Seriousness was written on the faces, as Klaus and Richard entered the room.
As usual, Jacob put his feet up on the table. He lowered his head, glancing through his sunglasses as his eyes implied curiosity. Something similar could also be seen in the Guild Master of the Golden Hammer Company, Terry Owen. The gold-toothed man twisted his lips while squinting at Klaus.
The two men had no idea why they were gathered here. When the party neared its end, Alexa suddenly asked them to follow her to this room. Thinking Klaus had another big project, they agreed to come.
"So, my friend, Klaus. What ideas do you have this time?" Jacob asked in a familiar tone. "Lightsaber? Pulse Gun? Elemental Gun 2.0? I'm so stoked to find out what other awesome stuff pops out of that brilliant mind of yours."
"I'm also curious," Terry chimed in. However, the man did not seem as enthusiastic as Jacob. "But if you want to create a new product, you'd better hold it off. I suggest focusing on the Elemental Gun for at least 6 or 12 months."
Jacob made a sour face. He was more interested in new weapons than money, as he had his own gold mine—the dungeon.
Elemental Gun was currently the most in-demand item. The product was sold out on the first day, which was a great achievement. Terry thought of milking Elemental Gun as much as possible in this situation. Because if the demand skyrocketed, Golden Hammer Company, as the main distributor, could manipulate stocks and create scarcity to increase the amount of profit.
Of course, Klaus knew this fact. He could smell the greed from Terry Owen through his friendly smile. No matter how friendly or nice they were; businessmen were still businessmen. Profit always came first.
"I know what you've noticed, Mr. Terry. But you don't need to worry. We're talking about something else."
Naturally, Jacob and Terry frowned in curiosity.
Klaus called Sheila, and the secretary entered the room. The big bosses laid their eyes on her as she placed a black round projection device on the table.
Not long after, a hologram appeared before the two of them, and they twisted their faces in disbelief.
[New York Governor Election Campaign Plan]
Klaus glanced at Richard Dickson, nodding his head with a stern face. And then Klaus said, "Our meeting this time is to secure the governorship of New York for the next 10 years."
The world was always about power and money.
If businessmen were money, then politicians were power.
It was common knowledge that successful and wealthy businessmen had connections with officials and their circles. Usually, it was symbiotic mutualism.
The politicians would get funds for campaigns and socio-political movements, while the businessmen would get immunity or ease of policy regulation. In fact, many financially strong guilds donated their funds to politicians these days.
If Klaus and allies had someone in government, they could pull the strings for personal gain. Mors Industries could more easily expand their business and even monopolize the market in New York sooner.
However, Jacob and Terry were not convinced by this plan.
The sunglasses-man sighed in sarcasm. "You sure want to get into politics early? It will be very troublesome."
Terry also agreed with the Guild Master of the Divine Ursine Alliance. He turned skeptical as he read the title of the holographic projection. "Yeah, I don't think this is a good move. Once you get into it, everything becomes complicated and nauseating."
These two gentlemen had valid reasons why they did not agree to this plan even though they would gain an advantage.
Jacob disagreed because the Divine Ursine Alliance was based in California. He had already prepared a large fund for the governor of the state with the bear symbol so that his guild would still have influence.
And while Terry was a pure businessman. The man with the gold teeth had a strong commitment and focus on business. He spent a lot of time, energy, and resources to grow his guild. Getting involved in politics could have distracted his attention from the main business objectives.
He also felt that the time and effort spent getting involved in politics was not worth the expected results.
Seeing his two business partners disagree, Klaus sighed in disappointment.
"I know you guys don't like this plan. I feel you, but we must intervene the election."
As Klaus gestured to Sheila, the holographic projection changed, showing a tree schematic with Vincent Thomsen at the top. Below him was the current governor, Yuri Pelosi, and dozens of other officials.
Among them was an image of his cousin, Noah Liebert.
"As you know, New York is currently completely under the control of Vincent Thomsen. This man funded Yuri Pelosi's campaign for two consecutive terms, and she obeys his orders like a dog."
All this information was confidential. The public did not know about it and only certain people knew. Even if someone tried to leak it, the government would cover it immediately.
Thanks to Sheila and her informant connections, Klaus was able to bring this classified information to that meeting.
"You can imagine how many policies that corrupt governor made just to make it easier for Morning Star to expand their business. And how much profit have they made for the last almost 10 years? He even has completely controlled Queens. We must stop Vincent now before too late."
The reason why Klaus was urging them was because the current governor's term was only one year away.
In New York, a person could only serve two consecutive terms as governor. To run again, that person had to wait one term before running again.
And the current governor, Yuri Pelosi, had been governor of New York for two consecutive terms. Vincent Thomsen would have to find another gubernatorial candidate to maintain his empire in Queens.
Yuri Pelosi had public sympathy and many supporters despite her big corruption secret. If Klaus missed the election, he would have to wait another 10 years.
If that happened, the chances of Klaus winning the election would be slim, and Morning Star would triumph even more.
"Right now we still have time to prepare our campaign and supporters. We can win this game," Klaus said in a reassuring tone.
Jacob and Terry were silent. While they both looked at each other, Alexa put on a flat face. She would only speak when Klaus failed to convince the two men.
Terry said, "Elections are not something easy to win, Klaus. You have to find a candidate for governor that we can control, and at the same time, that person has to have a good social profile and credibility. Where are we going to find someone like that?"
Klaus smiled. "Don't worry. We already have the person."
As Klaus took a step back, Richard stood up and stepped forward.
In a firm tone, he said, "I'm the one who will run for Governor."
Naturally, Jacob and Terry couldn't contain their shock. They didn't expect the man who had always been passive to step forward and run as a governor candidate.
They then protested.
"Klaus, my friend. I might be able to agree that we'll be meddling in the election. But I need an explanation of why him?" Jacob without hesitation pointed at Richard.
"That's right," Terry agreed. "I don't think it's wise to look for a candidate for governor from a large guild."
They both gave reasonable reasons.
Richard Dickson was the leader of a big guild and had great influence on the market share of weaponry. People would be skeptical of voting for him because they thought Richard was running for personal gain.
In fact, Vincent Thomsen was reluctant to run for this highest position in New York.
"How about we hear from Mr. Richard first, why should he be our candidate."
Alexa said so before Klaus gave them an answer. Finally, they gave Richard a chance to speak.
Richard smiled and nodded at Alexa, conveying his thanks through gestures.
"I know you don't agree with me. But I am the only suitable candidate for mayor. Let me tell you why."
Richard had built a reputation over a long period of time. He did a lot of charity work and often donated money to foundations. He was also frequently featured in major magazines as one of the 100 most generous people in the world.
However, the main reason why Richard was well-suited to be a governor was that he had been born into an ordinary family.
Democracy was a system of popular vote, and most of the voters were ordinary people. Essentially, it was a system where ordinary people elect ordinary one.
People would relate to and sympathize more with individuals who had been in the same boat.
The man had prepared those things in advance for that election. He felt confident that, regardless of his social status, he could win the election.
"What do you think? Am I still not suitable enough to be the right candidate?"
There was silence for a while. None of them made a sound. Everyone was considering their decision, until Jacob stood up.
"I'm sorry, but it is ridiculous. If you guys want to do it, just do it without me. I'm not coming."
After saying so, the man with sunglasses left the room, while the others just watched his back.
