Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 667 - 559 Alliance Agreement

Chapter 667: Chapter 559 Alliance Agreement

After the recess, people timely returned to the diplomatic conference.

During the short break, the delegates were all made aware of the latest news.

Black Fire Innovation faced setbacks, and the market confidence was inadequate. Although it still physically felt like summer, the financial market had become as cold as a grand ice age.

In the virtual space, Xu Yang pulled up a simulated chair created by data programming, sat down on it, edited the material of the chair to the most comfortable one available, then turned his head to look at the other enigmatic figures in the meeting. The attendees operated using virtual avatars, which were either semi-transparent or blue or green spirits, all with their facial expressions concealed, looking meticulous. However, Xu Yang knew very well that they must have a mix of feelings inside.

By now, all sorts of banks must have been finished, he thought. Those who were well-informed and had their hands everywhere had already withdrawn funds from the background, and the ordinary people who were anxious whether the money they had there was safe eventually formed a significant run on the banks. The invention of credit was the greatest invention of the financial world, engendering a model of high leveraging, high debt, and high turnover rate. But this model had reached its end. Now the rate of return was getting lower, the financial system more unstable, leaving people nothing but debts and risks.

The chances of investment failure and entrepreneurial loss were infinitely high. Everyone was in danger. On the eve of the world’s demise, many companies would be ruined. Having been accustomed to passing problems down to the next generation for years, companies had accumulated massive chains of debt, which were now breaking inch by inch, and even the most glorious companies would be brought low in the next few years, and struggle to recover.

Gigantic enterprises would shuffle completely within 10 years; some would fall, and others would rise, all having to cut back on their businesses, lay off employees, and fight each other. The number of unemployed would increase, the conflicts and anger more intense.

In contrast, Nestor Corporation was quite stable.

Expanding via manufacturing real objects and industrial capacity, owned by the workers, with employee accounts set up to confirm everyone’s equity in the company, made the corporate capital subordinate to labor, serving all workers.

The profits from the factories and departments were directly distributed to the frontline associates, providing generous wages and living conditions, advancing justice and law, redistributing wealth within the society, supporting the free and comprehensive development of all people.

In this way, the work of the associates was not simply to make money, but also to realize self-value; the development of the company was not for profit, but to ensure the improvement of each member’s living situation.

Overall, the income of Nestor Corporation’s management was far lower than that of other companies, while the income of ordinary employees was significantly higher than that of other companies.

Additionally, Nestor Corporation was completely decoupled from intercontinental finance, so no matter how the economic crisis expanded, the impact on Nestor Corporation was minimal because they did not serve any institutions, investment companies, or entrepreneurs, nor were they accountable to any investment companies, and they had also paid off all their previous debts.

A giant wave of an era came crashing down, and Nestor Corporation stood unassailable.

To others, it spelled doom.

Kyushu High Pavilion and Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing fared somewhat better, able to sustain themselves by seizing the benefits that Black Fire Innovation had relinquished and further capturing market share and resource areas. The rest of the companies had to find their own way out.

For them, the best path was probably to cooperate with Nestor Corporation.

Xu Yang’s predictions were not unfounded, as soon after, amid the negotiations on dealing with Black Fire Innovation, Nestor Corporation also received many enthusiastic cooperation plans.

He flipped through the directory.

Hidden Dragon Technology wanted to collaborate on developing high-performance workstations; Stone Shadow Engineering Company wished to contract many infrastructure and bridge culvert projects; Zishan Bank planned to invest in some public facilities; Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing was looking to expand exports in the Northern Archipelago; Kyushu High Pavilion sought to purchase secret technologies from Xisheng Shrine. There were also numerous agreements on investment, cooperation, joint development, and technological exchange.

Representatives of various companies were full of hope, wishing that Nestor Corporation would agree. The establishment of each agreement meant that they could earn a bit more money, lay off fewer departments, and have a higher chance of surviving the Great Depression.

Xu Yang scrutinized carefully, identifying the risks in these agreements, cautiously counter-proposing to each offer to ensure sufficient profits while avoiding any potential threats.

The Northern Archipelago consisted of isolated islands with limited resources. Their geography dictated that they could not live in isolation, requiring extensive foreign trade and commercial routes for better survival. Xu Yang carefully selected these invitations, eventually collaborating with about over 40 surrounding enterprises. These agreements complemented Nestor Corporation’s weaknesses and would also help them build up economic and research and development strength.

Previously, Nestor Corporation had little outside contact, but thanks to the cooperative projects agreed upon at this conference, in the next 3 to 6 months, Nestor Corporation’s total output value and economic size would take another step up. By then, Nestor Corporation’s global ranking would rise from the current 70th to around 20th to 30th.

At the end of the meeting, the North Silla Labor Union discussed with Nestor Corporation about expanding the export of minerals.

Due to ideological differences, the union’s people basically categorized all other companies present as evil corporate enemies, while they regarded Nestor Corporation as having a similar form and thus intended to mutually support each other, expanding the progressive forces in the Eastern Hemisphere.

Jin Xiaoheng, a labor representative from North Silla, laid out his grievances to Nestor Corporation.

"The civil war left Silla in ruins, but Modern Entertainment quickly rebuilt with a large amount of financing, and people started crossing the border one after another, heading south where supplies were more abundant. Meanwhile, our reconstruction is long and arduous, a devastating poverty seems to be all we’ve gained from 10 years of war! Now we hope to sign a trade agreement with Nestor Corporation, exchanging minerals for food and building materials."

