MWC – Chapter 47 Cases and Investments

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The next day, Lu Ming once again didn’t attend the tutoring class.

Instead, he went to VIP Room 88 at the Wind Bao Club.

On the desk in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows were various newspapers and magazine clippings, all reports about the Japanese lawsuit. There were serious reports from official media, gossip from tabloids, and a pile of information that Wen Liangyu had gathered in just two days about the Japanese involved.

The suspect, Kato Masahichi, was a member of the Kato family, lord of the Yagami Path in the Kingdom of Eizou, and a cousin of the current lord, Kato Juukyuu.

The Federal Empire’s five federal bodies, the Kingdom of Gryphons, the Kingdom of Eizou, the Western Free City-States Union, the Collective of the Southern Brave Chieftains, and the Northern Four Provinces.

Among them, the Gryphons are commonly known as Westerners. The King of Gryphons usually inherits the title of Emperor of the Empire.

The remaining federal bodies also have their own systems and armed forces.

Even each federal body has its own foreign affairs department for external relations with other federal bodies.

After all, the Federal Empire evolved from a feudal empire, inevitably carrying shadows of feudalism.

The Kingdom of Eizou is an eastern island nation near the imperial continent, also known as East. It has many feudal lords, and the queen is merely the nominal ruler of these lords.

The population and economic strength of Yagami Path ruled by the Kato family rank in the middle class in the Kingdom of Eizou.

Moreover, the Japanese people of Yagami have a tradition of commerce, and the Kato family has been cultivating in the business world for generations. Kato Bank, managed by them, has also achieved some success with branches in the Imperial Capital and the Eastern Sea.

Kato Masahichi is a member of the Kato Bank’s Eastern Sea Board of Directors, and because of his surname Kato, he holds a high position within the board.

His case of molesting and murdering boys was exposed by a gossip newspaper called ‘Two Cents’.

It took more than three months from this incident fermenting to the police investigation, but it was still shrouded in mystery, with no bodies found, only survivors and the account from ‘Two Cents’ journalists estimating six or seven victims killed. The only survivor had abnormal mental health due to excessive shock. Although he vaguely mentioned that Kato Masahichi killed many companions who were once close to him, it was all based on presumption and association, without any evidence.

Therefore, it is difficult to directly prosecute Kato Masahichi with concrete evidence.

Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Eizou has sent a note to the Eastern Sea Commission, requesting permission for Kato Masahichi to return home and protesting against the Eastern Sea Grand Prosecutors Office for still prohibiting Kato Masahichi from returning home despite insufficient evidence.

The relationships between the federal bodies of the Imperial Federation are quite loose, and even in areas directly ruled by Westerners, the structure remains loose.

For example, a thousand years ago, the capital of the Central Empire was here in the Eastern Sea Metropolitan Area. After the Central Empire fell, its capital became the private domain of Queen Alice. Queen Alice then gained the title of Duchess of the Eastern Sea. Since then, the Eastern Sea has become a free city-state under the protection of Queen Alice.

Even today, the Eastern Sea Metropolitan Area retains the characteristics of an autonomous city-state with its own armed forces and trade rules.

Therefore, due to Kato Masahichi’s case, it seems like a diplomatic dispute has arisen between the Kingdom of Eizou and the Eastern Sea.

Although there are only tens of thousands of Westerners in the Eastern Sea, less than a tenth of the population of the metropolitan area, they are the true rulers of the Eastern Sea. Among the seven members of the Eastern Sea Management Committee, there are usually 4-5 Westerners.

And Westerners are usually closer to the Dongying people, after all, they were allies in the destruction of the Central Empire. Therefore, the Management Committee is already prepared to allow Kato Masahichi to return home.

However, as public opinion continued to ferment, the Management Committee quickly revoked the order to directly intervene in this case.

As Lu Ming went through these materials, he felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Because he had little contact with Westerners and even less with Japanese, he felt that this world was not much different from his previous one.

But this case vaguely reminded him of a very humiliating period in history from his previous life.

“Brother Qianxing!” A hearty laugh came as Wen Liangyu entered the room.

He had always been a refined gentleman, even more so than Old Liu, appearing as a proper businessman. From his appearance and behavior, it was hard to associate him with the largest mafia family in Beiguan.

Seeing the various newspapers spread out on Lu Ming’s desk, Wen Liangyu smiled and said, “Am I interrupting you?”

“No, no…” Lu Ming replied with a smile, standing up.

Many of the materials were found with Wen Liangyu’s help, but he never asked any questions, like whether Lu Ming intended to take on this case or defend Kato Masahichi.

“I have two friends I’d like to introduce you to, but it’s up to you if you’re interested,” Wen Liangyu said with a smile.

“Oh? What kind of friends? Are they close to you?” Lu Ming walked over and sat down on the soft sofa with Wen Liangyu.

“It’s like this, have you heard of the Trimac Airlines?” Wen Liangyu asked.

Lu Ming shook his head.

“They make various flying machines, airships, aircraft, and such. They were quite famous in their heyday,” Wen Liangyu smiled bitterly. “It seems, brother, you don’t know much about flying machines. In that case, let’s not bother you. I’d be guilty of misleading you.”

Lu Ming laughed and said, “Tell me about it.”

Wen Liangyu smiled wryly, “Well, they are old family friends of mine. His father and mine were close friends. We were playmates as children, but grew apart as adults since he was a Westerner from high society. Now that he’s come to me, he must be in a lot of trouble. I thought since you’re running a tech company and have a keen eye, you might have the talent to evaluate his new ideas. But if you’re not interested in this field, let’s forget it!”

