Li Du purchased the number 122 mine at only 680,000 AUD, which was lower than the market price. Something must be up whenever there was an abnormality. Why would a normal mine be sold at such a low price?
The boss, who was a small old man, said that he wanted to sell the mine and retire. Consequently, he only wanted to quickly get it off of his hands and hence, was willing to sell it at a low price.
Truth be told, Li Du knew the real reason. The old man had quoted a low price because he was unable to manage the mine due to getting bullied by his neighbors.
The mines in Lightning Ridge were divided by the government according to area. Just like how a chessboard was divided, every mine was surrounded by other mines.