I am a master in India

Chapter 84 The Reasons for Having to Do It

Mumbai finally felt a bit cooler in December, but it was just a matter of a coat.

The temperature of over 20 degrees Celsius is even considered early summer in other places.

Ron hurriedly threw a thin shirt over himself and got into Anand's taxi.

The place they were going to was in central Mumbai, which was actually considered a suburb and at least thirty kilometers away from the fortress area.

"Ron, do you really want to be the landlord?"

“Yes, it will be my first asset.”

“What are you going to do with that land?”

"It used to be a textile factory, and I plan to convert it into an electrical appliance factory."

"An electrical appliance factory? I thought you were going to rent it to farmers. I know a lot of good farmers in the rural areas in the northern part of the state."

"What are you thinking? This is Mumbai. It may be a suburb, but it's the suburb of India's largest city!"

"Well, actually, not only am I a good tour guide, I'm also good at farming, but not at factories."

Ron couldn't help laughing after hearing his explanation.

Anand once talked about his hometown, which is a remote rural area in the northern part of Maharashtra.

His father was a village chief and was highly respected. Unfortunately, Anand did not inherit his mantle and chose to come to Mumbai instead.

There are many young people like this in India. They would rather live in slums than return to the countryside where they have nothing.

"I just can't understand it, Ron. You have your own company and you make a lot of money, so why would you run a factory?"

"Where does our main income come from?" Ron asked.

"Foreigners, of course."

"more specific."

"Commission, and foreign currency." Anand answered while driving.

"Yes, foreign currency. How do we change it after we get it?"

"Of course it's for Khad Khan. He has a good price!"

"That's the problem!" Ron snapped his fingers.

"What's the problem?" Anand shook his head. "The black market exchange rate is low again?"

"That's one aspect, but it's not the main point. A large part of our profits depend on the foreign exchange black market, which is not our territory."

No matter how the exchange rate changes, the black market is the most profitable business. This is true for Ron and Hardhan.

It is so important, and the profits it brings make everyone who understands its rules eye it covetously.

"Ron, did something happen?" Anand asked anxiously.

"No, I'm just saving for a rainy day."

"I don't understand. We are cooperating well with Khad Khan now."

"That's because we haven't grown big yet. When the company monopolizes most of the foreign tourists in Mumbai one day, problems will arise."

Hardhan once joked with him: Ron, your company has linked half of my men together.

It might really have been just a joke, or even a compliment, but Ron often tensed up because of it.

This is not a good thing. When his company monopolizes most of the foreign customers, it also indirectly monopolizes most of the foreign currency inflow in the black market.

Where would Khadhan's men collect the money then? Would Ron be willing to give up the difference?
Or even if he wanted to, would Khad Khan still trust him as much as he does today?
He was very weak now, and had already reached a gentleman's agreement with Khad Khan. But once his power grew, the balance would inevitably be challenged.

Ron has no interest in Mumbai's underground black market, nor does he want to be a gangster. This is not his ambition.

So from the very first time he met Hadhan, Ron was consciously looking for other ways.

Of course, the tourism business is good. The market is almost blank and there are no competitors.

But the prerequisite is to be able to operate safely and stably. The black market is an inevitable obstacle. The larger the scale, the more obvious the conflict. There is no need. He does not need to compete with the gangs for the foreign exchange black market.

He has a longer-term vision and many plans for the future in his mind. All he lacks is the initial capital accumulation.

Now he can take a small step forward. This trip to buy land is the beginning of his future plans.

As for the travel company, he will continue to run it, but it probably won't be the protagonist in the future.

In the taxi, Anand was still thinking about Ron's words. His intuition told him that there was something wrong, but he couldn't tell what.

"Ron, are you worried about the future battle for territory with Khad Khan?"

"You are not that stupid, Anand."

"I don't understand. Why can't we cooperate? Just like now."

"Because this kind of thing is not decided by him and me alone. I run a company, and he has a whole gang behind him."

"So what? Indians are kind and righteous. We can just discuss it in advance."

"What did I just say about you?"

"Um, am I not that stupid?"

"No, I take that back!"

Amidst the clamor, the taxi arrived. The area outside was even more desolate than Ron had imagined, completely unworthy of the term "suburban area of ​​a metropolis."

Looking around, the nearby residential areas are sparsely populated, without even a proper building, only dilapidated bungalows and shacks.

Outside the residential area, there are many wastelands and woods, and Sharma's textile factory is located nearby.

The factory building there looked deserted, with weeds growing everywhere in the corners and yarn, rags, and dismantled machine parts scattered on the ground.
Ron turned and looked to the south. The bustling Bombay Metropolitan Building was only a vague outline visible from here.

This doesn't look like a suburb; it's just an upgraded version of a rural village. But geographically, it's in the heart of Mumbai.

Outrageous, so fucking outrageous.

The city center road beneath their feet was bumpy and uneven, with long-uncleared garbage piled up on both sides. The occasional passerby looked at them with timid curiosity.

The only advantage is that it is not far from the beach, so they can hear the sound of the waves. Because the sea breeze blows from time to time, there is no unpleasant smell like the streets of South Mumbai.

Ahhh, fresh air, Ron finally found something to praise.

By the way, the Bollywood studios are not far from here, it's just northwest of this damn place.

Remember what Kavya said then? From Bollywood to downtown Mumbai, that's called going back to the city.

Even local Indians don't think this is the city of Mumbai, which shows how remote Sharma's textile factory is.

Anand parked the taxi on the side of the road and they prepared to enter the factory on foot.

The scattered debris blocked the way, and even motorcycles couldn't get in, let alone cars.

Before reaching the entrance of the textile factory, Ron saw a man in a turban waiting there.

"Is it Mr. Soul?"

"Yes." Ron nodded.

"Mr. Sharma asked me to show you around. We have to hurry before the workers notice."

"What do you mean, where is he?"

"He can't come here. Someone is watching him. That would be bad."

Ron and Anand looked at each other, well, things were worse than they thought.

"Lead the way then, we have a lot to see."

Ron was not planning to just take a quick look; this was the basis for his next plan.

(End of this chapter)