110 episodes
I said while rubbing the super-heavy oil in the drum while wearing rubber gloves.
“It’s very sticky.”
The color of the crab is dark, like oyster sauce or chunjang.
“Is this oil?”
The executive director of the Korea Petroleum Association nodded and said.
“Yes. you’re right. It is an ultra-heavy oil with a lot of sulfur.”
I then said checking the other oils.
“It’s a bit less sticky, so it’s heavy oil. And this is…”
Now, oil came out, dripping like a liquid.
“This is light oil.”
“you’re right.”
To be honest, I’m not sure if this test will ever succeed.
I usually use corruption magic in moderation to extract morale, and then burn the rest to get rid of it, because I’ve never over-matured it this far.
Toxic gas magic also ends when the enemy is defeated, as it is the first time that the purpose of extracting poisonous gas is itself.
But somehow I feel like I’m going to succeed.
I said with a smirk.
“It’s kind of familiar.”
what is it
Did you feel the smell of death in oil?
Of course, it’s not that I felt a real scam.
The strange feeling I felt while rolling on the battlefield countless times.
That’s what this oil feels like.
“Anyway, okay. Let’s experiment. by the way······.”
I said looking around the factory where I was standing.
“Are all these facilities necessary for the heavy oil refining process?”
Toxic gas is literally poisonous gas.
A deadly gas that can kill a person the moment it smells.
Even this gas is heavier than air, so if it is thrown on the floor if done wrong, it can cause serious harm.
That plant is an oil refinery run by a famous Korean conglomerate.
This is a comprehensive oil refinery that can do both heavy oil refining and crude oil processing, and where I am now was in charge of refining heavy oil.
Then the oil refinery staff nodded and said.
“you’re right.”
And seeing the facility here, I can clearly understand why the cost of refining super-heavy oil is so high.
A huge factory with pipes connected to all sides and huge barrels lined up in a row.
“Isn’t this the only way to go through so many processes?”
I said with a satisfied look.
“great. Let’s do it.”
I transferred the super-heavy oil into the drum I had prepared beforehand.
A drum filled with decay and poisonous gas magic circles and connected to artificial essence.
Since I can’t supply mana every time, I made it to calculate how much mana would be consumed for refining super-heavy oil.
After moving all of the super-heavy oil into the magic drum, putting it in the booth connected to the toxic gas processing device, sealing the door and flicking your finger, toxic gas is expelled from the super-heavy oil at high speed.
Then the oil refinery employee said with a surprised expression.
“Huh? The amount of oil and toxic gas emitted is huge!”
That’s right.
What people sometimes misunderstand is that the rate of natural decay is actually incredibly slow.
If you just leave a human corpse on the ground, it usually takes a year for it to rot and become completely boneless.
Even buried in the ground, the decay rate is so slow that it can take up to seven years, so the body is usually burned.
However, when time is compressed with magic, the amount of release is overwhelming.
Of course, I’ve never had it corrupted to this extent.
how long has it been
said the refinery staff.
“Suddenly lower toxic gas emissions!”
it’s almost over
“Shall we take a look?”
The magic drum that was brought out again after stopping all magic and poison gas processing devices.
And in that magic drum…
“It’s a success.”
As hydrogen sulfide escaped at a tremendous rate, the sulfur was removed and it contained a liquid similar to the light oil we just saw.
The managing director said while stirring the oil, which was just super-heavy oil, with a bewildered expression.
“Is this really super-heavy oil?”
“How is it?”
“This is a revolution. How can I convert super-heavy oil to light oil in such a short time……”
Success.
I thought while checking the magic remaining in the artificial essence.
‘If this amount of horsepower consumption is… Then roughly fifteen dollars.’
Since the current market price of ultra-heavy oil is $15 per barrel, it was said that light oil could be produced for $30 in total.
I said with a bright smile.
“You spend $30 to make $100 of light oil? Are you selling three times?”
