I'm a Master in India

Chapter 270: Lying Down and Making Money

"Mr. Sur?" Advani looked a little surprised. "I didn't expect you to come to Mundra."

It was clear that he had also heard of Ron's reputation; Sur Electrical Appliances had successfully expanded from Mumbai to all of India.

"I'm planning to build a branch factory in Gujarat, and Mr. Modi said there's a port here, so I came to take a look," Ron replied with a smile.

"Mundra is one of the best ports in Kutch Bay. Don't let its current emptiness fool you; it will soon become the largest port by throughput on India's west coast."

Adani spoke quickly, his eyes gleaming slightly. He suddenly realized this was an excellent opportunity to develop the port.

"It seems construction has just begun here. When is it expected to be operational?" Ron looked at the distant construction site.

"In three years at most, Pier No. 1 will be operational," Adani quickly assured him, his walrus mustache twitching slightly as he spoke.

"Three years..." Ron was noncommittal.

"Mr. Sur," Adani finally couldn't hold back, "Sur Electrical Appliances' branch factory could absolutely consider Mundra. Once the port is built, your goods can be shipped directly from here, which is very convenient."

Adani was building a port, and how could a port operate without goods? If an export-oriented factory was built nearby, it would be like having a fixed customer.

Whether it was cargo handling and transportation, warehouse leasing, or ocean shipping, it was all money.

The port business was like a landlord; once it was operational, it would guarantee steady income, making profit regardless of external conditions.

Advani guessed that Ron was building a branch factory here for export purposes, just like most enterprises here, targeting the Arab countries across the sea.

See, isn't business coming right up? Most importantly, if Mundra could attract Sur Electrical Appliances, it would have an extraordinary advertising effect.

Who hasn't heard the slogan "affordable for everyone"? With it as an example, other companies would also settle near Mundra Port.

Unfortunately, Ron was not satisfied with the timeline.

"Three years is too long. Sur Electrical Appliances has a tight production capacity and can't wait that long. Our plan is to start production within a year, the sooner the better."

"One year?" Adani's round, bulbous nose crinkled.

"Yes, the workshop and factory building are not complicated; they can be completed in four or five months. Then, it will take one or two months to debug the equipment, and production can begin."

This was not the first time Sur Electrical Appliances had expanded its factory, and the internal team was already very familiar with the process.

As long as the procedures in Gujarat were completed and the engineering team and building materials were prepared in advance, one year was sufficient.

However, this timeline was not realistic for the port; three years was already the date Adani had estimated based on the most ideal conditions.

"Mr. Sur, as long as your factory settles in Mundra, all future port fees can be discounted by 20%.

In the early stage, without port usage, your goods can be transported by other shipping companies; this will not affect our cooperation," Advani still wouldn't give up.

"It's too slow," Ron shook his head. "Look, the surroundings are all bushes; the factory won't even have basic utilities like water and electricity in the early stages."

Why did he value Jamnagar across the way? Because it was a mature port city, with all the necessary infrastructure like water, electricity, and roads already in place.

As soon as the factory building was ready, Sur Electrical Appliances could start operations immediately, without any bottlenecks.

Mundra was cheap, but everything had to start from scratch, and the project was enormous.

Adani was a little disappointed. If he could attract Sur Electrical Appliances, the development speed of Mundra Port would more than double.

"However, Mr. Adani, we are not without the possibility of cooperation," Ron suddenly smiled mysteriously.

"Mr. Sur?" Adani was puzzled.

"Mr. Modi and I are going to check out the east side soon. I heard there are limestone mines there."

"Oh," Adani was a little surprised. "Mr. Sur doesn't just do electrical appliance business?"

"Of course, I also have a building materials company in Uttar Pradesh," Ron shrugged.

Modi was also a little surprised; he hadn't expected Ron to also be in the mining business. No wonder he went to the trouble of coming to Kutch Bay.

"Alright, if it's suitable, there's no reason for me to refuse a supplier so close by." Adani came over to shake hands and bid farewell.

He was in the trade business, and the more industries nearby, the more beneficial it was for his port.

Watching his retreating figure, Ron chuckled. He hadn't expected to meet one of India's future top four families here.

To be honest, Advani was very low-key, without the arrogant pride of a local businessman.

Being able to acquire Mundra Port was enough to prove his financial strength, though he was still far from the future heights of his career.

Advani's current reputation was only known in Gujarat; outside of it, no one knew who he was.

As for who was the noble person who helped him rise to prominence, Ron turned to look at the bearded man beside him.

"He is a Gujarati, his family used to do textile trade," Modi explained, thinking Ron wanted to know about Adani's background.

"Is that so?" Ron chuckled.

"When he was young, he also ventured to Mumbai, wanting to do diamond business, but it was difficult for outsiders to get in. Later, he returned to Gujarat to help at his brother's plastics factory, but in the end, he decided to go into business for himself."

