The Kingdom in the Desert
The game this guy and the dealer from D'Agna's side were playing was poker.
The rules were simple: they started with a set amount of chips, and the first person to lose them all would be the loser.
The dealer from D'Agna's side took the early lead.
"I fold."
Whether he was genuinely playing or just putting on a show, the opponent wasn't holding back in the slightest, ruthlessly stripping away this guy's chips.
"Consigliere, that's four losses in a row. If you're uncomfortable, you're welcome to get up. We can drink later."
Seeing that, D'Agna shot me a triumphant grin, but I just shook my head.
"Gambling is a game where you never know the winner until the very end, isn't it? I'll keep watching for now."
"Then I suppose I'll go pick out the drinks ahead of time."
As D'Agna headed to the minibar to grab a bottle, I kept my eyes on the two of them. If I had been the one to suggest the bet and ended up losing, it would have been a massive humiliation, but I wasn't worried. I knew this guy's playstyle all too well.
"Trips."
"Straight."
"My, you're taking quite a lot."
"I suppose I'm just lucky."
Losing on purpose at the start was just a way to lure the opponent into complacency. Of course, the opponent was likely the best gambler in this casino, and such a trick wouldn't usually work on a professional who made a living off the game. But it seemed it was enough of a smokescreen to hide another trick.
"Full house."
"Four of a kind."
"...You were struggling at first, but suddenly your luck has turned."
"Gambling is all about the flow, isn't it? It seems the flow has come my way for a moment."
He said that, but I knew the truth: this guy was manipulating the flow of the table however he pleased. Honestly, even watching with my own eyes, I couldn't tell what was happening, but seeing him win, he was clearly pulling off the 'prank' he had mentioned earlier. It definitely looked like the opponent was winning more hands, yet the number of chips was decreasing in inverse proportion. There was no other way to explain it.
About an hour passed like that.
"...Flush."
"Full house. Good game."
As this guy scraped the opponent's remaining chips toward him with both hands, the game ended in his victory.
"...You, what kind of trick did you use?"
The problem was that the opponent refused to accept his defeat.
"I was just lucky."
"This isn't something that can be explained by luck alone."
"What are you trying to say?"
"There's one other reason that could explain this situation."
Oh, he's sharp.
Well, if you're the one playing the game, you'd naturally feel that something was off about how the table was turning. If the result was his own defeat, it wasn't strange for him to be suspicious.
However.
"Mr. D'Agna. That dealer seems to be accusing us of being con artists. What do you think?"
His mistake was failing to distinguish between when to protest and when to keep his mouth shut.
"You're welcome to check if it's a scam or not... but I find this quite unpleasant. The Chicago Outfit isn't so poor that we need to run rigged games for the price of a bottle of liquor."
If he searched this guy's body now, it would be the same as saying, 'The Chicago Outfit are a bunch of beggars.' And he'd be saying that right in front of me, the organization's second-in-command. Not to mention the ugly spectacle of refusing to accept his loss.
Of course, if he wanted to taste the Chicago specialty—a .45 caliber typewriter—it would have been a choice worth making.
"...My apologies. That friend of mine has a very strong competitive streak, so please, I ask you to forgive him just this once."
Unfortunately, D'Agna was a man of more discernment than I thought.
"Capo, but..."
"Get out, before I have you thrown into the ocean."
After chasing away the pale-faced dealer, D'Agna took a few deep breaths and looked at me with a smile.
"You have a remarkable gambler on your side. May I ask his name...?"
"Jason Lee."
"Jason, I'll remember that. Next time you come, I'll be sure to treat you specially."
The way he said that sounded more like he was treating a nuisance than a VIP. Was I imagining things?
"Now, the game is over, so let's have a drink. I brought out the most expensive bottle I have for the occasion."
Pop!
With those words, D'Agna pulled the cork from the bottle. He poured the drink into champagne flutes, handed them to me and this guy, filled his own, and clinked them together.
"You said it was expensive, and it's delicious."
"It's real champagne brought in from France. The quality is top-tier. So... what kind of story did you intend to tell me?"
To D'Agna's question, asked as soon as he downed his champagne in one go, I shrugged.
"Well, it's just a standard business talk."
"Business, I like that. Money talk is always enjoyable."
I wonder, will he still feel that way after hearing it?
"I'm going to build a city in the desert of the West."
"...The desert?"
"A dam will soon be built in Nevada. A lot of laborers will flock there, and naturally, they'll need a place to enjoy themselves and rest. I intend to build a massive oasis there."
"...That's a bold idea."
"And, Nevada will soon legalize gambling."
At my words, D'Agna flinched.
Yeah, that's the normal reaction.
"Is that... true?"
"In a situation where we don't know how long the recession will last, they wouldn't leave a sure-fire way to make money alone. Well, if not, I'll make sure it becomes one. And."
