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Chapter 702: The Government's Scheme and the Astonishing Value of the Seastone Mine
A few days later, after intense battles, the Top 16 of the four Competition Zones in the Swordsmanship Tournament Main Competition were decided.
This also marked the official end of the Divisional Round.
The final Top 64 will compete for the title of the World's Number One Swordsman.
Those who have reached this stage are Strongmen whose reputation echoes throughout The Great Sea.
Even those who were previously unknown are now known to everyone.
With the emergence of numerous peerless dark horses and many young figures, people have even greater expectation for the development after the Top 64.
The Great Sea's attention seemed to be drawn to Paros Island.
The shadow lurking in the dark gradually began to envelop Dragon Island, the Core Territory of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates.
Many years ago, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates' betrayal caused the World Government to lose a Top Tier Combatant.
How could the World Government forget such a blood feud?
It had always been the World Government scheming against others, yet they were unexpectedly schemed against by a mere junior.
Even the Five Elders felt disgraced.
World Conscription, searching for Road Poneglyphs, and targeting the Tyrant Dragon Pirates are what the World Government is currently doing.
Of course, it's not just because of hatred.
The Tyrant Dragon Pirates prohibited the World Government from purchasing Seastone.
Although the World Government can still purchase Seastone through the Underworld.
However, the quantity is small, and the price is very expensive.
It is far less convenient than when cooperating with the Kronos Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom.
Currently, they can also secretly purchase from the Kronos Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom, but the quantity is not large either.
How could the World Government tolerate such humiliation for long?
News about the possession of a large Seastone Mine on Dragon Island thus spread across The Great Sea.
They even worried that other factions wouldn't know the value of the Seastone possessed by Dragon Country, so they secretly spread rumors that this large Seastone Mine was worth five trillion Beli.
Even the World Government didn't know how much Seastone the former Wano Country possessed.
However, based on the data estimated after surveying, the Seastone Mineral Vein contained on Dragon Island accounts for over ninety percent of the entire Great Sea.
Seastone is a rare ore that can only be formed under unique environmental conditions.
Although there is Seastone in various places on The Great Sea, it is too scarce.
Furthermore, it is difficult to mine, unlike the massive deposit on Dragon Island, which can be directly strip-mined at a low cost.
Of course, this refers to the Seastone Mines that have already been discovered.
There might be other places with Seastone throughout The Great Sea, but they haven't been discovered yet.
In Hades' view, what the World Government said was actually too conservative.
In terms of value alone, Seastone is only one-tenth the value of gold.
Currently, one ton of gold is equivalent to over three billion Beli.
And the Beli is slowly undergoing devaluation.
The World Government needs Beli for development, so during the World Conference, they formulated a plan to control the devaluation of Beli.
A plan that would last for over a decade.
This degree is acceptable to the Member Nations.
It also wouldn't overly affect the stable situation on the seas.
Therefore, there was no opposition, and by getting this news in advance, they could also prepare to minimize losses, or even make a huge profit.
In over a decade, one ton of gold will be worth approximately five billion Beli.
This is just the simple price of Seastone ore.
If the Seastone is purified, its value will increase several times, becoming equivalent to gold.
However, no one is foolish enough to go through the trouble of purifying Seastone just to sell it.
Even so, three hundred million Beli per ton is an unimaginably high price.
This is just the normal market price.
If the Kronos Kingdom traded through the Kurozumi Family, one ton of Seastone would only cost one or two hundred million Beli.
However, if the World Government purchases through the Underworld, one ton of Seastone would cost around four hundred million Beli or even higher.
The gap is enormous.
Especially since the World Government would definitely purchase dozens of tons at once.
The price paid is too great.
In the Future Summit War, that massive encirclement would be covered with a layer of Seastone.
To build such a massive project, the construction alone would require at least hundreds of billions of Beli.
Seastone's hardness is comparable to diamond, and it has extremely high practicality.
Many precision instruments also require Seastone materials.
For Top Powers, Seastone is entirely a strategic supply, not just for restricting Ability Users.
The World Government does not have the idea of the downfall of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates; it is very difficult to achieve.
However, they must break the stalemate of being blockaded.
They need to be able to purchase more and cheaper Seastone ore.
If a large amount of Seastone flows into the market, the value of Seastone will definitely decline.
Therefore, the World Government needs to incite infighting among Pirates.
Profit drives people; they don't believe other Great Pirates can let go of such a huge cake.
Ultimately, it will definitely trigger a chaotic battle.
By selling Seastone, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates can earn nearly hundreds of billions in profit every year.
This is still under the circumstance that most of the Seastone is purchased at a low price by the Kronos Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom.
The Kurozumi Family also gained considerable profit from this.
Furthermore, mining Seastone is not easy.
