NOVEL NEXT Chapter 193: Jimmy’s surprise
Michael was intrigued by those last words.
"Golden 500? Elaborate."
Jimmy went on to explain to Michael that there was a ranking between companies all over the world.
This ranking was compiled only by respected journalists and newspapers throughout the globe and was based on the wealth and influence of a company.
"The current top 1 in the world is none other than the Vanderbilt Business, sir! But, I know that for most companies, it is an impossible dream to topple the number one spot. So, just getting in the top 500 spot is already an amazing milestone as it is!"
Michael had never heard of this ranking before, probably because his mother and father didn't really talk to him much about the Vanderbilt business. They told him they were the wealthiest family in the world, and that was enough.
Although Michael never explicitly stated this to anyone else, he did have some thoughts about someday surpassing his grandfather's business. And with the way his company was growing, he thought that there was already a big chance of that happening in the future.
"Jimmy. What's our ranking?" Michael asked directly.
The junior newspaper journalist was a little bit awkward as Michael asked him that question.
Although he wanted to tell the truth, he didn't want to offend the young master. He didn't want to get kicked out of Neo Orcus.
"Just tell me. I won't be mad."
Jimmy cleared his throat and said, "Unranked. BUT! From what I saw with the chocolate products, you stand a very good chance of breaking through the top 500 spot. It is very possible."
Michael nodded, not looking the least bit upset.
"And what do you think we need to improve to climb up the ranks?"
Jimmy raised his hand and began to count his fingers.
"First, you need to have a lot more wealth under your banner. That is the most important aspect of the Golden 500, of course. But it is hardly the only thing that matters.
Second, you need more territory. Without territory, you would have no base of operations. You would need somewhere to nurture your products. I think that you need to expand further beyond Neo Orcus. This place is too small.
And third, you need security. You need people to protect the territory that you have. This one is not that important in the current state of the world, but there are always accidents, disasters, and unfortunate dealings in the world. So, it would be best if you had people to protect your wealth and your territory."
Michael listened to Jimmy's list and nodded. His thoughts were completely unknown to the anxious reporter.
"Umm… I have not offended you, have I?"
Michael waved off the young man's concern. "No way. In fact, I should thank you. I have learned something good. Well, why don't we continue with our tour to Neo Orcus?"
Jimmy wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead. He thought that Michael would be mad that he didn't appraise his company a lot higher.
Most business owners would be upset that they weren't higher up on the list, but it seemed that Michael was different and he didn't care about such rankings.
And so, Michael began guiding everyone in Neo Orcus.
He first showed them the chocolate factory and the cookie bakery. It had expanded quite a lot, now with a lot of Rebornians working in tandem with Beth as the main leader of the whole operation.
Everyone was quite stunned as they saw the efficient production in the factory. This was the first time they ever saw conveyor belts and giant industrial-sized mixers and tubs working with extremely large batches at a time.
They all watched as hundreds upon hundreds of cookies were being baked simultaneously in the large oven. Once it was done, the cookies were dumped into a storage bin, where the workers collected and packaged them.
"...what…"
"There's no way this is possible…"
Of course, this was the first time that any of these Queens region locals saw electricity working in their lives.
"That energy comes from the new Steam Factory near the Dwarven Kingdom," Michael explained nonchalantly. "Oh, yeah. Why don't you guys come with me to the new train station? I'll show you the Dwarven Kingdom as well as the Nation of Reborn."
Now, Jimmy and the merchants were all too stunned and dumbstruck upon seeing these amazing works of inventions—too surprised to even say anything else.
They all had their jaws wide open as Michael guided them to the train station.
They couldn't speak as they entered the train. They couldn't even shout out in surprise as the train made a guttural roar as it started its engine, starting its journey towards the Dwarven Kingdom.
Even as the hours passed, these locals were still too stunned to process everything they had seen in such a short amount of time.
Each time Michael introduced something to them, they would need another few hours to process everything they saw. This cycle would continue the whole journey through the railway, putting Jimmy and the merchants into a stun-locked position.
Jimmy's eyes almost bulged out of his sockets as he saw the infamous volcano of the Dwarven Kingdom up close and personal once they took a brief stop at their train station.
But before he could even utter his disbelief at this monumental scenery no one in the Queens regions had ever seen before, he saw the literal King of the Dwarves approach Michael and greet him as if they were lifelong friends.
Jimmy then saw Michael give his friend a whole crate of this beverage called beer in exchange for an equivalent crate of the mythical Damascus Steel.
This felt like a fever dream for the rookie journalist. He was so surprised about everything that he completely forgot to even write anything down in his notebook.
Nevermind the fact that the Reborn company was allied with the Dwarven Kingdom, nevermind the fact that they had an unlimited supply of Damascus Steel, the most surprising thing for Jimmy was the fact that the entire Kings region as a whole looked to be under the influence of the Reborn company!