roccoschili Chapter 447 London Trip (2) Consumption
Chapter 447 London Trip (2) Consumption
London.
It's approaching evening.
The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed.
Langham Hotel, afternoon tea restaurant on the first floor.
New York CIA director Ezra Creamer, the "guide" Fell arranged for David, is looking at David Coleman who is lost in thought with a relaxed expression at the moment ~
After a few minutes.
David reached out to pick up the tea cup, took a sip, and said with a smile: "Sorry~ I was distracted!"
"Shall we...continue?"
"Please!"
"Haha ~ call me David!"
"Don't be too polite~"
"ok~"
"So what is there in the City of London now? Banks? Insurance companies? Stock exchanges?"
Feir slowly put down the tea cup in his hand, pondered for a moment, and said.
"It...is not as mysterious as people think~"
"There are many institutions and companies in the Financial City. There are nearly 30 ordinary workers in the city!"
"In the center of the Financial City, there is an eight-story building without windows that looks like a fortress~"
"It is the Bank of England, the central bank of the United Kingdom, once known as the 'King of Banks.'"
"In the buildings surrounding the Bank of England Building, there are hundreds of domestic and foreign banks, insurance companies, stock exchanges, metal commodity exchanges, futures exchanges, etc.~"
"Due to the limited space in the Financial City, many of the world's top 500 companies and many foreign banks can only set up one branch, office, or... one office in the Financial City~"
"So, I can't give you a more satisfactory answer and number..."
"However, I have some interesting information and data here ~ you should be interested!"
"First of all, it's the bank in the Financial City~"
"Since the late 20s, more than 50 years ago, the number of foreign banks in the Financial City has gradually increased~"
"The reason that led foreign banks to enter the Financial City was the Suez Canal crisis that occurred in 56!"
"In September 1956, the Egyptian government made a strong announcement that it would take back control of the Suez Canal~"
"The largest shareholder of the Suez Canal is the United Kingdom, accounting for 44% of the shares; followed by some private companies in France, which together account for about 50% of the shares~"
"On the Suez Canal in Egyptian territory, at least 1 million tons of goods pass through every year - 60% of which are oil produced in the Middle East destined for Britain and France!"
"In addition, shipping companies from more than 40 countries are using this canal to transport goods to and from European countries~"
"As the largest shareholders of the canal, Britain and France sent missions to have a series of diplomatic talks with Egypt. After no results, they decided to launch a war against Egypt!"
"At that time, the military strength of the British and French coalition forces and Egypt was very different. The victory or defeat was not difficult to predict~"
"but!"
"Only a week after the British and French coalition sent troops, Britain was forced to accept the UN ceasefire agreement, and finally made a commitment to withdraw its troops in December 56~"
David frowned and interjected: "A week??"
"Yes! One week!"
A smile appeared on Feier's lips as he explained.
"Actually, the Egyptian government is preparing to announce to the outside world that it will regain control of the Suez Canal...before! The British government already knew what the Egyptian government was thinking~"
"But their attention was not on Egypt~"
“From 1947 to 1972 after World War II, the UK experienced a total of 14 pound crises due to factors such as the decline of national strength, reduced fiscal revenue, sharp increase in fiscal expenditures, significant reduction in military strength, huge war debts, and colonies declaring independence. .”
"The pound crisis that occurred in 1956 was the most special!"
"Since the British promulgated the "Mountbatten Plan" in 1947 and implemented the partition of India and Pakistan."
(Partition of India and Pakistan: The disintegration of British India under British rule, and the birth of two new countries, the Union of India and the Dominion of Pakistan.)
"In 1950, India declared its independence, completely severing its centuries-old dependency relationship with Britain, causing Britain to lose its largest piece of colonial income."
"Therefore, if the British government wants to maintain the exchange rate of 1 pound to 2 meters in the international currency market and maintain the international status of the pound, it must get support and help from the International Monetary Fund and the United States~"
"The failure of Britain did not lie in the lack of strength of its army, nor in the fact that Egypt occupied the moral high ground and became a just party in the war~"
"But... it chose the wrong opponent, overestimated its important international position, and underestimated the cruelty of currency war!"
"After the Suez Canal War broke out, the British government experienced for the first time the consequences of failure in an international currency war... and finally saw clearly its predicament and its declining international status~"
"So, instead of saying that Britain lost the war, it is better to say that the pound lost to... the rice dollar!"
"..."
When Phil said this, he paused for a few seconds very "considerately" and waited for David to digest this information before he continued to preach.
