While Gu Ziming was touring the jewelry exhibition hall, the conference room had practically exploded into chaos. Everyone was arguing so fiercely that their faces were red.
“No way! The cruise ship alone cost 3 billion USD to build. If we sell it to that Xia Nation businessman for 2 billion USD, and add another 500 million USD in debt losses, our company will lose at least 1.5 billion USD!”
“But apart from that fool Gu Ziming, we can’t find anyone else willing to buy it. The ship has been sitting idle for a whole year, and we’ve been paying maintenance costs this entire time.”
“Exactly. We even tried using it as collateral for a bank loan, but those bastards only offered 1.3 billion USD. Their valuation was ridiculously low.”
“Enough. Let’s vote. Everyone who agrees to sell the Imperial Palace at Sea to Gu Ziming for 2 billion USD, raise your hand.”
As soon as Inoue Matsubara finished speaking, he was the first to raise his right hand.
One after another, four or five others immediately followed.
A couple more saw everyone else raising their hands and slowly joined in.
“Good. The motion passes unanimously.”
Inoue Matsubara stood up, bracing both hands against the table and leaning slightly forward.
“Everyone, Sanjin expanded too aggressively in recent years. Meanwhile, the jewelry industry is entering a downturn, and gold prices have already begun falling from their peak. It’s time for us to prepare for strategic contraction.
“If we obtain this 2 billion USD in cash, we won’t fear any challenge.”
“Yes, President, your wisdom is unmatched!” everyone responded in unison.
…
As Gu Ziming looked at the jewelry displays inside the glass showcases, his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
Even after this deal was completed, it would only cost him 2 billion USD.
Adding the supply stockpiles and the shelter renovations, his total expenditure would barely exceed 2 billion USD.
That still left around 6 billion USD.
How should he spend it?
The first thing that came to mind was gold.
Besides food and daily necessities, there was another commodity whose value would soar during the apocalypse.
Gold.
In the middle and later stages of the original novel, humanity gradually adapted to the high-temperature apocalypse.
The surviving population completely changed its biological habits, becoming active at night and resting during the day.
Civilization also advanced toward a cyberpunk-style industrial era.
Gold became one of the key raw materials supporting that industrial system.
At that point, gold coins once again became the world’s universal currency.
However, exchanging 6 billion USD into gold within just twenty-something days was an incredibly difficult task.
Ordinary gold jewelry could cross borders without much trouble.
Moving massive quantities of gold across international borders was another matter entirely.
After all, 6 billion USD could be exchanged for roughly 110 metric tons of gold.
Fortunately, with the Villain’s Space, all he needed to do was purchase it. Once stored inside the space, nobody could ever discover it.
“Mr. Gu, are you enjoying your visit?”
The voice interrupted Gu Ziming’s thoughts.
The speaker was none other than Inoue Matsubara, who had already finished the internal discussion.
“President Inoue, I’ve seen your company’s capabilities,” Gu Ziming replied calmly before asking, “Have you reached a decision? I hope I won’t be returning empty-handed.”
“Yes, we have. We agree to sell the Imperial Palace at Sea for 2 billion USD.”
Inoue Matsubara’s pockmarked face was practically splitting with joy.
He was clearly very satisfied with the transaction.
“Good. No problem. Once the contract is signed, I’ll arrange for people to sail it away. After it leaves Island Nation’s territorial waters, I’ll transfer the full payment in a single transaction. Is that acceptable?”
“Of course. Absolutely. Mr. Gu’s financial strength is truly extraordinary. Even Sanjin couldn’t produce that much cash at once.”
Inoue Matsubara bowed again, expressing admiration.
“You flatter me, President Inoue. Does your company have channels for purchasing gold? I’d like to buy a batch and have two golden lions crafted for my cruise ship.”
Gu Ziming immediately shifted the conversation toward gold purchases.
“Oh, Mr. Gu, you’ve come to the right person. Sanjin is one of the top three jewelry companies in Island Nation.”
The moment he heard “gold,” Inoue Matsubara instantly entered business mode.
“How much gold do you need?”
