Empire of Shadows

In another room, Roger and the members of the Empire Chamber of Commerce were also discussing this transaction.

”A price of more than thirty dollars a ton, isn’t it too high?” Someone felt a little worried about the price Roger had given.

Currently, in the international grain market, the price of wheat was only thirty-one or thirty-two dollars a ton.

Grain has a different nature from other commodities. Its consumption is indeed huge, but its stock is also huge, and there are many options.

If wheat is too expensive and you can’t afford it, you can eat rice. Rice is also one of the main foods on the South Continent.

If you can’t afford rice, you can eat high-starch foods, such as potatoes.

People always have a way to fill their stomachs, because filling your stomach is not just about choosing wheat.

Once the price of grain is too high and it’s stuck in your hands and can’t be sold, it will become very troublesome.

Roger, however, shook his head. ”You don’t have to worry too much about this.”

”The federal government will give us some subsidies. Secondly, if this grain can’t be sold, we can brew it into wine, and then have the chairman help us to sell it.”Previously, Lance had reached a series of collaborations with the members of the Empire Chamber of Commerce. For example, they would privately set up small workshops to brew wine, and then the brewed wine would be handed over to Lance to be sold, and they would share the profits in proportion.

One ton of wheat can produce less than three barrels (Federal barrels) of high-proof liquor, which is about a little over five hundred liters of fifty-degree high-proof liquor.

If this wine is bottled, it can produce about sixty or so bottles of Copper Label wine.

Calculated at the current wholesale price of more than thirty, this wine can be sold for two thousand.

Of course, there are still many extra costs, for example, labor costs. A ton of grain requires three to four people to complete all the processes.

The wages of distillery workers are a little higher than those of ordinary workers. The wage cost of these people is about two hundred or so.

Another relatively high cost is the price of oak barrels. At present, a federal-standard oak barrel costs about fifty dollars. Two and a half barrels is 125.

These barrels can only be used three times, which is a cost of more than forty dollars.

In order to distinguish it from other whiskies on the market, Lance’s wine will also have some spices added, and also be blended with some technology products, which is also some extra expenditure.

Then there are other various extra losses, including some research and development costs, storage costs, management costs, transportation costs, and sales costs.

For a bottle of wine that sells for thirty, the cost will take up about a large half.

But to say that it doesn’t make money is clearly impossible.

Grain of thirty-something, plus a production cost of eight or nine hundred, after a period of time, it will become more than two thousand. The profit is still very sufficient!

So even if he bought some extra grain, and couldn’t sell it, Roger was not worried at all. Whether it was directly given to Lance, or they brewed it themselves in private and then handed it over to Lance to be sold, a cost of a few dollars would be completely submerged by the huge benefits!

Hearing Roger’s so certain words, the others naturally would not say anything more.

The reason why they had brought up the issue of cost was to confirm the final destination of this batch of grain, and the role they would play.

Soon, someone had knocked on the door of the room. The person outside the door pushed the door open and entered. ”Mr. President has finished his discussion. Gentlemen, please follow me to the main hall.”

Roger and the others stood up, straightened their attire, and went outside together.

They soon sat down on both sides of the negotiating table again. Diego’s eyes were filled with a greedy light. He did not speak.

As a president, it was not suitable for him to be the one to probe at the beginning of a negotiation. For a person of his status, once the other party refused his offer, or gave a sharp counter-offer, it would make him lose face, and there was a high probability that the negotiation would collapse.

So often these big shots would, when the talk was almost over, to stand up as the decision-maker and to make the final decision.

The first to speak was the Minister of Commerce, Ambassador Cassia’s former immediate superior.

This guy could be said to have an understanding of business, but he was not proficient.

There was no very good business atmosphere in Rapa, and the Ministry of Commerce was more like a decoration and a joke.

If most of the large enterprises in this country had a certain relationship with these ruling groups, then this Ministry of Commerce could only be a decoration.

The Minister of Commerce coughed. ”We have just discussed it and we believe that the current price of wheat in the international market still has a lot of potential for appreciation.”

”Just now, President Roger also said that this is the only time in a few hundred years. Then why is it impossible for it to have a chance to break through the high price of forty a ton?”

”I think there is a great possibility!”

”If you can provide a price of forty, we can sell you some more grain!”

”This way you have gotten what you want, and we will not be at too much of a loss.”

Roger had not just been idling away these few years. The several brilliant achievements of the Empire Chamber of Commerce had also made him a character in the financial and business circle. He would often participate in some business activities.

He was also learning, and also growing. And the Empire Chamber ofCommerce was not just doing business with Lance’s remote control. They would also do some of their own business, with some wins and some losses.

These experiences, this experience, had made Roger not a person who knew nothing. On the contrary, he had some insights into business negotiations.

He immediately rejected this offer.

”It’s too high, Mr. President. We can’t accept this price. The most I can give you is thirty-six a ton.”

