The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 440



Only Krnovel

440. Renegotiation (5)

After finishing the negotiation, I returned to the office.

A vice president was already waiting with a glass of iced Americano.

He didn’t just drink the Americano in one gulp, he even munched on the ice.

“Are the negotiations not going well?”

“We gave and received what we wanted. We agreed to drop the lawsuit without any conditions.”

“It’s a bit disappointing, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to end the situation on those terms. If we continue the lawsuit, it could cause even greater damage to Robo Nordisk, but we would also have to endure a lot of bleeding.”

As the ice went down my esophagus, my head became cold.

This negotiation was either a draw or I had to take a slight loss.

Of course, in the long run, Yugoslavia’s value will increase further, so it was a gain for me.

Looking at it from the current point of view, the value of the compensation is higher than that of Yugoslavia, so it would have been right to extract even a little more compensation.

“He was a very clever old man. It was the first time in a long time that I felt so sick.”

“What happened?”

“They said if we donate $5 billion, they’ll help us join the 2M shipping alliance.”

“What authority does Robo Nordisk have to talk about joining a shipping alliance?”

“It seemed like there was a very thick line between them and the Danish government.”

“It is true that any company in the world has ties to the government.”

This negotiation was a bit disappointing.

However, since the dispute over technology theft was quickly resolved, it will no longer be a topic of gossip.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with this negotiation, as it proved that all authority in Yugoslavia was in the hands of Sentryon and Taewoo Group.

I tried to calm my mind like this.

Thinking about Chairman Russ’s last expression made me feel irritated again.

“How many ships do we have now?”

“Taewoo Shipping’s shipping capacity is just over 2.1 million TEU.”

“What is the total amount of ships held as collateral by fintech banks and ships held in other people’s names?”

The ships shown to the ship owners were not the end.

There are also quite a few ships that are held through fintech banks or other entities other than Taewoo Group.

In particular, the number of ships acquired during the Greek and European financial crisis was not small.

“All together, it amounts to just under 2.8 million TEU.”

“At that scale, where in the world would it rank?”

“It is almost the same as COSCO Shipping, the world’s fourth-largest shipping company. Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, has a fleet of over 4 million TEUs.”

The world’s 7th largest shipping company, Hyunjin Shipping, and Hyunjin Merchant Marine were merged.

With the addition of the ships I had collected, Taewoo Shipping was able to rise to the world’s fourth largest shipping company in one fell swoop.

Although being ranked 4th in the world alone was a huge achievement.

The number of ships was also insufficient to deal with the shipping alliance alone.

In particular, the 2M shipping alliance was an alliance between the world’s number one and number two shipping companies.

The combined capacity of these two ports is well over 8 million TEU.

Of course, the number of ships contributing to the shipping alliance was limited.

Although Maersk has a fleet capacity of 4 million TEU, it contributes just over 1.6 million TEU to its shipping alliance.

Even so, Taewoo Shipping alone was not enough to deal with the shipping alliance.

“It would be difficult for Taewoo Shipping to form a shipping alliance on its own.”

“How about forming an alliance with a shipping company in Taiwan, Japan, or China?”

“We can’t reach out to the one that first broke and betrayed the shipping alliance that Hyunjin Shipping was a part of. And it is highly likely that other shipping alliances have also joined forces to keep the Korean shipping industry in check.”

It wasn’t called a cartel for nothing.

They could join forces at any time for their own benefit.

If one place broke its promise and joined hands with Taewoo Shipping, there could be enormous retaliation.

So who would want to join hands with Taewoo Shipping?

It was impossible to persuade individual shipping companies, and only by persuading the shipping alliance itself could they join hands with the shipping alliance.

“The reorganization of the shipping alliance is not yet complete. Shouldn’t we somehow create a situation starting now?”

“We need to create a situation. We need to break the situation created by existing shipping companies and create a situation in which we take the lead.”

“Can you create a situation that would collapse the cartel?”

“It is quite possible, if we have a strong alliance that can deal with the powerful shipping cartels.”

“Do you have such allies?”

There was no shipping company that could deal with the shipping cartel.

But if we use the state instead of the shipping company, we can easily deal with them.

“The US presidential election is just around the corner. Once the election is over, there will be plenty of time to create the situation.”

“Is this an operation to use the US to break up the shipping cartel? Isn’t that going to be too big of a scale?”

“Wouldn’t it take a giant hammer the size of the United States to break up the cartel?”

To join a shipping alliance, you want 5 billion dollars?

I would rather invest that money in America.

Five billion dollars was enough to move the U.S. government and give me control of the shipping alliance.

“I guess I should contact David first.”

“I’ll try calling right now.”

A vice president called David.

It was David who answered the phone with a sleepy voice.

[What’s going on? I’m so tired, can you call me later? I told you I drank all night last night.]

“What kind of alcohol did you drink so much?”

[Boss? I thought he was a vice president. Why would he drink? He drank all night with professors and researchers related to gene scissors while doing the work that the boss ordered him to do. I thought professors would be weak to alcohol, but they are people who drink instead of blood.]

It was David who was working hard for gene scissors technology.

I could smell alcohol even through the phone, so I knew how much I had drunk.

“Thank you for your hard work. Are you making any progress?”