"North Silla produces coal and has geothermal resources. Nestor Corporation could help you set up some heating projects before winter comes," Xu Yang discussed with them.

North Silla had an abundance of coal and iron ore, especially rich in copper ore, but lacked petroleum and grain. Without petroleum, the agricultural machinery couldn’t run, so the grain yield was also very low.

Nestor Corporation had just the opposite, with plenty of food to export. In the future, they could also sell oil to them in exchange for a large amount of ore, reducing the costs of infrastructure and industrial production. Once North Silla obtained the precious petroleum, they could operate their agricultural machinery, increase their grain reserves for the cold winter, and the two could complement each other in their economic structures.

After the negotiations, Xu Yang and the North Silla Labor Union signed a deep cooperation agreement, confirming the strategic alliance between both parties. With Nestor Corporation providing assistance like sending charcoal in snowy weather, Jin Xiaoheng was profoundly grateful. Without Nestor Corporation’s helping hand, the fragile North Silla Labor Union would have disintegrated.

By then, miners and heavy industry workers would once again lose their voices, being incorporated by the corporate industrial sector, leading lives of intense exploitation.

Xu Yang was also satisfied, for this meant he had officially found a strategic ally for Nestor Corporation in the Silla Region. If in the future they decided to take action against Modern Entertainment, they could directly push southward from the land route, without needing to maintain supply lines at sea, and the volunteers from North Silla could become a formidable support force.

Afterwards, Xu Yang observed that most of the people present were having a good chat, only Stone Shadow Engineering didn’t quite fit in.

Since most of Peaceland was settled by immigrants from the Taixi Continent, only Krauch, the representative from Stone Shadow Engineering, was a Caucasian, with green eyes and wrinkled skin from age.

Krauch greeted Nestor Corporation and brought up the matter of the warship. The Hanzo, initially ordered from Kyoto Infinity and listed in Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing’s battle sequence, would now be best reclaimed from them.

The Hanzo. Xu Yang understood this was an important matter.

The so-called "Hanzo" space mothership, ordered by Kyoto Infinity from Stone Shadow Engineering three years prior, was originally considered for combat operations against Black Fire Innovation. Yet before it could be delivered to the Northern Archipelago, the war had already started.

To bring the Hanzo from Peaceland to the Northern Archipelago was too far, so the ship was temporarily handed over to Heavenly Cardinal Manufacturing. Now, although the war wasn’t over yet, it was essential to settle the ownership of the Hanzo first.

As a representative of Kyoto Infinity, Tenjouin Shino had been slacking off and eavesdropping. Xu Yang pulled her over to join him in talking to Lu Sizhou.

"You start, Lu Sizhou looks pretty tough to deal with," Tenjouin Shino said timidly.

"She is a mortal, and you are a Witch," Xu Yang drafted a foreign affairs official letter and sent it to Lu Sizhou.

"Not every Witch can turn words into reality. If stuck in troubling matters, they can only be helpless," Tenjouin Shino said helplessly.

"I see... But as the CEO of Kyoto Infinity, they will still treat you with respect," Xu Yang reassured.

"The reality of negotiations is far more stressful than what one finds in comics. If things get serious, it can be tough. Just like the previous wars, every line in the reports signified the sacrifice of many people. Current diplomacy is the same; if anything is misunderstood in communication, it could lay down the seeds for decades of future paths. I don’t want to be a burden to others. It’s better to leave it to professionals, like you," Tenjouin Shino explained.

"Miss Tenjouin has indeed given it thorough thought," Xu Yang said.

"I’m just an Old Witch who enjoys spending her days sipping tea," Tenjouin Shino said with leisure. She preferred a life with less scheming and strategizing but often found reality contrary to her wishes.

After receiving the letter, Lu Sizhou evaluated it carefully.

With Nestor Corporation’s Yokozuna destroyed and only two warships remaining, they nevertheless had an astonishing advantage in ship repairs. If her speculations were correct, not only the Yokozuna but also the captured Baraya would eventually be repaired, yielding a total of four ships.

If the Hanzo were returned to them, Nestor Corporation would transform into a powerful enterprise capable of launching all five ships.

The dominance of space motherships, the valor of their fleets, and their honor had been proven in numerous wars. With five ships under their command, Nestor Corporation would likely exert its strength globally, boldly expanding markets and initiating corporate wars.

But... if the Eastern Hemisphere were to rise and challenge the corporate alliance order shaped by the Western Hemisphere, Nestor Corporation was an indispensable part of the plan. Lu Sizhou’s mind slowly mapped out the future.

"We will hand over the Hanzo to Nestor Corporation at the first opportunity after the war," Lu Sizhou made the decision.

Upon receiving the news that Lu Sizhou was willing to return the ship, Tenjouin Shino also breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is a vessel that Kyoto Infinity spent 240 billion to order. It would be a disaster if we couldn’t get it back," Tenjouin Shino said with lingering fear.

"Although the Hanzo will join Nestor Corporation, we will also pay Kyoto Infinity. After all, we have a relationship of honest cooperation and will not simply take the Hanzo away without compensation," Xu Yang heard the undertone in her words.

"That would be best," Tenjouin Shino was pleased.

If Nestor Corporation refused to pay and took the Hanzo for nothing, it would imply that Kyoto Infinity truly became a vassal of Nestor Corporation, something that would also displease her.

Now that the other party was willing to engage with proper respect, the underlying conflict could be avoided, and the cooperation could continue.

The cybernetic auditor of Nestor Corporation seemed to be quite reliable. Tenjouin Shino nodded inwardly.