Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

Rhine Life Sciences would never do something that would harm a friend.

So, when Wayne confidently patted his chest and declared, "That's right, I do have some influence here,"

Upon hearing this, Miss Menes simply smiled slightly, but still shook her head and said:

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Wayne. Rhine Labs is very fortunate to have a friend like you in this time of crisis. However, the Mayor is a count, and Rhine Labs will not trouble a friend. We appreciate your kindness, Mr. Wayne, but we will not trouble you with this matter. You are very welcome to visit Rhine Labs at any time. Miss Fiona often talks about you and Lady Kal'tsit during her treatment."

"Uh... it's really not a big deal."

Wayne scratched his head. He didn't know why Menes was making it sound like something serious. It had even escalated to the level of "causing trouble for Wayne."

In Victoria, there aren't many things that could cause Wayne trouble. Vina's tantrums are one, making Theresa angry is another, and the only remaining possibility is a joint rebellion by the military, the political establishment, and the royal family. But is that possible? That's impossible.

What is Menes worried about?

But the Miss Chief had clearly refused his offer to help, and Wayne wasn't one to fawn over others, so he simply shrugged and moved on from the topic.

"How's Fiona doing lately?" Wayne asked with concern.

After rescuing Fiona from the frontier, Wayne sent her to Rhine Lab for treatment. He couldn't take the child back to the palace, and the royal family wasn't her home. Having her receive treatment at Rhine Lab, cared for by Miss Himer, was the best possible outcome.

“Fiona is alright.” Menes nodded and said, “She still occasionally has moments of sudden absent-mindedness, but compared to two weeks ago when she couldn’t even walk or talk independently, she’s much better now.”

"It's truly amazing. Miss Fiona looks like a baby. She needs to relearn everything. She doesn't remember walking, talking, or even sometimes she suddenly falls into a trance, forgetting to blink. Apart from some fragmented memories, she remembers almost nothing. Thanks to the financial assistance from the Victoria Poverty Alleviation Foundation, we are able to provide her with the best treatment. Thankfully, she has a strong learning ability and is recovering some basic life skills. I believe that before long, she will be able to run in the sunshine like her peers again."

“The Victorian sun will always shine on her, no matter where she is.”

Wayne pursed his lips and nodded, saying that the funds collected from the wealthy in Colombia were ultimately used to save the lives of children whose lives had been destroyed by the greed of the Colombians. Victoria had done what it promised, and it was something its people could be proud of.

This is probably the true meaning of the British Empire. Victoria's greatness did not come from its vast territory or powerful army, but from the combined efforts of itself and its people. The people of the British Empire created the British Empire, and the brilliance of the British Empire will forever protect its people.

Long live the people.

As Wayne was reflecting on this, the argument in the city magistrate's office finally reached its climax. Count Doron dared not accept Director Henry's "gift," but he also couldn't resist Director Henry's desire to buy "security." In the end, he could only awkwardly push Menes, who was blocking the door, out of the office and run away.

Who would have thought that he, a dignified Earl of Victoria, would be so embarrassed because he dared not accept dirty money?

There's no other way; it's all for the sake of saving lives. It's not shameful!

However, before he could run a few steps out of the office, a chill that shot straight to his head made him stop abruptly, stumble and fall to the ground, shouting:

“Welcome, Your Highness the Prince of Wales! Jack Dorron, Earl of Dorronshire, Victoria, and Acting Mayor of New Wales, apologize for not greeting you properly, Your Highness.”

The movements were so fluid and the reaction so fast that Wayne didn't even have time to stop them.

In that instant, the atmosphere in the city hall froze. Director Henry, who had chased after her from his office, stood frozen in place, his small, wide eyes filled with utter bewilderment. Miss Menes, pushed aside, froze on her face with a smile, tilting her head and letting out a disoriented "Huh?" Count Doron, who had fallen to the ground, simply didn't get up, treating his fall as a gesture of apology to the royal family, perfectly maintaining his composure.

Only Wayne's lips twitched, and after a long while, he let out a helpless sigh.

Okay, I'm not pretending anymore. I am the Prince of Wales himself, I'm coming clean!

Chapter 89 I haven't done well enough, but I won't stop trying.

Is there some mistake regarding the fact that Rhine Life's former shareholder was actually the Prince of Wales, Victoria Aslan?