Of course, there will be labor and equipment costs, but in front of triple business, that penny is meaningless.
“Chief.”
The managing director, who was still looking at the oil with a puzzled expression, answered.
“Yes.”
“How much does ultra-heavy oil refining cost in general?”
“…usually, around $60 is the refining cost.”
“Then, if you include the cost of purchasing super-heavy oil, is it 75 dollars?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s why you eased Venezuela’s economic sanctions.”
As light crude oil currently costs more than $100, ultra-heavy oil, which is around $75 in refining and purchase costs, is sufficiently price-competitive.
But what if the price of oil plummets to the $50 level instead of $100?
“Sir, what if the price of oil drops to the $50 level?”
“Obviously, the super-heavy oil trade is virtually halted. The more you refine it and sell it, the more you lose.”
For just $50, virtually all of the world’s super-heavy oil is mine.
Because only I can refine and sell super-heavy oil at a profit even at the $50 level.
Besides, where is that?
“If the price of oil drops like that, will the price of super-heavy oil become cheaper?”
“As far as I know, there was a time when the price of super-heavy oil dropped to $5 at the height of low oil prices.”
“nice.”
So, if you add $15 for refining using magic, you can make oil for $20.
When other refiners don’t even look at ultra-heavy oil because of the refining cost problem, I can refine it and sell it for only $20.
“This is really great.”
money is seen
show the money
“Is there any other country with a lot of super-heavy oil reserves besides Venezuela?”
“Canada is a prime example. Canada also has the third largest oil reserves.”
“Is Canada third?”
I learned today that Canada is an oil-producing country.
“Yes. It is a little better than Venezuela, but it is still a heavy oil containing a lot of sulfur, so it is not well known to people because of its low marketability, but it has more reserves than any other Middle Eastern country except Saudi Arabia.”
It is perfect.
It buys heavy oil from Venezuela and Canada, refines it into crude oil, and sells it at a high price.
An oil refinery employee who was watching at that time said:
“Me… Chairman Han? What are you planning to do in the future?”
oh
Come to think of it, this would be a bad news for refiners with refining facilities.
But fortunately I am a person who likes symbiosis?
“Of course, we will buy the super-heavy oil ourselves and refine it.”
“ah······.”
“But it’s crude, isn’t it? Eventually, the crude oil must be refined again into gasoline, kerosene, diesel, etc., which I will not do. It should be done by people who have been good at it.”
I only make crude oil.
And the process of refining that crude oil should be passed on to the refiners.
It’s like handing over ore obtained from underwater mining to a smelter.
“of course.”
I said, tapping the heavy oil refiner with my finger.
“You have to give up on this.”
where is this
In the first place, the proportion of ultra-heavy oil refining in the sales of refiners is not large, right?
So please give up on this.
Instead, I’ll provide you with cheap crude oil.
I said with a smirk.
“ruler. So, shall we start moving?”
*
Having instructed Kim Deok-bae to set up a large-scale factory equipped with toxic gas processing equipment, I immediately contacted and talked with Kim Young-tae of the CIA, and then headed to Venezuela with him.
Canada also boasts huge reserves of heavy oil, but all of the drilling volume is already contracted, so it takes time to sign a new contract and drill.
“The current president is Juan Pablo, who was elected after the anti-American ex-president was sacked and stepped down due to economic hardship.”
I was silent for a moment at Kim Young-tae’s words.
“Have you ever been involved there?”
“Well, I won’t deny it. From the beginning, the United States strongly supported the current president, which is pro-American.”
In the era of high oil prices, the United States eased sanctions because the pro-American president they were pushing was elected.
“By the way, is it really okay for me to take Venezuelan oil and sell it? Wasn’t the US mitigating it to bring it and sell it?”
