I Became a Plutocrat in World War I: Starting with Saving France
Chapter 265: Grevy’s ’Cooperation

Chapter 265: Chapter 265: Grevy’s ’Cooperation

Over 400 kilometers from Paris, Saint-Étienne ranks as the 14th most populous city in France.

Grevy sat alone by the window in Weber Cafe, sipping his coffee while gazing out at the gigantic smokestacks, constantly billowing thick black smoke, occasionally speckled with sparks, like ink spewing high and dyeing the entire sky black.

Even the snow on the ground and rooftops was blanketed with a fine layer of black dots.

Everything was shrouded in gloom, including the suffocating air!

Who could have imagined that decades ago, Saint-Étienne was just a tranquil small town with a population of only a few thousand?

During the industrial boom, various minerals, especially coal, were discovered in Saint-Étienne, bringing the town energy, wealth, and prosperity.

Metallurgy, mining, metalworking, and textiles thrived here, and France’s largest military factory was established as well.

Grevy drew his gaze back to his coffee, suddenly noticing how its color resembled the black smoke, including the burnt bitterness.

Why hadn’t he noticed this before?

Grevy sighed lightly, placing the coffee cup back on the tray on the table.

Just moments ago, he had craved a stimulant for his foggy mind, but now he lost interest.

He did not travel for over seven hours on the train for this!

"Not fond of the coffee here?" Layom asked with a smile as he sat across from Grevy.

"No!" Grevy forced a slight smile. "I’m just not quite used to it..."

Grevy gestured towards the window with his chin.

Layom nodded in understanding. "You’ll get used to it after a while. It’s not an easy thing."

The waiter brought Layom a cup of coffee, and after thanking him, Layom looked at Grevy. "Besides, it seems you don’t need to get used to it."

This was his subtle way of inquiring about Grevy’s intentions.

Grevy and Layom were not acquaintances.

When Dominic was in high school, Grevy helped him a lot, and as Dominic’s brother, Layom was grateful for it.

Grevy picked up the coffee spoon and stirred his cup lightly, even though he no longer planned to drink it.

"You may have heard something about Shire," Grevy asked.

He did not intend to beat around the bush with Layom. Unlike Dominic, Layom was a shrewd businessman, managing the armory in Saint-Étienne for Steed.

"Yes." Layom frowned slightly, thinking he had guessed Grevy’s motive, to inquire about Shire’s developments?

"Hand grenades, mortars, 37mm cannons, aerial bombs..." Grevy shook his head with a faint smile, astonishment in his expression, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. "Enviable, wouldn’t you say?"

Layom answered coldly, "That seems none of your business, Grevy. If you want to know about these armaments, you’ll be disappointed..."

"No, no, you misunderstand," Grevy replied. "You know, I have no interest in these things."

Layom suddenly remembered that Grevy was an opponent of industrialization, something he had overlooked in the busyness of the armory.

"So!" Layom looked into Grevy’s eyes, "You didn’t come just to have coffee?"

Grevy smiled lightly, speaking slowly and deliberately, "I wish to cooperate with you, Mr. Layom!"

"Cooperate?" Layom laughed, "Is there room for cooperation between us? Are you now interested in industry or military equipment?"

Grevy shook his head and explained, "You seem unaware of the kind of cooperation your father has with Shire?"

This caught Layom off guard. Indeed, Steed had not informed him; he only knew that the profits from Saint-Étienne and Shire were evenly split.

That posed no issues; it was a win-win.

"It’s not as simple as you think, Layom," Grevy continued with a faint tone of irony. "You know that one day, all equipment produced by the Saint-Étienne armory will be outdated, replaced entirely by Shire’s inventions."

Layom’s eyes widened abruptly; he hadn’t considered this.

He had been excited by Shire’s incredible innovations and the practicality of the equipment.

Now, with Grevy’s reminder, Layom immediately realized a point: if Shire held fifty percent control over all his inventions, and all future production by the Saint-Étienne armory was Shire’s designs, wouldn’t that mean Shire had absolute control over the armory?

"As far as I know," Grevy added, "Your father has such intentions. He has been completely won over by Shire and hopes Shire will lead the Saint-Étienne armory, rather than merely cooperate..."

"No, that’s impossible!" Layom interrupted Grevy.

His father was a shrewd businessman; he wouldn’t hand over the lifetime of his hard work to an outsider, even if that person was Shire.

"If it were anyone else, it certainly wouldn’t be possible," Grevy answered, his voice cold as if foretelling Layom’s cruel future. "But that person is Shire, and you know all too well what kind of talent he possesses. His genius as a military strategist and inventor, his inventions are but a fraction of his numerous capabilities. More frighteningly, his creativity seems unending."

Layom fell silent, knowing what Grevy was saying was true.

No one in this world could compete with Shire. While others dreamt of making money producing cannons, warships, and airplanes, he merely tinkered with wood and iron shells to create hand grenades and effortlessly accomplished it, earning more than making warships.

Grevy went on, "Obviously, your father knows he cannot compete with Shire, so he decided to become part of Shire, to be exact..."

Here, Grevy paused intentionally, lowering his voice, "To submit."

This word deeply stung Layom’s pride. He gritted his teeth, frowning as he complained, "Foolish, surrendering without a fight!"

Hearing this, Grevy knew he had come to the right person.

From the beginning, he should have approached Layom instead of Dominic.

Layom was Steed’s designated heir for Saint-Étienne, and the future development of Saint-Étienne was closely tied to him.

But Dominic, only interested in guns, cared nothing about the inheritance and certainly wouldn’t bother with Shire’s threat to Saint-Étienne.

Perhaps this explained Dominic’s refusal, Grevy thought!