"The pound crisis is a new term that has only been spread among people in recent years~"
"Every time it explodes, it is like a piece of steak exuding an alluring aroma, attracting the attention of countless international speculative funds~"
"The United Kingdom, after the Suez Canal crisis, slowly began to try to relax some controls on foreign banks~"
"Let more foreign banks enter the City of London, with the intention of allowing the City to give greater support and more support to the pound in the next currency war!"
David rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers, chuckled, and shook his head slightly.
"Hehe~"
"The pound is getting weaker and more fragile... They once again underestimated the greed of capital~"
"That's right!"
"Throughout the 60s, the number of foreign bank branches and subsidiaries in the City of London soared from more than 50 to more than 130~"
"As of this year, this number has exceeded 200!"
"But their arrival did not bring good luck to the pound."
"After 1956, as British colonies around the world declared independence one after another, the international status of the pound encountered many major challenges~"
"Throughout the 50s and 60s, 41 countries in Africa declared independence."
"Britain, except for some British island colonies, lost all its large colonies~"
"The colonial systems of Britain, France, and Belgium in Africa have completely collapsed~"
"In 1967, the United Kingdom announced that the pound would be decoupled from gold, causing a one-time devaluation of 35%."
"In the early winter of 1971, I came to London for the first time~"
"In the Financial City at that time, every day there were people going in with a sad face and coming out dejected~"
“After the Bretton Woods system collapsed in 1971 and the dollar was decoupled from gold, the dollar suffered a massive sell-off in the international currency market~”
"Pounds, I can't escape either~"
"The pound selling trend in the foreign exchange market lasted for seven months~"
"Until the UK lost nearly 30 billion yuan in foreign exchange reserves~"
"The British government was once again forced to announce a floating exchange rate system for the pound in June 1972."
"Forced again? Hahaha~" David gave Feier a thumbs up gesture.
Feier chuckled and shook his head slightly.
"In 1974, the oil crisis broke out, which made the British finances, which were already overwhelmed and with rising deficits, even worse."
“From 75 to 76, the pound devalued again by 36%~”
"The United Kingdom has finally overcome the crisis after receiving help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)."
"However, in this series of sterling crises, banks in the City of London have made a lot of money..."
"This makes the current British government..."
. . .
David’s ears, listening to Phil’s story~
Looking at the door of the tea restaurant, he began to murmur in his heart. .
Obviously, this Mr. Fair is "off topic"~!
David didn’t know why he took the initiative to bring the topic to the pound crisis~
Could it be. .Trial time is over?
You need to recharge to enjoy better. . ?
Emm. .
David kept a listening attitude and waited patiently for 2 minutes~
Finally, when Mr. Fair paused again and drank tea, David smiled and took out his checkbook, wrote a check for 1000 meters, put it on the small table, pushed it to Mr. Fair, and asked him.
"Mr. Fair, do you know anything about MI[-]?"
"Um..?"
"Hehe~"
"As for me... I'm just a New York businessman who came to London to visit with my elders~"
"So, I firmly believe~"
"Free... is the most expensive!"
"I don't know what Claymore and you said about me~ I don't want to know either!"
"This is 1000 yuan!"
"New York barrister, the price of one hour of legal consultation, I hope you are satisfied!"
"..."
Mr. Fair’s face was full of doubts~
He stared at David for a few seconds, picked up the check with his hand, checked it carefully, shook his head slightly, put it down, leaned forward, and said in a low voice.
"Sorry~David, I..."
"You...just call me Mr. Coleman~"
"..OK!"
"Sorry, Mr. Coleman!"
"MI[-], also known as the National Security Agency."
"It was established in 1909, together with MI[-] and GCHQ, which are nominally affiliated with the Home Office, and are known as the three major military intelligence agencies in the UK."
"MI[-] is mainly responsible for national security and defense work such as counter-intelligence and counter-bomb attacks."
"At the same time, MI[-] is also responsible for defending the country's economic interests and resisting other countries' suppression and destruction of the British economy~"
"Although MI[-] often has to face spies and criminals from other countries, it does not have its own troops. It only has the power of supervision and does not have the power to arrest criminals or spies."
"The current number of personnel in MI1500 is unknown ~ a conservative estimate should be [-]+."
"Its headquarters is located in..."
"The current director of MI[-] is Wild Smith, who just took office last year."
"He was born in 1920. His hometown is Plymouth in southern England. His family has..."
"...That's enough, Fair!"
David looked at Feier with a strange look and asked, "Are these... worth 1000 meters?"
"...No, sir!"
"If you have any other questions, I can give you another one for free!"
"Forehead.."
Is this "money ability"?
No way! ! ?
before. .Why didn't I find it so useful? ?
