Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 52 Who would change history if there were no benefits? (Revised version)

The middle-aged inventor repeated the word "car" over and over, finding it increasingly catchy, and soon a happy smile spread across his face.

"The name 'Car' is fantastic, I love it! If my test drive is successful, it will be the first car on Earth!"

The onlookers initially thought the name "car" was excellent, and then, upon hearing the middle-aged inventor's enthusiastic declaration, they all applauded and cheered.

The middle-aged inventor nodded to Mr. Winslop and Larry in respect, then stepped forward and said to Larry,

"Thank you, young man. Your name will bring me good luck, and I now sincerely invite you to the first test drive of my car!"

Larry smiled gently and waved his hand to politely decline.

I thought to myself, "This is your wife, it would be so inappropriate for me to sit on her!"

But the middle-aged inventor clearly mistook Larry's refusal for youthful shyness. He laughed and, without further ado, pulled Larry onto his Clara, sitting down beside him and preparing to start the car.

"Take it off, take it off, take it off, take it off..."

The internal combustion engine roared wildly, indicating that it was ready to go at any time.

Larry was forcibly pulled into the carriage, and he was extremely nervous at that moment. He gripped the frame of the carriage tightly with both hands, ready to jump out and escape at any time.

Just as the middle-aged inventor was about to start the car, a photographer with a huge camera squeezed through the crowd and shouted at the middle-aged inventor and Larry,

"Sir! We want to take a picture of your courageous attempt, for our great era!"

The middle-aged inventor immediately agreed. He sat upright on the Clara and pulled Larry's hand up to the sky, creating a highly dynamic photographic composition.

"boom!!"

The magnesium powder burned rapidly, producing a bright light, and the photographer took advantage of this opportunity to capture a precious photograph.

All preparations are complete.

The middle-aged inventor started the car, and the small internal combustion engine began to spin wildly, driving the chain to make the four wheels of the Clara turn in sequence.

The Clara began to move! It gradually increased its speed, the huge wheels began to turn counterclockwise, and the carriages began to move slowly.

The onlookers let out an excited shout and took small steps as the car slowly moved forward on the road.

But at that moment, a series of strange noises suddenly came from the internal combustion engine. Then, the poor little machine made a series of crackling and popping noises and emitted black smoke.

With a snap, the taut drive chain broke.

The Clara, America's first automobile, collapsed on the road after traveling 45 centimeters.

A collective sigh of regret rippled through the crowd, while the middle-aged inventor frowned deeply and remained silent.

The only happy one was Larry, who was relieved that he wouldn't have to be a guinea pig anymore.

Larry patted the middle-aged inventor on the shoulder, wanting to comfort him, but he had already jumped off the carriage and begun seriously troubleshooting the mechanical problems. Larry wanted to complain to him, but seeing the inventor so focused on his work, he refrained from doing so.

At this moment, the onlookers showed expressions of disappointment. Some pointed and whispered around the Clara, while others simply turned and left.

Larry jumped off the carriage and re-examined the strange-looking vehicle, which was clearly different from those of later generations, and his brows slowly furrowed.

At this moment, Larry was actually very eager to describe the ultimate form of car design to him based on his experience from his previous life, believing that such help would save him from many detours.

But as soon as Larry opened his mouth, he suddenly remembered what Mr. Wallace had told him: "The true Midas touch never makes a sound."

Yes, I cannot change history. If my changes cause the timeline to move forward or backward, it could lead to negative consequences.

Another crucial factor is that telling him how to improve the car didn't benefit me at all!
Who would change the world if there were no benefits?
For Larry, who was an unqualified laborer in his previous life but has already stepped into the ranks of traders in this life, the most important lesson he has learned after this rebirth is that he should never touch stocks that cannot bring him profit; and he should never do anything that cannot bring him profit!

With that in mind, Larry made up his mind not to give the engineer any technical explanations, but at most to offer some reasonable advice from the perspective of a securities firm employee.

“Mr. Inventor, my name is Larry Livingston.” Larry extended his right hand to the middle-aged inventor.

The middle-aged inventor was disassembling an internal combustion engine when he saw Larry's outstretched hand. He paused for a moment, then took a towel to wipe his hands and shook hands tightly with Larry's outstretched hand, but his eyes were still full of doubt as he looked at Larry.

Larry smiled at him and said calmly, “Sir! You are a person with great ideas and the courage to put them into practice, which is great. But as someone in the securities industry, I would like to remind you that if you want to raise funds on Wall Street so that you can have a large sum of money to continue your invention, I suggest that you do not think about the load capacity of the car, but rather find a way to get it running normally first.”

The middle-aged inventor paused, pondering the meaning behind Larry's words.

Larry chuckled, patting the carriage frame and then the massive wheels, before continuing, “If you want to turn your ideas into reality, you’ll need to raise a lot of money. But you should know that whether it’s Mr. J.P. Morgan or the other gentlemen on Wall Street, they need to see hope first. So, use the simplest structure and the lightest load capacity to secure funding first, and then proceed with the subsequent inventions. Otherwise, you’ll be taking the long way around.”

As soon as Larry said this, the middle-aged inventor's eyes lit up immediately, as if the boundless inspiration in his mind had suddenly found an outlet and was spraying into his brain through that outlet.

Larry, seeing his expression, knew he had figured something out, and then finished saying what he wanted to say.
"So, sir. If you've perfected your car and are looking to raise funds from Wall Street to continue your invention, you can come to me. I work at Paine Weber Securities. Remember, my name is Larry Livingston."

The middle-aged inventor nodded blankly, his mind filled with Larry's talk of "simple structure" and "lightest load capacity," and he was trying to figure out how this was possible. After a long while, he finally focused his gaze on Larry's face and nodded heavily.

“Yes, sir. Your words have given me considerable inspiration, and I am determined to reassemble the car in the direction you suggested. If successful, I will go to Paine Weber Securities to find you and ask for your help in securing financing so that I can continue to improve the car.”

Larry nodded, thinking that if he listened to the advice, then his words hadn't been in vain.

But you need to hurry, otherwise I might be on Wall Street by then and won't even know your name. Where will I find you then?

Thinking of this, Larry suddenly asked the middle-aged inventor, "Excuse me, sir. I haven't asked your name yet."

The middle-aged inventor solemnly declared, "My name is Henry Ford, and I am an engineer at the Edison Electric Light Company!"

Larry nodded and smiled, his heart pounding. He thought to himself, "I know the name Ford, but I don't know if it's the Ford I know."

　I've already made the changes, I took your advice, haha.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)