Chapter 180

The silent theater resembled the space before an idol in a monastery.

Everyone gazed intently at Lance, bathed in golden light under the spotlight, as if awaiting a voice from the divine kingdom of heaven. After a few seconds, or perhaps longer, Lance spoke.

His voice was not loud, but it was remarkably clear, so clear it felt like a heavy hammer striking their eardrums!

“At least eight or nine hundred dollars!” Some people, upon hearing this figure, felt as if they had collapsed. The old man was even unable to stand and fell back into his chair.

They found it hard to believe the truthfulness of this number, yet they couldn’t help but believe it, because Lance was telling them this fact!

“One pound of wine, as long as it hasn’t gone bad, currently sells for about seventy to eighty cents on the market.”

“In reality, our output is about fifteen hundred pounds, so I’ve given you a very low price.”

“Perhaps some of you might think I’m trying to deceive you. Here’s what we’ll do: as long as you bring me wine, and don’t try to fool me with bad wine, I’ll give you at least fifty cents per bottle.”

“Why not seventy or eighty cents?”

“Because I need to make money too!”

“But, gentlemen, compared to a tenfold profit driven by a hundred and fifty dollar cost, I believe you should know how to choose!”

This sounded like a story, yet it was incredibly real. And Lance was confident that the price of grapes would skyrocket, increasing tenfold! Whether engaging in “futures” or directly purchasing grapes for winemaking, from the perspective of an insensitive market, now was the most opportune moment!

Financial magnates currently focused their attention on the financial market and a small portion of the real economy.

They had not yet realized that a social experiment would soon create a large group of people, organizations, and enterprises that would suddenly become rich due to huge profits. When they finally realized it, the first bite would already be gone!

However, they would soon follow suit; in fact, some had already noticed, but they hadn’t realized how insane this would become!

Just like those merchants and enterprises selling grapes, they would never have imagined that unsold grapes would quickly become hot commodities, and people would even fight to get more grapes!

The grand future Lance depicted no longer needed his embellishment; it slowly unfolded before the people.

As these individuals recovered from the immense impact of the profit, everyone looked at Lance with shining eyes, as if they had seen God! Lance returned to the sofa. “This is why I said they would surely regret it.”

“This market is vast, and the limited funds we possess are insufficient to monopolize it. Therefore, others will inevitably discover this opportunity and follow suit.”

“This dictates that we can only claim the most lucrative initial share, but even that first bite is enough to make us incredibly rich!”

“You know, the one hundred fifty dollar cost Nick just mentioned includes the winemaking tools.”

“In other words, the actual cost is only about eighty dollars per bottle, yet it can be sold for at least seven or eight hundred dollars—a tenfold profit, gentlemen!”

“Furthermore, whether we engage in spot delivery or purchase for winemaking, we have significant profit margins.”

“However, this matter cannot be undertaken individually; if you all pursue it, it will quickly draw the attention of financial magnates.”

“At that point, we won’t earn a single penny, so this must be handled by the Chamber of Commerce!”

“You contribute funds to the Chamber of Commerce, and we’ll determine profit distribution based on the capital ratio. According to our established rules, ten percent goes to me, and five percent to the Chamber of Commerce.”

“You will receive eighty-five percent of your net profit. If you have ten thousand dollars, I believe your income will be approximately thirty-two thousand dollars in three months.”

“If you plan to brew wine yourself, your profits might be even higher, but that’s your business; I only take a share from the profit derived from the price of the grapes themselves.”

He looked at the restless, impatient crowd and continued, “There are many opportunities to make money, and I hope you can cherish this one.”

“At the same time, I also hope that no one outside our group knows about this.”

“At least before we get our money, I don’t want our plan exposed and us to suffer huge losses because one of you can’t control your mouth.” He paused, saying, “If anyone thinks this is a scam and doesn’t want to participate, that’s up to you.”

“But for those planning to make a fortune from this business, bring your money to me. I’ll register you, and we’ll make a killing from them!”

“Just a quick note: if anyone intends to make wine but doesn’t know how, you can also approach us. Nick will impart the technique to you, but likewise, for every bottle of wine you produce and sell in the future, we will take a five percent commission!”

At this stage, Luigi’s alcohol prices were quite attractive, even cheap or worthless, but this was only temporary.