Miss Menes sat somewhat awkwardly on the sofa in the city magistrate's office. Around the tea table sat Menes, Henry, Earl of Dorron, and Wayne. It looked like a meeting was being held, but in reality, apart from Wayne, no one dared to speak first.

Henry was still in a daze. He wanted to ask Earl Dorron and Menes what had happened, why Wayne had suddenly appeared, and where the Prince of Wales was. Or perhaps, Wayne was...

Can't you?

Such a young prince? Such an unpretentious member of the royal family? And he's even a former shareholder of Rhine Life?

What about me? I was bribing a prince's subordinate on the prince's territory, and the prince caught me red-handed.

Openly using the Prince’s back door to support corrupt officials, corrupt the Victorian aristocracy and civil service system, and spread bad practices.

Good heavens, this would be at least fifteen years in Colombia, how many years would it be in Victoria?

I heard that Victoria has the death penalty, I hope I won't be used as an example to deter others.

But no one could answer his question; the young lady was still in a daze.

She remembered clearly that when Wayne first arrived at Rhine Life, she assured him that investing in Rhine Life would be the best decision he had ever made.

As a result, Rhine's life collapsed.

She added that one day in the future, all shareholders will be proud to be a part of Rhine Life.

Pride and honor? Enough already. If Mr. Wayne really is the Prince of Wales, then forget about being proud and honored for Rhine Labs. What does Rhine Labs even mean to him?

They are royalty with wealth spanning the globe. Victoria is such a large country, surely they can find a Rhine Lab? Even if they can't, with Victoria's funds, connections, and scientific education, what difficulty would it be to create a Rhine Lab on-site?

Menes spoke those words with her head held high and full of confidence, so much so that now, thinking back on it, her face still feels like it's been slapped hard and turned bright red.

Amidst her embarrassment, she also felt a little wronged. Who could have guessed that Mr. Wayne was such a good actor? A princess of such high standing, he not only lacked the common prejudice against Colombians, but he also had absolutely no airs. During his visit to Rhine Life, his enthusiastic demeanor was so convincing; not only did Menes not notice, but even someone as astute as Director Henry failed to see through it.

Menezes remembered that after the shareholders' meeting, Director Henry specifically sought her out and praised Wayne's performance at the meeting.

He seemed to say something like this: "You know that young man from Victoria, right? That kid has a lot of potential. Actually, the board members have always been quite critical of the price of the inhibitors. If we hadn't been working hard to advocate for it, the price of the inhibitors would have gone up. But that would have reduced the dividends for all the shareholders. To be honest, I've always been afraid that the shareholders' meeting wouldn't approve it."

"But guess what? This young man from Victoria, after hearing the news of the inhibitor, his eyes really lit up. That's the kind of light that only young people with dreams have. This young man has a bright future and will definitely achieve something, or even go further."

Looking at it now, regardless of whether Wayne cares about that small amount of bonus money, he has certainly achieved something, and as for going further...

Menes flashed an image of Wayne wearing a crown and holding a scepter in her mind, but she shook her head violently for only half a second to banish the image.

She dared not speak carelessly. Mr. Wayne's open-mindedness did not mean that Queen Victoria was so tolerant. It was said that succession disputes were an inevitable part of royal families. If she offended Her Majesty the Queen by speaking recklessly and implicated Mr. Wayne, Menes would probably regret it to death.

But no matter what these two had in mind, the most flustered person at this moment was Earl Doron, who was sitting to the side.

Count Doron was trembling from head to toe. His slightly plump body seemed to be doing aerobic exercise. His face turned red and white in turn, and cold sweat kept sliding down his forehead.

Wayne kept smiling, but the more Wayne smiled, the more flustered Count Doron became; the more Wayne tried to put them at ease, the more nervous Count Doron became.

He couldn't wait to run up to Wayne right now, burst into tears, and explain to Wayne that he really hadn't dared to take a single penny of the two leather suitcases on the house, or the stacks of Victoria gold coins inside them!

He was terrified of poverty when he was a child, but he really didn't ask for or spend a single penny of this money. He was scared!

Count Doron vowed that if he could explain himself clearly this time and keep his head on his neck, he would go home and eat Syracuse noodles with tomato sauce for a month to prove his frugal lifestyle and his irreconcilable stance against corrupt officials!

