He leaned forward, trying to size Leo up.

"Talk is cheap, Leo. But in business, you need chips to play." Morganfield’s gaze sharpened. "What are you holding? What can you give me?"

"I can give you everything."

Leo spread his hands, as if the whole of Pittsburgh lay in his palm.

"The rules, the land, the concessions... even the city’s very right to breathe for the next fifty years. If the price is right, I’ll tear the bronze doors off City Hall and sell them to you."

Leo stared directly into the oligarch’s eyes, not giving an inch.

"The question isn’t what I can give you, Douglas. Since I’m putting the entire city on the table, the real question is—what are you prepared to pay?"

"I want your backing in Harrisburg. I want you to back five hundred million US Dollars in bonds. I want all your resources on the side of the Democratic Party, on the side of Murphy."

"On... my side."

Leo took a fountain pen from his briefcase, pulled over a sheet of letterhead from the Allegany Mountain Summit Club, and slapped it down on the table.

Morganfield stared at Leo for a full five seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"Good! Excellent!"

"Since you’re selling, let’s see if your merchandise is really worth the price."

Leo uncapped the pen and wrote the first line on the paper.

Exclusive Franchise.

Leo tapped the line of words with the tip of his pen.

"If you participate in the port’s construction as a mere contractor, then every five or ten years, City Hall will have to review the contract. Your competitors will be breathing down your neck, the media will be watching you... It’s too much of a hassle."

"So, I’ll push the City Council to pass a new local ordinance next month—the Strategic Logistics Unified Management Bill."

"In this ordinance, we will redefine the legal status of the Inland Port."

"We will classify it as a special public utility."

Leo looked up at Morganfield.

"Just like water, natural gas, and electricity."

"Based on this definition, and in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Law—in order to guarantee the stability and security of services and prevent destructive competition from wasting public resources..."

"The Pittsburgh City Government will be empowered to grant one qualified corporation a fifty-year, irrevocable, exclusive franchise license."

Leo repeated the number.

"For those fifty years, regardless of who becomes Mayor or how the council changes, as long as your company doesn’t go bankrupt, no one can take the operating rights for this port from you. It will be a legally mandated monopoly."

"’To prevent destructive competition from wasting resources.’" Morganfield mulled over the phrase, a smirk touching his lips. "What a perfect excuse." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Leo didn’t stop. He wrote the second line on the paper.

Exclusive Technical Barriers.

"Even with the concept of an exclusive franchise, procedure still dictates that it must be awarded through a public bidding process."

"To prevent anyone from throwing a wrench in the works, or some foolhardy out-of-town company from trying to muddy the waters..."

"I’ll have Ethan add a supplementary clause to the technical specifications section of the tender documents."

Leo wrote a number on the paper: 500.

"’To ensure seamless integration between the port and railway transport and to maximally reduce transshipment costs, the winning bidder, as part of their eligibility, must provide proof of title to no less than 500 acres of existing railway transshipment yards within Allegany County.’"

Leo put down his pen and looked at Morganfield.

"Douglas, as far as I know, in all of Allegany County, or even all of Western Pennsylvania..."

"...there is only one company that owns private railway transshipment yards of that scale located adjacent to the Ohio River."

"And that is your Morganfield Railway Company."

"This means that the moment the call for bids is published, the game is already decided."

"Even if someone wanted to bid, they’d have to buy the land first. But they can’t buy the land, because it’s all in your hands."

Morganfield’s eyes lit up.

He was very familiar with this kind of tactic. They used it often in the business competitions of decades ago.

But in the current political climate, there weren’t many politicians left who would dare to so brazenly tailor the requirements for a specific bidder.

"A rigged tender."

Morganfield blew out a smoke ring.

"Very traditional, very crude, but I like it. This is how business is done."

Leo wrote the third line.

Master Developer.

"A port isn’t just docks and cranes. It also includes the surrounding warehousing districts, logistics parks, office buildings, and even ancillary commercial centers."

"This involves extensive land development rights."

"I will invoke the relevant clauses in Pennsylvania’s Urban Redevelopment Law to formally declare the proposed port zone and the surrounding two-kilometer area as a blighted district."

"Once an area is defined as blighted, the city government has the legal grounds to exercise eminent domain. We can forcibly acquire the fragmented plots of land within that zone."

"Then, I will designate your new company as the sole Master Developer for that entire region."

Leo’s voice became low and alluring.

"This means you won’t just be the operator of the port. You’ll be the lord of that land."

"Any company that wants to do business in the port district—whether it’s Amazon wanting to open a warehouse, Maersk wanting to act as a freight forwarder, or a street vendor wanting to open a hot dog stand..."

"...they will all have to get your permission first."