Constantin and Maximilian I talked for a long while. In short, there was no money to be had; everything but money was negotiable.
Faced with the shameless Prince Constantin, East Africa's first naval commander could only return empty-handed. Not only had he failed to secure support, he had even been made to put in quite a few resources of his own.
Meanwhile, Ernst, whom Constantin claimed had recently been short of money, was inspecting the Ruhr area of Prussia.
Thick smoke blanketed the sky, black clouds pressing down overhead.
This was the sight Ernst saw in the cities of the Ruhr area. The Ruhr possessed abundant coal reserves, but lacked iron ore.
Fortunately, transportation here was exceptionally convenient. The Rhine River, Ruhr River, and Lippe River converged, their waterways crisscrossing densely and river transport flourishing. Prussia had also built quite a number of railways, which, with the aid of the Zollverein, could basically reach the entire German territories.
"The environment really is excellent!" Ernst said sincerely.
"Your Highness, I think the environment here is far worse than Berlin's. Berlin's air is nowhere near this filthy," said the accompanying Hechingen Bank Manager.
"I mean the industrial environment, not the natural environment. Remember, we are not here sightseeing. We are here to inspect the local industrial equipment and factories."
"By the way, how has your investigation of the local area gone?" Ernst asked.
"Your Highness, we have visited two-thirds of the local enterprises and factories. At present, many enterprises and factories are expanding. The German market has been booming these past few years, so they have been busy producing and increasing capacity.
"Many machines are snapped up by related enterprises and factories the moment they leave the factory, and machinery prices have been driven sky-high.
"However, there is also an upside.