Chapter 5, The Path to Wealth

Before Fang Lang could respond, he answered himself: "Do you think the German submarines at sea are not taking risks? Apart from the convoys protected by escort fleets, the risks undertaken by other civilian merchant ships do not yield profits that justify the costs. Who would be willing to take that chance? Only those transporting strategic materials are protected by escort fleets, and they certainly would not engage in business with you! In fact, the time during which this cigarette could be used as cash began only when the Americans landed and launched their counteroffensive, which has been just over four months. The large merchants also need time to prepare their fleets. As far as I know, some merchants who took the risk to set sail never returned. This has led to an even stronger price for cigarettes.

Seeing that this Italian did not want to continue providing market information for Fang Lang, Fang Lang was not angry. Instead, he leaned in and whispered in his ear: "Brother, I am a crew member on a U.S. Navy transport ship, just arrived in Italy, so I am not very familiar with the market situation, but I will frequently travel between the United States and Italy in the future. Do you understand what I mean?"

Aren't cigarettes distributed directly? Why do they still need to be purchased? According to Fang Lang's knowledge, the logistics supply of the U.S. military is very sufficient, and each soldier has a fixed cigarette quota every month. Normally, there shouldn't be a shortage of cigarettes! How is it that now cigarettes on the black market have become a more stable hard currency than the U.S. dollar?

Upon hearing Fang Lang's words, the Italian's eyes sparkled with a bright golden light. After scanning the surrounding people and noticing that no one was paying attention to the two of them, he lowered his voice and pointed to Fang Lang's insignia, saying: "Brother, this is not the emblem of the United States Navy."

Fang Lang was originally contemplating how to procure goods to sell in the United States for profit when he suddenly discovered a new opportunity. He quickly asked, "My friend, is it only you Italians who trade with cigarettes, or does everyone trade with cigarettes? Do you consider the brand?"

The U.S. dollar is not entirely out of the question, but within our military, cigarettes are more stable than the dollar. If you give me dollars, it would still be quite difficult to buy cigarettes. The Italian's statement took Fang Lang a while to process; it turns out there is such a way to play the game.

Of course, someone has already started doing it; otherwise, how could this price have been set? You are wondering why no one is directly shipping entire ships over here, right?" the Italian asked with a smile, voicing the doubts in Fang Lang's mind.

This price indeed exceeds Fang Lang's expectations. It is important to note that the current era's US dollar has not undergone the devaluation and excessive issuance seen in later years; its purchasing power remains quite robust. One current US dollar can certainly be considered equivalent to one thousand yuan from the year 2000, as one current US dollar is approximately equal to one gram of gold

Alright! My friend, let's all be honest here; I will definitely need to confirm this with someone else. So can you tell me how much a pack of cigarettes costs in your place in US dollars? Since others have already opened up, Fang Lang no longer beat around the bush

Hehe... Yes, I am a member of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force Navy, but we are under the command of the United States Navy's Fourth Fleet, and I happen to be an officer in the Navy's Logistics Department, so... Fang Lang had to reveal a bit of his identity to convince this Italian that he had the ability to procure enough cigarettes

To speak frankly, the profit in the middle is substantial. Is there really no other merchant involved? Fang Lang could not believe that such a good business opportunity had gone unnoticed by others

Brother, your offer is indeed very attractive. I think I will know what products to bring back when I return from the United States, but I wonder how much you can handle. Fang Lang calculated his own capital; with five hundred dollars, he could purchase two thousand five hundred packs of cigarettes. Selling them at five dollars per pack would yield twelve thousand five hundred dollars. With that money, he could buy sixty-two thousand five hundred packs of cigarettes in the United States, worth three hundred twelve thousand five hundred dollars. This business is absolutely worth Fang Lang risking his life for. It is important to note that in the current United States, a car only costs around one thousand dollars. If Fang Lang makes two trips, he could turn the amount insufficient to buy one car into enough to buy over three hundred cars. Logically, such a good business opportunity should not be discovered by him!

