BEFORE THE WORLD FROZE, I BUILT MY OWN KINGDOM

Chapter 13: Investing and Money Management

On November 10th, the fifth day after his rebirth, Ethan got up early, washed, and went downstairs for breakfast.

Back in his rented room, he excitedly downloaded an app called Kaleidoscope and opened a brokerage account. Then he transferred seven hundred thousand dollars into it.

He still had $760,000 left from the loans. He moved $700,000 into the brokerage account and kept $60,000 on his bank card, which was plenty. He had planned to spend a month searching for a base site, but he had found one in just a few days. For now, he had no particular need to spend money.

And what he had now was only a drop in the ocean next to what a base would cost. So for the foreseeable future, he had to focus on earning money. Once the lottery winnings arrived next month, he could plan further.

Looking at the dense rows of stocks on the trading screen, Ethan knew exactly what he was doing. He found a stock beginning with the code "000" and smiled as he watched its familiar rises and falls.

That was right. In his past life, Ethan had played the stock market, about a month from now. What drew him in was a stock coded "0008611," Eagle Livestock, a company that raised pigs.

At the end of 2023, its shares had suddenly exploded, hitting the daily upper limit for twenty-five days in a row. The price had climbed elevenfold, stunning countless onlookers.

Ethan had been one of them. At that time, he was working at Victor and Linda's shop. The couple tormented him constantly. He rose earlier than the roosters and slept later than the dogs, and the pay he got was shamefully small next to the work he did. But they were holding back three months of his wages, so he didn't dare quit. He could only swallow his anger.

He had been desperate to escape his situation. When he heard about a stock that had risen elevenfold in a single month, he was green with envy and started thinking about investing.

So the moment he received his monthly salary of $3,000, he opened an account and put the whole $3,000 in.

By pure coincidence, the day after he opened it, Eagle Livestock's stock price opened at exactly $29.30, and Ethan wanted to buy one lot right away. He had only enough money for one.

But what happened next was something he never expected.

Eagle Livestock released a revised earnings forecast, announcing that its quarterly loss was $700 million larger than it had said before. The company explained that it was so short on funds that it couldn't buy feed, and that a huge number of its pigs had starved to death.

That same day, the stock hit the daily lower limit. Then it hit the lower limit thirty-one days in a row, shocking every investor in the market.

By the time Ethan sold, his $2,930 had shrunk to a little over $100.

It was a hard lesson for a beginner. But that was a story for another time.

Right now, Eagle Livestock hadn't started to rise yet. He only had to buy in before it took off, and sell right before it turned. Twenty-five straight limit-up days would bring a tenfold profit.

As for the devastating collapse that came afterward, that was none of his business.

According to trading rules, Ethan had only just opened his account, and he had to wait one trading day before he could trade. So he closed the app.

Victor still owed him four months of wages, and Ethan had given him three days' notice a few days ago. Victor had ignored it. Since Ethan had nothing else to do today, it was time to fight for what he was owed.

The building supplies market where Victor's shop stood was not far from Ethan's place. He had rented his room here for the sake of the commute. So he didn't drive. He walked ten minutes and stood in front of Victor's store.

He took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and stepped inside.

The air smelled of wood and paint, and building materials were stacked neatly on every shelf. A young man was busy hauling goods, but Victor was nowhere in sight.

When he saw Ethan come in, the young man wiped the sweat from his forehead and greeted him warmly. "Hello, sir! Feel free to look around. We've got every kind of building material you could need!"

Ethan looked at him with a flicker of sympathy. He seemed to be another victim of Victor and Linda's scheming.

"I'm not here to buy anything. I'm here to see your boss," Ethan said with a smile, not wanting to give the boy a hard time. After all, he had only just started here. If Ethan hadn't quit, he'd still be the one working like a mule.

"What do you need the boss for?" the young man asked warily. He had only worked here two days and didn't know much. It would be awkward if this man had come to make trouble.

"Hehe, Victor owes me four months of wages. Why do you think I'm here?" Ethan said with a meaningful smile.

"Huh? Um..." The young man was stunned.

"Never mind. Go on with your work. I'll wait for him. Judging by his usual habits, he should be here any minute."

Then Ethan walked straight to Victor's office chair, sat down, and put his feet up on the desk.

The young man was about to say something, but Ethan cut him off. "Do your job. Don't worry about me."

"Oh." The boy was honest, and he truly didn't know how to handle this. After Ethan's words, he buried himself in work again.

"What's your name?" Ethan asked casually.

"Owen Parker. You can just call me Owen."

"How old are you, Owen?"

"Seventeen."

Ethan cursed inwardly. That bastard Victor, exploiting a minor!

"Owen, have you heard Victor mention me?"

Owen froze, panic flickering across his face, but he nodded. "Yes. I've heard the boss mention you."

Ethan grew interested. "Oh? And how did he describe me?"

"He... he said he treated you well, but you betrayed his trust. He said you stole money from the shop, and you even threatened to kill him. That's why he had no choice but to fire you," Owen stammered.

Hearing Victor describe him that way, Ethan was so angry he laughed. The man had the nerve to bite back. A leopard truly couldn't change its spots.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out from the shop entrance. "Owen, what's wrong with you? You haven't finished that little job yet?"

"Sorry, boss. I really can't handle everything by myself," Owen said with a wry smile.

"Too busy? Are you saying you need my help? Don't forget, Owen, you work for someone else now. I'm the one feeding you. If you can do it, do it. If you can't, there are plenty of others who can!" Victor scolded.

"Understood." Owen didn't dare argue and quietly went back to carrying goods.

"All right, that's enough. Owen only just started. Why are you being so hard on him? Just dock fifty dollars as a warning." That was Linda's voice, Victor's wife and the owner of the shop.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hargrove," Owen said gratefully. He had finally found a job, and he didn't want to lose it so easily.

But Ethan couldn't stand it any longer. He sneered. "You two have no shame at all. Birds of a feather flock together!"