Capítulo 1255: Chapter 849 Savage's Bad Luck (Part 2) _1
After the arrival of fall, the temperature in Gotham started to drop and the mornings were particularly cold. However, the conference room at the top of Wayne Building was full of mob bosses all suited up.
Bruce stood at the front and said, "I apologize, but Wayne Enterprises only accepts cash investments..."
As soon as this was stated, the entire room was taken aback. Lawrence immediately stood up and said, "Wayne! Are you mocking us? For city and transit construction, how is it possible to only accept cash investments? Don't you need materials and transportation costs?"
Bruce cleared his throat and looked down at the document in his hand. In fact, there was nothing written on the document, all the technical details were in his head. But he pretended to read from it like a prewritten speech to his staff:
"Everyone, please calm down, I have ample reasons for only accepting cash investments. The reason is that Wayne Enterprises' construction level has reached a technical watershed. The materials and transport costs you can provide, in our eyes, are negligible."
"You can look at the TV screen, it displays the materials used in our phase one and phase two construction. All areas blur-marked involve trade secrets...."
The screen presented a pile of technical terms the Twelve Families leaders could not comprehend - unfamiliar English words left them guessing based on word roots and prefixes. Most technical terms were unfamiliar to begin with, making guessing even harder without any prior knowledge.
Bruce raised his voice and said, "As you can see, I do not build houses with ordinary concrete and steel bars. The entire structure of the building is integrated, earthquake-resistant, fireproof, and even immune to tsunamis."
"The raw materials you can purchase, the workers you can hire, the engineers you can recruit, none of them can participate in this kind of construction, because their technical level is far from sufficient."
"Now, only Wayne Enterprises' production line can manufacture similar constructions, and those defense systems .can only be used in such buildings. Otherwise, if a laser cannon is fired, and a big hole is blasted in the floor, the whole building will collapse, so what's the point of building it?"
Bruce spoke confidently, going straight to the point. He didn't quibble over the amount of investment but outright said, 'you cannot comprehend my technology, so don't even think about equity or input of production line materials. The only method of participation is to invest money.'"
Originally, the leaders of the Twelve Families had plenty of money, especially when all twelve families together had enough to give the whole project a shot in the arm. However, they had just made significant expenditures.
The collections Savage sold, although heavily discounted, were evaluated based on their market value. How much the Renaissance trio, Van Gogh, Monet's peak works are worth doesn't need further explanation. Even with a 90% discount, they were still expensive.
Savage did not sell one or two pieces; his collections from oil paintings to sculptures, from antiques to rare gemstones, were measured in tons.
He urgently needed immediate cash, so the discount was steep and the quantity colossal. The Twelve Families grabbed the opportunity, as a result, their liquid assets were exhausted.
Everyone hoarding collections, planning to buy low and sell high. Some even wanted to keep the collections for themselves. Their liquid capital was just enough to maintain safety.
Just then, they realized that the construction plan Bruce put forth threatened their foundations. Simultaneously, they also concluded that if they could participate, the future return would be astonishing.
But Bruce was asking for cash, putting the heads of the Twelve Families in a tight spot - head or tail? That had always been an eternal question.
After the meeting ended, the leaders of each family squeezed out of the conference room in a single-file line, all deep in conversation.
"I just laid my hands on a genuine Van Gogh painting a few days ago. The appraiser I know from the auction house said with the auction process completed, it would be worth at least this much. But if the painting is sold privately, it would be hard to break even."
"Who isn't in the same position? Haven't I also bought two sculptures? The appraiser also confirmed they're genuine. But if they don't go through a proper auction house, I can't make a profit."
"Even an urgent sale requires a price cut, they'll be cutting down ten percent, but that also means several million dollars, who would undergo such a loss?"
"But this damn Bruce, he ultimatums for cash. Do you suppose his construction plan can cover the entire city so quickly?"
Lawrence coughed and said, "In my opinion, we should delay, occasionally disrupt him, and when we have the money again, we can negotiate."
"I think so, too. The art market has been quite strong recently. As long as I can go through an auction house, within a year at most, I will have money again."
"Yes, we are all in the same boat. Since everyone is short on cash, we don't have to worry about someone stepping ahead and leaving the rest behind. We can unite and stall him, then when we have the money, isn't it all good?"
The heads of the Twelve Families exchanged opinions; they all felt this method had no issues.
This was also common in business. When there isn't enough liquid cash on hand but wanting to secure a project, the only method is to "procrastinate". If competitors are present, stir up some trouble. When funds are free, then invest the capital.
But as Bruce stepped out of the conference room, he knew that he had won this round.
The biggest obstacle to the Gotham renovation plan is that once the core interests of the mob are touched, they will unite to resist violently, and once the mob begins to merge, many people will be endangered.
