Manhattan (2)
The donut company list featured Dunkin' Donuts, which would one day sell for an astonishing eleven-point-three billion dollars in the 2020s. Even though it was currently wallowing at the bottom, Henry knew its future value well enough to happily check it off with satisfaction.
When he moved on to the coffee list, none of the sleek café brands like the Starbucks he had wanted were there. Puzzled, Henry thought hard about it and realized that in 1979 America, the very concept of café culture was still practically nonexistent. The list was packed instead with dreary instant-coffee companies, so he flipped the page without hesitation and scribbled CAFÉ in big letters across his notebook.
In the hamburger sector, McDonald's and Burger King naturally dominated the majors. They would remain kings in the future, but their current valuations were already far too expensive. He noticed Wendy's at two hundred million dollars and Hardee's at eighty million, which had a stranglehold on the South. But the name Hardee's somehow made him think of diapers, so he immediately lost interest. Besides, that weird star-studded logo had zero brand recognition—even in his previous life, he'd never seen it before.
Instead of burning money on Wendy's, which has limited growth potential anyway, I'd rather scrape together a bit more and just buy the future chicken emperor KFC.
The pizza side unexpectedly offered quite a few gems. Pizza Hut was expensive, but Domino's Pizza was available for a mere eighty million dollars. Still in its growth phase, the deal looked genuinely attractive. Henry moved the file to his priority list, thinking it would be perfect to bring along when he entered the Japanese market later.
Just as he finished organizing everything, Bart signaled that he had finally connected with Uncle David. Over the receiver came the smooth, almost oily voice of a seasoned banker.
“Oh, Henry. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to look after you more carefully. At the funeral, I wanted to offer at least a few words of comfort when I saw you lost in grief, but we’ve always been rather distant, so I couldn’t bring myself to approach. Now, as your uncle, I thought I should at least try to do my duty.”
“You’re too kind, Uncle.”
“It’s good to hear you sounding more energetic. However, I received a report from the staff that you recently applied for a rather large loan. Since you’re using your rights to the DeVenger family trust as collateral, the bank has no reason to refuse. Still, as your uncle, I can’t help but worry. Henry, is there some kind of problem?”
“No, not at all. It’s just that I’m too young to hide behind the trust and simply collect dividends. I want to step forward now and grow a company with my own hands.”
“Hmm. You mean that game console company. Sigh… Henry, you’re still so young, and after graduating from that obscure university out west, it seems your sense of reality has grown a little dull. Have you never considered why the DeVengers have never stepped into the spotlight across generations, choosing instead to remain quiet rulers?”
“I understand. It’s to avoid the vulgar jealousy of the masses. Aren’t your Rockefellers and Morgans essentially using the same strategy? But I’m too young to live that quiet life. I want to take a real shot at something while I’m still young. Inside the family, the general mood seems to be that forty-five million dollars is basically an expensive tuition fee—let the boy do as he pleases. Of course, I have zero intention of failing.”
“Hoo… Hearing that confident voice, I can tell I won’t be able to persuade you over the phone. I happen to be on a business trip, so let’s meet properly at the September New York social season event and talk then. Well, forty-five million dollars isn’t exactly a fortune to the DeVenger family, so thinking of it as expensive tuition does ease the mind somewhat. Still, if you ever need help, don’t hesitate to call. You are my nephew, after all, and you carry the blood of our Rockefellers.”
“Yes, I understand, Uncle. But even you won’t be able to break my stubbornness. How could I not start something that’s obviously going to succeed? Let’s talk about the details when we meet. If I ever need major help, I’ll reach out. Please enjoy the rest of your vacation.”
Only after ending the burdensome call with Uncle David did Henry let out a long sigh of relief.
Haah, I was suffocating. Is this what it feels like to talk to that legendary puppet master who supposedly appears the moment he smells oil?
