I am a master in India

Chapter 393 The Worst City

Ron plans to return to Mumbai in August, and will spend the time with Isha in New Delhi in the meantime.

September is Kavia's due date, and he will definitely be going to Tamil Nadu then.

As a master of time management, he has always been fair in this regard.

However, he was not in a hurry, but some people were.

Xiao Tian waited and waited in Mumbai, but there was no sign of him.

Unfortunately, Japan was pressing him for an agreement, so he had no choice but to fly to New Delhi himself.

As the capital and center of power of India, this was Oda's first visit here.

He had just come out of the airport when an old woman with faltering steps came up to him and begged.

She held a laminated sign in her hand, one side in Hindi and the other in English, explaining her situation.

Following the usual pattern, it would definitely involve multiple illnesses and various attempts to elicit sympathy.

As a result, Oda glanced at it and then froze in place.

The old woman's sign read: "I have two daughters who are ready to get married, please, have mercy..."

What does marriage have to do with begging? He couldn't understand.

As a foreigner, he found it difficult to understand the issue of huge dowries in India, and no one explained it to him.

So he ignored the old lady and walked straight past her to hail a taxi to the hotel.

His first impression of Delhi was not good. As soon as he got off the plane and walked to the jet bridge, the damp, moldy smell of the airport mixed with strange perfume wafted towards him.

It's so stuffy, I feel like I'm suffocating.

Although the sanitation situation in Mumbai is also worrying, it is by the sea after all, which will make you feel more relaxed.

Oda also heard that Delhi has a terrible security situation, and that locals try every means to rip off foreigners.

So, on his friend's advice, he clutched a pen tightly in his hand as soon as he left the airport and deliberately placed it where people could see it.

He even maintained an attack stance so that people would know he could retaliate at any time, thus deterring others from causing trouble.

Oda treated this as an adventure game, and he made thorough preparations.

Unfortunately, as soon as his foreign face appeared, he was already being watched by countless people in Delhi.

He wanted to go to the taxi lane, where there was a designated taxi stand for foreigners.

Before we even arrived at our destination, a man who looked like a local guide came over.

"That train station for foreigners is closed. If you need to take a train, I can take you there."

"Oh, really?" Oda was stunned.

The person in front of him was so enthusiastic that he found it hard to refuse.

In Japan, even if people have some reservations, they would never say it out loud.

Although Xiaotian was wary, she still followed that person for a long time in a daze until they reached the side of a small road.

It turned out that there were no taxis in that area, only tuk-tuks.

He immediately realized something was wrong, and then turned to leave.

As a result, the person leading the way wouldn't let him leave and insisted that he pay a tour guide fee.

"Damn it!" Xiaotian cursed inwardly.

You tricked him into coming to this back alley, and you still have the nerve to ask for a tour guide fee?
Those people were eyeing them covetously, looking like they wouldn't let the matter rest.

Xiao Tian gripped his pen tightly, feigning a firm refusal.

He finally escaped successfully for 200 rupees.

Back at the original place, Xiaotian insisted on taking a taxi no matter what others said.

Those little yellow-green tuk-tuks look so unsafe, yet the drivers love to drive recklessly on the road.

He finally managed to get into an Ambassador taxi and breathed a sigh of relief.

The vendors surrounding him outside were like bandits, practically ready to take advantage of him.

Delhi is too dangerous; it's a terrible city.

"Sir, where are you going?" the taxi driver asked.

"The Imperial Hotel." Oda had booked the place in advance.

The taxi started moving, but after only two minutes, the driver suddenly turned around and said in an extremely serious tone.

"Sir, the Imperial Hotel has been attacked by terrorists and has been bombed to the ground!"

"Ah, when did this happen?" Oda was stunned.

"Last night."

"last night?"

"Yes, the entire restaurant is gone."

Xiao Tian blinked, then suddenly realized that the driver had lied to him.

He just called last night to book the hotel, how could it have exploded today?

He would believe it if you told him the hotel was closed for maintenance.

What? It got bombed? Did the University of Tokyo attack?
"Let's go to the Imperial Hotel. If you don't want to, I'll get off the bus."

“Alright, sir, if you insist.” The driver sighed.

Oda thought the rest of the trip would be smoother, and everything would be easier once they arrived at the hotel.

However, his understanding of Delhi was not thorough enough, and the driver stopped again after a few minutes.

He casually pointed to a hotel on the street and said, "We're here, this is it."

When Oda looked up, he realized it wasn't the Imperial Hotel at all; the billboard read "Taj Hotel."

“This is not where I want to go. Look here.” He showed the driver the name written on the paper.

Not far along, the driver pointed to another hotel and said it was this one.

Xiaotian said no, and told him to keep walking.

After repeating this at three or four different locations, the driver simply stopped the car and refused to drive any further.

“The Imperial Hotel is far away and not very good. Don’t go there, I’ll recommend one to you,” he said, arms crossed.

“No, I have to go to the Imperial Hotel,” Oda insisted.

"Then you'll have to pay more."

"Didn't we agree on a price?"

"That doesn't count; that was the price of the first Imperial Hotel."

"First?"

"It's the one I told you about at the very beginning."