Bruce's biggest goal is to eliminate violent conflicts as much as possible and not to morph into a city-wide war.
Previously, anesthetics were injected into the mob, and this seems useful. But in the end, the Twelve Families will surely react. At that time, psychology and behavioral science will be summoned.
When people invest, they hope to maximize their returns. The lower the purchase price, the better. Therefore, when Savage started selling off his collections at a low rate, and Bruce extended an olive branch to the leaders of the Twelve Families, they naturally grabbed at it.
At present, there is no sign of a collapse in the art market. The experts they have consulted have come to the same conclusion. As long as they can get their hands on those precious collections from Savage at a low price, it would be akin to increasing the worth of their family's assets.
However, assets and liquid capital are not the same. What they are investing now is liquid capital, while what they are increasing is the estimated value of future assets.
The decision they made at the time was not wrong because then, they didn't need so much liquid capital.
But it just so happens that Bruce is asking them in this regard to put in more liquid capital while belittling this entire matter into a mere investment.
No money, no investment; it's a universally acknowledged fact. If you don't have money, you cannot blame him for not taking you along. Bruce firmly held this logical standpoint.
The members of the Twelve Families opted to stall. This decision was based on their belief that Bruce, as an entrepreneur wanting a return on his investment, would also need their investment and hence could be stalled.
But this played right into Bruce's hand. He sought a year's grace period. The Twelve Families could spend this year raising funds, and so could he.
The reason he was so eager to spend money was his intent to complete all construction before the mob could react and launch an aggressive counter-attack.
But since they were planning to stall, Bruce would stall along with them. Given a year's time, Batman's earning speed is not on the same level as most. Bruce is confident he could bring in funding to complete the transformation of half of Gotham in one go.
A year later, the Twelve Families, now with renewed liquid capital, would realize that they might be facing a Batman, armed to the teeth, who would only need a matter of time before acquiring the Earth.
One could say that they injected themselves with the anaesthetic, not Bruce.
The heads of the Twelve Families wanted both, the increase in value in their collection and Bruce's investment. They aim to control all of Gotham's people completely.
But due to their indecisiveness in selling their collections in an emergency to raise funds to compete with Bruce, they lacked the spirit of sacrifice for a future win.
In the final analysis, the lure of profit moves hearts.
"Just as I said, we can use their short-sightedness to our advantage…" Shiller chuckled in the office, stating, "They got those collections at a meager price; the profit margin is substantial. It's almost guaranteed money they can't let go of."
"Yet, at the same time, they can't shake off your description of the future, unable to discern your ultimate objective. Therefore, they've made the choice you most desired—refusing to fight or conflict, opting to peacefully delay for a year, and trying to profit from both ends."
Bruce softly crushed a finger and murmured: "A year…"
He shook his head, releasing a sigh. Alberto turned to him, knowing that for Bruce, who learned nearly all the knowledge in the world in merely twenty years, a year seemed incredibly long.
"Don't forget our agreement," Alberto stated. "The Twelve Families are just dogs my father raises. Perhaps he may ponder over it, but I'm different, I want to progress into a new era."
"You're not afraid he'll pull you down to his level?" asked Shiller.
"I don't plan on staying in Gotham. It's not the Falcone Family's final stop." Alberto glanced at his watch, "My father wants to retire in Italy."
"Perhaps one day, when the Wayne really rules the world..." Alberto looked at Bruce, saying, "Then maybe we can explore further. You wouldn't mind that, right?"
Bruce turned to him, saying, "Your father used forty years to establish Gotham's order. If you want to surpass him, Gotham is indeed not your final destination…"
Alberto stood up, eyes on Bruce as he spoke, "Truth be told, I couldn't care less about whether the people here are doing well, what fate would befall the Twelve Families, or when the mob will disintegrate. The Godfather feels the same way…"
"In that era, he gave it his all. Success or failure doesn't matter because he knew earlier than you did… this isn't a race the person who reaches the finish line wins."
Before Alberto left, he turned to Bruce declaring, "He wanted me to tell you that he dislikes the phrase. It sounds like a coward's excuse for giving up the race towards the end."
"Bruce Wayne, the Godfather says you're not a coward... you better not be."
Bruce sat in silence for quite a while before asking Shiller, "Do you think I'll change?"
"People change," Shiller paused, replying.
Then he said, "Regarding this matter, you might want to ask your butler."
Bruce left in silence, while Shiller looked out the window.
The lush green was beginning to fade as autumn approached, the vitality of summer gradually falling away with the autumn winds. The red color of the maple leaves, like the blood veins of the earth, informed all those amidst upheaval—the autumn of Gotham had arrived.
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