Diego and the officials by his side had no expression on their faces. The Minister of Agriculture interjected at this time, ”President Roger, in fact, from my point of view, I am against this deal.”

”To sell too much grain will lead to the fact that our people in the country will not have enough wheat to fill their stomachs. If the price is sold too low, we cannot give the people an explanation.”

”If you can meet our offer, then we will take out a portion of the proceeds from this sale to improve the lives and the environment of the people.”

”This is also equivalent to you having done a good deed.”

The two ministers had taken turns to go on the offensive, but Roger had always stuck to thirty-six, and could not lower the price.

He, seeing that Diego’s expression was becoming a little annoyed, suddenly said, ”Forty is not impossible, but it can’t be 500,000 tons.”

Diego frowned slightly. ”You think 500,000 tons is too much?”

He then relaxed his brows. 500,000 tons, that’s 20 million. He didn’t believe that Lance, a gangster boss, and this what’s-his-name Empire Chamber of Commerce, could come up with so much money.

But the next second, Roger’s words had made his mind go blank for a short time. ”It’s not too much, it’s too little.”

”One million tons, I can give you thirty-eight.”

”1.5 million tons, I can give you forty.”

”As long as you agree, I can sign a contract with you immediately!”

For a moment, the room was completely silent.

Diego turned to look at his Minister of Commerce, and blinked. The latter also shook his head in a daze.

On the contrary, the Minister of Agriculture said in a low voice, ”Can you come up with so much money?”

He was a little puzzled, and also a little incredulous. Are the chambers of commerce in the Federation all so rich?

To mobilize tens of millions or hundreds of millions of funds at any moment, where did they get so much money?

You know, one million tons is 38 million, and 1.5 million tons is 60 million. This is fucking Federal Sols, not the worthless Paras of Rapa!

Roger’s face was calm. ”What you need to know now is not whether we can come up with it, but whether you agree.”

Diego turned to look at the Minister of Agriculture. His brain was actually not very good, in terms of math. He couldn’t figure out how much this was.

He began to curl his fingers under the table, he was calculating.

Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands...

So many zeros!

His breathing became a little rapid. Although he didn’t know the exact amount, it was definitely not a small amount.

To be honest, this price was full of a fatal attraction, but they were asking for too much!

To sell another 500,000 tons of grain to these people, they would still have more than a million tons of grain here, and there were also hundreds of thousands of tons in the private sector.

Although it was not enough for everyone to eat, it would not cause too much of a problem.

But if they sold this one million tons in their hands, they would only have five or six hundred thousand tons left.

Plus what was in the private sector, it would not exceed 1.2 million tons of wheat.

Diego and his ministers had not considered selling all the grain in their hands, but were just thinking of trying to sell one million tons at a price of thirty-eight.

Roger, seeing their eyeballs rolling around, knew that they were going to discuss it again, and then he took the initiative to stand up. ”My friends and I will go to the door for a smoke.”

Diego and his officials did not object. After Roger and the others had left the hall and had gone to the balcony, and had closed the door, Diego had asked, ”If we sell them one million tons, will the remaining grain be enough for the people to eat?”

”Is there anyone who can figure this out?”

These gentlemen of theirs certainly couldn’t figure it out, so soon there was a special official to calculate, who was also an official who had graduated from the Jede National University.

After his calculation, a number was obtained—

”Mr. President, gentlemen, the grain we have left, on average, for each of us, each person can get about 100 kilograms of wheat.”

”One hundred kilograms?” Diego’s small eyes suddenly widened. The others were all the same. ”So much?”

He was a little incredulous. On average, each person had so much wheat. Why did they often still say they were not full, and were still crying out in hunger?

These unruly people, damn it!

Of course, he did not agree in a fit of anger, but looked at the Minister of Agriculture. ”What are we planting next?”

The Minister of Agriculture, although he was also a member of the ruling group, he had been to university, and had really studied crops. He answered very quickly, ”Potatoes, carrots.”

”Not many people eat carrots. It’s mainly potatoes.”

”In February and March of next year, the potatoes can be harvested, and then we can start the spring planting, and then a new round of planting.”

Hearing this, Diego actually already had an answer in his heart. ”The yield of potatoes is very large, I remember.”

The Minister of Agriculture nodded. ”Three or four times.”

After he had said this, he immediately realized something.

”You see, from now until February and March of next year, there are still four or five months, which is a little over a hundred days.”

”Just now our...” he didn’t know what the guy was called, but just glanced at him, ”our friend told us that the grain we have left, on average, each person has a hundred kilograms.”

”Then if we sell another 500,000 tons, the remaining grain, if evenly distributed to everyone, each person can still get 50 kilograms.”

”Fifty kilograms!” Diego emphasized this number. ”In a little over a hundred days, they, each of them, can still have a pound of wheat to eat every day. I think... this is not impossible.”

He said a sentence and then stopped, and then panted heavily. His obesity was making him almost out of breath.

The other ministers were all discussing in low voices. Although some wanted to say something, in the end, they still did not open their mouths.

