The Rise Of A Billionaire 1943-Chapter 64 - 72: The Plunderer’s Feast

Doing business—what’s the most important thing?

It’s intelligence!

Intelligence is information, and information is wealth.

A successful businessman must analyze vast amounts of information, draw conclusions, and make corresponding decisions based on them.

"Actually, it’s quite simple."

As he spoke, Mickey picked up his wine glass and took a gentle sip of red wine.

Exquisite Italian dishes were laid out on their table. In this high-end hotel, one could enjoy the most sumptuous meals.

In any world... money is often privilege.

"At first, I wasn’t sure either. I’d just heard of you—well, I’d heard that Heidi was living with a young Chinese millionaire. She’s my idol... Before leaving London, I learned from a deal that a Pierre Li had acquired the North Borneo Company. You two have the same name, and that information made me believe you were the same person. Then we met on the plane. At first, I still wasn’t sure, but your clothes..."

Mickey swirled his wine glass and smiled.

"Your clothes are different from the shrunken British wartime uniforms—they’re the latest style from New York. Considering your age, I guessed you must be the legendary lover of Heidi. Li, it was just a deduction, that’s all."

"Mickey, Morgan sent you here—they chose the right person."

Pierre took a sip of wine and said,

"This wine is much better than what I had in London."

"Of course. After all, even Italian nobles need to enjoy life."

Mickey gestured with his glass toward the diners not far away.

"But that’s not important. What matters is—why are we here? Am I right?"

Mickey looked at Pierre with a smile.

"That’s true. So, why are you here?"

"Of course, to do business..."

Mickey smiled.

"We’re here to acquire high-quality assets. There are many such assets here—ports, banks, factories. Right now, all these prime assets are severely undervalued. Look..."

Mickey gestured with his wine glass at a few people nearby, two of whom had been on the same flight as them.

"They’re just like us—also from Wall Street. Wall Street is born to plunder. In a ruined country, or rather, a defeated country, there are high-quality assets everywhere, all severely undervalued. After all, wars end, ruined countries are rebuilt, and eventually, all those undervalued assets will return to their true value. By then, investors can make hundreds of times their original investment!"

Pierre nodded noncommittally at Mickey’s words, then said,

"Indeed, this is the best time to make a fortune. There’s nothing cheaper than assets right now. The only problem is, you..."

...

Fixing his gaze on Miki, Pierre took a sip of his drink and put away the smile on his face.

"What can you get out of this?"

What can I get out of this?

In that instant, Miki found the wine no longer tasted so good.

"Money? No, at most you’ll just get a bonus. Ten thousand dollars? Maybe tens of thousands? Maybe more, maybe less?"

With a bitter expression, Miki shrugged and said,

"Li, it’s a lot less than you think—maybe just a few thousand dollars!"

A few thousand dollars was already quite a sum. At that time, an average American worker’s monthly wage was just over a hundred dollars. Someone like Miki, a bank agent, could earn four or five hundred, even a thousand dollars a month, but the latter was clearly out of Miki’s reach.

"Yes, that’s the reward you can expect, Miki, my friend."

Pierre took another sip and smiled.

"To Wall Street, that’s all you’re worth. Even if you bought up every bank in Italy, you’d only get a few tens of thousands of dollars in return. The only question is, are you willing to settle for that?"

"I..."

Miki fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and said,

"Sir, I’m just an agent. That’s my salary... As for them—"

He glanced at his colleagues and shrugged helplessly.

"They’re pretty much the same as me."

That’s the fate of wage earners: they can create millions, even tens of millions in value for their bosses, but their own returns are extremely limited.

However, from Pierre’s words, Miki sensed a certain possibility. After thinking for a moment, he said,

"Sir, perhaps we could work together. You know, no Italian would sell their bank to you. What they need is the power behind American capital. As for factories, of course you can buy some, and maybe even acquire some real estate—say, luxury hotels or department stores in Rome... But if, in their eyes, you represent Morgan, it would undoubtedly make your acquisitions much easier. What do you think?"

Miki’s gaze grew intense as he stared at Pierre. In his eyes, this man was his chance to change his fate, the powerful backer he needed. And as for Li? He had money!

If the two of them worked together, the rewards could be beyond imagination.

Listening to Miki’s analysis, Pierre couldn’t help but laugh and asked in return,

"What does Morgan want?"

"Banks!"

Miki replied bluntly.

"This war has destroyed everything. Centuries of accumulated European wealth have vanished in this conflict. That’s why this is the best time for us to enter Europe. Control finance, and you control a country. The banks and businesses here are like cakes laid out on the table—cheap and delicious. But the problem is, not everyone gets to eat cheap, delicious cake."

Setting down his glass, Miki looked at the other man with anticipation.

"After all, sometimes, just having money isn’t enough to get you a slice of cake!"

Just past forty, Miki was a typical Wall Street speculator. He was very familiar with the rules of the game and knew Wall Street inside out. But he also knew that there were far too many agents like him on Wall Street. He might earn some recognition and reach a certain position, but that was about it.

He needed an opportunity, and had always been searching for one. Why had he volunteered to come to Europe? Because he knew this would be a feast for capital. If he could just get a crumb that fell from the table, he could make a fortune.

On the plane, when he saw Pierre, he’d been guessing at his identity. After all, in a group of predators, the sudden appearance of a Chinese man was bound to attract attention. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Once he figured out who Pierre was, Miki saw his chance to grab those crumbs.

"If we work together now, Li, I believe we can both take part in this grand feast!"