Chapter 245: One Million, No Big Deal!

Another week had quietly slipped away.

The government of Columbus responded with a letter, agreeing to provide guarantees for Carter. Furthermore, the Columbus city government pledged $8 million in funding, while Albany promised $4.5 million and provided guarantees.

Upon receiving this news, Carter did some calculations. With the support of five cities willing to provide guarantees, including Columbus and Albany, the $100 million loan was essentially secure!

However, when it came to contributions, some cities were more generous than others. Columbus and Albany seemed less constrained financially, while Douglas, Pearson, and Aguirre were more frugal. Together, the latter three agreed to contribute $500,000 each.

With these contributions totaling $13 million, along with Carter's own funds, which included the proceeds from the sale of Douglas amounting to $30 million, he had managed to secure $154 million. This accounted for half of the financing goal.

As Julian assisted Carter in redeeming his shares in the Quantum Fund, he also provided information about a Japanese businessman.

A man named Kurio Murakami was scheduled to arrive in Hawaii on July 24th. After a five-day stay in the United States, he would return to Japan. During this time, Kurio Murakami would meet with Carter on behalf of his brother, Sanjiro Murakami, to discuss the possibility of their family business establishing a factory in Georgia.

Carter was uncertain about the name of the company, but he knew they were in the automotive parts industry and were keen on entering the American market.

On the evening of July 24th, dressed in a hastily purchased suit, Carter arrived at a Japanese izakaya.

"Mr. Blake, Mr. Murakami is already waiting for you!"

Following a kimono-clad waiter into the somewhat claustrophobic establishment, Carter made his way to the back of the shop, walking on the wooden floor in his socks.

Sitting at a small table separated by a cloth curtain, a man in a gray-brown kimono sat upright:

"Mr. Blake? You're quite young. Please, take a seat!"

Although Kurio Murakami's words sounded friendly, Carter couldn't shake off the feeling of superiority in his demeanor.

Damn, wasn't General MacArthur beating up these arrogant Japanese guys? Well, I'll endure it for the money!

"Thank you."

Suppressing his slight dissatisfaction, Carter sat directly opposite Sanjiro Murakami. He watched as Sanjiro clapped his hands lightly and chuckled:

"To be discussing such a project at your age, you're quite impressive!"

While Sanjiro's tone was amiable, it was filled with a sense of superiority.

Damn, these Japanese guys are boasting as soon as they have money!

"Here, Mr. Blake, taste the delicacies of Japan. In the whole of America, only here can you taste authentic Japanese flavors, even New York doesn't compare! The food in those Japanese restaurants is an insult to our Yamato culture."

"Thank you."

Silently scoffing at the notion of Yamato culture, Carter smiled politely, nodding in agreement with the self-important Kurio. He then looked down at the food brought by the waiter.

Sashimi, grilled beef tongue, eel hand rolls... Carter felt a headache coming on just looking at them. How am I supposed to eat this stuff?!

Glancing at Kurio, who was watching him eat with great interest, Carter reluctantly picked up a piece of eel hand roll and stuffed it into his mouth. But as he chewed, he realized that it wasn't as repulsive as he had anticipated. In fact, it wasn't even that fishy.

"Why doesn't it taste fishy?"

Watching Carter eat a piece of eel hand roll, Kurio laughed happily, as if he were a child showing off his toys to others.

"Indeed, I'm quite sensitive to fishy smells. I was worried I wouldn't be able to handle it."

Although Carter didn't like Japanese food or the Japanese nation, he had to admit that the chef at this restaurant was skilled. At least he could eat it without any problem. In the past, he could only watch his friends enjoy the delicious food while he quietly slurped a bowl of ramen and a few sushi rolls.

"Haha, you must try more in the future. If you have the opportunity to visit Japan, I'll recommend some top-notch restaurants for you. Compared to those, this one..."

After shaking his head disdainfully, Kurio finally got down to business:

"Mr. Blake, I want to ask you. How much land can Georgia provide for our company, Sanjiro Corporation, free of charge?"

"It depends on your needs. As long as you need it, size isn't an issue. I can guarantee that."

Stopping his movements, Carter responded earnestly.

"Is that so? What if I need 1 million square meters?"

1 million square meters? That's already 1,500 acres! The employment and consumption capacity...

Carter was pleasantly surprised by the request. These Japanese guys were really ambitious when they had money!

"No problem! As long as you can recruit local workers and ensure that 70% of them are from the local area, I can guarantee you 1 million square meters of land for free!"

"Usage rights?"

"It's full ownership! Of course, you'll have to pay property taxes yourselves!"

Waving his hand generously, Carter said decisively.

He dared to guarantee with his life that if he returned to Georgia with this achievement, Mayor Aguirre wouldn't oppose it, but would instead be grateful.

The land was always there, given away for free, not only solving employment and attracting investment but also bringing in a large amount of land rent every year. If he wasn't worried about scaring off the Japanese guy, Carter would have asked for "two million" square meters.

For Mayor Aguirre, the more land, the happier they would be! If you give too little, people will think you're useless.

You have to know, what's the concept of 1 million square meters? Assuming the price is $100 per square meter, the annual property tax expenses would be close to $900,000! Even if the federal government took a small portion in the middle, the remaining tax revenue would still make Mayor Aguirre wake up laughing in his dreams!

"Your property taxes are paid once a year, right? If our Sanjiro Corporation were to go to Georgia as you said, how much tax would we need to pay each year?"

"Not much, not much, less than $1 million! USD!"

Raising a finger, Carter played with his words with a smile. Even if he was seen through, Carter had prepared tax relief policies. But...

"That's indeed not much. Less than $1 million USD is less than 250 million yen per year, which is not even enough for the wages of our 100 workers."