Pausing, Kaeden then continued, "The initial investment will be stated as forty billion USD, with twenty billion to be used in the first phase. As it is a joint effort, the Ackers will split the shares by fifty-fifty."The first twenty billion will be mainly used for building the factories and facilities in Aurous Hill. We will also be following the Tesla timeframe, and that means just one year between groundbreaking and construction completion."The remaining twenty billion will be used to purchase production hardware, installation fees, raw materials, and spare parts." That was when Charlie spoke, "I'd suggest adding two billion on top of that for education funding. We will collaborate with high schools or technical colleges, offering investments to improve their facilities and standard while also securing a supply of human resources that we need, simultaneously developing our business and future employees."Some of the money should be set aside to establish scholarships and fin

Fleur asked in turn, "And why do you think they are reconciling, even collaborating on a joint project?"Tarpon replied, "If I may be frank, I don't think it's that strange a move for three reasons."First and foremost, the Ackers barely escaped complete devastation on multiple occasions. Morale is definitely very low, so their pride would be nonexistent. Even when it comes to dealing with the Wades, they'd behave modestly instead of bossing them around."Secondly, after this mysterious figure saved them several times, they'd be more or less aware by now that the Wades weren't responsible for Curtis and Ashley's deaths. It's a solid reason for the two families to warm up to each other."Last but not least, I'm sure the Ackers are moving base to Oskia because they're just that scared of you. That huge investment must be an effort to secure the government's approval and protection."The project itself is going to be a long-term one, which is why they need it to be safe and secure. P

Meanwhile, Charlie was meeting with Claire and her friend from the press outside Shangri-la.Nellie Chandler was a journalist working for an Aurous Hill newspaper and Claire's classmate back in middle school. Although the newspaper had been given four seats, they were on the verge of bankruptcy and couldn't spare more journalists, so the free seats were given to Claire.They were waiting when Charlie arrived, and Nellie smiled at Claire, "So, that's him?"Claire nodded. "Nellie, meet Charlie. Darling, meet Nellie. We go all the way back in middle school, and she's now the chief correspondent of Aurous Mornings."Nellie waved her off, flashing a humble smile, "Don't tease me. There's no hierarchy where I work—we're all chief correspondents, and heaven knows we're just waiting for the paper to shut down."Surprised, Claire asked, "Is it really that bad?""Bad is the least of it," Nellie sighed. "No one reads the papers these days, and Aurous Hill is a small place anyway, meaning

Nellie smiled. "Well, you see, the rumors always had it that Curtis' family died here in Aurous Hill, and that the Ackers and the Wades chose this place for their joint project to memorialize them."Claire was even more shocked, "Wait, Ashley Acker died here, in Aurous Hill? I've read all the articles about her, and people are still talking about her accomplishments stateside, but I never heard about that!"Nellie shrugged. "It makes sense if you have never heard of it. There's basically been a media blackout since what happened to Curtis' family, and it's not just Ashley. Curtis was famous in his own right and accomplished a lot individually as well.""Fair enough, but I don't think I've heard of him," Claire replied, frowning. "I did hear about Ashley because she made a name for herself in Silicon Valley, where she invested in many networking giants when they were just startups."Nellie nodded. "Well, Curtis is less famous, but what he accomplished was nothing short of genius. I

The Ackers and the Wades were investing over thirty times more money into their new car brand compared to Ricebolt! It was a power move through and through—forget Oskia, it was unlikely anyone could invest this much even if it was the automotive industry.The audience behind the screens was all gaping too, with Aurous Hill residents all whooping in excitement. After all, they were talking about a sudden injection of 300 billion Oskian dollars into the city. They could certainly expect everything to improve up to the next level, and each of them would more or less reap some benefits from this.Meanwhile, Kaeden continued on stage, "I'm sure everyone is aware that the Ackeriver Group has recently acquired Godot Autos, which had collapsed due to bankruptcy. That being said, we won't be trying to resuscitate the brand, as our two families have agreed to establish a new one."All of Godot Autos' human resources and hardware will now be assimilated under our new banner, while their name