"That's not the Imperial Hotel, that's the Taj Mahal!" "You'll have to pay extra!"

After all that trouble, Xiaotian paid an extra 100 rupees for the fare before the driver finally started the car again.

The taxi stopped again after only turning one corner.

Xiaotian couldn't help but feel angry, but the driver pointed out the window and said, "We've really arrived this time."

He turned his head, and there stood the magnificent five-star Imperial Hotel right in front of him.

idiot…

"Delhi is the city I hate the most in the world, bar none!" Xiaotian cursed as he got out of the taxi.

He had never experienced anything like this in Mumbai, a place that, though magical, was also real.

Delhi is a place full of scammers.

The perilous journey made Oda eager to leave, and without delay, he went to find the person in charge the very next day.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked, looking at him in surprise.

"Why don't you go back to Mumbai?" Xiao Tian asked as well.

"My wife is pregnant, and I need to spend more time with her."

"Okay, but with such a big thing happening outside, how can you be so indifferent?" Xiaotian was inexplicably angry.

At this hour, you actually have the leisure to stay home and pamper your wife.

"What do you mean?"

"The Asian financial crisis!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening.

“Oh,” Ron nodded, “Japanese stock prices have fallen again?”

“Yes, eh?” Oda paused.

Why do you have to bring up something you don't want to talk about?

He lost a lot of money during the bubble economy. This financial crisis has wiped out a significant portion of his fortune.

"I've come to see you about something," he said irritably.

"Could it be that the Japanese bank is willing to lend me money?" Ron's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Suer, which bank dares to lend money to outsiders these days?" He was both amused and exasperated.

Although Japan was not at the epicenter of the storm, the Asian financial crisis still had some impact.

The domestic economy, which was slowly emerging from the bubble period, has been hit again.

There are even reports that Shan Yi Securities and Changxin Bank are at risk of bankruptcy.

Oda wasn't sure if these rumors were true or false, but he sensed something.

That means major banks are generally tightening their lending policies. For some struggling overseas industries, they are simply withdrawing loans in advance.

At a time like this, what bank would dare to travel thousands of miles to invest in India?

Ron was a little disappointed. If he wasn't here to give away money, why did he rush over here in such a hurry?

"Mr. Suer, when can we begin the coal trade we discussed last time?"

"Wait, wasn't it supposed to be October?"

In September, the port of Ennor in Tamil officially began operations. Ron had already set up a shipping company and even arranged for the ships to be in place.

He originally planned to use his fleet to transport coal to Calcutta, and then to run shipping routes to Japan.

In this way, they not only sold coal but also attracted business for their shipping company.

"The crisis in Asia has had a significant impact on overseas trade. The depreciation of the yen has increased the import costs of energy and raw materials, especially minerals from Australia, with freight costs rising significantly."

Japan is searching for alternative trading partners, preferably from geographically proximate regions. India is a good fit, especially given Dambad's world-renowned coal grades.

The financial crisis did affect trade, but for energy-importing countries like Japan, coal is a necessity.

No matter how bad the situation is, the demand for coal will never change.

“I see,” Ron said understandingly. “The warehouse in Danbad already has plenty of stock. Whenever our Japanese customers come to check out the products, we can set the price and ship the goods.”

"I'll inform them today that they will definitely arrive in India within a week," Xiaotian said hurriedly.

“Alright, let them go via New Delhi, I’ll lead the team to Danbad.”

"A word is settled!"

Xiao Tian finally breathed a sigh of relief; the trip hadn't been in vain.

"You look like you've survived a disaster," Ron chuckled.

"Delhi is such a terrible city!"

"How to say?"

"Every country has its laws, and every family has its rules. These locals have absolutely no manners."

Oda recounted everything that had happened to him since he got off the plane, which made Ron laugh out loud.

Why didn't you call me?

“I thought this was just a normal trip. I often wander the streets alone in Mumbai.”

“North India and South India are not the same thing, and my travel company is located in the airport.”

"What?" Oda was very surprised.

"Didn't you see it? Suer Travel Information Company is right next to the arrival hall."

"This is unbelievable, you're in the tourism business?"

“That’s what I started out in,” Ron said with a hint of pride.

Over the past few years, travel companies haven't stood still. They now have branches in almost all of India's major cities.

The profits are about the same as those of travel agencies that cater to foreign clients; it's barely acceptable.

The reason he continues to invest resources in this business is for the sake of the future "hotel, tourism and catering ecosystem".

Don't forget that he also has a five-star hotel under construction, which perfectly integrates tourism, hotels, catering, and local services.

Ron's goal is to build his own five-star hotel in every major city.

Once they reach a certain scale, they can also form a group company.

This is not surprising; it is very common for Indian companies to operate in multiple industries.

The most famous example is Tata, whose food and beverage business includes the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai.

With a travel company under his belt, it's perfectly normal for Ron to expand into the hotel and catering industry.

After finishing his business, Xiaotian was about to leave when he was called back.

"The coal deal's done. What about the phone we agreed on last time?"

Ron was eyeing NEC's prized possession; after all, he couldn't just give away the final payment for nothing.

(End of this chapter)