Will Wayne give him that opportunity?

With different thoughts in mind, the three of them simultaneously turned their gazes to Wayne. Seeing that no one spoke and everyone was staring at him, Wayne felt a little uneasy. He had no choice but to speak first:

"I understand the situation. There won't be a next time!"

He knows nothing. He knows absolutely nothing. But based on life experience, generally when everyone's eyes are on the leader, even if the leader knows nothing, saying something like this can handle most situations.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the terrified Henry breathed a sigh of relief, quickly closed the suitcase, and tossed it behind the sofa. Menes, worried that Wayne would bring up old grievances and cause her social demise, also breathed a sigh of relief. Although her face was still flushed, a hint of gratitude showed in her eyes. Earl Doron, who had escaped with his life, breathed a sigh of relief so heavily that he almost fainted. He vowed to cut off all illegal activities upon returning home, to be a proper earl, and never experience this kind of fear again.

With just one sentence, he saved three people. Wayne is a prince who is very good at speaking. With just one sentence, he can reassure three people with completely different ideas.

"I won't interfere in your affairs. You can handle it yourselves."

Wayne paused for a moment, then stated one of the main purposes of his trip:

“Since Mr. Henry, the director of Rhine Life, is here, I’ll save myself the trouble of making another trip. I’ll just say it directly: I’m here to order a batch of goods from Rhine Life.”

"goods?"

Henry was taken aback. What kind of goods does Rhine Life have? Rhine Life hasn't even obtained its business license yet, and hasn't officially started production. Where would it get any goods?

But Wayne nodded and said:

"To be precise, it's inventory. The Victorian government wants to buy the batch of Saver-type Oripathy inhibitors manufactured by Rhine Labs. I know you have a lot of inventory piling up in your warehouses, and rather than let it rot there, the Victorian government has decided to buy it all. Moreover, this will be a long-term order. The Victorian government will have priority in purchasing Saver and subsequent generations of Oripathy inhibitors manufactured by Rhine Labs, at a price of 1.25 times the market price of Oripathy inhibitors. After the inventory is depleted, the price for newly produced products will be 1.5 times. What do you think?"

how is it?

What else can we do? This is already an incredible benefit.

Henry, the director, had never experienced anything so good in his life. A government-signed a long-term contract for acquisition—that's practically impossible in Colombia! Glenn was implying that the government officials, seeing your business thriving, were afraid you'd become complacent. They'd even support a rival to fight you, hoping for a mutually destructive outcome. Forget about long-term acquisition contracts. They'd rather buy one company and then sell it, ensuring they get the newest and best for the least amount of money.

To be honest, if Wayne hadn't brought it up, Director Henry would have had to reluctantly dispose of that batch of Oripathy inhibitors. Unfortunately, the companies that had signed orders with Columbia collectively refused to accept the goods, leaving this large batch of inhibitors to rot in the warehouse. The daily cost of air conditioning and electricity for storage alone was a significant expense, which Rhine Life couldn't afford.

Now that the Victorian government is willing to take over the acquisition, that's fantastic news, and there's no reason for them to disagree. Moreover, the price is only 1.25 times the asking price, which, although slightly lower than the 1.5 times that Director Henry initially set, still seems like a loss-making deal.

In reality, the production cost of Oripathy inhibitors isn't high; the high cost is in research and development. The cost of the Savior is only about 1.2 times that of current Oripathy inhibitors on the market. While 1.25 times seems like a rock-bottom price, making a little less profit is better than letting it rot in the warehouse and losing everything, right? Besides, didn't His Highness Wayne say that once production resumes, the Victorian government will pay 1.5 times the price for newly produced Saviors?

As for whether the Victorian government might include traps in the contract, that's not something Henry can say. Rhine Life is now wholly owned by Victoria General Healthcare, which is one of those newly emerging "state-owned enterprises." State-owned enterprises, by definition, are state-owned enterprises. Would Victoria really cheat its own people?

Moreover, even if a trap was set, could Rhine Lab resist it? No, it couldn't. Since it couldn't resist, compared to being secretly and inexplicably tricked in Columbia, being openly tricked by Victoria was at least a way to die knowing why, wasn't it?

