I Became a Tycoon During World War I - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Grevy's "Cooperation"

Saint-Étienne, over 400 kilometers from Paris, is the 14th largest city in France by population.

Grevy sat alone by the window in the Weber Café, sipping his coffee while watching the massive chimneys outside. Thick black smoke billowed out of them in clouds, occasionally sparking with fiery embers, like ink being splashed upwards, darkening the sky completely.

Even the snow on the ground and rooftops was tinged with faint black specks.

Everything was dull, including the suffocating air!

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

When industrialization boomed, various minerals, particularly coal, were discovered in Saint-Étienne, bringing energy, wealth, and prosperity to the town.

The metallurgy, mining, metalworking, and textile industries thrived here, with France's largest munitions factory located in this very town.

Grevy shifted his gaze back to his coffee, suddenly noticing that its color was strikingly similar to the black smoke outside, including the burnt taste amidst the bitterness.

Why hadn’t he noticed that before?

Grevy sighed softly and set the coffee cup back on the tray on the table.

Just moments ago, he had been hoping that the coffee would provide some stimulation to his groggy mind, but now, he had lost interest in it.

He had traveled for over seven hours by train, and it certainly wasn’t for this!

“Can’t get used to the coffee here?” Rayom smiled as he sat down in the chair opposite Grevy.

“No,” Grevy forced a slight smile. “I’m just… not quite adjusting to this place.”

Grevy tilted his chin toward the window.

Rayom nodded in understanding. “You’ll get used to it the longer you stay, though it’s not an easy thing.”

The waiter brought Rayom a cup of coffee. After thanking the waiter, Rayom looked at Grevy. “Besides, you don’t seem to need to adjust.”

He was subtly inquiring about the purpose of Grevy’s visit.

Grevy and Rayom were not particularly acquainted.

When Dominique was in high school, Grevy had helped him with many things, and as an older brother, Rayom felt grateful for that.

Grevy stirred his coffee slowly with a spoon, though he had no intention of drinking it.

“You might have heard something about Charles.” Grevy asked.

He wasn’t planning on beating around the bush with Rayom, as Rayom, unlike Dominique, was a shrewd businessman, and had been managing the munitions factory in Saint-Étienne for Steed.

“Yes.” Rayom frowned slightly, thinking he understood Grevy’s purpose—was he here to inquire about the equipment developed by Charles?

“Grenades, mortars, 37mm cannons, and aerial bombs…” Grevy shook his head with a slight smile, his expression one of disbelief, yet tinged with some respect. “Impressive, don’t you think?”

Rayom answered coldly, “This doesn’t seem like your business, Grevy. If you’re looking to find out about those weapons, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed…”

“No, no, you’ve misunderstood,” Grevy replied. “You know, I’m not interested in those at all.”

Rayom then remembered that Grevy was a representative of the anti-industrialization movement, which he had forgotten in the haze of his busy work at the munitions factory.

“Well then!” Rayom lifted his gaze to meet Grevy’s eyes. “You didn’t come all this way just for coffee, did you?”

Grevy smiled lightly, speaking slowly and calmly, “I’m hoping to cooperate with you, Mr. Rayom!”

“Cooperate?” Rayom laughed. “Is there really room for cooperation between us? Are you interested in industry or military equipment now?”

Grevy shook his head, explaining, “It seems you don’t know what kind of cooperation your father has with Charles.”

This stopped Rayom in his tracks. Steed had indeed not told him, and all he knew was that the profits from Saint-Étienne and Charles were split fifty-fifty.

There was nothing wrong with that; it was a win-win situation.

“It’s not as simple as you think, Rayom.” Grevy continued, his tone carrying a slight sneer. “You know, the equipment currently being produced at the Saint-Étienne munitions factory will eventually be phased out—every single piece, without exception. And the obsolete items will all be replaced by equipment invented by Charles.”

Rayom’s eyes suddenly widened. He had never considered this.

Not long ago, he had been excited by Charles’s astonishing creativity and the practicality of these weapons.

Now, with Grevy’s reminder, Rayom immediately realized something: If Charles had fifty percent control over all the equipment he invented, and in the future, everything produced by the Saint-Étienne factory would be Charles’s inventions, didn’t that mean Charles would have absolute control over the factory?

“As far as I know,” Grevy added, “your father has such intentions. He has been completely won over by Charles. He wants Charles to lead the Saint-Étienne munitions factory, not just cooperate…”

“No, that’s impossible!” Rayom interrupted Grevy.

His father was a shrewd businessman; he could never hand over everything he had built to an outsider, even if that outsider was Charles.

“If it were someone else, that would indeed be impossible.” Grevy answered, his voice cold, as though he were speaking of Rayom’s harsh future. “But that person is Charles. You know full well what kind of power Charles has. His talent is innate; he is a genius military strategist and inventor. His inventions are just one small part of his abilities. What’s even more terrifying is that his creativity seems endless…”

Rayom fell silent. He knew that Grevy was speaking the truth.

No one could compete with Charles. While others were busy trying to profit from producing cannons, warships, and airplanes, Charles had easily realized his dream by stuffing gunpowder into wood and iron casings to create grenades—making more money than building warships.

Grevy continued, “Your father clearly knows he can’t compete with Charles, which is why he decided to become part of Charles’s empire. To be more precise…”

At this point, Grevy intentionally paused, emphasizing his next words, his voice low: “He plans to ‘surrender.’”

That word pierced Rayom’s pride deeply. He gritted his teeth, frowning, and complained, “Foolish, this is surrendering without a fight!”

At this moment, Grevy knew he hadn’t made a mistake by coming here.

From the very beginning, he should have sought out Rayom, not Dominique.

Rayom was Steed’s designated heir to Saint-Étienne. The future of Saint-Étienne was closely tied to Rayom.

As for Dominique, he only cared about guns and had no interest in the inheritance. Naturally, he wouldn’t care about the threat Charles posed to Saint-Étienne.

Perhaps this was why Dominique had rejected him, Grevy thought to himself.

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