After having their fill in the cafe house from Felix Sumpter, Poul and Jonathan prepared to leave.
As they stood from their seats, Felix entered the room.
"Are you leaving, gentlemen?" Felix asked.
"Yeah, we have a train to catch by nine o'clock and we wouldn't want to be late. Thank you for the hospitality and before I forgot," Poul paused, fishing something out from his breast pocket.
Felix watched as Poul continued fishing his hand on his breast pocket until his hands revealed a small envelope.
Poul offered it to him.
"Here, Mr. Sumpter. Inside it is a check for ten thousand dollars. Consider it as our gesture of appreciation when you help us when we have nothing," said Poul genuinely.
"That is a lot of money, Poul. I'm sorry but I can't take it. What I did back there was not because of the money. I helped you because it was the right thing to do," replied Felix, shaking his head.
Poul insisted, "Please, Mr. Sumpter. We want you to have it. It's the least we can do to repay you for your kindness."
Felix sighed and looked down at the envelope in his hands. He knew that Poul and Jonathan had been through a lot and that they wanted to show their gratitude in any way they could. But he also knew that he couldn't accept such a large sum of money for simply doing what he believed was right.
"Listen, Poul. I appreciate the gesture, but I can't accept this. You don't owe me anything. I helped you because I wanted to, not because I expected anything in return," said Felix, as he handed the envelope back to Poul.
Poul hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking the envelope back. "Are you sure, Mr. Sumpter? We really want to repay you for your kindness."
Felix smiled warmly at Poul and Jonathan. "I'm sure, gentlemen. The satisfaction of knowing that I was able to help you is all the reward I need."
Poul and Jonathan looked at each other, then back at Felix. "Thank you, Mr. Sumpter. You're a good man," said Poul, his eyes shining with gratitude.
"Well, if you won't accept it, perhaps we can give this check as a tip to your establishment?" Jonathan suggested. "That way, the money can be used to make more renovations and probably rewards the crew who are deserving."
Felix's face lit up at Jonathan's suggestion. "That's a great idea, Jonathan. Thank you." He took the envelope from Poul and opened it, taking out the check. "I'll make sure it goes straight to the employees who deserve it. They work hard here, and I'm sure they'll appreciate it."
Poul and Jonathan nodded, pleased with the outcome. They shook hands with Felix and made their way out of the café.
As they stepped outside, Poul and Jonathan were greeted by the warm glow of the setting sun. They paused for a moment, taking in the beautiful view.
"It's getting late. We better hurry if we want to catch our train," said Poul, breaking the silence.
Jonathan nodded, and they both started walking. As they walked, they couldn't help but feel grateful for the kindness that Felix had shown them.
"Felix is sure is kind Jonathan. Truly one of a kind person in this world."
"I agree," Jonathan concurred. "Despite us offering ten thousand dollars, he declined it. I mean, any person would have taken it without a second thought, but Felix is different. He genuinely cares about helping people, not for personal gain."
A minute later, Poul hailed a carriage. Poul and Jonathan boarded the carriage and sat on the plush seats, feeling the soft cushions enveloping their bodies. The driver, a burly man with a thick beard, took the reins and urged the horses forward with a gentle flick of his whip.
The carriage rumbled down the cobblestone streets, the wheels clattering against the uneven surface. Poul and Jonathan watched as the scenery outside the window flew by in a blur of colors and shapes. The sun had set, and the sky was a deep shade of blue, dotted with stars that twinkled like diamonds.
As they rode along, Poul and Jonathan chatted about their plans for the future.
"So, you mentioned to Felix that we will be starting a steel manufacturing and oil mining company right?" Jonathan asked.
"Isn't that the plan?" Poul glanced at him. "Those companies will be the provider of our raw materials. Steel has a lot of applications but oil will dominate the market in the future. Today its only use is to light up lamps, lubrication for machineries, heat, and for industrial processes. If we started our own automobile company, the demand for oil will skyrocket, and who do you think would benefit from it all if we didn't start our own oil company?"
Jonathan thought for a second and then answered. "That would be Rockefeller."
"Exactly," Poul replied, nodding his head. "Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company already has a monopoly on the oil industry. We need to have control over our own raw materials if we want to be successful in the future."
"What is your plan? We can't simply start an oil company and compete with the giant if you know what I mean," Jonathan said.
"Of course not. We need to approach this strategically. First, we will start by acquiring land in Texas. As you know, Texas is rich in oil reserves. We can purchase the land at a low price and start drilling for oil ourselves. It will be a risky investment, but the potential rewards are enormous. Don't forget about our advantages here in this world. We have the skills and knowledge to create innovative solutions that can revolutionize the industry. We can develop new drilling technologies that can extract oil more efficiently and with less environmental impact. We can also create new refining processes that can produce higher quality oil products at a lower cost."
Jonathan's eyes widened in realization. "I see where you're going with this. By improving the efficiency of oil extraction and refining, we can reduce the cost of production and offer our products at a lower price point, making us more competitive with larger oil companies. This will make us the go-to source for oil, and we'll quickly become a major player in the industry."
Jonathan continued. "For steel manufacturing, we are up against Carnegie, who dominates the industry. For manufacturing steel, they are using a Bessemer converter. How about we introduce the basic oxygen converter. We have all the tools we need, electricity, capital, and expertise to develop and perfect the basic oxygen converter. With this technology, we can produce steel more efficiently, faster, and with fewer impurities than the Bessemer converter. This will give us an advantage over Carnegie, and we can offer our products at a lower price point while maintaining high quality as we plan in our oil."
"You know, the funny thing about history is that these industrialists in the past crushed their competitors by lowering their prices. Cargenie did it, Rockefeller did it, Vanderbilt did it."
"How fitting it would be that their end would be brought about by us doing the same thing to them," finished Jonathan, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Well, it's a dog-eat-dog world here. The reason we don't have a major competitor in the market is due to our technology. Colt and Smith and Wesson tried but they are losing their market shares by the day as people switch to our semi-automatic rifles. As for Russell, well give it a year or two and every state in the United States of Avalonia would opt to have their own ac system."