Clearly, this is just the beginning.
Just as Hades thought, the value of the Seastone Mine on Dragon Island was underestimated.
According to estimates, Dragon Island has approximately fifty thousand tons of Seastone, give or take.
Even calculating with fifty thousand tons, at the current market price of Seastone, the value of this Seastone Mine is as high as fifteen trillion Beli.
Apart from Dragon Island, the largest Seastone Mines discovered on The Great Sea so far only contain a few hundred or a few thousand tons, which are easily mined out.
It sounds small, and indeed it is.
Basically, only in volcanic areas can small amounts be found.
Soon, another rumor spread that the Seastone Mine on Dragon Island was worth ten trillion Beli.
A few days later, it changed again to thirty trillion Beli.
The news spread more and more wildly.
Even the World Economic Journal was "bribed" by the World Government to publish this news on the front page.
Even the Swordsmanship Tournament was ranked in the second sequence.
"Is the operation finally beginning?"
Listening to the news from You Ming, Hades' heart did not stir at all.
He also knew about the news of "Black Dragon" being betrayed; the World Government would not let it go and would make a move sooner or later.
Moreover, the World Government needs more Seastone.
In Hades' view, the value of the Seastone Mine has little reference significance.
Because over the years, the value of Seastone has actually been declining.
Factions like the Kronos Kingdom have stockpiled a large amount of Seastone.
Their demand for Seastone is not that urgent.
Furthermore, in the past twenty years, before cooperating with the Eternal Kingdom and the World Government, the Kronos Kingdom continuously obtained large amounts of Seastone through the Kurozumi Family.
At that time, the value of Seastone was much cheaper than it is now.
Even if there was demand, not many factions used it.
Relatively few people knew about something like Seastone.
With the large-scale excavation of Seastone and the changes in the situation on the seas, the demand for Seastone has also increased significantly.
This has led to the continuous rise in the price of Seastone.
It has at least doubled.
Now, even Hades hopes that the price of Seastone can come down.
Once the Tyrant Dragon Pirates face an accident.
With further mining of Seastone, various factions can unite to suppress the price of Seastone.
Over ten trillion Beli sounds a bit scary.
But how long will it take to mine the Seastone Mine?
At least decades, or even longer.
Seastone, comparable to diamond, cannot be mined by ordinary humans; even with a large number of people, it's useless.
It requires Strongmen with a certain strength.
(end of chapter)
A few days later, after intense battles, the Top 16 of the four Competition Zones in the Swordsmanship Tournament Main Competition were decided.
This also marked the official end of the Divisional Round.
The final Top 64 will compete for the title of the World's Number One Swordsman.
Those who have reached this stage are Strongmen whose reputation echoes throughout The Great Sea.
Even those who were previously unknown are now known to everyone.
With the emergence of numerous peerless dark horses and many young figures, people have even greater expectation for the development after the Top 64.
The Great Sea's attention seemed to be drawn to Paros Island.
The shadow lurking in the dark gradually began to envelop Dragon Island, the Core Territory of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates.
Many years ago, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates' betrayal caused the World Government to lose a Top Tier Combatant.
How could the World Government forget such a blood feud?
It had always been the World Government scheming against others, yet they were unexpectedly schemed against by a mere junior.
Even the Five Elders felt disgraced.
World Conscription, searching for Road Poneglyphs, and targeting the Tyrant Dragon Pirates are what the World Government is currently doing.
Of course, it's not just because of hatred.
The Tyrant Dragon Pirates prohibited the World Government from purchasing Seastone.
Although the World Government can still purchase Seastone through the Underworld.
However, the quantity is small, and the price is very expensive.
It is far less convenient than when cooperating with the Kronos Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom.
Currently, they can also secretly purchase from the Kronos Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom, but the quantity is not large either.
How could the World Government tolerate such humiliation for long?
News about the possession of a large Seastone Mine on Dragon Island thus spread across The Great Sea.
They even worried that other factions wouldn't know the value of the Seastone possessed by Dragon Country, so they secretly spread rumors that this large Seastone Mine was worth five trillion Beli.
Even the World Government didn't know how much Seastone the former Wano Country possessed.
However, based on the data estimated after surveying, the Seastone Mineral Vein contained on Dragon Island accounts for over ninety percent of the entire Great Sea.
Seastone is a rare ore that can only be formed under unique environmental conditions.
Although there is Seastone in various places on The Great Sea, it is too scarce.
Furthermore, it is difficult to mine, unlike the massive deposit on Dragon Island, which can be directly strip-mined at a low cost.
Of course, this refers to the Seastone Mines that have already been discovered.
There might be other places with Seastone throughout The Great Sea, but they haven't been discovered yet.
