Chapter 170
Zeke looked at the pamphlet that Boris brought with a dumbfounded expression.
According to the pamphlet, it was an announcement for an investment briefing on the development of a Black Ore mine.
Boris, who had compiled the information after investigating Vincenzo Rossi and his company, said,
"The company hosting this briefing is one of Vincenzo Rossi's shell companies."
Zeke pondered for a moment, then said as if something came to mind,
"Come to think of it, the reason Dario is called the Steel King is because he's involved in the mining business, right?"
"Yes. He's invested heavily in mining. What's suspicious is that when Dario entered bids, competitors often had unexpected accidents and gave up."
"The Nostra Clan must have been involved."
"The competitors probably suspected it, but they couldn't be sure. It was mostly cases where the CEOs suddenly died or fell ill."
Zeke recalled Dusk saying that he cursed competitors for Dario.
"So they used curses for that. Those cunning bastards. By the way, should we consider the Black Ore mine as a similar case?"
"That's highly likely. After investigating, it seems like they gather investors like this to raise funds, use that money to enter bids for mining development rights, eliminate competitors using the methods I mentioned earlier, and then win the bid and develop the mine. Then, they make the investors with high stakes indebted to them in other ways, take away their shares, swallow the mine whole, and sell it at a high price."
"They're good at using their brains for bad things."
"Since the mining investment is Dario's main business, there's a high chance that he'll appear himself if we approach Vincenzo's company."
Zeke nodded.
"Okay. Apply as an investor under the name Zeke Murray. They'll bite the bait if you mention the Mithril mine investment from Graham Bank."
"Understood."
Boris filled out the documents and sent them to the investment briefing, expressing his intention to invest. The response came quickly.
Surprisingly, it was a direct invitation to meet from Vincenzo Rossi himself.
'To catch a wolf, you need to enter the wolf's den.'
***
As a city where various companies and trading houses gathered, Heli was full of famous hotels.
In particular, the 30-story skyscraper hotel built by the Siemens Clan was a landmark of Heli and a symbol of wealth.
Zeke, his face changed by the cloak, headed to the Sky Lounge of the Siemens Hotel.
As he got off the magic elevator, the staff guided him to a private room.
A man with a receding hairline stood up as he entered the room.
"Mr. Murray! Welcome! Come in!"
The man was Vincenzo Rossi.
Vincenzo, short and with a protruding belly, offered Zeke a handshake.
Zeke, his face changed by the cloak, had the appearance of a businessman in his 30s.
He greeted Vincenzo in a deep voice and shook his hand.
"Thank you for the invitation."
Vincenzo offered Zeke a seat and ordered food.
Soon, the staff brought out unfamiliar dishes one by one on dazzling tableware.
Vincenzo took out a precious wine worth ten gold per bottle and poured it for Zeke.
"I'm not sure if it'll suit your taste, Mr. Murray."
Zeke savored the aroma of the wine and tasted it.
He nodded.
"It's good. Is it Jupiter Mountain?"
"As expected, you recognize it right away."
Vincenzo showed trust in Zeke, who seemed to know about fine wine, even though Zeke just mentioned what he saw on the wine information displayed by the system.
While eating and drinking, Zeke brought up the main topic.
"I was surprised that you contacted me first. Actually, I thought it was too late and there wouldn't be any room left for me to join."
Vincenzo wiped his mouth with a napkin and waved his hand.
"Of course not! If Mr. Murray participates as an investor, this project is as good as successful."
"I'm glad to hear that. I was lucky with the Mithril mine, but I hear Black Ore is different."
Vincenzo nodded in agreement with Zeke's words.
"That's right. Mithril is Mithril, but some say the most valuable mineral is Black Ore. It's also called Fairy Stone, and it's even more precious than the highest quality magic stones. It has the properties of metal, but it also contains magic power, so there's nothing better for making artifacts. Even if you find a vein, the amount produced is small, so it's worth a fortune."
"Interesting."
Zeke was ready to cast the bait.
"I'll ask directly. Is there an upper limit for this investment?"
Vincenzo was flustered by Zeke's question.
"What? An upper limit...?"
"I've had some luck with a few businesses lately, including the Mithril mine I invested in through Graham Bank. The funds keep piling up, but you never know what will happen to money. I want to entrust it to a reliable investment."
Vincenzo gulped.
"Haha. Well, an upper limit. How much are you thinking, Mr. Murray?"
"How about a million gold?"
Vincenzo almost spat out the wine he was drinking at Zeke's words.
"A-a million?"
"Will it hit the upper limit?"
Vincenzo took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his brow.
"Haha, a million gold. For that amount, I think we need to consult with the management committee."
Zeke nodded.
"I see. Please consult with them and let me know. If there are any other good investment opportunities besides this one, please let me know. Graham Bank offered me a loan with good terms, using the Mithril mine as collateral, so I can withdraw as much as I need."
Vincenzo beamed at Zeke's words.
In his eyes, Zeke was nothing more than a nouveau riche who made a fortune from a single lucky investment.
'If you coax those types well, they'll pour money into investment products without even looking at what they are.'
Vincenzo said with a business smile,
"There are many places to invest. I'll compile a separate guide and send it to you."
"Good. I'll look forward to it."
Zeke and Vincenzo, finishing their meal, shook hands and parted ways, promising to meet again.
Zeke, leaving the lobby, got into the prepared luxury carriage and left the hotel.
Zeke, taking off his cloak and returning to his original appearance, spoke to Boris through the communication device installed in the carriage.
"Boris, can you hear me?"
It was a long-distance communication device made with highly compressed magic stones that Feynon had made.
