The American Dream (1)

August 1919, New York

"So that's the Statue of Liberty."

Space Force's Lieutenant Ikeda had arrived in San Francisco by ship and then traveled to New York via the transcontinental railroad.

"Hello, I'm Shiota Taiji from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"Likewise, I'm Shinohara Gen from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Ikeda Masanobu from the Space Force. I look forward to working with you."

Ikeda had requested two officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist him in establishing a trading company in New York. The three of them would set up the company and expand various business ventures.

"Mr. Ikeda—or should I say, President Ikeda—as per your instructions, the company registration is complete. Let me show you to the office."

The company was named Sun & Son Company, commonly referred to as Sanson.

"Now, let's all go buy some bread."

"Huh? Bread…?"

Shiota and Shinohara were puzzled by Ikeda's words.

The three of them bought as much bread as they could and headed to an area where many homeless people lived.

At the time, New York was bustling with workers from all over the United States seeking employment. However, it was also common to see makeshift shacks housing those who had lost their jobs or were too injured to work.

"Here, have a piece of bread."

Ikeda and his companions distributed bread to the homeless.

"We've come from Japan. The U.S. played a significant role in mediating the peace treaty after the Russo-Japanese War, so we're here to repay that kindness. Where are you from, sir?"

"Thanks. I'm from Oregon. I used to work as a farmer, but I got my hand caught in a tractor the farm owner introduced, and I couldn't work anymore. So, I came to New York alone, but no one will hire me with this hand."

Every day, they distributed bread and listened to the homeless people's stories, which were mostly about their lives. Shiota and Shinohara didn't understand the purpose of this, but since it was the president's order, they followed without complaint.

About a month later, something happened.

"Hello, Richard."

"..."

They knocked on the shack of Richard, a man in his forties who had been in poor health, but there was no response. Ikeda slightly shifted the board covering the entrance.

Inside, Richard lay on his back, his mouth wide open, no longer breathing.

It wasn't uncommon for homeless people to die. This was the third time Ikeda and his team had encountered a corpse since they started distributing bread.

"He looks like just another corpse."

"Should we call the police?"

Shiota asked Ikeda.

"No, let's leave him as he is. We'll leave quietly so no one notices he's dead."

Shiota and Shinohara found Ikeda's words strange.

Later that night, the three of them returned to Richard's shack and, without alerting the other homeless people, removed the body. After gathering what they needed, they encased the corpse in concrete and dumped it into the sea.

The man's name was Richard Taylor. He was from Iowa and held American citizenship. His parents were immigrants from England who had already passed away, and he had no siblings, leaving him completely alone. Ikeda had also learned that Richard had a birth certificate proving he was born in Iowa.

A few days after disposing of the body, they registered a company with Richard as the president.

The company was named Richard Investment.

Its headquarters was a room rented next to Ikeda's Sanson office. They installed a single telephone line, and the room was empty except for the phone lying on the floor. The telephone line was split, allowing calls to be received in the adjacent Sanson office.

Ikeda quickly began operating Richard Investment.

Using data he had gathered from the New York Stock Exchange, Ikeda analyzed the market using indicators developed in the late 20th century, such as Bollinger Bands, MACD, Parabolic SAR, and Stochastic Oscillators.

"Buy 2,000 shares of Proctor Company at market price. Also, sell 1,500 shares of Macadus Trading at market price."

The brokerage firm received about ten orders a day from Richard Investment. At first, the transactions were small, but within a few months, they became the firm's largest client. Moreover, the orders were precise and consistently profitable.

At the time, stock analysis was limited to candlestick charts and moving averages. Even though it was known that stock prices would continue to rise until the onset of the Great Depression on Black Thursday, individual stocks fluctuated while trending upward. Ikeda accurately predicted these movements, successfully profiting in both rising and falling markets.

The brokerage firm soon realized something.

"If we follow Richard Investment's orders, we could make a fortune through our own trading."

The firm's high profits from following Ikeda's trades quickly became famous on Wall Street. Other brokerage firms and investors began buying the same stocks when Richard Investment bought and selling when it sold.

When Richard Investment bought a stock, the market assumed it would rise, and everyone followed suit, driving the price up. When it sold, the market followed, causing the price to drop.

In other words, Ikeda could profit whether he bought or sold.

Like a fish in water, Ikeda continued to play the money game.

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T/N: If you like it please vote with power stone please. More stones equals faster release.

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A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 34!

How far can Ikeda grow his assets? What lies at the end of this money game?

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