In Hades' view, what the World Government said was actually too conservative.
In terms of value alone, Seastone is only one-tenth the value of gold.
Currently, one ton of gold is equivalent to over three billion Beli.
And the Beli is slowly undergoing devaluation.
The World Government needs Beli for development, so during the World Conference, they formulated a plan to control the devaluation of Beli.
A plan that would last for over a decade.
This degree is acceptable to the Member Nations.
It also wouldn't overly affect the stable situation on the seas.
Therefore, there was no opposition, and by getting this news in advance, they could also prepare to minimize losses, or even make a huge profit.
In over a decade, one ton of gold will be worth approximately five billion Beli.
This is just the simple price of Seastone ore.
If the Seastone is purified, its value will increase several times, becoming equivalent to gold.
However, no one is foolish enough to go through the trouble of purifying Seastone just to sell it.
Even so, three hundred million Beli per ton is an unimaginably high price.
This is just the normal market price.
If the Kronos Kingdom traded through the Kurozumi Family, one ton of Seastone would only cost one or two hundred million Beli.
However, if the World Government purchases through the Underworld, one ton of Seastone would cost around four hundred million Beli or even higher.
The gap is enormous.
Especially since the World Government would definitely purchase dozens of tons at once.
The price paid is too great.
In the Future Summit War, that massive encirclement would be covered with a layer of Seastone.
To build such a massive project, the construction alone would require at least hundreds of billions of Beli.
Seastone's hardness is comparable to diamond, and it has extremely high practicality.
Many precision instruments also require Seastone materials.
For Top Powers, Seastone is entirely a strategic supply, not just for restricting Ability Users.
The World Government does not have the idea of the downfall of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates; it is very difficult to achieve.
However, they must break the stalemate of being blockaded.
They need to be able to purchase more and cheaper Seastone ore.
If a large amount of Seastone flows into the market, the value of Seastone will definitely decline.
Therefore, the World Government needs to incite infighting among Pirates.
Profit drives people; they don't believe other Great Pirates can let go of such a huge cake.
Ultimately, it will definitely trigger a chaotic battle.
By selling Seastone, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates can earn nearly hundreds of billions in profit every year.
This is still under the circumstance that most of the Seastone is purchased at a low price by the Kronos Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom.
The Kurozumi Family also gained considerable profit from this.
Furthermore, mining Seastone is not easy.
Clearly, this is just the beginning.
Just as Hades thought, the value of the Seastone Mine on Dragon Island was underestimated.
According to estimates, Dragon Island has approximately fifty thousand tons of Seastone, give or take.
Even calculating with fifty thousand tons, at the current market price of Seastone, the value of this Seastone Mine is as high as fifteen trillion Beli.
Apart from Dragon Island, the largest Seastone Mines discovered on The Great Sea so far only contain a few hundred or a few thousand tons, which are easily mined out.
It sounds small, and indeed it is.
Basically, only in volcanic areas can small amounts be found.
Soon, another rumor spread that the Seastone Mine on Dragon Island was worth ten trillion Beli.
A few days later, it changed again to thirty trillion Beli.
The news spread more and more wildly.
Even the World Economic Journal was "bribed" by the World Government to publish this news on the front page.
Even the Swordsmanship Tournament was ranked in the second sequence.
"Is the operation finally beginning?"
Listening to the news from You Ming, Hades' heart did not stir at all.
He also knew about the news of "Black Dragon" being betrayed; the World Government would not let it go and would make a move sooner or later.
Moreover, the World Government needs more Seastone.
In Hades' view, the value of the Seastone Mine has little reference significance.
Because over the years, the value of Seastone has actually been declining.
Factions like the Kronos Kingdom have stockpiled a large amount of Seastone.
Their demand for Seastone is not that urgent.
Furthermore, in the past twenty years, before cooperating with the Eternal Kingdom and the World Government, the Kronos Kingdom continuously obtained large amounts of Seastone through the Kurozumi Family.
At that time, the value of Seastone was much cheaper than it is now.
Even if there was demand, not many factions used it.
Relatively few people knew about something like Seastone.
With the large-scale excavation of Seastone and the changes in the situation on the seas, the demand for Seastone has also increased significantly.
This has led to the continuous rise in the price of Seastone.
It has at least doubled.
Now, even Hades hopes that the price of Seastone can come down.
Once the Tyrant Dragon Pirates face an accident.
With further mining of Seastone, various factions can unite to suppress the price of Seastone.
Over ten trillion Beli sounds a bit scary.
But how long will it take to mine the Seastone Mine?
At least decades, or even longer.
Seastone, comparable to diamond, cannot be mined by ordinary humans; even with a large number of people, it's useless.
It requires Strongmen with a certain strength.
(end of chapter)
