The swivel chair creaked.
This is a classic case of a contract stemming from historical issues.
Parsons casually tossed the photocopy back onto the table.
" Alaska became a state in 1959, after which the federal government transferred a large amount of public land to the state government."
"But on this island, many early private land transactions still followed the old customs and practices from the territorial era."
"The wording you see on page five implies a inclusion in the definition of mining rights."
Su Wei tapped the armrest of the plastic chair with his right index finger.
"Specific meaning."
Parsons picked up a mug covered in brown tea stains and took a sip of his now-cold coffee.
"This means that unless it is explicitly stated in writing in the contract, the transferor or the state government retains the mining rights."
"Otherwise, the owners of the surface land would automatically own all the mining rights to the underground space."
He extended his short, stubby index finger and pointed to the line of exemption clauses on the photocopy.
"As for this regional exemption, it was a disclaimer that was forcibly added decades ago to avoid legal troubles related to Indigenous land claims."
"It does not have the power to deprive you of your ownership of the underground space."
Su Wei sat in the chair with his back straight.
One basic answer is not enough; all loopholes at the rule level must be plugged.
"What if the federal government had forcibly retained the underlying mining rights to this land through an early privileges act?"
This is the most critical hidden danger.
During the Gold Rush, the Federation acted blatantly, with many lands nominally belonging to private individuals, but the underground rock veins had long been included in the Federation's bottom pool.
Parsons put down his mug and looked Su Wei over once more.
The fact that the person asked this question means they are definitely not a layman.
Su Wei quickly deduced the scenario in their minds.
If it is confirmed that the federal government retains the mining rights, the half-excavated pit must be filled in immediately.
He planned to seal the granite block with high-grade cement, abandoning the construction plan for two underground layers.
The three million US dollars in savings on the books are simply not enough to fight even half a round of a lawsuit against the federal Department of Justice.
Parsons turned around and pulled the dusty black keyboard in front of him.
"To confirm this, we need to log into the state land administration department's internal title database, which is outside the scope of regular consultations."
Su Wei did not reply, but opened the side pocket of his belt and took out three hundred-yuan bills.
He placed the money on the photocopy.
Parsons looked at the banknotes and began typing on the keyboard.
An old Dell monitor lit up, its pale blue light casting a soft glow on Parsons ' face.
The page loads very slowly.
The only sound in the office was the hum of the main unit's fan.
Two minutes later, rows of green data chains appeared on the screen.
Parsons pressed Enter to lock the current page.
"Plot number AK-KOD-0042, coordinate anchor point comparison completed."
He turned his chair around to face Su Wei.
Federal mining rights reservation record: empty. State resource control marker: none.
"The previous landholder completed the final transfer of all subsurface interests in the 1987 transaction."
Parsons paused, lowered his voice, and his voice became a little hoarse.
"As long as it's within the vertical space of this coordinate boundary."
"Whether you unearth granite or a high-grade gold vein."
"It is under the highest protection of the law on the inviolability of private property."
It all belongs to you.
Su Wei sat in the chair.
Upon hearing the last half-sentence, his heart suddenly raced, but he forcibly suppressed it back to a calm state.
The guillotine hanging overhead has disappeared, and the loopholes in the rules have been completely plugged.
This golden land vein has an absolute legal barrier.
"I need a client confidentiality agreement. Sign it now."
Su Wei took out another thousand US dollars and pushed it forward.
Using cash, avoiding bank accounts, and leaving no transfer records is the most basic and effective way to prevent information leakage.
Parsons was very familiar with this kind of caution.
The more profitable a business is, the more it needs to be hidden in the blind spots of the law.
He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a printed, standardized disclaimer and confidentiality agreement.
Su Wei took the paper and began to examine it word by word, starting from the first line.
He skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the details of the compensation for joint liability for breach of contract.
After confirming that everything was correct, Su Wei pulled out his tactical pen, removed the cap, and signed his name on the line for Party B.
Parsons also signed in the client's area, pressing the law firm's seal down.
Su Wei folded his copy of the agreement, along with a photocopy of the property rights, stuffed it into the inner pocket of his winter coat, and zipped it up with a waterproof zipper.
Stand up.
Thank you.
He turned around and walked towards the wooden door of the office.
My right hand just touched the brass doorknob.
"Mr. Su Wei -Yang."
Parsons called out his full name from behind.
Su Wei stopped, facing the door, without turning around.
"If you actually find anything valuable in those unusual rock layers, remember to come back and find me."
Parsons ' voice was very clear.
"In this polar region, everything from submitting geological survey reports to dealing with reviews from the state environmental protection agency..."
"From the initial stages to finally obtaining a legal commercial mining license, no one knows this process better than me."
This is a seasoned veteran's early positioning regarding potentially huge profits.
Su Wei's fingers, gripping the doorknob, remained motionless.
A legitimate mining license is indeed a moat against malicious takeovers by large mining oligarchs.
But this old fox's current asking price is definitely more than a few hundred dollars.
The initiative must always be in your own hands.
Su Wei didn't reply; he casually raised his left hand and waved it in the air.
With a flick of the wrist, the wooden door was pulled open.
Su Wei walked into the cold, dark corridor, and the door slammed shut behind him.
Stepping out of the red brick building, sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining on the dazzling snow and bringing a faint warmth.
Su Wei walked down the icy metal stairs, crossed the snow-covered public parking lot, and returned to his black Ford Raptor.
I opened the car door and got into the driver's seat.
Slam the car door shut.
The heavy doors blocked out the howling wind and the noise of the snowplows.
I pressed the engine start button, and the engine roared back to life.
The heating system is running at full power, blowing hot air toward the windshield.
The phone screen on the passenger seat lit up.
An unread text message popped up in the notification bar.
From: Anchorage Mineral Testing and Metallurgical Laboratory.
[Automatic receipt: Your three expedited rock samples have been received and registered in the warehouse. The preliminary matrix separation procedure has been initiated, and the identification report is expected to be issued within five business days.]
Su Wei gripped the gearshift lever with his right hand, shifted it into Drive, Raptor's wheels rolled over the ice, heading towards the main street.