also greeted the others present.

This was the first public appearance of Lulansi since the beginning of the year, and the rumors from the outside world that he was as bedridden as Aosen should be debunked after tonight's banquet.

"Luoning, there is a letter for you."

Lulansi pulled Luoning to the side, took a letter from his bosom, and handed it over.

"Who wrote it?"

Luoning took it with some surprise.

"Naturally, it is from Blanche."

Lulansi chuckled, "The letter arrived this morning, just in time."

Luoning walked to a corner of the ballroom and opened it to read.

This was a "Happy Birthday" letter; Blanche's handwriting was very beautiful, and although there was no explicit expression of love between the lines, there was still a sense of longing revealed.

Luoning smiled to himself, not expecting his charm to be so great that he would leave such a deep memory in the other person's heart.

"What are you smiling at, Luoning?"

Maijinni walked over, "Come and dance a dance with me."

Luoning said with a bitter smile: "What, has no one invited the beautiful and moving sister to dance yet?"

Maijinni said with a smile: "I am not an unmarried young girl, so who would easily approach me?"

This was indeed true; noble ladies had to consider more issues when accepting invitations to dance from others, such as each other's status and position, the inviter's identity, and their motives.

"Alright then."

Luoning had no choice but to put away the letter, stand up, take Maijinni's hand, and enter the dance floor.

After attending several banquets, his dancing skills had indeed become better and better.

Meanwhile, compared to the lively ball, Weijinsi's courtyard was much more desolate.

He used to be the brightest person at the ball, but now he was unable to dance, so after eating and drinking his fill, he found an opportunity to slip away.

Whenever this time came, he would curse the damned Skull Society in his heart; if not for that incident, how leisurely and carefree he would be right now.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

Urgent knocking came from outside, making Weijinsi feel even more displeased.

"Who is it?"

"My lord, it is me, Carolina." A pleasant female voice came from outside.

The displeasure on Weijinsi's face receded slightly, and his tone softened: "Come in."

Carolina pushed the door open and entered; as the liaison officer of Wushan Castle, she was already middle-aged with a beautiful face, and although she could not compare to Daianni, she was still very pleasant to look at.

"Why aren't you at the banquet having fun instead of running over here to me?"

Carolina did not offer much explanation, but instead handed over the letter in her hand and said anxiously: "Lord Count, this is a letter sent by Lord Keruien of Jushi City, marked with the highest level of urgency!"

"What?"

Weijinsi's heart skipped a beat; he tore open the envelope in a flash and picked up the letter inside to read it quickly.

As he read, his face became increasingly flushed, and his breathing grew more and more rapid.

Carolina, who was familiar with Weijinsi, knew that what was written in this letter was definitely content that would make him furious.

From the recent correspondence with Jushi City, the things Weijinsi had been doing, and the urgency of this letter, she had some guesses in her heart.

Could it be that something went wrong in Chishan Town?

And at this moment, Weijinsi, having finished reading the letter, finally roared in anger: "Damn it, how could it be like this!" (End of chapter)