—"Yes, Boss. I can hear you."
"Is the listening device on Vincenzo working?"
—"Yes, I'm receiving a signal."
"Okay. I'll be there soon."
Zeke entered a nearby luxury hotel.
He had already booked a suite under Murray's identity.
When Zeke arrived at the suite, Boris was adjusting the long-distance communication device and repeater in the room, eavesdropping on Vincenzo's conversation.
"Boss, Vincenzo is talking through a crystal ball."
Zeke sat next to Boris and listened to the conversation.
—"Quickly, connect me to the boss! Quickly!"
Vincenzo's urgent voice was heard, and soon, after some static, another voice was heard.
—"What is it?"
—"Boss, I have something to tell you. It's about the Black Ore investment."
There was only one person Vincenzo would call boss.
'Dario Tottrino.'
They had intercepted contact with Dario, one of the bosses of the Nostra Clan.
Dario said in an irritated voice,
—"Are you bothering me with such a trivial matter?"
—"W-well, there's someone who wants to invest a million gold in the Black Ore project."
—"A million?"
Dario's voice changed upon hearing the amount.
He slowly replied,
—"Tell me more."
Vincenzo explained what had happened.
—"He's a young businessman named Zeke Murray, the majority shareholder of the Mithril mine that Graham Bank invested in recently. He's a billionaire in his thirties, and it seems he's gotten a taste for successful investments and is looking for mines to invest in."
—"Zeke Murray. I think I've heard that name. Is his identity confirmed?"
—"You know those Graham guys, Boss. How picky they are. If they've vetted him, you can assume he's clean."
—"He's investing a million in the Black Ore mine, which is a project-based investment, without even looking into it properly?"
—"He even asked me to introduce him to other investment opportunities. He said he's even thinking of raising cash by using his Mithril mine as collateral."
Dario was silent for a moment at Vincenzo's words.
He opened his mouth again.
—"Is there any possibility of it being a trap?"
—"I did some background checks before meeting him, and there wasn't anything suspicious. He's from the north, an immigrant with Alencian nationality. He seems to be connected to the Reinhardt Company, but I'll have to look into that further."
—"Reinhardt Company. They're a growing company these days. Even the Empire is keeping an eye on them."
—"Yes. Starting with this project investment, we'll draw him in, extract his asset list, and gradually drag him into the investment products we've set up. Then, we might even be able to take his Mithril mine."
The Mithril mine that Graham Bank successfully invested in currently held tremendous value.
If they could take the shares of the mine that Zeke Murray owned, they could sell them for several times the price and even pressure Graham Bank.
Dario, after some thought, slowly opened his mouth.
—"Did you set a time to meet again?"
—"Not yet. Should I contact him again?"
—"Set a time. I'll meet him myself."
Vincenzo was surprised by Dario's words.
—"You're saying you'll meet him yourself, Boss?"
—"My grandfather always said that to judge a person, you have to look into their eyes. I'll meet him and decide whether he'll be an asset or a liability to the Clan."
Zeke, who was eavesdropping, grinned at Dario Tottrino's words that he was coming to Heli himself.
'Things will be easy.'
It was definitely difficult to meet Dario, who was not only the boss of the Nostra Clan but also a famous businessman.
Zeke said to Boris,
"We need to attack when Dario comes to Heli."
"Are you planning to kidnap him?"
"There's information I need to extract from him."
Boris frowned.
"It's a problem not only to kidnap him past his guards, but also to escape this city. As you know, this is Siemens' city."
Siemens, with their pro-Empire stance, would definitely side with Dario, a businessman from the Empire.
Zeke nodded and said,
"I have an escape route in mind."
"Where?"
Zeke pointed his finger upwards.
Boris had a surprised expression.
"Up? The sky?"
Zeke grinned.
"Yes, we're going to escape into the sky with Dario."
***
A few days later, Zeke received another contact from Vincenzo and was invited to the Siemens Hotel again.
As Zeke entered the hotel lobby, Vincenzo greeted him with a smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Murray."
After greeting him, he said to Zeke discreetly,
"Actually, we have a special guest today."
"What guest?"
"You probably know him. It's Mr. Dario Tottrino, the Steel King."
Zeke looked at Vincenzo with a surprised expression.
"Isn't he the mining tycoon of the Empire?"
Vincenzo nodded with a smile.
"Yes. He has a connection with our company, and I happened to mention Mr. Murray to him, and he was curious. He's visiting Heli today on business, so I invited you to introduce you."
Zeke grabbed Vincenzo's hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Oh my god, Mr. Rossi. When I entered this industry, Dario was my role model. I can't believe I'll actually meet him."
"Haha. Mr. Dario is also looking forward to meeting you, Mr. Murray. Let's go up together."
The two took the security elevator and went up.
They went up to the top floor, not where the general guest rooms were, as if there was a special room for a VIP like Dario.
When they got off the elevator, not only the Nostra Clan members but also the knights dispatched from the Siemens Clan were guarding the room.
'Anyone would think a king was here.'
Zeke, following Vincenzo, grasped the skills of the gang members and knights at a glance.
Most of them were Purple Knight level or lower.
'Are the Blue Knights and above stationed inside?'
The most troublesome ones were the bloodline ability users. There were too many variables depending on what abilities they had.
When Vincenzo stood in front of the room, his secretary informed the inside of his visit.
"He says you can come in."
Dario's voice was heard from inside.
Zeke slowly entered, following Vincenzo.
But Zeke's eyes suddenly wavered.
There was an unexpected person sitting next to Dario Tottrino.