A week after George left Los Angeles and returned to school, Paul brought good news: all three plots of land in Texas had been acquired. However, due to their vast size, the purchase cost George a hefty $45 million. Still, considering the potential returns, the expense was justified.
The largest of these plots, located in the Gobi Desert, was particularly memorable for George. In his previous life, that same land had been bought by the Heavenly Dynasty for $1.7 billion. Four years later, vast oil reserves were discovered beneath it. At the time, available crude oil technology estimated recoverable reserves of 20 billion barrels of oil, 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 1.6 billion barrels of condensate setting a U.S. record for the largest unconventional crude oil reserve. The value of the field exceeded $1.14 trillion, rivaling Saudi Arabia's Ghawar Field, which had a daily output of 5 million barrels. In his previous life, that same land had been purchased by a Chinese state-owned energy firm for $1.7 billion, making it the biggest beneficiary.
The second area, known as the Triangular Forest, covered a total of 560 square kilometers and encompassed the historically significant East Texas Oil Field. Discovered in 1930, the East Texas Oil Field was once the largest in the United States and remained a major global oil site long after it began production.
The third plot, located in a small town, had previously given rise to four American oil tycoons. The underground resources were immense and largely untapped.
Meanwhile, the two plots George bought in California were gold mines rather than oil fields. The site in Placer County had five prospective open-pit mining points. With technological advancements, it revealed an average gold content of 1.15 g/t and total recoverable gold of 77.5 tons.
The other Californian plot had ore reserves of 7 million tons with an estimated gold grade of 0.07 ounces/ton, containing three potential mining zones.
These five sites were among the highest-quality domestic mines George had identified. Due to financial and logistical constraints, he had yet to acquire other prospective properties in bulk.
Before leaving Los Angeles, George instructed Paul to acquire a qualified mining company and initiate survey operations on all but the Gobi Desert. The Gobi plot was deferred due to the current limitations of survey technology—time was better spent on more immediately accessible sites.
Additionally, oil prices were still low at the time, allowing George to develop other projects while waiting for the market to rise.
George's strategy resembled the land enclosure movements of old—while others enclosed territory, George enclosed capital. And he had the means to do it.
That day, George was in the lab with Osborn, observing bacterial experiments.
Half a month earlier, Osborn had published a paper on Penicillin, listing George as the first author and himself as the second. The paper focused on Penicillin's powerful bactericidal properties and its significant inhibitory effects on infectious bacteria.
The paper attracted attention from the academic community and was recommended to a professional journal, but had yet to be published.
With the first phase of experiments complete, Osborn had already begun filing a patent for Penicillin. George understood that further progress was required to solve the purification problem. In the original timeline, it had taken 18 months of grueling work to obtain 100 mg of yellow Penicillin powder pure enough for human injection.
George suggested a solution: using freeze-drying to extract Penicillin crystals. Though he knew of a more advanced method, it was not yet patented, so he chose to proceed cautiously. The freeze-drying technique was sufficient for their current needs.
The next experimental phase involved testing Penicillin on lab mice to observe its therapeutic effects, the range of bacteria it targeted, and its overall efficacy, requiring frequent and meticulous experiments.
"George, George, look! The Lancet has responded!" Osborn entered the lab cheerfully, waving an open envelope.
"The Lancet?" George looked up from the microscope. When Osborn initially submitted the paper, George hadn't asked which journal he'd chosen. Now, knowing it was The Lancet pleased him greatly—it would significantly benefit their future work.
That evening, George invited the entire lab team out for dinner to celebrate the paper's success.
By now, there was little more for George to gain from regular coursework. His professors served primarily to guide and structure his studies, while George independently deepened his understanding.
He was already preparing for the annual graduation exam, with his thesis focused on Penicillin's effectiveness. Barring any surprises, George would graduate that June.
Three days later, a report arrived from the California mining company: the gold mines had been confirmed. The survey reports were complete.
The next issue was development. To be considered economically viable, gold ore needed a grade of at least 0.3–0.5 grams per ton. Both of George's mines met or exceeded this threshold, indicating high development potential.
After a brief evaluation, George chose to mine the two sites himself. A key advantage of self-mining was that it allowed him to discreetly launder over 80 tons of gold stored in his private space.
