Chapter 63

The second ownership agreement covers all Indonesian islands and waters north of 2 degrees north latitude, including the Natuna Islands, Subi Island, Bajiao Island, Jemaja Island, Anambas Islands, Laut Island, and hundreds to thousands of other islands and reefs, as well as all the surrounding waters. What shocked Patna the most was the final fee; the entire agreement was filled with gratitude, and in the end, only a symbolic one dollar was charged to "sell" tens of thousands of square kilometers of sea and islands to Jifeng.

The entire agreement was signed by the then Indonesian President Suharto and bore the official seal of the Indonesian government. The U.S. government once again acted as the supervisor, proving the validity of the ownership agreement. The agreement stipulated that in the future, whoever could produce this agreement would be the heir, which was slightly different from the previous Jeju Island agreement, which did not have such a clear provision.

Seeing the signing date of April 5, 1968, Patna knew that this was signed shortly after Suharto took office. He was once again amazed by the mysterious Jifeng's great-grandfather, Jifeng. How many things was he still hiding from his descendants? How many islands had he purchased from various countries around the world? Why was his vision always so sharp and astute?

Opening his mouth, Patna ultimately did not ask, because he knew that even if he did, it would be in vain. Jifeng would not tell him, and even Jifeng himself might not fully understand his great-grandfather.

"Alright, we at Sidley will conduct a detailed review of this agreement. Given that the Indonesian government has not yet developed the area on a large scale, it is likely that they still have this agreement. Even if they don't, I believe that with the precedent of Jeju Island, they will eventually have to hand it over, as the U.S. government is the supervisor. However, you will likely have to pay a price this time."

Jifeng raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Oh, I wonder what price I will have to pay? Let's get one thing clear, I won't be paying any legal fees this time. In the future, that area will be a major hub for industry, mining, fishing, and energy extraction. Of course, I will allocate 3 billion dollars to build a necessary naval base there."

Patna smiled and shook her head. "This time, the U.S. government's appetite will likely increase. It won't be just a matter of military purchases. You should know that ExxonMobil is already operating there. If you take it back, the energy tycoons will likely demand an increase in the number of oil wells or the protection of their investments, which amount to tens of billions of dollars. The U.S. government will certainly speak up for its own companies."

Jifeng had thought about this before, even though he had not been there personally. Through online resources, he could still find the information. "You can tell them that after I take over, all their investments will remain intact. The purpose of building the naval base is to ensure the security of those investments, and I can even provide a more favorable investment environment. However, they cannot demand more from me. I won't even pursue the profits they have made from oil extraction over the past few decades. But I will demand compensation from the Indonesian government for all my losses, or they will have to fulfill the agreement."

Patna frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I believe they would rather fulfill the agreement than pay you a single cent in profit."

Jifeng laughed. "No problem, then all their investments there will belong to me, including their shares in ExxonMobil and all other investments. I won't pay them a single cent, not even in Korean currency."

Patna smiled bitterly. "That might take some time to achieve."

Jifeng laughed heartily. "The deadline is still the end of this year. I won't give them an extra day. Tell the Indonesian government not to provoke me, or I will make them pay a higher price. Also, please convey this message to your president, or rather, the U.S. president. Welcome to Jeju Island."

To create a more comfortable and perfect legal environment in Jeju Island, Sidley, including Patna, had 15 people specially granted Jeju Island citizenship by Jifeng. However, their status within Sidley did not decline; in fact, Patna was promoted to global vice president due to her outstanding performance in the Jeju Island negotiations.

After thanking Jifeng, Patna discussed some matters related to the recovery of the Natuna Islands, especially the relationships with neighboring countries, Indonesia, and the United States. Jifeng trusted her enough to share his bottom line: the islands must be recovered by the beginning of next year, and everything will remain as it is in principle. However, after recovery, the area will be re-planned based on its environment, location, and resources. Legal foreign investments will be protected, but illegal investments will be confiscated or required to withdraw within a specified period.

