NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1031: Opportunity's
The emperor's warning caused a huge wave in their hearts. Even though they knew that His Majesty was just informing them about what would happen, it felt like they were being warned, which in reality was not too far from the truth. Vijay had originally had no intention of reminding the five locomotive companies, but after remembering that there were only so many trustworthy large companies in the empire, he was left with no choice.
The Bharatiya Empire does not lack any industry, but industries approved by the military at the highest level for security are only a handful. It is for this exact reason, when the permit was allocated to the five locomotive companies the last time, the invited people were all either from highest-level military-approved enterprises or individuals who are already deeply involved with the military.
The automobile industry requires more diversity than the locomotive industry. While in the future it is true that only a handfull of auto makers may dominate a country, that time has not yet come. When the car industry first began in Germany, countless small workshops were experimenting with making cars, and it was this foundation that enabled Germany to rise as a global superpower in logistics during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Now Vijay had to do the same; he could not allow only four or five car companies to exist. Ideally, he would have preferred each state to have a few companies, giving the empire a stronger and more stable foundation while also accelerating development, since competition drives progress. But due to concerns about technology leakage, he could only settle for ten, or at most fifteen. Any more than that, and he was certain the engine would end up packed and shipped to Europe.
' So this is what suffering from success feels like, ' Vijay couldn't help but snicker.
Anyway, his warning seemed to have worked, because as soon as the owners and representatives of the locomotive companies left, they immediately caused a huge sensation in the empire.
---
A week after the meeting,
As soon as Ghana Prabhu Berunda set foot on the port of Paradeep, he was swarmed by reporters, both national and regional. Being one of the richest people of the empire and also the owner of one of the major shipyards, along with a major locomotive manufacturing company, he had already been used to all the fanfare he got whenever he went somewhere.
Given that his company had announced such a big move yesterday, the media would be looking out for him like a shark smelling blood.
So he did not panic, he patiently waited for his bodyguards to form a perimeter around him and control the crowd.
" Mr. Ghana Prabhu Berunda, your company Berunda and Hima Industries have announced that you will be forming a new subsidiary company called H&B Mobility, a carriage manufacturing company, and even bought 1000 acres of land and promised an investment of over 50 million varaha to the Gangapuri iron industrial zone."
" And this announcement came from the other two companies with locomotive manufacturing privileges as well. Surya Corporation has created a subsidiary, Surya Mobility, and Mengal and Brothers Industries has created Mengal and Brothers Carrage Company."
" Can we know what has caused the three industries that were merely focused on locomotive manufacturing to suddenly get involved in the carriage manufacturing industry? Is there any inside information you can let us know?"
Hering the question, Ghana Prabhu Berunda was a little taken aback. He looked at the person who asked the question, and he was shocked because it was a young woman barely 18. " You have done your research well, miss."
" Thank you for your acknowledgement, sir," the girl smiled reservedly. " So am I going to get an answer?"
Berunda stroked his chin and kept looking at the girl. ' She'll be a good match for Vidya Nilaya, ' he thought in his heart. He mentally added a note to do a background check on the girl when he had time.
" I do have an answer, but I don't know if you will be satisfied by it or not." He spread his arms. " The truth is, all three of us were called to Aakarsh Carriages and Gaur Agricultural Tools to inspect their steam-powered carriages, and we were extremely impressed. All three of us felt like the potential of installing steam engines onto carriages is huge, so we unanimously decided to form a subsidiary to manufacture carriages installed with steam engines, nothing more, nothing less."
The girl who asked the questions scrunched her nose and furrowed her brows. She felt like there was something else, but she didn't know where this idea was coming from, so she simply nodded her head. " Thank you for your reply, sir."
Soon Ghana Prabhu Berunda was swarmed with more questions. He answered some, he ignored some, and in the end he left the port to see the land he had just acquired.
---
The matter of the locomotive manufacturing companies entering into carriage manufacturing shouldn't have caused a lot of discussion in the society, since it does not have a direct impact on the society apart from those job seekers who are looking for lucrative jobs in industrial sectors, but the reason it ended up becoming one is because of the sheer investment all three companies made. The lowest investment amount is 50 million varaha, and the highest even reached 80 million varaha. The companies were so eager that they even mortgaged a large part of their companies and whatever they could manage in their hand.
Many people viewed carriage manufacturing as simple work left to low-level carpenters. Although there were prestigious companies like Surya Carriages and Aakharsh Carriages, some of the largest in the empire, For the normal people of the empire these companies were completely different from humble carriages they used for themselves. Their products catered mainly to the upper middle class and the wealthy, or were purchased by large businesses, and thus were never meant for everyone. This was why people could not understand how the humble carriage manufacturing industry had suddenly become so frenzied.
