Chapter 170
Chapter 170
Zeke had a bewildered expression looking at the pamphlet Boris brought.
Reading the contents, it was about holding a briefing for investors regarding black ore mine development.
Boris, who had organized the investigation centered on Vincenzo Rossi at Zeke's direction, said:
"This briefing is being held by one of Vincenzo Rossi's shell companies."
After thinking deeply for a while, Zeke spoke as if remembering something.
"Come to think of it, the reason Dario was called the Steel King was because he was involved in mining operations."
"Yes. He was heavily involved in mining investments. What's suspicious is that when Dario's side entered bids, competing companies often had unexpected accidents and gave up bidding."
"The Nostra Family must have had a hand in it."
"The other side probably had suspicions but couldn't be certain. Most cases involved representatives suddenly dying, falling ill, or similar incidents."
Zeke recalled being told that Dusk had placed curses on competitors for Dario.
"So that's how they used the curses. Clever bastards. Anyway, should we consider the black ore mine project to be heading in the same direction?"
"That's highly likely. Investigation shows they gather investors to raise funds, then use that money to bid for mining development rights. After eliminating competitors through methods explained earlier, they win the bid and develop the mine. Then they make major investors fall into debt through other means, take their shares, swallow everything whole, and sell the mine at a high price."
"Their minds work well in unpleasant directions."
"Since mining investment is Dario's main business, there's a high chance he'll show up personally when contacting this company among Vincenzo's companies."
Zeke nodded.
"Good. Apply as an investor under the name Zeke Murray. They'll take the bait when they see the Graham Bank mithril mine investment."
"Understood."
Boris sent the paperwork to the investment briefing side and probed investment intentions.
The response came quickly.
Surprisingly, they received contact requesting a direct meeting with Vincenzo Rossi himself.
'To catch a wolf, you need to enter the wolf's den.'
* * *
Heli, being a city where various corporations and guilds gathered, had many famous hotels lined up.
In particular, the 30-story high-rise hotel built by the Jiemens family was both a landmark of Heli and a symbol of wealth.
Zeke, who changed his face with a cloak, headed to the Jiemens Hotel's sky lounge.
When he got off the magical elevator, staff guided him to a private room.
Entering the room, a bald man rose from his seat.
"Mr. Murray! Welcome! Please come in!"
The man was Vincenzo Rossi.
Short and pot-bellied Vincenzo offered his hand to Zeke.
Zeke, who had changed his face with the cloak, currently had the appearance of a businessman in his thirties.
He greeted with a dignified voice and grasped Vincenzo's hand.
"Thank you for the invitation."
Vincenzo offered Zeke a seat and ordered food.
Soon, staff brought out unfamiliar dishes one by one on splendid tableware.
Vincenzo poured Zeke an expensive wine that cost ten gold per bottle.
"I'm not sure if it will suit Mr. Murray's taste."
Zeke savored the wine's aroma and tasted it.
He nodded.
"It's good. Jupiter Mountain?"
"Indeed, you know it right away."
Though Zeke had merely stated what he saw when pulling up the wine information through his system, Vincenzo showed trust in Zeke for knowing high-end wine.
While drinking wine and eating, Zeke brought up the topic first.
"I was surprised you contacted me first. Actually, I thought it was too late and there wouldn't be any space for me to join."
Vincenzo wiped his mouth with a napkin and waved his hand.
"Not at all! If Mr. Murray participates as an investor, this offering is as good as successful."
"That's fortunate then. The mithril mine was successful due to luck, but I hear black ore is different."
Vincenzo nodded and responded to Zeke's words.
"That's right. Mithril is mithril, but some say black ore is the most valuable mineral of all. It's also called fairy stone and is more precious than the highest grade magic stones. It has metallic properties while containing magic power, so there's nothing better for making artifacts. When a vein is discovered, the quantity is small, so name your price."
"Interesting."
Zeke prepared to throw out bait.
"Let me ask directly. Is there an upper limit for this investment?"
Vincenzo was taken aback by Zeke's words.
"Pardon? Upper limit...?"
"Several businesses I've recently invested in have been successful, including the mithril mine through Graham Bank. Money keeps piling up, but you never know what will happen with money. I want to entrust it to a reliable investment."
Vincenzo gulped nervously.
"Haha. Well. Upper limit, you say. How much were you thinking, Mr. Murray?"
"How about one million gold?"
At Zeke's words, Vincenzo almost spat out the wine he was drinking.
"M-million?"
"Would that exceed the upper limit?"
Vincenzo pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his cold sweat.
"Haha, one million gold. For that amount, I'll need to consult with the management committee."
Zeke nodded.
"I see. Please consult and let me know. If there are other good investment opportunities besides this one, please tell me. Graham Bank suggested a loan with good terms using the mithril mine as collateral, so I can pull out funds anytime."
Vincenzo beamed at Zeke's words.
To his eyes, Zeke looked like a nouveau riche who made a fortune from a single investment.
'If you sweet-talk guys like this, they'll pour money into investments without even properly looking at the product.'
Vincenzo spoke with a business smile.
"There are many places to invest. I'll prepare a separate guidebook and send it to you."
"Good. I look forward to it."
After finishing their meal, Zeke and Vincenzo shook hands and parted ways, promising to meet again.
After leaving the lobby, Zeke boarded a waiting luxury carriage and left the hotel.