The geographical location of the Natuna Islands is extremely unique, and Jifeng naturally could not allow neighboring countries to freely conduct fishing and mining operations there. According to his initial plan, the fishing resources there will also be protected, and his fishing company will operate there, establishing a fishing processing center to fully utilize the rich fishing resources, rather than letting them benefit neighboring countries for free.

For Indonesia, which has tens of thousands of islands, the Natuna Islands are not highly valued. Otherwise, they would not have only started oil exploration there recently, and that too in collaboration with U.S. oil companies.

If it were other companies, Jifeng might consider whether it was worth letting them operate, but ExxonMobil was different because he was also a shareholder. After handing over the share certificate to Spark, he was organizing a team to settle his due shares with ExxonMobil. After several decades, it would take some time to calculate the exact amount, especially including the dividends over the years, but Jifeng was indeed a shareholder of ExxonMobil.

After seeing Patna off, Jifeng stood by the window, looking out at the vast blue sea. Thinking about Patna's words as she left, a smile crept onto his lips. How many islands did he own? It was a difficult question to answer. Although Patna had gained his trust, Jifeng would not reveal such a confidential matter to her. His relationship with her was far from that with Xu Xian, who didn't even have the right to know. Who did she think she was?

Thinking of Xu Xian, Jifeng quickly extinguished his cigarette and ran to the bedroom to check. Xu Xian was still sleeping comfortably in bed. He gently patted his chest and returned to the living room, opening all the windows to let the smoke dissipate quickly. Although Xu Xian did not object to his smoking, Jifeng tried to avoid exposing her to smoke for the sake of their child. He usually smoked in his study.

After Patna left, Lin Hui came in again. Seeing Jifeng opening the windows, she hurriedly came to help and said, "Boss, Manager Zheng Junshou reported half an hour ago that the expansion of Jeju Lake is complete. Manager Park Jaetian said the ranch will be ready in about a week, and Manager Li Zhijun said the farm will be operational in about 10 days. They want to know if you have any further instructions."

Jifeng patted his forehead, realizing he had forgotten about these three projects while focusing on the power issue. "Start filling Jeju Lake. Have Park Jaetian urge the U.S. side to deliver the dairy and beef cattle. According to the original procurement agreement, they should be arriving soon. As for the farm, I don't have any specific ideas for now. Let Li Zhijun handle it. Oh, and set aside some land for me to plant sweet potatoes. Xian likes to eat them."

Although sweet potatoes were delicious, Jifeng did not have a particular fondness for them. He ate them more often when he was younger but less so as an adult. However, after being with Xu Xian, he discovered that she loved sweet potatoes to the point of being unable to go a day without one. Otherwise, she would be listless. Fortunately, sweet potatoes were easy to find, and Jifeng had stored a lot for her.

Thinking of sweet potatoes, Jifeng suddenly paused. His space had some land, and he was unsure what to plant. To satisfy his wife, he decided to plant sweet potatoes. They were easy to grow and required minimal management.

Jifeng was pleased to have found something to plant. Seeing Lin Hui agree to leave, he quickly added, "Oh, have Li Zhijun send me some good sweet potato seedlings, both red and yellow varieties."

Lin Hui, about to leave, almost fainted. She looked at him with a mix of amusement and frustration. "Boss, are you planning to grow sweet potatoes?" At that moment, she felt an intense mix of envy and jealousy. Why was such an excellent man so devoted? Couldn't he give her a chance?

Jifeng smiled and nodded slightly. "Of course, I want to see if I can breed a better variety. This is Xian's favorite."

Lin Hui sighed softly. Given Jifeng's feelings for Xu Xian, she knew she would never have a chance. "Alright, boss, I'll have Manager Li Zhijun send them over as soon as possible."

Watching Lin Hui leave with a somewhat unhappy expression, Jifeng touched his nose. He remembered how she had intentionally or unintentionally exposed herself to him several times when Xu Xian was not around. He shook his head. Although she was beautiful and single, he had no feelings for her. He hoped she would find someone else soon.