Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 377: Negotiations with the 375 Consortium, Appraisal and Pawning of Treasures, Signing of Contract in Paris
Negotiations are underway regarding a massive $1 million loan.

Oliver took out documents from his briefcase and stated, "Hello, Mr. Fang Wen, your loan request goes beyond the scope of ordinary commercial loans. Even a single consortium would find it difficult to make a decision on such a huge loan. Therefore, the Rockefeller Consortium, the Morgan Consortium, and the Mellon Consortium have decided to invest jointly. I am the special representative sent here to conduct preliminary investigations and communications. I hope you can answer some of my questions."

Fang Wen nodded.

The Rockefeller Group primarily invests in the oil industry, with ExxonMobil being one of its controlled businesses.

The Morgan financial group is primarily engaged in the financial industry, and the Whitney family has close ties with it.

The Mellon Group has a strong presence in the aluminum processing and oil refining industries. Due to the aluminum alloys purchased by the aircraft manufacturing plant, Fang Wen has extensive financial dealings with Alcoa, which is under his name.

Therefore, it is not surprising that the Mellon Group joined this investment, after all, it has a certain understanding of Taishan Airlines' strength.

If Fang Wen can reassure the three conglomerates, then the $1 million investment can be secured.

Oliver looked at the contents of the document and asked:
"Our first question is to know your true strength, Mr. Fang. Please tell us what assets you actually possess?"

Fang Wen nodded, pressed the doorbell on the table, and said to Chuncao who came in, "Have Manager Liu come over and tell him to bring up my business information."

After Chuncao left, Fang Wen chatted with Whitney and Oliver.

Not long after, Manager Liu came in with a stack of documents.

He showed the documents one by one, and Fang Wen explained them in English.

"These are share registration documents with the Bank of England, as well as property documents in France, Turkey, the Pahlavi Kingdom, Afghanistan, and other places, to prove that I own 100% of all the interests in Taishan Eurasia."

"This is the equity certificate of Taishan Airlines Huaxia Branch. Taishan Eurasia owns 50% of the shares of Huaxia Branch."

"In addition, America Investment, a subsidiary of Taishan Eurasia, owns 60% of Taishan International, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange."

"Two years ago, Taishan International acquired Taishan Amusement Park, a Las Vegas gaming company, through a share issuance. This is also a company under my name, and I still hold a 25% stake in it."

Oliver carefully took notes as the documents were presented.

After taking notes, he replied, "Mr. Fang, we already have a certain understanding of your assets. Even including your businesses in the United States, it does not exceed $1000 million. Your request for a $1 million loan is beyond our safety limits, and we cannot use a mortgage loan to balance the risk."

This is a very serious problem.

Generally, loans cannot exceed one times the borrower's net worth, which means that even asset collateral cannot cover the risk, let alone a loan of 10 times the assets.

Fang Wen was not in a hurry about this.

He understood that Oliver's presence here meant he wanted to finalize the loan, and there would definitely be other things to discuss afterward.

Indeed, Oliver changed the subject after discussing the risks.

“Money plays an extraordinary role in secular society, but it is not the most important thing in other respects. Mr. Fang is a legendary person. You have something that money cannot buy, yet you are willing to use it for trade. I admire your behavior. Therefore, I have brought a new form of collateral, using holy blood and holy objects as collateral, but it alone is not enough.”

So that's where their trump card was.

For conglomerates that have amassed vast wealth, money is no longer that important to them.

Having more money than you can spend in a lifetime and then spending all your time thinking about how to make more money is not something every super-rich person would want to do.

But besides spending money to enjoy themselves, there's not much else they can do.

Putting aside the question of whether the amber cross could grant longevity or eternal youth, the mere fact that they could access such a mysterious item was enough to make it irresistible to them.

But one amber cross is not enough, after all, this $1 million is equivalent to $300 billion in the future.

It seems I need to show more sincerity.

Fang Wen got up, walked out of his office, and went to the deputy general manager's office next door to talk to his wife: "Bring that four-faced golden Buddha over."

“Keep the things here; it’s safer here than at home.” Kuang Mingzhu turned around and opened the hidden door in the wall behind her, taking out a four-faced golden Buddha wrapped in yellow cloth from the safe inside.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen and his wife returned to their office with the four golden Buddhas, showing them to Oliver along with the amber cross.

Upon seeing the two treasures, Oliver became excited, put on his glasses, and even took out a magnifying glass to examine them closely.

Clearly, his true identity is not that of an investment representative.

The office was quiet, everyone waiting for Oliver's test results.

