Mercenary’s War

Chapter 2281 - 2257: The Ducks Know First When the River Warms in Spring

The serious topic, of course, was the purpose of Gao Yang’s visit this time.

Gao Yang faced Morgan, but he immediately remembered Joseph, who was still standing beside him.

Clearly, Gao Yang was still unsure how to deal with his bodyguard. He hesitated slightly and then said to Joseph, "There’s nothing here for now, you can go out first."

Joseph nodded his head and then strode out. After Joseph left, Gao Yang chuckled and said, "Feels strange, hmm, Morgan, I want to ask Abdul to help me out if he doesn’t have anything urgent to handle right now."

Morgan took a deep breath and said, "Abdul has been with me for many years, he’s a pretty decent guy, capable of handling things on his own, and knowledgeable about the situation in the Middle East. If you’re asking him to help you with the Solar System Company’s affairs, that’s actually quite suitable, but I need to ask his opinion first. Although I don’t think he’ll refuse, I can’t order him to leave and work for you, after all, our relationship isn’t purely an employer-employee one."

Gao Yang nodded and said, "I understand."

Morgan sighed deeply and said, "I feel increasingly weak, but I can’t leave immediately. Many people are watching me. I think someone already suspects there’s a problem with my health. Someone even tried to get my records from the hospital where I was treated."

Gao Yang raised an eyebrow and said, "Is it troublesome? Should we get rid of him?"

Morgan shook his head and said, "No, no, this is a business matter. I can’t eradicate all my competitors physically. Although it would be convenient, doing so would destroy the foundation of this business system. Business matters must be solved by business means, fighting is not the way."

Gao Yang nodded and said, "Alright, but you know, if there’s a need, just let me know."

Morgan leaned forward slightly and whispered, "There’s a little problem with our business, a small one, but it’s very strange. I’ve been secretly investigating it these last few days. Now that the Cicero Family matter is resolved, if possible, you’d better ask Justin to help us investigate."

The business between Gao Yang and Morgan could only be diamond business.

Now the diamond mine is Gao Yang’s largest source of income, he could say that even if he does nothing now, he could live the rest of his life in the most luxurious way. So, when Morgan mentioned a problem with the diamond business, Gao Yang was still quite tense.

"What’s the matter?"

Morgan rubbed his hands, looking thoughtful, and said, "Our shipments this year are the same as last year, but income has decreased by a quarter. To achieve the same income level as last year, I increased shipments, but to avoid drawing attention, I shipped large, high-quality goods. However, what should have been in high demand is unsold, you know what this means? It means there’s a problem with the market."

Gao Yang smiled wryly and said, "I don’t understand this."

Morgan looked worried and said, "The diamond market is a very special market. De Beers Company monopolizes the diamond market transactions. The biggest peculiarity is that diamonds can already be artificially produced, and essentially, artificial diamonds are no different from natural diamonds—they’re just crystalline forms of carbon. Yet diamonds are the only artificial gemstones that still maintain high prices after production, because of De Beers Company’s monopoly. They control the raw diamond production and supply, and with grading and marketing strategies, they maintain the high price of diamonds."

After explaining briefly, Morgan continued, "Diamond sales need to be conducted in accordance with the CSO-agreed prices and quantities. We sell blood diamonds that aren’t certified by the CSO organization, so we need several transfers to quietly sell a small portion of the raw diamonds at a relatively low price. With our current production, if sold at the current shipment rate, it’s enough for us to sell for twenty years because our mine is truly a super-rich mine. However, if we clear out all the goods at once, it would not only destroy the entire price system, but we would also become the industry’s enemy."

Gao Yang nodded and said, "I understand this, you want to investigate, the reason for the price fluctuations?"

Morgan nodded slightly worried and said, "Yes, I’m concerned that we might have sold too many diamonds and reached a level of market disruption, but, my investigation shows otherwise. Someone else outside of us has increased the diamond supply, causing the diamond market to decline."

Gao Yang thought for a moment and said, "Has a new mine been discovered, or did the CSO adjust the price?"

Morgan pointed at Gao Yang and said, "The problem lies here, no new mines have been discovered, and the CSO hasn’t adjusted the diamond quotas and prices. Yet massive diamond dumping has occurred, leading to a drop in CSO-set prices, but there’s no response from CSO. That’s unusual because the CSO exists to prevent this kind of disorderly competition. If anyone ignores the rules and recklessly dumps, it would certainly provoke CSO’s retaliation. Let’s just say, if someone dared to sell blood diamonds this way, CSO would definitely send someone to take them out."

Gao Yang furrowed his brows and said, "Then it’s the CSO secretly dumping; the diamond market is limited. As CSO maintains the illusion of diamond market stability, they’re secretly dumping in large quantities, which is causing market price fluctuations."

Morgan nodded and said, "We have enough goods to sell for twenty years stored, and De Beers’ stockpile would only be more than ours. Our advantage lies in large, high-quality luxury goods, which are supposed to be scarce. But now high-grade raw ores are depreciating, which is very abnormal. It’s safe to say that what’s happening now is enough to undermine the foundation of the diamond market. It’s a precursor to market collapse, yet there’s no response from the CSO. I just want to understand why!"

Gao Yang whispered, "I’ll call Justin right away, business intelligence is the Cicero Family’s main business area. I think they’ll figure out the reason."

Morgan nodded and whispered, "This diamond mine can now bring us ten billion dollars in stable annual income. But my concern about diamond market fluctuation isn’t just about money, something must be wrong somewhere, causing De Beers Company to act abnormally; finding the reason is the most important."

A certain proverb hints that those hypersensitive large companies, big families, when they start making unusual moves, likely received some information, that’s what Morgan cares about.

Gao Yang also understood this principle, he whispered to Morgan, "The diamond luxury market can only be sustained in peacetime. The only reason I can think of now is war!"

Morgan gave a bitter smile and said, "A large-scale war, but I haven’t received any news, nor found any sign of a world war. So, let’s investigate."