David scratched his chin with his hand, his face showing a hint of solemnity, and after holding it in for a few seconds, he asked.
"I have always had a very...strange question in my mind. I hope you can answer it for me~"
"Please speak!"
"cough~"
"Um...007, is he really a person?"
"..Hahaha~"
After Feier was stunned for a second, he burst out laughing~
"No!"
"no!"
"Hahaha~"
"..All right!"
"I know right away, free... it's all a lie!"
"..Hahaha~"
. . .
At the entrance of the tea restaurant.
A middle-aged man in a suit asked the waiter about David Coleman.
David, who was always looking at the door, saw him and smiled at Mr. Fair.
"You're not a cia, right?"
"Yes!"
"Are you... found by Parker?"
Mr. Fair picked up the check, slowly put it into his pocket, and smiled.
"Otis Parker... is the funniest guy I know~"
"He often does some very contradictory things that make people dumbfounded~"
"But, Mr. Coleman!"
"He is very well-known in the underground intelligence circles in London and throughout Europe~"
"The reason why he is famous is not because he has the best information, nor is he the most generous."
"But because he...keeps his promise!"
"He...is not King Harold!"
"People know that as long as Parker makes a promise, he will definitely fulfill it!"
"...Okay~"
"I'm not William the Conqueror~ I never thought about asking him to give me the position of King of England..."
"Hahaha~"
Mr. Fair, who had his back to the door, seemed to have eyes on the back of his head. He stood up and extended his right hand to David, smiling and whispering quickly.
"People from CIA will come to visit you tomorrow morning!"
"The past two years have been very difficult for them~"
"I heard that their new director in Ghana is planning to lay off 3000 overseas agents within three years~"
"So, you don't have to be so polite to them!"
"They come to you to ask for your help, not for you to ask them to do something!"
"Also~"
"I left a business card at the service desk~"
"If you need anything, you can call me anytime~"
"I promise that I will give you a satisfactory answer within an hour at the earliest~"
"..ok~Thank you!"
David glanced at the middle-aged man who was stopping not far away, nodded to Mr. Fair, and smiled.
"This last piece of news... you call Parker and ask him to pay!"
"1000 yuan! I said so!"
"Hahaha~Thank you boss!"
. . .
Mr. Fair, I left very satisfied~
David didn't know, let alone asked, whether his name was his real name. .
Name, not important~
What matters is. . "Money ability" finally has a place to play a role!
----
new York.
Manhattan, in a bar on 33rd Street.
Ludy sat at the edge of the bar, looking down at a list in his hand and frowning.
"Jingle bell~"
The bell on the door of the bar rang, and Alto Sidric walked in, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Hi~ Ludy!"
"Are you still... undecided?"
Ludy asked the bartender for another glass of whiskey in a very irritable mood, looking askance at Alto.
"What? The crew is not busy anymore?"
"Hehe~"
"That damn fat guy, Director Coppola, and screenwriter Mario Puzo started fighting again..."
"I sounded upset, so I came over to see you~"
"Oh~"
"Those two bastards, what's the reason for this time?"
"Cut~"
Alto sat lazily next to Ludy, asked the bartender for a drink, and answered with a curled lip.
"Because they made an appointment with Marlon Brando's agent. They were originally going to meet with Brando himself to discuss letting him play the role of Vito Corleone in the movie "The Godfather"~"
"But Marlon Brando's agent called at the last minute and said that Brando has been accused again... The court is scheduling a trial time, which conflicts with the filming time..."
"defendant?"
"Yeah~ It's another scandal..."
"I heard that he made a certain one-night girlfriend pregnant..."
"fxxx!"
Lu Di picked up the wine glass and complained angrily: "That old guy... how old is he?"
"You're in good health~"
"Hahaha~"
(It is undeniable that Marlon Brando is one of the most famous and powerful actors in Hollywood.)
(But the tidbits about his personal life are enough to support a dozen gossip tabloids with good sales.)
(A gossip tabloid once commented on him: No woman can resist the charm of Marlon Brando!)
(The most famous comment about him is what Marilyn Monroe said: He is the gentlest and sweetest lover~)
. . .
in the bar.
After the two joked for a while, Ludi pushed the list at hand to Alto and asked.
"Look, is there any one here that meets David's standards?"
"I don't look~"
"For this kind of thing, you'd better wait until David comes back and ask him yourself~"
"fxxxyou!"
"He just barely graduated from high school, and you're still a fucking college student..."
"It's just such a small thing, can we still bother him all the time?"