He phoned Paul to relay his decision and tasked him with arranging all necessary operations. George also wrote a detailed 145-page heap leaching plan and sent it to Paul.
Heap leaching involves piling low-grade ore or flotation tailings on a prepared base and then spraying it with a circulating sodium cyanide solution. The solution dissolves gold and silver from the ore, creating a pregnant solution from which the metals are recovered.
Heap leaching offers multiple benefits: a simple process, easy operation, minimal equipment, low energy requirements, low investment, quick results, and low production costs. It is used to process ores with grades between 0.5–3 g/t, achieving recovery rates of 50–80%, and even up to 90%.
Though this method had been used for oxidized copper ore as early as 1752, George's application to gold mining was unprecedented.
Paul was thrilled when George explained the process. He even proposed filing a patent, but George declined, noting that all the knowledge involved was already public and therefore unpatentable.
To profit from this method, George saw two options: either purchase others' low-grade ore and extract the gold himself—ensuring secrecy to maximize returns—or license the technique to other mining companies for a one-time fee.
Why one-time? Because once the method was revealed, others would use it independently. Thus, George intended to charge for access but keep long-term control.
The next day, George instructed Paul to publicize the survey findings and send invitations in his name to the top 20 mining companies worldwide. He didn't invite smaller firms.
As expected, the announcement drew immediate interest. Several companies called to ask whether George planned to sell the mines or consider partnerships. George, however, remained firm—his plan was set.
The following day, newspapers widely reported the news, prompting what George predicted would be a new gold rush in California.
A week later, the meeting was held in the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel. All invited companies attended, drawn by reports that the two mines could contain a combined 100 tons of gold—an enormous fortune.
"Hello everyone, it's a pleasure to see you here. My name is George Orwell. I invited you today because the two plots of land I recently purchased in California have been confirmed to contain gold mines," George opened.
"Mr. Orwell, are you planning to sell these two mines? If so, what's the asking price?" someone asked.
"Haha, actually, I don't intend to sell either of the mines."
"Then why call us here?"
"I've developed a new technology that increases the utilization rate of low-grade ore up to 90%. I'm wondering if that interests you."
"Is it truly viable? If the costs are high, it may not be practical," another attendee asked.
"No worries—my method is simple and low-cost. That's why I brought you all here. If you're skeptical, you can also sell me your low-grade ore. I'll buy it at a discounted rate based on its gold content."
Realizing George was serious, the companies became more attentive. He wouldn't risk alienating so many industry leaders without confidence.
"So, what's your price? Surely you're not giving this method away?"
"Of course not. You're top-tier companies with stocks of low-grade ore you once deemed worthless. With my method, that material becomes profitable."
"You can either sell your ore to me or pay $5 million to acquire the method. We'll provide complete training and even on-site guidance. However, buyers must sign a one-year NDA."
"Isn't that price a bit steep?" someone countered.
"You must consider two things," George replied. "First, this is about monetizing assets you already own. Second, you can use this early access to acquire more low-grade ore before others catch on. We're offering this to build partnerships, not monopolize the method."
In reality, $5 million was a bargain, especially for the 20 companies present. Their hesitation was classic negotiation.
"You can take time to consider. Let's get acquainted today; you may share your decision tomorrow," George concluded.
"Haha, no need," said Enlil, head of Cliffs Natural Resources. "I believe Mr. Orwell wouldn't mislead us over a few million. I'll sign now."
Seeing him take the lead, George raised his water glass in acknowledgment. One by one, the other attendees expressed their willingness to proceed. All agreed to sign the next day.
George knew this would ignite a wave of low-grade ore acquisitions worldwide. No major firm would want to miss out.
Sure enough, the next day saw a flurry of mergers and acquisitions involving companies with low-grade mines. Many others rushed to unlisted firms for negotiations.
Still in the same ballroom, George signed contracts with all 20 companies. After payment, each received a copy of the 145-page mining plan. On-site demonstrations were also conducted, with accompanying technical staff confirming the method's feasibility.
That evening, George hosted another dinner. The company heads remained respectful—someone else could handle the acquisitions; today, they owed George a favor.
This time, George wasn't just making money—he was building power.