With clear goals and direction, Carter quickly sprang into action. The vacation was put on hold, and early the next morning, Carter flew back to Georgia. By that afternoon, Carter was already in Benjamin's office.
Douglas and Pearson were easy to deal with. As major contributors to the local economy, extending Carter's toll collection rights was not an issue for Benjamin and Leberding at all. In fact, they genuinely hoped for Carter's success. After all...
From a pragmatic perspective, Carter's success would bring them political achievements and capital. From a moral standpoint, Carter was a good comrade! He genuinely invested his earnings back into his hometown's development, making him Douglas's golden boy!
Supporting someone like him was a no-brainer. Not supporting him would be unconscionable! Extending the toll collection period was a trivial matter. Not only would the council have no objections, but the citizens wouldn't have a single word of complaint either!
Apart from these two cities, the other two small towns along the highway route, Plains and Baxley, also had no objections. Previously connected by county-level roads (even lower than provincial roads), they were thrilled at the prospect of a highway. They were more worried that Carter wouldn't proceed with the construction. Tolls? Sure! Go ahead and collect!
If they weren't aware of their own limitations, they would have offered Carter permanent toll rights. After all, they could always build a new highway once the economy picked up.
Since Carter didn't have such grand ambitions, he merely wanted to extend the toll collection period beyond twenty years if the investment wasn't recouped.
Having secured agreements from the four easiest and least influential cities, Carter set his sights on the three major cities: Columbus, Albany, and Savannah.
His first stop was Columbus.
Columbus's location in Georgia was somewhat marginal, bordering Alabama to the west. The prominent Fort Benning military base lay between Columbus and Alabama. As a military base with over 100,000 residents, Fort Benning was a market in itself.
Before meeting with the Columbus city government, Carter first visited the base. Observing the soldiers, family members, and supply trucks, he evaluated the market potential.
As a semi-enthusiast of military matters, Carter could identify the M16 rifles but little else. However, the base's comprehensive facilities—hospitals, schools, residential areas, restaurants, bars, and supermarkets—painted a clear picture of a thriving market.
Fort Benning was a massive, entirely import-dependent "city." Given the military's lack of self-sustaining traditions, everything had to be bought. With such a consumer base, it was no surprise that Columbus was eager for improved road infrastructure.
Understanding this context, Carter found that negotiations were unexpectedly easy. The discussions were so smooth they could have been scripted by Dove chocolate commercials.
Albany, with its own military base, had similar needs. Seeing Columbus's agreement, Albany had no reason to dissent. A snowball effect was in motion.
By the time Carter entered Savannah's city hall on the fifth day, the mayor was already prepared with the agreement, bluntly stating:
"Sign it quickly and get out!"
While the words were more polite, the sentiment was clear. With six out of seven cities already on board, Savannah had no real leverage to oppose. It was better to get it over with.
Leaving Savannah's city hall, Carter felt a bit lost. If he had known it would be this easy, why had he rushed back so urgently?
Looking around and up at the midday sun, he realized it was almost lunchtime.
About half an hour later, in the employee cafeteria of Gulfstream Aerospace.
"Carter, are you really here just for a meal?"
Across from him, a bewildered Paulson watched Carter devouring his food.
Georgia wasn't very large, and word traveled fast, especially since the recent influx of over ten thousand people into Douglas and Pearson had made headlines. As the central figure of this event, Carter Black was under media scrutiny.
Paulson, reflecting on Carter's dramatic transformation over the past year, had taken his visit seriously, expecting a significant request. But... a free meal?
"Mainly for the meal, haha. Just happened to be lunchtime and thought I'd visit you. Why, is something wrong, Uncle Paulson?"
"Not really, I'm just surprised you'd travel almost 200 kilometers just for a meal. Really?"
"Haha, no, not really. I had some business at Savannah City Hall. I'm planning to build a highway from Columbus to Savannah and came to deliver the documents."