Oliver, holding the amber cross, examined it for a moment before speaking:
"It's probably not amber, but an object made using an ancient resin technique. The cross it encases exhibits distinct Armenian cultural characteristics. The dried, blood-drop-like substance hidden inside can only be seen under specific refractive indices. This technique is shrouded in mystery, and only a select few in Armenian civilization possess it."

He looked up and asked Whitney with a puzzled expression, "Why don't I feel the kind of adoration you're talking about?"

Whitney shrugged and shook her head, indicating that she didn't know either.

Fang Wendao said, "This might be related to faith. Whitney was a Christian, and this cross is one of the earliest things passed down from Christian civilization. There should be a connection between the two."

In response, Oliver analyzed, "If it's about faith, I know what to do. Let me recall that state."

He held the cross in both hands and bowed his head in prayer.

Gradually, his whole body began to tremble slightly.

After a while, he put down the cross, looked up, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's true! When I tried to pray sincerely, I felt as if I was being watched. At that moment, I was both terrified and longing, and my body and mind felt as if they had been purified."

The emergence of yet another person influenced by the cross because of their faith demonstrates that the amber cross truly possesses miraculous power.

Fang Wen was secretly surprised. The amber cross had absorbed all the energy, yet it still had power. If it hadn't absorbed any energy, would it have been even more powerful when taken out?

An image flashed through his mind: the ancient Armenian civilization, where kings or bishops held aloft amber crosses, and a large crowd worshipped below.

Clearing his mind, he said, "The wonder of the amber cross has been confirmed. Now let's look at this four-faced golden Buddha."

Oliver put down the amber cross and carefully picked up the four golden Buddha statues to examine them.

"I know nothing about Eastern religions except that I find their craftsmanship exquisite."

“I know a little,” Kuang Mingzhu replied. “This four-faced golden Buddha was purchased by my family from a local Siamese person many years ago and later given to my husband. My family has also looked into its origin. The workmanship and style of the Buddha statue are from the Sukhothai Kingdom in the late Angkor Dynasty. Before that, the Kingdom of Thailand was the territory of the Angkor Dynasty, and the four-faced Buddha statue was brought from India by the Khmer people.”

Oliver shook his head: "Even ancient artifacts can't be like the amber cross. I need to know what kind of mysterious properties it might have."

Fang Wen pondered this while resting his chin on his hand.

Both the four-faced golden Buddha and the amber cross are items imbued with the energy of faith.

Even without the power of faith, it should still possess extraordinary qualities.

However, it may not have the same function as an amber cross.

Moreover, because the Angkor Dynasty worshipped Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, the prototype of the four-faced golden Buddha was not Buddha, but Brahma.

What could its hidden features be?

Fang Wen picked up the four golden Buddha statues.

Without any mystical energy, a golden Buddha is merely a cold, lifeless object in one's hand.

Fang Wen had an idea and tried to input the mysterious energy into the golden Buddha in reverse.

Under this reverse energy input, changes seemed to occur inside the four-faced golden Buddha.

As if struck by a sudden inspiration, Fang Wen understood how to apply it.

No wonder it has been passed down and worshipped for so many years; its function must be to produce some kind of healing energy. At this point, Fang Wen spoke up: "Anyone who is feeling unwell can try it; it can relieve pain."

Hearing her husband say this, Kuang Mingzhu remembered something and exclaimed, "Yes, when we bought it, that family was reluctant to part with it, saying it could protect the family from disasters and illnesses. Could it be true?"

"You'll know once you try it. Mingzhu, why don't you give it a try?" Fang Wen said with a smile.

Kuang Mingzhu quickly shook her head.

Manager Liu said, "Then I'll give it a try. I've been working at my desk all the time these past two years, and my back is killing me."

Fang Wen turned the four-faced Buddha towards Manager Liu and pressed down on the Buddha's head.

Suddenly, an invisible force enveloped Manager Liu, and he couldn't help but groan comfortably.

A few minutes later, the invisible force disappeared, and Manager Liu opened his eyes.

"My back doesn't seem to hurt anymore."

"I'm afraid it's only temporary. There's no magic cure in the world, Lao Liu. You still need to get treatment if you're sick," Fang Wen advised.

"Yes, but this statue is very useful. It might not be a good idea to use it as collateral," Manager Liu said in a low voice.

If the energy of the statue had not been absorbed by Fang Wen, it would have been very useful. But now, it relies on the energy that Fang Wen feeds back, so it can only be used 6-7 times at most, and it can only relieve the pain, not cure the root cause.

Fang Wen certainly wouldn't keep it for himself; he wasn't so extravagant as to use the energy in his body to treat others.