Why don't you tell me how many cigarettes this watch is worth! Fang Lang is also someone who won't act until he sees the rabbit, so he continues to keep this Italian in suspense.

Fang Lang was momentarily taken aback, accustomed as he was to the character of Chinese people from his previous life, still wanting to repeatedly test the limits with this Italian. He did not expect that the other party would not beat around the bush at all.

"Brother, if you have cigarettes to sell to me, I will purchase them at the price of five dollars per pack. Of course, this price is subject to market fluctuations, but I believe the price will definitely continue to rise. I am confident that no one in all of Naples can offer a higher price than I can." The Italian spoke with certainty, full of confidence.

If Fang Lang remembers correctly, the price of a pack of cigarettes in the United States is approximately 20 cents, so if cigarettes are shipped from the United States to Europe, the price would increase twenty-five times. Is there a business with higher profits than this? Fang Lang does not even dare to calculate how many times the profit would be if they were sourced from their own cigarette factory in Brazil and then shipped over.

Brother, you want to know how much a pack of cigarettes is worth in US dollars, right? No need to probe, I want to become a long-term business partner with you, and I will absolutely not deceive you in such matters https://wwwhetushu.com!" The Italian spoke frankly.

"No charge?" The seller's statement left Fang Lang momentarily stunned; what could be sold without a price? He quickly inquired, "Then what do you want?"

I do not have much US dollars on hand, but my uncle definitely has sufficient funds; raising several tens of thousands of dollars is absolutely not a problem. In this day and age, several tens of thousands of dollars truly makes one a big boss, so the several tens of thousands of dollars from the Italians certainly gives them the confidence to claim that they have ample funds

"Why cigarettes? Can't we use US dollars?" Fang Lang was very puzzled, as he had never thought of using cigarettes for shopping.

"Brother, the watch is a minor issue. If you can bring a large quantity of cigarettes, what does it matter to give you this watch?" The Italians are very savvy, clearly individuals engaged in significant business.

Because Fang Lang does not smoke, he had never thought that cigarettes had actually become a hard currency in the military. Did the cigarettes that were allocated to him in the Brazilian Expeditionary Force get embezzled by the officers? It feels like he has lost one hundred million, and his heart aches.

Brother, let's continue discussing the price of this watch! I currently do not have any cigarettes on me, so I am not sure how many US dollars you want to sell it to me for. The emphasis on the word 'currently' was intentional, making it clear to the Italian what Fang Lang wanted to convey.

Of course, everyone trades with cigarettes! Including the Germans. The brand of the cigarettes is not really that important; currently, the most common ones on the market are the American Lucky Strikes. It seems you are completely unaware of the market situation! You don't have any cigarettes on hand, do you? So, how much are you willing to pay in US dollars for this watch?" The Italian clearly felt that Fang Lang had strayed too far from the topic and wanted to steer the conversation back to the watch trade. "So, how much are you willing to pay in US dollars for this watch?" The Italian clearly felt that Fang Lang had strayed too far from the topic and wanted to steer the conversation back to the watch trade.

Fang Lang is well aware of the Italian's thoughts; he is unwilling to let him believe that he can monopolize his own channels. Sufficient pressure must be applied to exchange for greater benefits

The Italian's eyes began to emit a green light as he whispered to the other party, "Brother, how about we find another place to talk?"

Cigarettes were indeed spread by the Indigenous people, and Brazil happens to be a major tobacco-growing region. Although there are currently no large brands of locally produced cigarettes in Brazil, there are quite a few small-scale cigarette factories. For instance, Yang Zong, the uncle of Fang Lang, runs a small workshop-style cigarette factory.

Indeed, cigarettes are distributed, but the monthly quota can be consumed in just three days on a high-intensity battlefield. If one wishes to smoke again, they must wait for the next month's quota or exchange for more. So, you understand! The words spoken by the Italian were like parting the fog, revealing a myriad of golden rays to Fang Lang.

"Cigarettes, is this your first time here? The Italian lira is now as worthless as scrap paper, so I do not accept lira," the Italian said to Fang Lang with a serious expression, providing an explanation.