“The pressing issue right now is inflation. It doesn’t matter that sanctions were eased to put out an urgent fire right now. Moreover, even if Venezuelan oil is imported, it must also have a refining system capable of processing it, which is too time-consuming and expensive. On the other hand, Chairman Han ignores all other processes and only needs a hazardous gas treatment facility, so oil will be supplied to the market immediately.”
It doesn’t matter if I buy or sell, so why not lower the oil price and stop inflation?
it’s me then thank you
“By the way, I was surprised.”
Kim Young-tae shook his head and said.
“How in the world can you turn super-heavy oil into light oil without any process?”
“It’s not that there isn’t any process, it’s something we put our heart and soul into.”
“When other refiners hear it, they grab the back of their neck and make a noise that they will fall over. ha. That’s great. I’m telling you this as a joke, are you thinking of coming to America? I’m sure I’ll do a good job.”
I pretended to be a joke, but half the truth.
Nothing else but the ability to control oil has emerged.
In fact, that’s why I dared to work with the CIA.
To show firsthand that I am so cooperative with the United States.
This project is possible because the US lifted sanctions on Venezuela.
If the U.S. is twisted and economic sanctions are imposed again on Venezuela, my plan of making a lot of money by supplying ultra-heavy oil at a low price will inevitably be disrupted.
“I can’t speak English.”
“I will stay by your side and interpret for the rest of your life.”
“Uh-huh. That’s a funny joke. Anyway, I am still comfortable in Korea.”
I have no intention of leaving my hometown, but I deliberately said it was still in order to leave room.
“Not yet…”
Kim Young-tae catches it right away, and after a while, his eyes brighten, and then he returns to his original expression.
“Anyway, the United States welcomes Chairman Han to enter Venezuela. However, I would like to have a discussion on the price of crude oil. As you know, we are not sensitive to oil prices.”
Do you want to control inflation by lowering oil prices and at the same time strengthen control over oil prices?
What. Thanks to the United States, we are able to do business.
“You have to do that. Are you my friend?”
“haha. That is very fortunate.”
We kept talking while hiding each other’s inner feelings, but the flight attendant came up to me and said,
“Chairman, we are arriving soon.”
The plane I am currently riding with Kim Young-tae is my personal private plane that I bought second-hand so that I can intervene immediately after the Japanese crisis.
Of course, everyone here except for Kim Young-tae were employees of the Seron group.
At the flight attendant’s words, Kim Young-tae looked at me and said.
“There will be someone on our side. I will take you straight to the Presidential Palace.”
*
I arrived at the presidential palace under the guidance of a person from the CIA, and a welcome ceremony was already prepared for me.
After taking pictures for Venezuela’s domestic political propaganda for a while and even doing an interview, I met with President Juan Pablo and started talking in earnest.
“I will tell you straight up. Exporting to other countries or companies? I understand. In my mind, I want to monopolize everything, but Seron doesn’t have enough processing power yet. However.”
I said with a smirk.
“It would be better to avoid long-term contracts. Because all those companies are going to go out.”
Then Juan Pablo said with a look of interest.
“How can you be so sure?”
I said with a confident expression to Kim Young-tae’s interpreter.
“I have a way of refining super-heavy oil for $15 a barrel.”
Venezuela was once a very rich country.
It was at a time when international oil prices went up endlessly due to the oil shock, and even ultra-heavy oil could not be sold.
But it was nothing more than a black curse.
Politicians who do not even think about nurturing other industries because huge amounts of money come in even if they stand still, and only use welfare policies to get elected.
However, when the oil shock ended and we entered the era of low oil prices, the situation changed completely.
Exports were cut off as ultra-heavy oil, which requires a high refining cost, was ignored, and Venezuela’s neck was strangled by excessive welfare policies.
The money line is dry, but money keeps leaking out of my pocket, plus the US sanctions due to the anti-US regime.
Thus, Venezuela, a wealthy country in South America, collapsed in an instant.
Of course, as many Venezuelans who have had that experience, you know what I meant by the $15 refining cost I was talking about.
“I ask if it’s really possible for $15.”