He didn't explain, but secretly tugged at Manager Liu's collar. Manager Liu immediately understood that there must be something fishy going on, and stopped trying to dissuade him.

At that moment, Oliver eagerly approached and asked, "Can it cure diseases?"

"It should be. If you have any ailments, you can try it too," Fang Wen replied with a smile.

Oliver nodded quickly. "I fell off a horse last year and broke my right leg. I still experience pain from it often."

Fang Wen aligned the face of the Four-Faced Buddha, which represents compassion, with Oliver and pressed down on the Buddha's head.

Under the influence of an unseen force, Oliver experienced the same feeling as Manager Liu.

A few minutes later, he withdrew from it, touching his right leg in surprise: "It doesn't hurt at all anymore, it really works."

After confirming the miraculous properties of the amber cross and the four-faced golden Buddha, the massive $1 million loan proceeded to the substantive stage.

Oliver reported what he knew to the U.S. side through the commercial telegraph room of Taishan Airlines.

The wealthy tycoons in the United States, despite possessing immense riches, had never seen such a wondrous object.

There must be other amazing things in this world, but no one will bring them out; they are treasures that money can't buy.

Now that they have the opportunity, of course they won't give it up.

The loan agreement was quickly reached through telegram exchanges.

Fang Wen used two items as collateral to obtain a loan worth $1 million.

However, this loan cannot be paid out in one lump sum.

The agreement stipulates that the first loan is US$2000 million, and the lender will conduct an investigation after the loan is disbursed to ensure that the funds are used correctly before disbursing the second loan amount.

In other words, the $5 million loan will be paid in five installments. If any problems are discovered during the process, the US will take immediate action to stop the loss and halt further loan disbursements.

That's fine too.

Fang Wen now has a very strong desire for funds. During wartime, only a large amount of funds can enable him to do everything he wants.

He and Oliver will then depart from Wuhan and fly to Paris.

The two parties will sign the loan agreement in Paris and complete the collateralization, while obtaining the first tranche of $2000 million in loans.

Mid-December, Wuhan.

Fang Wen is about to go abroad.

Before leaving, Fang Wen made arrangements for various matters in China.

As for Taishan Airlines, everything is proceeding according to the plan outlined in the previous meeting, so there's no need to worry.

The troops in Fuping continued construction and training.

The fighter squadrons returning to Xi'an had other combat missions.

Now that Nanjing has fallen and the north has entered the depths of winter, the Japanese army is preparing to attack Jinan.

Jinan took the initiative to call, requesting support from the Taishan Flight Team. Although Fang Wen himself could not personally participate in the battle because of the loan signing, he still ordered the fighter squadron to send 5 aircraft to Zhoujiakou Airport to support Jinan together with the Sixth Air Group.

After arranging everything, Fang Wen, along with his bodyguard Gong Xiuneng, Oliver and Whitney, and two assistants, flew to Paris in a private jet.

After two days, I arrived in Paris.

After the plane landed, Oliver and Whitney and their entourage left first.

Before leaving, Oliver said, "Mr. Fang, don't forget that the signing ceremony is scheduled for the Ritz Hotel tomorrow at noon. We're leaving now."

After they left.

Fang Wen, carrying a briefcase containing an amber cross and a four-faced golden Buddha, went to the Paris branch with Gong Xiuneng.

At the Paris branch, the company's two lawyers had been waiting there for some time.

The two lawyers nervously explained their preparations to Fang Wen, clearly finding it difficult to remain calm when dealing with loan contracts worth up to $1 million.

After listening to their report, Fang Wen smiled and told them to relax, then went with Gong Xiuneng to rest in the pilots' dormitory at the Paris branch.

Another day has passed.

The next morning, Fang Wen got up early and handed the suitcase to Gong Xiuneng.

And he instructed:

"Today's signing is very important. Especially the contents of the briefcase, they must not be damaged or damaged, you must keep a close eye on them."

Gong Xiuneng gripped the suitcase handle tightly and nodded vigorously.

He was well aware that this was equivalent to more than a dozen loan contracts with Taishan Airlines, and the collateral for these contracts was in the suitcase he was carrying.

The two then left the room and got into the car provided by the Paris branch, while the two lawyers also set off first in another car.

Fang Wen started the car and simultaneously activated the mechanical sensing system.

Today's signing is very important to him; there can't be any problems.

While in a state of mechanical awareness, he drove the car while observing his surroundings, remaining cautious and vigilant.

But no accident occurred until they arrived at the Ritz Hotel.

(End of this chapter)