Chiba City Center, Mori International Chiba Office.
"Interesting. I thought that kid would use this opportunity to make some pocket money or find a girlfriend."
On the other end of the phone, the old man's voice sounded a bit hoarse. Though tinged with a smile, it still carried an air of authority without anger, a manner of speaking that could only be cultivated by someone who had long been in a high position.
"Young Master Shinra clearly has his own ideas," Uncle Li, on this end of the phone, said respectfully. He knew the identity of the old man—the chairman of the Mori Conglomerate and the current head of the Mori clan.
In terms of blood relations, he was Mori Shinra's great-uncle.
"I think he has more than just ideas; his thinking is quite unconventional. Making a company that produces motors for home appliances research motors for automobiles. I can't believe he came up with that," the old man snorted.
"According to the young master's request, it seems he's not looking for motors for traditional cars," Uncle Li said after a thought.
The old man clearly already knew what he was planning. "Of course not. He wants motors for electric cars. I don't know where this kid gets his confidence."
The old man knew very well that with the traditional fuel vehicle market gradually becoming saturated, the world's major giants were beginning to turn their attention to new energy vehicles. To enter the motor market at this time, even as a mid-stream transition, did indeed have a possibility of success.
But the problem was, how could this kid be so sure that the future of the automotive industry would develop in the direction of new energy?
A wild guess? Unlikely.
Did someone tell him?
The old man thought for a moment. Little Li had no reason to do so. There were plenty of ways to make money; why choose this one? The risk was high, and it was easy to lose money.
So, was it really talent?
He had actually received reports from his subordinates about Mori Shinra, saying that his ability to learn and process information was simply inhuman.
To be honest, before seeing it with his own eyes, he didn't believe it. He thought his subordinates were just saying nice things to 'flatter' and 'curry favor' with him.
It was similar to when visiting relatives during the New Year, you'd say to your relative's child, "Your kid is really great, he'll definitely be something in the future," a kind of blessing.
But that didn't explain why this group of industry elites would be so convinced by a kid who hadn't even graduated from high school.
One or two could be said to be 'eager for progress,' but a whole group seemed a bit too deliberate.
Could it be that the kid really was a genius?
After this thought appeared in his mind, he decided to test him a bit more later. If it was true, then he would have to apologize to his own younger brother.
On this end, Uncle Li, after hearing the old man's words, asked with feigned hesitation, "Then should I call a halt to this project?"
He very cleverly used the word 'I,' meaning that he would be the one to stop it, not the old man himself, so as not to affect the relationship between the grandfather and grandson.
Taking the fall, so to speak.
"No need. Just do as he says. It's just a little bit of money. The group itself was already planning to invest in this area anyway," the old man said after a moment of contemplation, then gave another instruction. "You keep an eye on things. After all, he's still a young man, and he doesn't have an elder around. Don't let outsiders cheat him."
The 'outsiders' he was referring to was the Miura family. In his view, Shinra was a young man after all, full of vigor. Although he might indeed have some talent, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be deceived by a woman.
His thought was that it was okay to be deceived, but not too much. Just enough to teach him a lesson.
Uncle Li thought of the few girls he had met at the bar that day, and how, when he was driving them back, the two girls in the back were bickering while Shinra was in the front, playing on his phone. He felt that the old man was probably overthinking things.
Who could possibly deceive him!
Not to mention, the way he had handled the matter this time, objectively speaking, did help the other party, but it also felt like it hadn't. It even seemed like he had dragged them into another quagmire.
If they could wade out of this mire, the future would undoubtedly be bright. But if they couldn't, they would just drown in it along with the others, becoming nutrients for those who came after.
And to get out of this quagmire, the help of Mori International would be indispensable. And this help would come at a price. In the end, even if they could successfully stand out from the competition, the company would probably be surnamed 'Mori' instead of 'Miura'.
But the Miura family wouldn't lose out either. By that time, their family's assets would have probably multiplied several times over, and the people and things they came into contact with would be vastly different from now. In a sense, it would also be a leap in social class.
Of course, although he thought this way, he would naturally not say it out loud. In response to the old man's instructions, he immediately guaranteed, "Yes, Chairman Mori. I will handle it well."
"Mm, that's all then."
...
On the other side, Mori Shinra didn't know about this conversation, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. As for how he could be so sure that the future was in new energy... he had transmigrated from that era.
Although it wasn't the same world, he had discovered that the overall development direction of the two worlds was very similar. The technological level of the world he was in was about ten years behind the world he had come from.
The new energy vehicle industry was also in the initial stage of technological accumulation, several years away from a major boom.
The Japanese side, just as in his previous life, was hoarding patents related to hydrogen energy, wishing they could block all paths to making money, so that they could lie back and collect royalties in the future.
One could only say that these people knew how to dream.
It was like building a highway. Others would take out loans to build it, and then set up toll booths when it was almost done. But the Japanese side did it the other way around. They built the toll booths first, then tried to get other countries to help them build the road, while they waited to collect the money.
It would be a miracle if that ever worked.
But it had to be said, their technology in the field of electric motors was quite advanced. In terms of both talent reserves and market environment, they were more than capable of supporting the initial preparatory work.
As for whether the Mori side would recognize his ideas and implement them, he felt it shouldn't be a big problem. Even if they couldn't, it wasn't his loss anyway.
In fact, Shinra didn't plan to spend too much time on this. With this time, he might as well find a way to unlock the golden request on Yukinoshita's head.
What's money got to do with it? So tacky!
It must be known that money is an external object. Only the warmth of Wish Points is real.
If he could draw an ability as powerful as Magnetic Field Rotation, forget about money; the entire Earth would be his!