Alto shook his head indifferently and said with a smile: "These magazines are all garbage that follow the trend of "Playboy"~"
"They are just using larger-scale nude photos to attract some people to buy them and see them for freshness~"
"You have this time to look for gold in the garbage."
"It's better to go directly to Matthew Hefner and buy his "Playboy"!"
Rudy gave Alto a fierce look with a look that was full of hatred: "It's all nonsense!"
"How come "Playboy" has been criticized so much by women who are involved in the affirmative movement?"
"That bastard, Matthew Hefner, hides in his hometown in California all day long and doesn't even dare to come out."
"Let me buy "Playboy"... Are you mentally ill?"
"Forehead.."
"Playboy magazine has rich publishing experience, well-equipped staff, and ready-made channels."
"Look at what's on the list..."
"enough!"
"Ask you... I might as well do it myself~"
"..Haha~"
Alto shrugged, picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and still argued unwillingly.
"We can bet!"
"If David were to choose, he would definitely choose... to buy "Playboy"!"
"..roll!"
"ok~"
. . .
Alto, seems to have left in style~
Ludy took back the list on the bar, smacked his lips and muttered: ""Playboy"..."
“The first issue with Marilyn Monroe as cover girl, I haven’t even seen it yet~”
“I don’t know now...where can I still sell it?”
"If you pay a high price, can you buy it?"
"Um.."
Lu Di looked at the TV in the bar with an expression like "a sage deep in thought"~
on TV.
A male news anchor is tracking and reporting on today’s midterm election voting~
----
London.
Langham Hotel, first floor.
David, who went upstairs to change into a suit, followed the people sent by old Morgan and got into the car.
on the way.
David looked back at Livlin's bodyguard who was driving behind him and asked the middle-aged driver: "Where are we going? To a cocktail party?"
"No, sir~"
"Just a private dinner."
"Oh~"
"Then...why can't I bring a female companion?"
The middle-aged driver glanced at David in the rearview mirror and said with an unchanged expression.
"Because Mr. Morgan has not given any explanation."
"..ok~I'm fine!"
. . .
After nearly an hour's drive.
The middle-aged driver parked the car in front of a large house in a manor.
David, rubbing his dry eyes that had not yet faded from sleep, got out of the car and stretched out a lot~
"Ah~haahahha~"
"This is it? Are we there?"
"Yes!"
"Please come in~ I'll be waiting for you here."
"Ugh, okay!"
David responded, raised his head and looked at the external structure of the manor house, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally took his right hand out of his trouser pocket.
Give Tips. .Let’s forget it~
Can old Morgan's driver be short of this amount of money~?
hehe~
. . .
When David walked to the door, the door of the big house opened from the inside~
A tall, thin, tall middle-aged man bowed slightly to David and asked in an authentic London accent.
"Are you Mr. David Coleman?"
"I am~"
"Please, come with me~"
"..."
David nodded, followed the middle-aged man who walked "butler's pace", walked through the hall, and turned into a corridor.
At the end of the corridor, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler gently opened a door and made an invitation gesture to David.
David walked to the door, looked inside a few times, and asked.
"This is..?"
"Please, wait here~"
“Dinner is ready!”
"Gentlemen, come downstairs immediately."
"..ok!"
David nodded and stepped into this "rest room" with simple and elegant interior furnishings?
. . .
ten minutes later.
There was a sound of footsteps and voices in the corridor.
David put down a delicate ivory-looking ornament in his hand, did a few chest expansion exercises, opened his mouth wide so that his facial muscles could relax more, and was ready for "battle"~
at the door.
Old Morgan, who was walking at the front, opened the door, waved to David, and smiled.
"Come on, kid, let's go have dinner~"
"Ok!"
David walked out of the room "obediently", nodded to Julie and Wisler behind old Morgan, and followed the three of them to a super large one. .Dining room! ?
. . .
In this restaurant, which is more than half the size of a basketball court, apart from a long dining table and many chairs, there are only some decorative paintings on the walls. .
So empty~
If we talk loudly or quarrel here, will there be any response?
Emm. .
David, who was walking at the back of the group, also came to the dining table, smiled and nodded his thanks to the waitress who pulled out a chair for him, and sat down. .
Among the three old men named Morgan, Wisler, the owner of the big house who was sitting in the main seat, glanced at Julie who was sitting next to David and smiled.
"David, you were in London today, how was your time?"
“Very good~”
"It's just... the expenses are a bit too high~"
"...Hahahaha~"
Julie (Judith K. Morgan), who was wearing an old-fashioned suit and a tie at the collar, pointed at David with her hand and laughed and cursed.
"You bastard boy, it turns out... you are still a Grandet?"
"No no no~"
"Money? Isn't it just for spending it when you earn it?"