The refining cost of $15 means that even if the price of oil is cut in half, it is enough to compete with other petroleum products.
“Available. It’s a trade secret, of course.”
I said to Juan Pablo with an astonished expression.
“If Venezuela’s oil is released in earnest, the price of oil will fall. Will refiners still buy Venezuelan super-heavy oil? Absolutely not. They’ll probably give up right away if they break the $70 mark. Because the cost of refining super-heavy oil is higher than the market price. But Seron is different. Even if the price of oil goes down to $30 or less, we can survive.”
Currently, the unit production price is $30, but if the oil price drops to that level, the price of super-heavy oil will also fall further below the current $15.
So even in the low oil price era, Ceron can survive.
Refining using magic is truly the king of cost-effectiveness.
I said with a confident look.
“As you know, once you start drilling for oil, you can’t stop. The only way to stop is to shut down that rig and build another.”
Oil drilling facilities use the pressure inside the ground to automatically eject oil.
Just like when you puncture your skin, the pressure inside your body causes blood to flow out.
Of course, there is no way to forcibly stop this, so once it comes out, you have to keep selling oil.
That is why oil-producing countries cannot increase production recklessly.
Once you put a straw in, you have to keep pulling it out.
This is where Venezuela’s concern comes in.
We must continue to sell, but ultra-heavy oil, which is productive only at high oil prices, is extremely sensitive to price fluctuations, so we have to panic because we do not know when another low oil price will come, unlike other oil producing countries.
However, the story changes when Seron comes out.
“Under such circumstances, I can assure you, Ceron is the only company that can buy Venezuela’s ultra-heavy oil without any change in oil prices. And all the other refineries will go out. Because there is no competition with us. So don’t sign a long-term contract and wait until our production capacity rises.”
Juan Pablo pondered for a moment at my words.
“It sounds like a really good suggestion. However, no matter how much the president is, how can he proceed with his work?”
I said looking at Kim Young-tae who was interpreting.
“At a time like this, can you please go ahead? A CIA guarantee would be perfect.”
Then Kim Young-tae laughed and talked with Juan Pablo for a long time and then said to me.
“It’s a real way, and we said we’ve confirmed it. The president also accepted it positively.”
“OK.”
It’s almost over.
Let’s add a little more seasoning here.
“And right now, Venezuela is in a bad economic situation because economic sanctions have just been lifted, isn’t it? Isn’t the biggest problem the lack of foreign currency?”
In Venezuela, where the money from selling oil was used to buy consumer goods and food from abroad, foreign currency cut off due to economic sanctions, which caused crazy inflation, which has continued to this day.
In other words, what Venezuela needed most was the dollar.
The reason for selling oil is to sell oil to secure dollars and stabilize domestic prices.
“Energy sales, we will introduce it immediately. And the energy purchase price will be paid in dollars.”
Juan Pablo’s eyes widen as he hears my words.
It’s not enough to stably import super-heavy oil, so they’re giving money in dollars to the people who are struggling with the economic hardship.
Of course it’s good for me too.
If you buy horsepower in Venezuela at a low price and use it to run the oil business, the unit price of refining will come down even more.
“I have only one requirement. In the future, Ceron essential oil will increase the amount of refining at a tremendous rate. If necessary, even by acquiring another refiner. And Venezuela wants to supply ultra-heavy oil with the highest priority in accordance with the refining amount of Ceron essential oil. The moment when the amount of refining of Ceron essential oil grows to cover the entire production of Venezuela.”
I said with a confident look.
“Venezuela will have a perfect export window without stopping exports regardless of international oil prices. And we can use that money and the dollars we get from the sale of energy to develop the country.”
Venezuela needs a stable supply of dollars and Ceron Refinery needs a stable supply of ultra-heavy oil.
“I think Seron and Venezuela are really good partners. How are you, President?”
I reached out to the president and said,
“Would you like to go hand in hand with me?”