I paused and pointed to the floor of the casino.
"Depending on Mr. D'Agna's decision, this casino could move from the ocean to the desert. To a city where millions gather every year."
"...Truly, that is a crazy plan."
I smiled at D'Agna, whose eyes had widened.
"To make money, you have to be a little crazy. Don't you think?"
Otherwise, you can't survive.
"...I'll try being crazy once, too."
By D'Agna's decision after a moment of contemplation, I was able to handle one of the tasks I needed to resolve in LA.
What I was going to entrust to D'Agna was a portion of the content that would fill the city in the desert. This guy had operated a few gambling dens, but they were far from the flashy, high-end feel of D'Agna's Monte Carlo.
If I filled the resorts to be built in the city with D'Agna's casinos, it was clear that even a fraction of the revenue would be quite a tidy sum. Of course, casinos weren't the only things that needed to fill Las Vegas.
"Let's head to Hollywood tomorrow."
"Yes, Consigliere."
The business D'Agna's LA family was involved in wasn't just gambling. Hollywood, the heart of the film industry, was still booming even in this era at the dawn of the Great Depression, and being based in LA, they naturally had their hands in Hollywood as well. The only shame was that it wasn't the side I wanted.
"If I had my way, I'd want to reach out to Walt Disney..."
But unfortunately, Walt Disney was already quite expensive to buy into at a low point. With the success of Mickey Mouse, they were already selling merchandise like stationery featuring the character, and Mr. Disney, the president, was so stubborn about his original works that he wouldn't even take on outsourced work like advertising characters, so there was no real point of contact.
Because of that, the place I was introduced to by D'Agna wasn't Disney, but one of the major film studios known as the Big Five. Still, it would be nice if I could connect with them now.
If I could bring Disney to Las Vegas, it could make for a pretty decent picture...
It was then, as I sat alone at the hotel bar sipping whiskey.
"Mr. Lee?"
At the sound of a man's voice that I felt I had heard somewhere before, I set down my whiskey glass and turned my head.
Standing there was a handsome man with red hair, dressed in a suit that looked expensive at a glance.
"It's been a while, Mr. Kennedy."
Joseph J. Kennedy. I was soon able to recall why he, whom I had met in Florida, was here.
"Come to think of it, you said you operated a film studio."
"I'm almost finished liquidating it now. The profit I've made from this liquidation will be quite substantial, so it's time to return to Wall Street."
Seeing as Kennedy, who must have already made a huge profit from short selling, would use the word 'substantial,' the amount must be significant. I hadn't expected to meet him in a place like this.
"By the way, what brings Mr. Lee all the way to LA?"
"I'm here for business as well. The West has always been a land of opportunity, hasn't it?"
And now, a new opportunity had presented itself before me.
"Mr. Kennedy, since we've met like this, could I ask you for a favor?"
"If there's an actor you want to meet, anything is possible. I'm still a major shareholder in the film studio, after all."
"It is an actor, but the one I want to meet isn't a person."
The chance to meet the most famous mouse in the world.
The Walt Disney Studio was located about a 10-minute drive from Hollywood.
"Are you the one? The person Mr. Kennedy spoke of?"
The young man sitting across from me at the conference table in a studio filled entirely with 'that mouse' didn't look pleased at all.
"I'll say this in advance: if you're looking for copyrights or studio shares, you're wasting your time. I have no intention of handing over the copyrights to my works to anyone."
Did he have some bad experience with copyrights? So that's why the company became a copyright demon.
"I respect Mr. Disney's creativity. That goes for the copyrights as well."
"...Then, did you come for investment purposes?"
"You could say that. I believe the potential of the Walt Disney Studio is infinite. Money is usually made in places like that, after all."
"Then that's fortunate. We're currently making a feature-length animation that's about an hour long. It's the story of Snow White..."
As soon as the word 'investment' came up, Mr. Disney suddenly began pouring out information about his new project. The problem was, that wasn't what I was looking to invest in.
"I apologize, but the field I want to invest in is different."
"A different field... we don't have the capacity to invest in anything other than production right now."
"If you hear my proposal, your thoughts might change a little."
I continued toward him, as he wore a look that didn't seem pleased at all.
"Mr. Disney, are you familiar with Amusement Parks?"
"I go often. It's good for getting inspiration because I can easily see children."
"I want to plant the soul of the Walt Disney Studio into that amusement park."
"...Yes?"
"So... the term 'Theme Park' would be better. From the landscaping to the rides, even the food. Every element within the park will be intertwined to construct a world different from reality."
"A different... world..."
"Mickey Mouse, and every character this studio will create in the future, will step out of the screen and come to life in reality. It would be a dreamlike time for children."
And for you, too.
"Mr. Disney, I want to build your kingdom for you."
It wouldn't matter if I told him later that I was going to build it in the desert, would it?