“I just think it’s such a waste to spend that money on meaningless repeated consumption~”
"Oh ~ repeat consumption?!"
"Hmm...what new ideas have you come up with?"
"No~"
"My stomach is already empty!"
Julie laughed, turned to the housekeeper standing behind Wisler, and said.
"Hurry up and serve the food~"
"Otherwise, this kid would still complain~"
"Okay, sir~"
The butler bowed slightly, turned and walked towards the door of the restaurant.
David turned his head and looked at the waiters who followed the butler out, and suddenly he had some bad premonition~
"Squeak~ touch!"
The sound of the door closing, which was not a loud sound at first, sounded extraordinarily loud in this empty restaurant. .Weird? !
David licked his lips twice, looked from the calm old Morgan to Julie, and asked softly.
"We... what are we having for dinner?"
"...Okay, boy~"
"Let's seize the time and get down to business first!"
Julie put away her joking expression and said to Old Morgan.
"The North Sea oil fields located between the island of England and the European continent are just a general term."
"It includes the Groningen oil field discovered in 59, the Egerfisk oil field discovered in 69, and the Brent oil field discovered in 71."
"The natural environment in the North Sea is very harsh. Basically, there are more than ten sea tornadoes and violent heavy rains every year."
"The British government has done its best to explore and exploit oil and natural gas in the North Sea~"
"It has been preliminarily proven that the total oil reserves in the North Sea oil fields can reach more than 30 billion tons, and the total natural gas reserves exceed 2 trillion cubic meters!"
"Since the end of 76, when the Brent oil field produced its 1000 millionth barrel of oil, the total amount of oil purchased by the UK in the Middle East has continued to decline~"
"Having tasted the sweetness, the British government plans to build three more offshore mining platforms in the North Sea oil fields, preparing to continue to reduce its dependence on imported oil from the Middle East and complete the ideal state of self-sufficiency in petroleum products."
"However, this large oil field hidden under the North Sea does not only belong to the British family~"
“Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and other countries are also actively looking for locations suitable for establishing mining platforms at sea, and are preparing to carve up this huge oil cake~”
When Julie said this, she looked at Wisler.
Wisler pondered for a moment and then said: "According to our experts' estimates, the daily production of Brent Oil Field will reach a peak in 4 to 5 years!"
"Its average daily output may exceed 50 barrels!"
"And its total recoverable volume is expected to exceed 25 billion barrels~"
"25 billion!?" Old Morgan repeated the number softly.
David quickly calculated in his mind, took a deep breath, and said in surprise.
"Hi~"
"Can the Brent oil field continue to be exploited for decades without being depleted?"
"Wouldn't it mean that the UK has transformed into the second Saudi Arabia?"
"Haha~ It's not that simple!" Julie directly exposed David's "prophecy"~
"The Brent oil field is just a part of the North Sea oil field~"
"It is impossible for the UK not to rely on OPEC countries for oil supply with just one Brent oil field!"
"However...if the Brent Oilfield can reach its peak daily production of 50 barrels as soon as possible~"
"In this oil crisis, we will turn our main target to European countries other than the UK!"
"..."
Old Morgan and Wisler both nodded silently, thinking about the turning point that the Brent Oil Field had brought to the overall plan~
David looked down at the tableware that had been placed in front of him, thought for a moment, stood up, took off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, rolled up his shirt cuffs, and sat down again without hesitation. .
Under the different looks of the three old Morgan men, he shrugged and smiled.
"The heating here is very strong, I'm a little too hot~"
"hot?"
Among the three old Morgan men, Julie, who reacted the fastest, frowned tightly.
He repeated one word repeatedly in a low voice: "hot~hot!"
Old Morgan also frowned, seemed to have thought of something, and asked David.
"Spot goods?"
"Warm up!"
"We already bought it!"
"Then...continue to spend again!"
"..."
Wisler also frowned, tapped the table with his fingers, and whispered.
“The leverage is too high and the risk is too high!”
"Hehe~"
David chuckled, spread his hands, and said, "Risks are everywhere!"
"I feel hot, I can take off my clothes~"
"I feel cold, I can put my coat back on~"
"but!"
"My subjective feeling is that there is a lag!"
"If... everyone could predict in advance that they would catch a cold, then there would be no more people in the world dying of cold, right!?"
"Then... who will consume cold medicine specially developed by pharmaceutical companies?"
It was quiet in the restaurant.
The three old Morgan men stared at David neatly and silently without speaking~
David calmly unbuttoned another shirt and asked with a smile.
"When can we start dinner?"
"I'm hungry!"
"..."