Henry quickly agreed:

"Of course, of course. But Your Highness, the government intends to take all these inhibitors..."

"That's not something you need to worry about."

Wayne gave a very serious rejection to the question.

Well, that's a very big deal.

In the short term, Wayne plans to find an opportunity to go to Rembitox and dig up Rhodes Island buried beneath that mine, and while he's at it, bring back that little rabbit head with hair covering its eyes. In the long term, however, this batch of Oripathy inhibitors is crucial to Theresa's throne and Victoria's grand plan for Kazdel!

However, that's all in the future. For now, Wayne has largely achieved the results he wanted.

The advantage of state-owned enterprises lies in the fact that the state controls the channels, allowing them to conduct research and production without any worries. How can we ensure that the market order of the inhibitor market is not disrupted, while also enabling Victoria to better leverage inhibitors to win over the hearts and minds of infected individuals and alleviate their anxieties?

It's very simple. The government can simply connect with state-owned enterprises to purchase goods directly at factory prices and distribute them to infected individuals.

Distributing the supplies for free to infected individuals certainly seems like a losing proposition. But Victoria, with her vast wealth and influence, doesn't care about this small loss; compared to money, what Victoria gains is undoubtedly far greater.

First, there's the issue of public sentiment among those infected. Victoria's actions didn't disrupt the already high market demand for inhibitors. Because of the planned economy, the direct supply method allowed inhibitors to bypass market competition altogether. Infected individuals received inhibitors from Victoria's officials almost for free, without spending money or only a small amount. This was undoubtedly a lifesaver for them. When a country values ​​its people, the people naturally support the country. By incurring only a small loss, Victoria was able to stabilize the public sentiment among the vast majority of those infected and gain their support.

Secondly, there's the labor force. Once the infected have received suppressants and public morale stabilizes, their anxieties will gradually shift from survival to basic necessities. At this point, Victoria will provide them with some employment opportunities. These range from infrastructure construction in mobile cities to land reclamation in the wilderness, from agricultural activities to herding camels. These positions may not be prestigious, and some might even be considered "lowly" by nobles, but for most of the infected, they don't care.

The infected are not rioters; they have hearts, livers, and feelings. They wouldn't choose to riot unless driven to desperation. Having a job, enough to eat and wear, a future to secure, owning a farm, or even achieving a comfortable life—that would be the happiest life for them. Don't you see, Colombia was able to develop to its pre-civil war state precisely because they promised the infected that if they dedicated themselves to land reclamation, they would receive their own piece of land?

In the long run, most of the infected individuals in the country will officially integrate into the nation, becoming part of it without affecting the interests of the vast majority—a truly encouraging prospect. More importantly, information doesn't stagnate; it spreads. In the future, infected individuals from Ursus, Kazdel, Letania, Sargon, and many more other places will come to Victoria on a trial basis, providing Victoria with a continuous supply of labor. Furthermore, land-based transportation limitations ensure that the number of infected individuals arriving in Victoria will not be too large at once, preventing it from causing social problems for the country.

Ultimately, Victoria will gain at least a good reputation among the public.

Wayne accomplished a reform without shedding a drop of blood, triggered by a simple Oripathy inhibitor. The gains were clearly greater and more important than the money invested.

Perhaps much later, those who see the deeper meaning will praise Wayne's small reform at this time as a stroke of genius. But in reality, Wayne is not a genius. He simply combined the experiences and lessons of his homeland with the realities of Terra, and then implemented them in a comprehensive way.

Whether it's the new economy that combines planning and the market, or the integration of state-owned enterprises and people's livelihoods, as he said, he always stands on the shoulders of giants, with countless pioneers behind him. As the sole inheritor of that will on this land, he hasn't done enough, but he will not stop striving.

Chapter Ninety: How Many More Buffs Can Theresis Stack?

Wayne did not travel to New Wales alone. Given his overly active behavior in Columbia, which nearly got him into trouble, Vina would not feel comfortable letting Wayne participate in any potentially dangerous activities alone, at least for a long time.

Traveling alone to New Wales is undoubtedly a very dangerous undertaking! What is New Wales? Although its official title is currently the fiefdom of the Prince of Victoria, it is ultimately a newly established, mobile city with a low level of stability and inadequate security measures. Especially as a pilot city for new policies, discontent is bound to accumulate within the city.