Removing his cloak and returning to his original appearance, Zeke spoke to Boris through the communication device installed in the carriage.
"Boris, can you hear me?"
It was a long-distance communicator made with high-compression magic stones, arranged through Feinan.
―"Yes, Boss. I can hear you."
"Is the wiretap device attached to Vincenzo working?"
―"Yes, signals are coming in."
"Alright. I'll be there soon."
Zeke entered a nearby luxury hotel.
He had already rented a suite room under Murray's identity.
When Zeke went up to the suite, Boris was adjusting the long-distance communicator and relay to eavesdrop on Vincenzo's conversation.
"Boss, Vincenzo is talking through a crystal ball."
Zeke sat next to Boris and listened to the conversation.
―"Quickly, get me a direct line to the Boss! Quickly!"
Vincenzo's urgent voice was heard, and soon another voice came through with static.
―"What is it?"
―"Boss, I have something to report. It's about the black ore investment."
There was only one person Vincenzo would call Boss.
'Dario Tortolino.'
They had caught contact with Dario, one of the Nostra Family bosses.
Dario spoke with an irritated voice.
―"You're bothering me with such matters?"
―"W-well. Someone has appeared who will invest one million gold in the black ore project."
―"One million?"
Dario's voice changed upon hearing the amount.
He answered slowly.
―"Tell me."
Vincenzo explained what had happened earlier.
―"He's a young businessman named Zeke Murray, the largest 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. Sounds familiar. Have you confirmed his identity?"
―"You know how picky those Graham guys are, Boss. If they've vetted him once, we can consider him clean."
―"The black ore mine is a planned investment scheme, but he'll invest one million without properly looking into it?"
―"He even asked to introduce other investment opportunities. He said he plans to raise cash using his mithril mine as collateral."
Dario was silent for a moment at Vincenzo's words.
He spoke again.
―"Is there any possibility of a trap?"
―"I did a background check before meeting him, but nothing stood out. He's an immigrant from the North with Allensia citizenship. Seems to have connections with Linehart Trading Company, but I need to look into that more."
―"Linehart Trading Company. A growing company these days. Even the Empire is keeping an eye on them."
―"Yes. Starting with this planned investment, we can draw him in, check his asset list, put him into our prepared investment products, and gradually sink him into the swamp. We might even get the mithril mine."
The mithril mine that Graham Bank successfully invested in currently holds enormous value.
If they could steal Zeke Murray's mine shares, they could sell them for several times the price and also put pressure on Graham Bank.
After contemplating, Dario slowly spoke.
―"Have you set a time to meet again?"
―"Not yet. Should I make contact again?"
―"Set a time. I'll meet him myself."
Vincenzo was surprised at Dario's words.
―"You'll meet him personally, Boss?"
―"My grandfather always said: to judge a person, you must see their eyes. I'll judge whether they'll be beneficial or harmful to the Family myself."
Listening to the wiretap, Zeke grinned at hearing that Dario Tortolino would come to Heli personally.
'This will work out easily.'
It was certainly difficult to meet Dario directly, who was both a Nostra Family boss and a famous businessman.
Zeke spoke to Boris.
"We'll have to attack when Dario comes to Heli."
"Are you planning to kidnap him?"
"There's information I need to extract from him."
Boris frowned.
"Getting past the guards and kidnapping him is one thing, but getting out of this city is the key. As you know, this is Jiemens' city."
Jiemens, being pro-Empire, would certainly side with Dario, a businessman from the Empire.
Zeke nodded and said,
"I have an escape route in mind."
"Where?"
Zeke pointed his finger upward.
Boris showed a surprised expression.
"Up? You mean the sky?"
Zeke grinned.
"Yes, we'll escape to the sky with Dario."
* * *
A few days later, Zeke received another invitation from Vincenzo to the Jiemens Hotel.
When Zeke entered the hotel lobby, Vincenzo greeted him with a smile.
"Welcome, Mr. Murray."
After a friendly greeting, he spoke to Zeke discretely.
"Actually, we have a special guest today."
"Which guest?"
"You probably know him. Mr. Dario Tortolino, the Steel King."
Zeke looked at Vincenzo with a surprised expression.
"Isn't he the mining tycoon from the Empire?"
Vincenzo nodded with a smile.
"Yes. He has connections with our company, and when I happened to mention Mr. Murray, he was curious. He's in Heli on business today, so I arranged this introduction."
Zeke grabbed Vincenzo's hand firmly.
"My goodness, Mr. Rossi. When I entered this industry, Mr. Dario was my role model. I can't believe I'll meet him in person."
"Haha. Mr. Dario is also looking forward to meeting you. Let's go up."
The two took a security elevator up.
They went to the very top floor, not where regular rooms were located, suggesting special suites for VIPs like Dario.
Exiting the elevator, Nostra Family members and knights dispatched from the Jiemens family densely guarded the suite entrance.
'One might think a king was staying here.'
Following Vincenzo, Zeke quickly assessed the guards' and knights' abilities.
Most were purple knight level or below.
'Are the blue knights and above stationed inside?'
When Vincenzo stood at the suite door, a secretary announced their visit inside.
"Let them in."
Dario's voice was heard from inside.
Zeke slowly entered following Vincenzo.
But suddenly Zeke's eyes wavered.
An unexpected person was sitting next to Dario Tortolino.