“However much you can provide, I’ll buy.”
Gu Ziming answered without hesitation.
Naturally, Inoue Matsubara didn’t believe the story about crafting golden lions.
But after a moment’s thought, Gu Ziming had just spent 2 billion USD on a cruise ship that clearly wasn’t intended for commercial operations.
The man seemed to buy things purely for personal enjoyment.
Using gold to create decorative lions wasn’t all that strange.
The frightening thing wasn’t a wealthy heir wasting money.
The frightening thing was a wealthy heir starting a business.
Once Gu Ziming got bored, he could simply sell the cruise ship and the golden lions.
The money would come right back.
He might even lose less than if he invested in tourism.
“I can provide 500 million USD worth of gold. Can you purchase that amount?”
Originally, Inoue Matsubara planned to offer only 100 million USD, but seeing Gu Ziming’s wealth, he raised it to 500 million as a test.
“500 million? Are you looking down on me?” Gu Ziming frowned deliberately. “I’m talking about the stone guardian lions commonly placed at the entrances of Xia Nation estates. Do you know the ones?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Gu. That wasn’t my intention.” This story is hosted at g.com.
Inoue Matsubara immediately bowed again.
“I’ve visited Jiangnan Province in your country before. The scenery there was as beautiful as a painting. Many people lived in large courtyards guarded by two stone lions at the entrance. They looked extremely majestic.”
“Exactly. I want gold lions in that style. How much can you prepare? We’ll settle according to today’s gold price.”
After thinking briefly, Inoue Matsubara replied, “We can provide approximately 3 billion USD worth of gold. This would come from our floating reserves. Any more would begin affecting company operations.”
“That’s acceptable. Can you arrange for the gold to be transported onto the cruise ship? Once it’s on board, I’ll settle the payment immediately.”
Hearing that a substantial portion of their gold reserves could be converted into USD so quickly, Inoue Matsubara’s smile became even brighter.
He had just been worrying about falling gold prices.
“Of course. Absolutely.”
If Gu Ziming had negotiated like the protagonist, signing a contract and paying only a deposit, Inoue Matsubara would never have delivered either the cruise ship or the gold beforehand.
Whether the ship could even leave Island Nation’s waters would have been questionable.
More importantly, without a full cash payment eliminating most negotiation obstacles, endless disputes would have dragged the process out indefinitely.
As for the remaining 3 billion-plus USD, Gu Ziming planned to travel to the United States and exchange it for more gold.
While there, he would also purchase a batch of weapons.
Firearm regulations across Asia were simply too strict.
If someone wanted daily gunfights, there was still no place quite like the free United States.
After finishing the business discussion, Gu Ziming declined Inoue Matsubara’s banquet invitation and returned directly to his hotel.
The moment he entered the hotel lobby, he saw an annoyed-looking girl marching straight toward him.
“Mr. Gu, weren’t we supposed to meet at the hotel?”
Zhao Xiaoyu had changed out of her flight attendant uniform and into a cartoon T-shirt.
The alluring charm from before had diminished somewhat, replaced by youthful energy and vitality.
Spreading his hands helplessly, Gu Ziming smiled.
“My apologies, Miss Zhao Xiaoyu. I had some business matters to handle.”
“To make it up to you, starting now you’re officially my translator and tour guide. I’ll leave the rest of my schedule entirely in your hands. During this time, all expenses will be covered by me.
“Will you accept this apology?”
“Mr. Gu, you’re being too serious. I shouldn’t have been upset with you.”
Zhao Xiaoyu had not actually been angry.
Looking at Gu Ziming’s handsome appearance and the warm, approachable demeanor he deliberately displayed, she unconsciously stopped treating him as a boss and instead regarded him as a friend.
“Haha, relax a little. You can treat me as a friend,” Gu Ziming said with a chuckle. “I don’t want our entire trip to feel so formal.”
“Alright, then I’ll treat you as a friend.”
Zhao Xiaoyu smiled softly.
Then she stuck out her tongue playfully and added, “Even as friends, you still have to pay my salary!”