Luigi was not someone who would dedicate himself selflessly to others; what he was doing now was essentially no different from what capitalists did.

His goal was simple: to open up the federal smuggled alcohol market. Once he captured a certain market share, he would start raising prices.

Just like those effectively monopolistic capitalists, during their struggle for market share, they might even give things away for free.

However, once their competitors are acquired or eliminated, and they are the sole entities left in the market, if they declare their product is worth a dollar, you must pay a dollar for it, not twenty-five or fifty cents.

Monopoly grants pricing power. Luigi’s liquor would sell for at most six months to a year before he would significantly raise prices.

By that time, Lance’s profit margin would be very low. Therefore, having these people brew wine was essentially to secure a cheap source of goods for the future.

Everyone absorbed his words, and it was then they suddenly realized that this individual, who had brought the Federal Dream to their doorstep, had not long ago annihilated the entire Camille Gang.

Their expressions sobered, becoming considerably more serious, and each person pledged absolute secrecy. Of course, Lance also offered them a strategy, “If you truly want to involve your relatives in making money, lend them money and promise them high returns.”

“If they are willing to lend to you, then I see no problem with you helping them make money.”

“However, if they are unwilling to lend you money, this can also be an opportunity for you to see some people’s true colors!”

Lance raised his wrist and glanced at his watch. “That’s all for now. On Thursday, bring your money.”

“I must say one thing: don’t borrow from loan sharks!”

“That’s it!” He waved his hand and left with Nick, disregarding the theater, which was now bustling like a marketplace. Those people were surely discussing how to raise the most money in the shortest amount of time.

Nick couldn’t help but ask, “With so many people, will anyone leak the news?” Lance shook his head, “If they leak the news, I will make them realize the cost of doing so. Besides, as I said, there are many opportunities to make money; this isn’t the first, nor will it be the last.”

“Compared to that, I’m more interested in seeing our wine…” Nick had been brewing wine for about twenty days now. The fermentation process was much slower in winter. The winery was located on an abandoned ranch in the suburbs.

This ranch and the surrounding land had now been purchased, with “Private Property” signs erected to prohibit entry. They had made some simple modifications to the ranch, raising some dairy cows and beef cattle as a cover. In several warehouses, fermenting and aging wine barrels were already filled.

There were no paved roads on the farm, only a dilapidated dirt path. This also happened to deter some curious individuals who came to explore. Lance and his group arrived by carriage. Even in winter, the smell of cow dung lingered.

The smell of cow dung outside masked much of the alcohol’s aroma. As the group entered the livestock warehouse, the room suddenly became hot and stuffy. To provide a better fermentation environment for the wine, it was much warmer here than outside.

Nick casually picked up a bottle of wine. He carefully released a little gas, confirming it wouldn’t explode, then opened the lid and poured some out. Lance tasted it, and his expression was hard to read. “It’s a bit sour, but it tastes sweet, with a strange flavor I can’t quite pinpoint.”

Nick also took a small sip. “It still needs some adjustment, but the taste is quite good. From my perspective, you might not be used to it.”

For those unaccustomed to this simple homemade wine, it tasted like… slightly sour, sweet grape juice with a peculiar fermented tang.

The main reasons for this were that the grapes used for winemaking were not specifically wine grapes; the grape variety was not particularly good.

Also, there was the environment here… Although Nick had tried his best to ensure it was clean, there would always be some bacteria and such. Lance didn’t understand this thoroughly, but he assumed it was roughly the case.

He put the glass down. “Select a portion; we’ll try selling it at the Workers’ Club first.”

“Do you really think anyone will buy this stuff?”

Hiram, standing nearby, licked his lips and quietly said, “It actually tastes quite good. If the price isn’t outrageous, why not?”

Lance turned to Nick. “I’ve actually forgotten to ask, what’s the cost per bottle?”

Nick calculated for a moment but couldn’t get a precise figure, only an approximate one. “Roughly… ten cents?”

“Shit!” Lance picked up his glass and took another sip. He pondered for a moment, then exclaimed, “The taste is excellent, brothers!”

“This is the taste of fucking money!” The people around him were momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Everyone received a glass.

With a cost of ten cents, even selling it for fifty cents a bottle would yield a fourfold profit! Thank prohibition!

(End of chapter)