Jasper did not wait for Rowan to ask before explaining, “When it comes to petroleum trading, what do you suppose are their biggest fear? Excluding worker strikes, of course.”Rowan frowned, deeply in thought. Jasper did not rush him either and merely watched Rowan wrack his mind for answers. He did not have much time left in Qari, so he spent every free moment mentoring Rowan. After all, Rowan was the one who would be taking over the business here, and the latter had to mature quickly if he wanted to succeed. Thankfully, Rowan did not disappoint.From the excited youth he was when he first arrived at Qari, Rowan had grown into someone who could calmly deal with even the trickiest problems.This was the Rowan Jasper was needed.Time slowly ticked away, yet Rowan’s mind was still blank.Just as he began to panic, a thought suddenly came to mind. “The return of capital and the lack of cash flow?” Rowan asked hesitantly.After some thought, he seemed sure of his answer. “Th
All Jasper did was smile and encourage him. “Keep going.”He could tell that Rowan must have thought of something; otherwise, he would not look at Jasper like this.Jasper was just curious about how far Rowan was thinking, and this would determine how much of his businesses Jasper would trust Rowan to handle on his behalf.With Jasper’s encouragement, Rowan powered on. He had a feeling Jasper was testing him for something, and that made him feel nervous. “It’s not that no one knows how important the securities industry is, but it’s just that no one’s really tried to monopolize the market yet.“This is definitely more than securities being less profitable than petroleum trade and businesses having no motivation to dapple in it… More importantly, it’s the issue with fund settlement. “If a company wants to invest in securities to fix their cash flow, they need to find a way that could make their cash as liquid or as easily liquifiable as possible, since they’re going to have to
“And that is…“The United States!” Rowan stated with certainty. He looked confident in his answer.Jasper’s gaze softened, similar to how a father’s would as he watched his son flourish. “Whether it’s clans who’ve already reached out to the foreign forces or clans who insist on solving their matters themselves, there’s no doubt that they’re feeling conflicted.“They have no choice but to seek protection from third parties if they want to preserve their own manpower, but they know that these third parties are also the reason for their current situation.“But all that accumulated conflict and resentment means nothing compared to the future of their country. So, if given the opportunity to fight against these external forces, I’m almost certain that they’ll work together.“So, the obstacles that used to be in the way of uniting the securities industry, say credibility, for example, is no longer an issue…“Especially not when they’ve experienced first-hand how these so-called ‘savi
A million thoughts raced in Rowan’s mind, and among them, one stood out—Bitcoin, which he had never understood until now. Finally, he seemed to understand why Snow and Celine were so excited about Bitcoin; because it would potentially challenge the US Dollar for the most-used international currency, while being independent from any government body’s control. Because Bitcoin was impossible to monopolize or get rid of. Rowan felt a burst of admiration for Jasper, as the man had already thought so far.Jasper seemed to be way ahead of this time in the way he always saw the crux of every era and came up with the most suitable resolution.However, because of how ahead of his time he was, it posed a slight difficulty in conversations. Rowan, for example, would never have seen through Jasper’s intentions, and would only exclaim how thorough Jasper had been after the problem arose.If not for the growth and experiences Rowan had undergone recently, he might never have understood Jaspe
“You don’t have to worry about that, Rowan. Just watch. “I’ll give Mr. McNeal a call later to talk about this,” Jasper reminded Rowan. “Oh right, we have to tell Mr. McNeal first. Would he agree, though? “Because once he does, we’d be facing the United States head-on right away. “We’ve always been quiet when it came to conflicts with them before, and now we’re going straight after US Dollar settlements. We’re practically going straight for their jugular!” Jasper gave it some thought before confirming, “He’ll agree. This will benefit Somerland for generations to come. I believe that they’ve got the courage.” After all, that was what they did back then.“So, what do I have to do, then?” Rowan’s eyes flashed with excitement. He could tell that they were about to write history. Jasper smiled. “There’s no rush. The payment and settlement channels are matters for later. If we want to do securities, we need more companies working with us. We only have a couple of them right n
Only now did Rowan relax. Next, they began to discuss the details of what to do. With every word Jasper said, Rowan’s eyes lit up.“Dang, Jasper, you’re really planning to hold them in a chokehold,” Rowan said with admiration. “Even the most perfect plan can go wrong. You must be careful. Safety comes first, before everything,” Jasper reminded.He was worried that Rowan would get carried away. Rowan was crucial to the success of their plan. If anything happened to him, they would be facing immense consequences.If it were up to Jasper, he would never put Rowan at so much risk.Alas, time was of the essence, and they could only be cautious and wish for the best.“It’s alright, Jasper. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.” Rowan waved him off confidently. His whole mind was filled with his imagination of leading a company and becoming a legend of his own. He did not have the mind to listen to caution. Jasper sighed but swallowed the words of caution on his tongue. He knew that
“No, not an exchange center,” Jasper shook his head, “An exchange center only appears to have control, but it doesn’t truly.“You’re still playing by others’ rules.“What I want…” Jasper paused and said slowly, “Is to create a Securities Regulatory Commission in Qari.“You can have as many exchange centers as you want, but all of them must run according to my rules. “It’ll still seem like they’re fighting for themselves, but they play by the same rules. If everything is safe and fair, investors and potential companies who are looking to be listed can participate without fear. And…” Suddenly, a woman’s voice interrupted Jasper, “Jasper, are you trying to gain bargaining power from this?” Celine, who must have walked into the room some time ago, looked absolutely stunned. “Bargaining power? What?” Rowan was confused. He did not understand how Celine’s mind jumped from rules and regulations to petroleum prices.“And when did you even get here, Celine?” Celine ignored Ro
Rowan's eyes widened as he looked at Jasper and Celine in confusion.He understood everything Jasper said but did not understand what Jasper had in mind. All he had was a vague inkling that this would be a very epic plan that would bring order to Qari’s petroleum trade.“Grand as your plan is, how can you guarantee that Qari’s companies will recognize and follow through?” Celine looked at Jasper hopefully. She was not doubting him, no. Jasper had repeatedly proved that his plans were well thought-out and almost always succeeded. Jasper was not one to act without proper planning. Thus, Celine was very curious about how Jasper planned to resolve the issue she proposed.As smart and strong as Jasper was, he was still a foreigner. A good Securities Regulatory Commission would provide structure and regulation to an entire industry and bring unlimited potential to its future. Coincidentally, the huge credibility gained during the establishment of such a commission would also be