A bastard child, huh, are you blind?
"He is not my bastard child."
Austin’s face gradually darkened, he actually thought that this would make Wayne the perfect heir, and Veronica wouldn’t have to jump into the fire pit anymore.
"Alright, if you insist, then he is not."
Barney laughed with a meaningful look, "After all, whether he is or isn’t isn’t up to you to say, the Royal Family has to nod in agreement..."
In Barney’s view, Wayne and Austin were cut from the same cloth, with righteous appearances and self-righteous attitudes, looking honorable on the surface but full of wicked schemes underneath.
Yes, the more he looked, the more alike they seemed!
To say that these two had no blood relation, he wouldn’t believe it even if he were beaten to death.
"Austin, reconsider our previous partnership; it’s beneficial for both of us."
"No need, I have better channels for cooperation," Austin flatly refused, taking Wayne and Megan with him as they left.
Wayne, puzzled by the hushed cursing of the ’F’ word behind him, wondered, "Who is that old man, why does he have so little hair, isn’t he cold? The last time I encountered such an arrogant guy, he was in the newspaper the next day."
"What did the newspaper say?"
"Drunk driving, the car went straight into the Themes River, they only found a wig at the scene."
"You must have remembered it wrong..."
Austin dismissed the mistaken memory, stopping in his tracks to look at Wayne: "I’ve also read that report, there was no car accident, they only found a cement barrel, and the dead was a damn societal trash!"
Wayne scratched his nose, asking why speak if you are only going to look in the mirror?
So one plus one really is greater than two!
Their passive-aggressive tones were loud, ensuring that the father and son behind heard them clearly, and compared to their loud scheming, Barney’s mumbling curses sounded much pettier.
Originally, Austin didn’t want to act this way; he preferred the stealthier backhanded method, but somehow, Wayne dragged him into the conversation.
After a few more steps, Megan answered Wayne’s question: "Barney Boswell, his son Owen Boswell. The Boswell Family is one of the Tulip Family, with the main industries being forestry and coal mining. With the rise of steam engines, the Boswell Family’s social influence peaked, starting to invest in other fields, and they are in competition with the Lando Family."
The Boswell Family could be considered as working in the energy sector, and with the advent of the coal era, they accumulated a large amount of wealth over the last two generations, but as the world gradually entered the era of electricity, coal’s status became quite awkward.
To say that coal isn’t viable is misleading, as it can be converted into easily transportable and usable electricity, but to say that coal has a future overlooks the reality that it will eventually be depleted.
Living off the mountain’s resources can’t last forever; without transformation, it’s a dead end.
The Boswell Family’s transformation didn’t extend deep into the energy field, and they refused to invest in the oil sector, instead bravely venturing into the armaments market, hoping to profit from the upcoming world war.
Because they entered late, the market share within Windsor Domain had already been divided, and currently, they could only cooperate with foreign partners.
Their biggest collaborator was Prussian Berklue Heavy Industries, known for excellent quality steel and renowned for manufacturing cannons and tanks.
Foreign grounds are always less secure, and the Boswell Family wanted to establish a firm foothold within Windsor Domain, to have the confidence to face any potential fallout with their partners.
If you say this family has poor foresight, they predicted that there will definitely be a war, even a world war, but if you say they have good foresight, they firmly believed that oil could never become the primary energy source of the future.
"Forestry and coal mining are the Boswell Family’s money-making businesses, and they have always been obsessed with Magic; their family has produced many capable individuals..."
Seeing that Wayne didn’t care and wasn’t taking the other side seriously, Austin snorted inwardly, unleashing a surge of resentment: "Barney once asked for his son to court me for my daughter, hoping to advance further cooperation between our families, which I refused."
The Boswell Family, huh? He took note!