"A very courageous person," Ron nodded.

"But the environment was not good back then, you know, permits. He started a factory that needed ten tons of raw materials, but could only get 1.5 tons because there was no quota.

This meant the factory couldn't operate four, five, or even six days a week, almost like being shut down. In the end, he went back to the trading business, which his family excelled at."

"You know Adani very well?" Ron raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I know every key figure in Gujarat very well."

Modi was currently working on elections, calling seven or eight influential people every day, and he had taken extensive notes.

He had a clear understanding in his mind of who were true businessmen and who were incompetent and corrupt.

"Alright, let's go see the limestone mine to the east." Ron looked at the Mundra Port construction site and turned around.

Adani was one of the fastest-rising among the four major families; his business only started in 1985, just a few years before Ron's.

Now Adani was entering the port business, and Ron was also preparing to expand his mining empire.

The group hired a few tuk-tuks in Mundra County and headed straight for the mine east of the coastline.

The limestone mine Modi mentioned was very close to Mundra County; they could see the barren coastal rock area from the car.

"From here eastward, it stretches for several kilometers," Da Xian gestured towards the coast with his finger.

"It looks quite large," Ron's breathing quickened slightly.

It was more than just large; it was several times bigger than Mirzapur.

"The exact reserves haven't been explored. There are large cement factories near Ahmedabad, so it's not needed here."

"I'll do this business," Ron immediately said. "Sur Building Materials Company has experience in this."

"We'll have to discuss that back," Modi shook his head. He saw eagerness in Mr. Sur's eyes.

"Good, let's go back now. I want to talk to Mr. Advani again."

"Only tomorrow. Mr. Advani has an important meeting today."

"I'll stay in Gujarat for two more days."

Ron hadn't expected to receive such a big gift package near Kutch Bay. Just looking at the scale, this limestone mine had reserves of at least 500 million tons.

He didn't understand geology, but he could compare sizes. The Mirzapur mine was already large enough, but here it was less than a fifth of the size.

Such abundant reserves would be enough for Sur Building Materials Company to mine for fifty, even a hundred years.

A gold mine! If he secured it, he would be making money effortlessly for the rest of his life.

As for Modi's mention of large cement factories near Ahmedabad, Ron didn't care at all.

Because it was too far from Mundra, over 350 kilometers away.

The building materials business always followed the principle of proximity.

After Ron started mining here, all the large and small ports nearby would become his customers.

Mundra had not yet begun construction, and Jamnagar Port was still developing; everything was still on time.

The next day, Ron met with Advani, the leader of the Indian People's Party, again. This time, he was much more proactive.

"Sur Electrical Appliances can settle in Jamnagar, but I also want that mine," Ron stated directly.

"40,000 jobs, including future votes. In addition, a quarter of the factory's profits must be used for local development in Gujarat. You can continue to expand the factory or do other businesses," the Indian People's Party began to raise the price.

It was clear that Mo Da Xian had secretly reported the news back; he had seen that Ron was very interested in the Kutch Bay mine, even more so than the Sur Electrical Appliances factory.

"40,000 jobs would mean the industrial park would be nearly five hundred acres, this investment is too large, I need the state government's help," Ron bargained.

"Name it," Advani shook his head.

"I need a bank loan, one billion rupees."

"That's too much, five hundred million at most," Advani cut it in half directly.

"Deal, but I also need to find an immediately usable factory building in Jamnagar first. This way, Sur Electrical Appliances' equipment can be moved in and start production, and we can produce while building the new industrial park."

Advani and Modi discussed for a moment, then nodded, "No problem, there are idle warehouses there that you can convert into a factory."

"Finally, the limestone mine in Kutch Bay..."

"You can mine it, but we won't provide a single rupee of a loan," Advani immediately cut off his exorbitant demand.

Sur Electrical Appliances' factory was a labor-intensive manufacturing industry, which could create a large number of jobs.

It was understandable for the Indian People's Party to offer some loans to attract investment.

However, the mining industry provided limited jobs, far less than manufacturing.

And to avoid accusations of cronyism, the Indian People's Party was very cautious about transactions involving state-owned resources.

"Alright," Ron shrugged. They were only just starting to work together, after all.

"We have agreed to all your conditions. Now, let's talk about this election." This was what Advani cared about.

"What do you need me to do?" Ron spread his hands, he had this awareness.

In India, the relationship between politics and business was inherently blurred.

"Cooperate with us for a few promotions, and also, the election preparations are facing some difficulties now..."

"I understand, I understand," Ron nodded repeatedly. "How much do you need?"

Advani didn't speak, but Modi made a gesture.

"Deal!" Ron took a slight breath.

Ten million rupees, this was his largest bribe to date.