industrial lord

Chapter 797 For a Shared Vision

The day finally arrived for the delegation from the Duchy of Wessen to arrive.

On the platform, the brand-new red carpet was bright and eye-catching.

The members of the civic band were dressed in neatly pressed formal attire, looking energetic, and their instruments were polished to a shine.

The city's most handsome men and beautiful women, handpicked from the best, dressed in brightly colored clothes and holding bouquets made of colorful paper, stood ready by the red carpet.

Holleček, Jori, Delnecke, and the city hall's main officials, all dressed in formal attire, stood at the front of the red carpet, their solemn expressions tinged with a barely perceptible tension.

A long, drawn-out whistle sounded from afar, and the steel behemoth, spewing thick white steam, slowly pulled into the platform.

The emblem of the Weisen Principality's train manufacturing plant on the locomotive—a double-headed eagle on the rails—gleams in the sunlight.

The train came to a complete stop, and the carriage doors opened.

Holleček and his team immediately went to greet them, with several secretaries following behind their leader with guest lists, ready to introduce the guests as needed.

The first to arrive was a middle-aged man of medium build, wearing a well-fitting dark coat, with a shrewd smile on his face; this was Hojenproz.

His gaze swept over the red carpet and the band, and he extended his hand to Holleček and others, shaking hands with each of them.

Following closely behind him as he stepped out of the carriage was a figure as tall as an iron tower.

Spike, a chicken farm owner, had to stoop and bend over to squeeze through the truck door. When he stood up, he was almost a head taller than everyone around him, and his broad shoulders could almost block out the sun, giving off an invisible sense of oppression.

Holleček noticed that the welcoming carriage, which had been specially widened and heightened beforehand, still seemed somewhat cramped.

Next came a capable-looking lady, Mrs. Rhea, dressed simply yet elegantly, her gaze calmly observing her surroundings.

When Delnets saw Rhea, his eyes shone with adoration.

Rhea's husband, Baron Metzger, the "Emperor's Slayer," was a butcher by trade. He achieved great success under the discerning eye and promotion of the Grand Duke of Wessen, and was the idol of butchers like Delnets.

The last one was a smiling, slightly overweight man, who was none other than Hoffman.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries and introductions, Hozenproz smiled and said to Holleček, "Mr. Mayor, you are very well prepared."

"We feel incredibly honored by the red carpet and the music."

"It is an honor for the city of Budvis to have you all come from afar."

Holleček responded politely, but inwardly he felt slightly tense because the other person seemed to have seen through everything.

As the mayor exchanged pleasantries with the other guests, Hojenproz's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on a familiar figure among the onlookers at the very edge.

Thomas was transferred to a new territory in the Duchy of Wessen after the war on the trade routes. Although he corresponded with Hojenproz after that, they rarely met.

They never expected to meet here.

The two simply nodded slightly as a greeting.

Hojenproz thought to himself that Thomas's absence from the mayor's group meant he hadn't been exposed.

Thomas knew that Hojenproz and the others were the main characters on stage today, so he shouldn't try to steal the spotlight.

The welcoming ceremony proceeded as planned.

The band played the "Welcome March," its powerful rhythm echoing across the platform.

The host and guests walked side by side on the red carpet toward the newly decorated carriage outside the station.

Holleček accompanied Högenproz onto the first carriage.

Delnets respectfully opened the car door and invited Rhea into the car, then stood behind the car, in the servants' quarters.

Spike and Hoffman were accompanied by local tax officials and judges, respectively, and their entourage and luggage were transported by private vehicles without any omissions.

The guests found the carriage well-prepared, spacious, with comfortable seats, and even cushions and fixed drink holders.

The carriage slowly started moving and passed through the main street of Boudvis.

The streets were lined with citizens who had been temporarily assigned to the area. They waved homemade flags and looked on with curiosity and anticipation.

Some important building facades also underwent simple cleaning and decoration.

Looking out the window, Hojenproz suddenly said, "Mayor Holleček, it's clear you've put a lot of thought into this inspection."

His tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was praise or something else.

Holleček's mind raced, and he decided to be more frank: "Mr. Senator, the city of Budvis is eager to develop and values ​​the opportunity to cooperate with the Duchy of Wessen."

"We may not be prosperous enough, but we have sincerity and determination."

"All the preparations we've made are aimed at showcasing our city and the potential for collaboration to everyone in a comprehensive and authentic way."

Hojenproz nodded slightly and replied, "Sincerity can be felt."

“Especially that project investment plan. I glanced at it in the car and it was very targeted, unlike some places that just talk about things in general terms.”

Holleček felt somewhat relieved, knowing that the investment white paper and project proposal, which he had worked through the night to complete and had been delivered to the Duchy of Wessen by a special envoy, had served its purpose. The guests, weary from their journey, rested briefly at the prepared inn, before a grand banquet was held at the city hall that evening.

Just as Holleczek and the others breathed a sigh of relief, new news arrived.

Several seemingly ordinary out-of-town businessmen went to the hotel where Hojenproz and his group were staying and were quickly taken inside.

The local officials exchanged bewildered glances, realizing that these people must be intelligence agents scouting ahead, and that their every move had been observed.