[At first, everyone reacted negatively, but now it’s not that bad. When I explained that Taewoo Group and Sentryon are one entity, and that Sentryon is conducting large-scale genetic technology-based research, they showed some interest.]

Taewoo Group was world-famous, but it was not Sentry.

This time, his fame increased slightly due to the gossip surrounding his diet treatment.

“Just make sure you arrange a place for me to visit the Korean Centurion Research Institute. I think I’ll change my mind a lot when I see it with my own eyes.”

[I will try to make it possible to visit the IIT Research Institute consecutively from the Sentry Research Institute.]

“If necessary, we can even send a private plane, so don’t worry about money and just go ahead.”

[When have I ever worried about money while working? I have never run out of money while working with my boss.]

From lobbying funds to campaign funds.

David gave me as much support as I needed.

That’s one of the reasons why he, America’s greatest lobbyist, still remains by my side.

“I know you’re busy, but I have one more favor to ask.”

[If it can be done within the United States, it is possible.]

“Please engage American shipping companies. And please meet with the Trump campaign and ask them to consider policies to strengthen the American shipping industry.”

[This time, you’re planning to enter the American shipping industry? Well, the American shipping industry is quite weak.]

The largest market in the world was the United States.

The country that exported huge quantities and imported huge quantities was the United States.

But, ironically, the American shipping industry was not very large.

To be exact, there were no large-scale shipping companies.

You could tell just by looking at the fact that there were no American shipping companies in the top 10 global shipping companies.

“Try to poke at their pride a little bit. Say, ‘Do we rely solely on foreign countries for our shipping business?’”

[It certainly seems like a source that will work for the Trump camp, which is shouting America First. But won’t Korean shipping companies also take a hit?]

“Why not show some good faith before you get hit? Just say you’ll use $5 billion to develop the American shipping industry.”

[That’s a good strategy. I’ll take responsibility and try to attack the Trump camp. I think it’ll work, since there’s already talk that the port area’s pledges are lacking.]

No matter how powerful the shipping cartel is.

What will you do against the United States, the world’s largest logistics market?

Plans are now underway to create a completely new shipping alliance, joining hands with the U.S. shipping industry.

***

Late at night.

Now, I went to Myeongdong, feeling the cool night air.

The owner of Myeongdong was waiting for me at the entrance, and I went into the mansion with him.

“Thanks to you, Chairman, I have made a lot of money this time too. Thank you very much.”

“I wanted to give you as much profit as possible, but I also had to be mindful of the government’s opinion, so I ended up giving you less profit than you expected.”

“No. If you make 700 billion won off the land you bought for 4 trillion won, you have enough left over to fill your stomach.”

Preparations for construction of the first district of Semiconductor City were in full swing.

Preparations began immediately after President Choi Jae-seok was elected.

Considering that it took three years just to break ground on the previous semiconductor complex, progress was being made at a very fast pace.

This was thanks to the smooth land purchase process in advance.

Since Lee Young-han used his power in Myeong-dong to complete the land purchase, it didn’t take long for construction to begin.

Since it saved him at least two years of time, I didn’t feel bad about giving him a profit of around 700 billion won.

“I’m hearing that construction workers across the country are all rushing to semiconductor construction sites. As you know, I’m hearing stories from quite a few CEOs of small and medium-sized construction companies who have been doing dark work.”

“We are still short on manpower. If word spreads that semiconductor factory construction is profitable, wouldn’t more manpower come to work?”

“There is already a rumor going around that you can earn at least 1.5 times more than at other sites. Especially in this day and age, when information spreads through the Internet, isn’t it? It is said that young workers are moving to Gyeonggi in particular.”

Now the construction was just beginning.

It was a time when more manpower and more land were needed.

“Manpower is a problem, but land is also a problem.”

“We purchased as much land as possible just before the presidential election. Thanks to investing the entire amount of over 10 trillion won, we expect that there will be no major difficulties in carrying out construction in Zones 2 and 3.”

“But it’s not enough. It’s difficult now because land prices have risen a lot, but please purchase the surrounding land as well.”

“This month alone, we have wiped out four of the evil forces from the world. I will do my best to make sure that nothing gets in the way of the Chairman’s work.”

How great would it have been if we had purchased all the land and started construction?

But considering the size of the semiconductor city, it was realistically impossible.

It was unprecedented just to prepare the land in District 1 in advance.

“Please proceed only to the extent that it does not cause too much noise.”

“That’s what we specialize in.”

“Even if you deal with the likes of the Albakgi forces with brutality, treat the existing residents with the utmost courtesy. And if there are any residents that are really difficult to negotiate with, give me a list.”

There were bound to be people for whom land was more important than money.

They were people whose stories were embedded in the land, and I just had to use the abilities I had to find clues.

“If there is anyone who is really having trouble, I will contact you. However, for now, the information power of Myeongdong is enough to solve the problem.”

“Then that’s good. After this semiconductor city project is over, let’s work together on a project that will yield more profits.”

“If the chairman calls, I will run straight there, no matter how much profit I make!”

The power of Myeongdong was useful.

Useful places had to be nurtured, and when the Corona era arrived, there were endless ways for Myeongdong to make money.