1.5 million tons of grain, at a price of 60 million. An unprecedented super-sale!

In the past, each of their groups could only get a little over a million a year. And this one million plus was not necessarily entirely theirs. They still had to distribute it downwards.

But now, just in this one item of grain, they could, in one go, whale-swallow 60 million Federal Sols...

Those who knew they shouldn’t do this, at this time, also couldn’t open their mouths.

The federal people were too crazy, and they were also giving too much. It seemed that they were discussing, but in fact, they had already decided.

Whoever opposes, is the enemy of these ministers.

Sixty million!

Soon Roger had returned to the room. He sat in his chair and looked at them with a beaming smile. ”Gentlemen, have you finished your discussion?”

Diego nodded. ”Forty a ton, 1.5 million tons!”

The smile on Roger’s face could no longer be controlled. He stood up and extended his hand. ”Happy cooperation, Mr. President.”

Diego stood up, supporting himself with the armrests of his chair. His face was also full of smiles. He held Roger’s hand and shook it twice. ”Happy cooperation!”

”However, Mr. Roger, I don’t want you to publicly announce our transaction.”

Roger was not surprised. He nodded and agreed. ”No problem. Besides us, no one will know that we have transported this grain.”

”Then... I have to go back and prepare the money.”

Diego also let go of his hand. ”Tell me when the money is ready. The grain can be loaded onto the ship at any time.”

After coming out of the Presidential Palace, Roger immediately returned to the hotel and told Lance about this.

Lance gave the bank’s side a call, and soon the funds began to be mobilized—this was an interest-free loan.

Although he could come up with this money, a lot of the money in his hands was cash.

Just in time, to take advantage of this opportunity to operate in Rapa, he could also launder a portion of his money.

The banknotes were being packed and boxed. At that time, they would be transported to the Rapa port along with the cargo ship. When your power has reached a certain level, money laundering, whether you do it or not, is actually just a matter of course.

The 1.5 million tons of grain trade was definitely not a small matter, but both sides were keeping it a secret. People could only see that large trucks were constantly coming and going between the port and the docks.

Sometimes, when a truck passed by, it would spill some wheat kernels, which would cause some small children to scramble for it.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that there are not many wheat kernels. They might only be able to grab a small handful, but this stuff, after being ground into flour, could completely make a small loaf of bread.

So every time a transport truck appeared on the street, there would be a large group of children with cloth bags on their backs, chasing after the truck, which could also be considered a recent sight in Rapa.

People actually knew that they were probably transporting grain. They just didn’t know how much had been transported. There was no wind of it on the market.

In the evening, two truck drivers had come to the hotel where Lance was staying. After passing through layers of checks, they had come to the room.

Lance was a little curious. These two truck drivers were both from the Federation.

There were also truck drivers in Rapa who could drive a truck, but Lance didn’t trust their driving skills.

It wouldn’t cost much to hire them, but what if they damaged a truck? Not to mention the loss of a large sum of money, it would also delay the transportation time.

So these truck drivers were all from the Federation. Each person was about eighty-plus a month.

Now the price of the technical jobs in the Federation had generally increased, and for this kind of a job that required going abroad, there was also an extra subsidy, so the price was very high.

Lance also attached great importance to these people.

”Is there something?”

The two drivers, you nudge me, I nudge you. Soon the older of the two took the initiative to stand up. ”Mr. Lance, I want to report a situation.”

”Some people will, at night, make the ground from the warehouse to the port uneven. Our trucks that are transporting the grain will be very bumpy every time they pass by.”

”You know, a bumpy truck will always shake out some of the wheat. We are usually loaded quite full.”

”And then someone will rush out to snatch the wheat that has been shaken out.”

”We have dealt with it twice before, and have filled in the potholes, but soon it will be destroyed again. The local police are not very active in this matter.”

Lance frowned. ”What did the police say?”

”The police went to the scene to have a look, and said they would handle it, but so far, there has been no follow-up.”

Lance’s frowning brow relaxed. ”Alright, I see. I will deal with it as soon as possible. The information you have provided is very important.”

As he spoke, he said to Mador by his side, ”You write down the names of the two of them. This month, give them an extra month’s salary as a bonus.”

Mador walked over and recorded their personal information. The two drivers left, overjoyed.

Lance dialed the number of the local police department and found their chief.

”Mr. Lance, I have already had our police go out to check on the situation you mentioned.”

”We indeed haven’t caught anyone at the scene, and Zhuolan’s police force is limited. We can’t always use our police force on the problem of cleaning the road for you.”

”If you can catch the criminal, then give us a call. It will be more convenient for us to handle it.”

Lance, after listening, did not say much and just hung up the phone. It was clear that the police chief was just brushing him off.

This, in fact, also reflected the attitude of the Presidential Palace. Although they had done a business, Diego did not like the federal people to enter here, to enter his country. This was his kingdom, not the federal people’s!