Chapter 103: Buying Land

The reorganization of the chip company wasn't swift, but the design department was fully transitioning. William White's requirement was simple: remove the 32-bit part, maintain the CPU frequency above 2 Hz, and fully cover the 6502 market. The 68000 chip needed to reduce energy consumption, and the company should fully engage in industrial chipset development. For this research goal, Ricoh expressed full support and even hoped to continue investing. While Motorola's designers didn't understand, their higher-ups realized William White aimed for cheap chips, completely contradicting their initial plans. Selling shares to Ricoh or White? They weren't fools. Based on William White's industrial blueprint, the CPU usage wouldn't just count in ten-thousands. Anyhow, they should produce it first. Two million units weren't a joke. "Darn it, no wonder they had to intervene in this industry. Otherwise, who could ensure the supply?" Regarding this order quantity, Ricoh claimed no difficulties. If everything went smoothly, they were confident production would reach the million-unit level within half a year. Motorola's production department nearly choked in disbelief; it's clear why these cheap chips had to be produced in Japan. They couldn't meet the goals there at all. Meanwhile, another 6600 chip was being developed. Nobody understood why he went against the 32-bit trend. Their legal dispute with MOC had dragged on too long, no need to get tangled up. Just create one as well, still using an 8-bit processor but with a 16-bit bandwidth, achieving a performance crush. Don't mind Apple II seeming aged; they wouldn't care about minor revisions as long as your prices aren't too outrageous. Motorola's 68000 chip was a real gold mine, something still widely used in 2010. Tossing it away carelessly would be foolish. MOC, after William White poached their key talents, basically survived on past resources. After successive attacks, just buying them out seemed easier. Why complicate things? Designing something lower was relatively simple, with the 6502 as a reference. The industrial version wasn't far off. When his home game console hits the market, it might just put Atari out of action. He was very much looking forward to that day arriving soon. ... Gold's steep decline reduced market panic. However, the reckless behavior in the capital market had drawn the Fed's dissatisfaction. Paul Volcker resented the gold speculators. The Americans playing the withdrawal game was his brainchild. You could say, before this round of inflation, his plan was nearly perfect; inflation was under control. But after the Hunter family's meddling, the old man almost exploded with rage. All their efforts went up in smoke, and avoiding heavy costs was no longer possible. The US economic downturn was inevitable. The Futures Management Committee's antics also irked him. Like William White's stance, it was unacceptable. Regarding William White, Paul Volcker had no fond impressions. He didn't buy into those far-fetched tales. The kid was just picking a fight with the Hunter family and happened to win. There were too many uncertainties here. Had it not been for the inclusion of desert tycoons, he would've been wiped out. Getting such a windfall was unimaginable. Shorting gold? That would've been even simpler. If they allowed silver transactions, he would've shorted it ages ago. The profits there were much higher. One jerk made a fortune and was making sarcastic remarks, while the other awaited government rescue. It was all too ironic. And those Wall Street worms, they never ever had any sense of respect. Did the blood of so many predecessors not wake these bastards up? Paul Volcker was looking for scapegoats, naturally targeting those bastards. One way or another, the banks must not go bust; otherwise, there'd be severe turmoil. William White? Nobody wanted to hear that name. He was a guy who loved rubbing salt into wounds. Better to steer clear of him. ... "Boss, you asked for options, and we found three farms for you." "Filson, what's your recommendation?" "This report here, it's about Ice Bear Farm in the Rocky Mountains. It covers 120,000 acres, has abundant glacier water, and two other rivers. It's also going for a really cheap price." "Well, it's not bad, but it seems a little small. Do we have anything bigger?" Filson silently griped. Other people call a few thousand acres a farm, but you say that at over a hundred thousand it's still small. "Boss, this is the largest farm available right now." "Alright then, we'll go with this one. I plan to build an airport later, so find out about the surrounding land. If the price is right, about 200,000 acres." "Got it, boss." William White's ambition wasn't unreasonable. The top ten farm owners in America each owned around a million acres, and the White family's farms, including those in Texas, only added up to 400,000 acres. But that's not the biggest issue. Other people's farms were fertile and easy to irrigate, located in major grain-producing regions. Compared to these, White's farm was relatively barren. While grazing might work, growing crops could result in huge losses. He also decided to buy Lanai Island in Hawaii. 