Although there is talk of installing steam engines onto carriages, it has not reached a point where it can be applied practically. The steam engine powered carriage built by Aakharsh carriages that can travel on the road is still too big, so big that one carriage alone occupies two full lanes for itself, and it can't even turn. Although the carriage can do well in the agricultural field, it is still a little gimmicky, where in order to turn the direction of the carriage, the whole thing has to manually be turned, and it breaks down several times in one use.
But there were smart people in the empire who thought that things were not so simple. Naveen Ambani was one of them. Looking at the news which contained the interviews of Berunda, Mengal, and Surya he had imported from different parts of the empire, his eyes flickered with an intelligent glint.
A rhythmic sound like that of a horse galloping was heard from within the room by his fingers hitting the table constantly. Nearly 30 minutes of contemplation later, Naveen Ambani seemed to have woken up.
'Dong!'
" Go call Ashwin for me."
An hour later,
" Father, you called!"
" Yes, sit down."
" What do you think about entering the carriage manufacturing industry?"
Ashwin Ambani was shocked. Where did this come from? " What do you mean, father, why do we suddenly have to enter the carriage manufacturing industry?"
His family has spread into a lot of fields, shipbuilding, shipping being their core industries, military design their second most profitable industry, and the agricultural industry. His family's assets have already been diversified, so he wouldn't be surprised if his father wanted to diversify the assets even more, but carriage manufacturing is simply too out of the blue, too random.
Naveen did not say anything and simply threw out the newspapers he had acquired. Ashwin quickly read through the newspaper and his brows furrowed, " Odd, what are these investment amounts? Why are they investing so much?"
" Even if installing the Balwan engine onto a carriage is exciting, it is still impractical."
Naveen immediately smirked, his old face wrinkling up, making him look like a cunning capitalist. " What if it's a different engine?"
" Father...?"
" You heard me right, what if it is a different engine? What if Raya Power Company has come up with a new engine suitable for carriages? Then their actions would make sense, no?"
" But how do you know this, father?"
" I actually don't, but I have a good reason to believe these three companies are acting like this entirely because of a new type of engine. I have inquired with the people I know. Ghana Prabhu Berunda, Mengal, and Surya did not go to either Aakharsh Carriages or Gaur Agricultural Tools. This didn't happen not to mention in the past week, but in the whole month. But interestingly, guess what I found..."
" What?"
" They were found in the capital a week ago, being escorted in secret by the Royal Guards."
"So I am positive that it was His Majesty who summoned them and let them know some of the inside information."
Ashwin was not dull; his mind turned quickly and he grasped all the intricacies of the matter. His face filled with astonishment. "It is like you said, Father. In that case, maybe we should really get into carriage manufacturing, and the kind where the Balwan engine is installed."
"Yes, that was my thought as well. Maybe we should invest a few million and kick things off." Naveen leaned back and nodded.
However, Ashwin immediately shook his head, which made Naveen furrow his brow. Was his son being too cautious?
"Father, I think you've been too conservative. The way Ghana Prabu Berunda and others have invested looked as if they wanted to make up all the experience of Aakarsh Carriages and Gaur Agricultural Tools, to reach operational capabilities as soon as possible. So what this means is something is going to happen very soon that would require these companies to be at their best shape."
"So what this 'something' is, we don't know. Logically, it should either be a quota from His Majesty, a permit, or even manufacturing technology."
"Historically, His Majesty has always given some space to all companies to snatch opportunities, so it is possible that it is the same this time as well. And since His Majesty seemed to have said something to these people and they acted so urgently, it means it was more like a warning."
His brain began to spin rapidly.
"So since it is a warning, it means that if whatever His Majesty asked is not fulfilled, the locomotive manufacturing companies will not get whatever His Majesty said is coming. So does this mean others will get it?"
Naveen widened his eyes and came to the edge of his seat. Thinking along his son's line of thought, everything made sense. He looked at his son with satisfaction.
"It is most likely the truth, but since these companies are investing so frantically, it means the conditions of His Majesty are not simple. If you want to reach these conditions and be able to participate in the battle, a battle unknown and at an unknown time in the future, we will also have to invest a lot of resources, but the risk is too high."
Naveen agreed with the way his father put it. Even thinking about investing made it look like they were throwing their money away into the Kavari River.
"In that case, Father, let's purchase some technology from Akarsh Carriages and Gaur Agricultural Tools To make up for the basic foundation, and let's invest 20 million."
"We can bring in investors from outside for 20 more million. With the technology and the investment, we can occupy a 60% stake, the partner can occupy the remaining 40. Although if our speculation is wrong, it will be a huge loss, the loss will not be too big since the carriage manufacturing industry is a booming industry, and there are always people who want to buy carriages. Not to mention, even if you want to sell off the losses, we are buying solid assets, and these solid assets always maintain their value, so even if there is a loss, it would not be more than 5 million."
"That's a good idea. Alright, contact those old guys and let's see what they have to say."
Ashwin immediately smiled and contacted his friends, son of Indrasena Reddy, Bhargav Reddy, and son of Bajrang Dharani, Pavitra Nath Dharani.