Lu Ming smiled slightly, “I can meet him and talk.”

In this world, the aviation industry is relatively underdeveloped.

Since the entire empire is on one continent, even the Kingdom of Eizou is just offshore islands.

The eastern and southern vast oceans, the western boundless deserts, and the northern barbarian lands are all filled with electromagnetic storms, making them inaccessible.

Thus, the airship industry in the empire is quite developed, as electromagnetic storms do not affect airships, making them safer exploration vessels than airplanes.

As for airplanes, the empire is still in the era of multi-wing propeller planes. Due to their limited practicality, whether for passenger or cargo transport, their prospects are not as promising as the extensive railway network. Most aviation companies focus on developing airships, enhancing their safety.

Regarding airplanes, the Empire is still in the multi-wing propeller era. Because of their limited practicality, the prospects for passenger or cargo transport are far inferior to the widespread railway system. Most aircraft companies focus their research on airships, aiming to enhance their safety.

The competition in the airship industry is also extremely fierce.

From what Wen Liangyu said, it seems like another aircraft company has lost in the competition.

“Before meeting him, let me briefly explain. Trimac Airlines once had some competitiveness in the airship industry, but as the railways became more extensive and the Empire’s desire to explore the wilderness diminished, the market for airships also shrank. My friend, Madison, intends to develop a jet engine to replace propeller-driven engines. He believes that if successful, fixed-wing aircraft will outperform airships.”

“He didn’t say much, but I found out that Trimac Airlines is on the verge of bankruptcy. I feel that he might be painting a rosy picture to attract investment. However, he seemed sincere and hoped that you, with your talent and team, could evaluate the feasibility of his new idea.”

Lu Ming nodded lightly. It sounded like he was planning to develop jet aircraft.

To be honest, given the current stage of physical theory, many people can conceive the idea of jet planes. However, creating a prototype is already quite difficult, let alone mass production.

In reality, even if Madison came to discuss with him, he wouldn’t be able to determine whether his research direction was correct or if it could succeed.

After some thought, Lu Ming smiled and said, “I’ll meet him. Brother Wen, how much funding does he need?”

Wen Liangyu smiled bitterly, “He hopes I can help him raise 200,000 to 300,000, but I can tell that amount won’t be enough. He might try his luck elsewhere too.”

Lu Ming nodded. He currently had about 500,000 in his account because Nix Automotive had transferred another 100,000 yesterday.

They expect to produce 100,000 new cars in the second half of the year, all equipped with three-point seat belts.

The first batch of about 1,000 cars with three-point seat belts should hit the market in about half a month.

Originally, these cars had two-point seat belts, but now they are being retrofitted with the new seat belts.

It has to be said that Lingwei Motors’s efficiency is much lower. Nix Automotive becoming one of the top giants in the Empire’s automotive industry is definitely not by chance.

…

Madison, about the same age as Wen Liangyu, was a middle-aged gentleman in a black tailcoat, wearing a black top hat, with an old-fashioned gentlemanly demeanor.

It seemed like he was desperate. Although he was surprised to see Lu Ming, a young man under twenty, he still maintained a humble attitude, explaining his ideas about air compressors and turbine shafts.

Lu Ming couldn’t understand most of it, but he did gain some confidence in Madison. After all, he was a technical expert.

Unlike the future, the aircraft market is currently small. In the early stages of a giant company, the founder must understand technology.

“How about this? I can’t explain well, but I’ll call my engineer tomorrow to discuss with you,” Madison regretted making Lu Ming yawn, realizing he couldn’t explain his ideas humorously. He didn’t bring his assistant, who didn’t speak Zhongzhou and looked down on Zhongzhou people, fearing it might backfire.

“No need,” Lu Ming smiled.

Madison immediately felt disappointed and looked helplessly at Wen Liangyu. Wen had mentioned that Lu Ming was a member of an invisible family fund interested in new products, owning a tech company, the kind of investor Madison hoped for—plentiful funds and no interference as long as profits were seen.

After some thought, Lu Ming said, “Mr. Madison, I can invest 500,000 in your company and become your partner.”

Madison was stunned, completely unprepared for this.

Lu Ming continued, “Rest assured, I won’t interfere with your company plans. However, my investment of 500,000 isn’t just for your new concept’s development. I hope you can first stabilize the company instead of risking everything on new technology. Let’s not focus on airships for now. Let’s tap into the propeller plane market. You have production lines and skilled workers, right? Mainly, you lack customers and market.”

Madison nodded slightly.

“Let’s change our approach. Have you considered the military market for propeller planes?”

Madison was taken aback. Military planes? The Empire does procure them, but mainly from a few major manufacturers and in limited quantities. The Empire, at peace for a thousand years, has no significant wars, so the military mainly purchases airships for exploration.

Thus, the militarization of propeller planes is not high. However, focusing on military use does offer many areas for improvement.

“For civilian use, let’s not focus on passenger transport. Consider the cargo market—those requiring fast transport. Can we produce specialized cargo planes?”

“Of course, I’m just sharing my outsider thoughts. You need to consider these carefully.”

“If you find these plans feasible, we can discuss further.”

“Alright, alright!” Madison nodded repeatedly, but seemed a bit hesitant.

Lu Ming sighed inwardly. Another 500,000 gone. His money comes fast but goes even faster.

In reality, he was prepared to invest in Trimac as long as it was not too far off.

Casting a wide net, he felt it worthwhile to try promising industries, especially the budding aircraft industry. Successful investment would be great; failure would still be a valuable experience.

Additionally, he had some ideas on how to support his investment in the aircraft company.