“This is a good thing,” Jori said, setting the tone. “We have all seen the sincerity of both sides.”

As expected, during the dinner, the guests were pleased with the sincerity shown by Budvis City and expressed their confidence that a good cooperation could be achieved between the two parties.

What pleased local officials even more was yet to come.

After the polite remarks, Hojenproz stood up and gently tapped his wine glass, the crisp sound gradually quieting the noisy banquet hall.

With a shrewd yet sincere smile typical of businessmen, he glanced at the officials from Budvis City, local business representatives, and his companions.

This was an unplanned event, and local officials and representatives were somewhat taken aback.

After bowing slightly to Holleček and the others, Hojenproz said, "Respected Mayor Holleček, distinguished friends of Budvis City, I am deeply honored to stand here tonight, facing such warm hospitality and sincere faces."

"Everyone is very concerned about what we brought."

"Merchants in the Duchy of Wesen are pragmatic and efficient in their dealings."

"Therefore, I don't want to go into too much empty talk, but rather I would like to share our investment ideas with you here."

Holleczek and the others immediately sat up straight and looked at Hozenproz intently.

"We plan to build a modern industrial park in Budevis City that integrates food processing and down jacket production!" Hojenproz announced loudly.

"This is not a simple collection of isolated projects, but an interconnected and collaborative industrial ecosystem."

He paused briefly to allow the grand concept to settle in the minds of the audience before beginning his detailed explanation.

Hojenprozlan gestured to the burly young man and said in a steady and clear voice, "First of all, the source of the industry is poultry from farms."

“Our friend, Mr. Spike, will invest in building several modern, high-density chicken farms here that follow Wesson standards.”

"This not only means a stable supply of poultry and eggs, but more importantly, Mr. Spike will also provide a full range of technical support to duck farmers around Budvis City, and even farmers interested in livestock farming, including selected breeding stock, disease prevention drugs, and efficient feeding."

"We want to move local poultry and livestock farming from the traditional free-range model to a new stage of large-scale and standardized operations."

A round of applause erupted around the table. The locals barely understood the new vocabulary, but they knew enough about how the Duchy of Wessen made money.

Then Hojenproz gestured to the capable businesswoman on the other side and said enthusiastically, "Livestock farming cannot do without good feed."

"Lady Rhea's feed mill will establish a new production line here."

"On the one hand, she will utilize the high-quality local resources to produce health-enhancing and nourishing flour."

"On the other hand, she will rely on Mr. Spike's technical standards and local raw materials to produce high-quality compound feed suitable for chickens, ducks, pigs, cattle and sheep, ensuring the quality and cost advantage of our subsequent processed products from the source."

Delnets was immediately excited. His slaughterhouse slaughtered four-legged animals, while his customers' businesses only involved two-legged animals, so there wasn't much conflict. Moreover, he had a network connecting pig, cattle, and sheep farmers. If he could sell feed through this network, he would make a fortune.

At this point, Hojenproz raised his voice slightly, pointed to himself, and said, "And here I will be the core processing link of the entire chain."

"I plan to build four factories simultaneously: a modern centralized poultry slaughterhouse that meets the highest hygiene standards, a meat cannery that can produce a variety of flavors and is easy to store and transport, and a down processing plant that performs deep cleaning, disinfection and sorting of feathers."

"Besides these three companies, I also want to establish a finished product manufacturing plant for down jackets, down comforters, and other end products!"

"We will transform the high-quality poultry produced here into canned goods that sell well all over the world; and we will carefully process the duck and goose down that was once neglected or even discarded here into down clothing and bedding that can withstand the cold, are lightweight and warm, so that the warmth of Budevis City can reach a wider world!"

The applause rang out once again, like thunder.

Finally, Hojenproz looked at Hoffmann, who was silent but always smiling, and continued, "And the stable operation of all these factories is inseparable from solid guarantees."

“My other partner, Mr. Hoffman, will set up a branch here in his four-leaf clover metal products processing plant.”

"His mission is twofold: first, to provide stable and reliable equipment parts support and maintenance services for all the factories mentioned above, ensuring the smooth operation of the production lines; and second, to leverage his technological advantages to produce some metal tools and daily necessities urgently needed in the local market, enriching the commodity supply in Budvis City and gradually cultivating local precision machining capabilities."

Hojenproz surveyed the room again, his tone becoming passionate and persuasive:
"Ladies and gentlemen, please look, this is the blueprint we envision."

"It is not an isolated enterprise, but a complete closed loop from the source of breeding, to feed supply, to deep processing, to mechanical support and market terminals!"

"It will create a large number of jobs, drive the upgrading of local agriculture, bring advanced technology and management experience, and promote the products of Budvis City to the Bohemian region, the Principality of Wessen and even more distant markets with higher added value."

“What we bring is not just gold coins, but a complete industrial model that can generate its own revenue and achieve sustainable development.”

"We look forward to working hand in hand with our friends in Budvis City to truly build this place into a new regional hub for the food and light industry!"

"To this shared vision, to the hopeful tomorrow of Budvis, I propose a toast!"

He raised his glass high, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for wealth.

"May our cooperation be as mellow as this fine wine, and as solid as this future industrial park! Cheers!"

(End of this chapter)