The Rockefellers were always portrayed in novels as the shadowy rulers who secretly controlled the world economy. Between the countless conspiracy theories from his previous life and the chilling achievement of living to 101 after undergoing seven major organ transplants, the old man had been permanently stamped in Henry’s mind as someone you absolutely do not want to get involved with. Even though they shared blood, Henry trusted him even less than a complete stranger.
Ask me to call if I need help? Me? Voluntarily?
Henry grimaced, set the receiver down, and stared out the window.
Whew, at least I got past the big hurdle. Everyone really is obsessed with vacation, huh.
After possessing this body, Henry had come to realize that the ecosystem of New York’s upper class was intricately structured. The last week of June was essentially their final exams before summer break. The upper-class calendar was divided with military precision by month.
February to March = Vacation season
April to June = Charity and sports
July to August = Vacation season
September to November = Social season
December to January = Year-end and New Year gatherings
February and March were winter getaways, April through June revolved around charity events and sports (with the Super Bowl and Easter as the main events). And now the long-awaited summer vacation season of July and August had arrived. If you couldn’t leave New York and hole up at a summer home during this period, you’d quickly be labeled a “broke pauper whose wallet has run dry” among the elite.
Being the family head is exhausting. If I try to actually work in July and August, everyone disappears on vacation.
The social season starting in September was even worse. From opera opening galas to museum fundraisers, board meetings, and endless social functions, the breathless schedule continued until November. When Henry had declared at the family meeting, “I’ll only do this year and then quit,” it hadn’t been mere bravado. Even by the standards of his previous life as a salaryman, this was a schedule that completely destroyed any work-life balance.
December and January were relatively lighter, filled mostly with year-end parties and New Year gatherings, but to Henry, these upper-class rules that were only just beginning felt like nothing more than annoying homework.
Even this alone felt suffocatingly tight. From obscure museum fundraisers to opera galas, the cost of merely maintaining the façade of being upper class was higher than expected.
They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even being born with a silver spoon isn’t an easy job. At this rate, it’s basically the same as being a professional event celebrity.
Henry was already thinking that once he accumulated enough points, he might create a doppelgänger set up as his younger brother. He wanted to send that substitute to the horribly authoritarian events that only a direct DeVenger bloodline could attend—events even Bart couldn’t replace him for. He was even planning to hand over the entire trust administration if possible. After all, there was clearly a limit to how much strain a single person’s nerves could take.
Right now he only had two companies—Enjoy and Henry 1 Capital—so he could still occasionally glance at trust documents. But once his regressor-style octopus-arm expansion truly began, the time he could spare for the trust would clearly converge to zero.
Even now, luxury brands are so cheap they make me drool, and when I look at other companies’ valuations I keep thinking, “Whoa, this is insanely cheap!” An octopus strategy is inevitable, right? If just owning them prints money, how could I not take advantage?
Of course, thanks to the health and knowledge gained from his stats, he had far superior stamina and mental strength compared to others. If he poured his very soul into it, he could probably grab everything. But Henry had no desire to live such a joyless life.
The whole reason I want to be rich is so I can relax, play, and enjoy life—not to work myself to death.
Fortunately, after he started delegating greetings and appearances to Bart and the elders, the mountain of trust-related documents had noticeably decreased. The family elders might whisper behind his back that “the young family head is being negligent,” but Henry didn’t care. One hundred percent of the trust’s power was concentrated in his hands, and he was confident he could crush any problems that arose with overwhelming authority.
If anyone tries to embezzle and gets caught, I’ll just execute a few of them by cutting off their heads. Later I can just assign a doppelgänger to manage it.
Freed from trust duties, Henry was able to focus more on Enjoy. He stopped by once on his way to work each day to break through bottlenecks in prototype production. The knowledge from the countless game-console startup novels he had read in his previous life served as a perfect strategy guide for him.
Barring subtle interpersonal frictions, every problem was solved as if by magic at Henry’s fingertips, and the company’s foundation was taking shape at a frightening pace under his guidance.
As for the investment firm… Henry closed his eyes and visualized the silver market chart in his mind.
This knowledge stat is seriously overpowered. Real-time chart integration inside my head? This is basically map hack level.