20 million dollars wasn't a huge sum for him, so he just went for it. ... "Boss, the White family plans to buy a farm in Montana and an island in Hawaii." Seeing his subordinate's conflicted look, Steve Ross shared the same constipated expression. What's the deal with these random investments? "What do these places produce?" "The Montana farm is near the Rocky Mountains. Even if there's something, transportation costs would be high. Hawaii is even more ridiculous, with just a loss-making pineapple plantation." "Okay, I see." Steve Ross was under a lot of pressure lately. Atari's arcade project was almost at a standstill. While home consoles were okay, they still didn't meet expectations. Movies were even worse -- total flops. Forget about hundred-million-dollar box offices; they were lucky to break ten million. Being on the back foot isn't the issue; the problem is the lack of hope. Movie companies didn't even know how to make films anymore. Copycat comedy films weren't doing well either, heavily criticized, and screenwriters racked their brains trying to figure out what was wrong. Highly-paid editors could well end up as janitors. Trying to emulate William White's editing would lead you astray. He edited after watching the entire movie, which was cheating. Good luck trying to copy that successfully. ... The scale of White's farms was already impressive, yet here he was investing more in farms, leaving Wall Street bewildered. The investment seemed reckless. Why not expand Texas operations further and reduce management staff at least? Buying a little island in Hawaii was easier to understand. Elites loved playing farmer games. Many places in Central and South America had been worn out by them. While the idea was nice, reality wasn't. The main issue was labor. People in tropical and subtropical regions weren't keen on working since they easily obtained food, so why work hard? William White clearly planned to play farmer, and this was understood among top elites. There was envy, though. According to some analysts, William White likely had at least 500 million dollars in cash. That number was daunting. Coupled with his film company, software company, and peculiar game console company, he was definitely a billionaire. His massive farms were dismissed as negative assets. People couldn't fathom why he'd sell the oil company, which was quite profitable. The scariest part was that his companies were all privately owned, with minimal bank loans. Was he planning to squander his wealth? Hollywood was no mystery, and everyone knew that with the right connections, nothing was a problem. Was he planning to retire? But then a sudden thought emerged -- he was still in school, and talking about retirement sounded absurd. ... "William, why not buy a farm in Texas? Farms here are almost free." "George, enough with the nonsense. Find me one with a spring, and I'll buy without bargaining." "Holy cow, you lost your marbles?" George Bush Jr. jumped on the other end of the phone. "You know half the year's snow there. You planning to sell ice water?" "Ah, you guessed it. Impressive, but you're a bit off. It's glacier spring water." "Alright, buy if you want, lose money if that's your aim. How will you transport from that far?" "Hmph, ever heard of airplanes? They can fly in winter, you know." "You must be nuts. Who'll pay for that pricey water?" "Pfft, when things are rare, they're precious. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. You come from money. They sell at 25 cents; mine's a buck. Can't afford it? 100,000 for 10% stake. Your brother's looking out." "Okay, let me ask Dad." Couldn't sell it? Ridiculous, bottled water is mainly about marketing. Is Evian's water so good? It's all about the hype. Nestle's so-called mineral water in the U.S.? At least half is tap water. They've been in lawsuits for years but haven't sold one bottle less. Americans consume more bottled water than anyone, and rich folks even more so. Slightly pricier, so what? Prove it's good, problem solved. ... "Dad, he's getting into bottled water." "From way out there?" "Yup, planes to transport, $1 for half a liter." Even his son was in a daze, and George Bush Sr. thought this was daylight robbery. "One million for a 10% stake, worth a try." "Why?" "He asked if I'd care about buying a bottle of water for a dollar. I said I wouldn't." "True, if it's really good, quite a few wouldn't mind." "Dad, his wine prices went up yet sales increased. All that 'traditional craftsmanship' talk is nonsense. All of Texas does it that way, yet folks are buying it." Regarding the wine gimmick, Texans were speechless. Never knew one could be so shameless. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.