Chapter 251: Meeting with Agar

After a leisurely lunch and a cup of coffee to rest, Carter chatted for about an hour and a half. After receiving what seemed to be an inconsequential piece of information about the need for a relocation test flight field for Gulfstream jets, Carter took his leave.

The next day, armed with a highway agreement jointly signed by the governments of seven cities along the route, Carter arrived in Agar.

As Carter's Mustang rolled into Agar, it was just after nine in the morning. Typically, on a weekend morning at this hour, people would be enjoying a good sleep, having their fill of food and drink, heading out for leisure activities, or shopping.

But Agar at this time seemed to be under a cloud.

While there was some foot traffic, it was pitifully sparse. Even among the few pedestrians seen along the way, a clear sense of melancholy could be discerned, even from those hastily driving past.

People coming out of the supermarket had bags noticeably smaller than those in Douglas!

When Carter parked his car outside the Agar City Hall and entered the office building, every person he encountered along the way had a complex expression on their face.

Human emotions are always complex!

In the eyes of the city receptionist Andrea Ashley, seeing the brisk, even somewhat jubilant figure appearing before her, her heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

In theory, the troubles facing Agar today couldn't be entirely blamed on this man, or perhaps boy, standing before her. But he was certainly one of the black hands behind Agar's current decline!

Andrea understood that behind any superficial result, there were many factors at play. Agar's decline today was due to the worsening economic environment, deliberate loan denials by the Bath Bank, and Carter, this seemingly external figure constantly draining Agar's resources!

Andrea believed that as long as these three major factors didn't converge, Agar wouldn't be in this situation today. But unfortunately, reality was so cunning! The damn fate goddess not only made these things happen simultaneously, but also handed the hope of changing fate to the hands of this backstage manipulator.

"Hello, I'm Carter Blake! I have an appointment with Mr. Kyler at ten!"

"Oh, okay! Please follow me. Mayor Kyler has been waiting for you, and he has set aside a whole day for your meeting!"

Carter's words interrupted Andrea's thoughts. The girl tried to rein in her emotions, focusing on her duties of guiding him properly, but as they walked upstairs, she couldn't help but frequently steal glances at the person following behind her.

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my appearance?"

After being frequently scrutinized with looks that made him feel like a monster, Carter couldn't help but speak up after the girl stole glances at him countless times.

"Huh? No, I-I'm just curious why both Mayor Kyler and Speaker McCauley said that the only one who can pull Agar out of the mire now is you."

"Don't be nervous, it's just their flattery. Don't take it too seriously! Look, I can already see the mayor's office. I'll go in by myself!"

The evaluation of being a savior, they dared to say it, but Carter dared not accept it.

Reflecting on the ups and downs of the past year, it seemed that the turning point was that golden futures contract. If it weren't for that massive profit, he would still be worrying about how to make his deposits profitable, how could he be so carefree now?

Even with the life plugin of foresight, when it really comes to fruition, it will be many years later. Before that, he was just an ordinary merchant from the Zuo State. Banker? No, that's just a practitioner in the banking industry. Calling himself a banker would be shameless self-aggrandizement.

As the saying goes, a horse does not fatten up without night grazing, and a person does not become rich without a windfall!

Thinking back on the various ups and downs of the past year, the turning point seemed to be that golden futures contract. If it weren't for that massive profit, he would still be worrying about how to make his deposits profitable, how could he be so carefree now?

Slightly nostalgic, he knocked on the door of Mayor Kyler's office, and as the door slowly opened, two eagerly awaited figures were waiting at the door. Compared to the first time he walked into Benjamin's mayor's office, this time's specification was clearly much higher.

"Mr. Blake! Welcome to Agar! I'm Liberty Kyler, and this is the city speaker, Gade McCauley."

"Good morning to you both!"

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, and chatting for a few more moments, when the secretary brought coffee, they got down to business.

"Did Mr. Patterson not come with you?"

Seeing Carter coming alone, Kyler and McCauley were a bit anxious.

"I called him before I left. If he comes from Atlanta, he should arrive this afternoon."

Smiling to reassure the two, indicating that he did indeed come to acquire the Bath Bank afterward. Carter handed over the proposed toll road concession agreement to them:

"I came early to discuss some other matters first. The first thing is this. The highway project has been progressing smoothly so far, to be precise, very smoothly! With this agreement in hand, it should be possible to finance quite a bit from the retirement fund! Although the roads are not connected to Agar, if you're willing, Agar's retirement fund can also join the investment."

"The current shortfall is probably around 140 million. The retirement funds of Columbus, Savannah, and Albany, these three cities, are estimated to be able to cover between 80 and 110 million. The remaining portion, Douglas, Pearson, Plains, and Baxley, these four cities, should be able to solve the rest. If it's not enough, I can make another trip to New York and probably bring in some more investment."

"So, this road is basically a done deal! In the future, if Agar's manufacturing enterprises have maritime transportation needs, they won't have to detour through Waycross anymore; they can go directly north from Pearson onto the highway and straight to Savannah."

"Great! This news is like music to Agar's ears. With this road, our product competitiveness will be greatly improved, and we won't have to worry about the added costs from Waycross's middlemen."

The seven agreements had similar contents. After listening to Carter's explanation, Kirer quickly finished reading the contents of the agreement and handed it to McCauley beside him, praising:

"However, these are all later matters. It will take some time to complete the construction of this road. In the meantime, Mr. McCauley and I have visited all the factories in the city these days to revitalize them."

"On one hand, it's a problem of sales channels, and on the other hand, it's the cost."

"Sales channels are hard to come by, as you are aware of the domestic environment. The overall consumer demand in the market has decreased, which is something I can't solve. Let's talk about costs! How much loan do you need if you only maintain production at a relatively low standard?"

"Let me see this, Mr. Blake. This is the information we've compiled after our research."

Carter's direct words made Krill feel somewhat embarrassed. As he took the report handed over by the other party and glanced at it, Carter was also speechless for a moment.

"What are you thinking? Never mind whether I have that much money or not, even if I do, where do you plan to sell the surplus products based on your production capacity standards?"