[Chapter 814: The Trend of Free Trade Zones]
The Jurassic Park had reopened, and it was still packed with visitors. To be honest, Americans truly loved their vacations.
While Jurassic Park felt relatively closed off, there were plenty of great spots nearby. The Bahamas' gambling industry relied heavily on American tourists.
"Ha ha, this is unfortunate. I bought an 8, but it came out as 18. Can I roll again?"
A group of onlookers stared at the man, bewildered. Well, if he hadn't been surrounded by bodyguards, he probably would have faced some backlash.
"I'm sorry, Mr. White; you can't roll again," the dealer said politely.
"Okay, okay, I was just joking. I'll give this one to you."
"Thank you!"
Betting hundreds was nothing, especially when he casually tipped two thousand. Clearly, he wasn't an ordinary person. Once they recognized him, there wasn't really any point in continuing the game.
"Let's go, Nicole; your luck isn't working either. Maybe I should just buy a machine to play at home."
"Please, like you wouldn't try to take a beautiful girl home too."
"Are you kidding? That girl? She's either the owner or a senior manager. If she were just a waitress, wouldn't she be trembling with fear when she sees your man?"
Nicole rolled her eyes at him. While she didn't say much, she begrudgingly had to admit his status was quite impressive now.
Just recently, the wealthiest man had made headlines while taking a vacation.
...
Nassau, unlike the famous battleships, wasn't known by many as the capital of the Bahamas. William White certainly didn't come here aimlessly.
Thanks to the new Jurassic Park, tourists had noticeably increased in the Bahamas. The local big shots wanted to chat with him, hoping for potential collaborations.
Business is all about cordial relations. Even if you buy those islands, you're still on someone else's turf. It's all about making sure everyone benefits in the end.
"Hey, Tanner, what did that guy mean by a Caribbean regional alliance? Those islands are all over the place; are they going to work together on fishing?"
"Well, master, it's a bit like the North American Free Trade Agreement. But besides Mexico and Colombia, the others are pretty small. The Bahamas is the best among them, but Haiti and Jamaica still have their issues."
"Haiti? If memory serves, they've been at it for a few hundred years. That place is a real mess."
Tanner remained silent; whenever things got tough in Haiti, people ran to America. The local gangs definitely had headaches regarding reactions from the states.
Free trade zones were beneficial, sure -- they removed tariffs, allowing for the free flow of goods. But honestly, what's the Caribbean trying to accomplish? Without industrial products and with agricultural products overlapping, what is truly worth trading?
William White misunderstood the concept of a Caribbean alliance. Trade was only one facet; it also signaled small countries opting to band together for survival.
That neighboring big shot was quite brazen. If they couldn't team up with the strong, then having a meeting of the weak would do. When voting time came, it would be one vote per person.
Even if America was dominating, they wouldn't be able to veto everything forever. Nothing was worse than facing an applause-less defeat. It was like a vote in a committee; while the head could veto, they rarely did without thinking it through.
Mexico wasn't foolish; their economy was becoming increasingly precarious. If anything sparked a crisis, their finances could collapse.
If America didn't want what they produced, the surrounding small nations still barely managed. Even a little was better than nothing.
Unfortunately, they were thinking too optimistically. When it comes to maritime shipping, an extra five hundred or a thousand miles didn't really mean much. America bought corn more cheaply, so why would they buy from them?
How about some low-interest loans? Then we could talk.
...
"Nicole, you need to try this conch meat; it's amazing."
"No thanks, spicy food's bad for the skin." She shot him a look. William White flinched; the girl was incredibly delicate.
"Didn't I tell them not to add chili?"
Nicole sighed, clearly annoyed. The cook had his methods, just like Italians had no idea how to make pasta without cheese.
"Just eat some more; I'll stick to the shrimp."
William White shook his head with a wry smile. For beauty, these girls really made sacrifices.
Actually, he couldn't advise her at all. She was happy with her decisions, and that was what mattered. A tall guy like him would definitely have issues if he ate as carelessly as her.
Just like little Taylor later on -- the looks were there, but her body? That was a whole different headache.
...
The pink, green, and blue of the Bahamas' sandy beach really were vibrant. And whether or not it was romantic to walk hand in hand on the beach felt a little cliche at times.
Well, this place wasn't well-suited for messing around. Since their whereabouts had been out in the open, paparazzi were on their tail.
Why was it so quick?
This beach was quite famous, which is why they had an airport on the island. It must have been one of the shortest flights in the world. Taking off to landing took mere minutes; that's what they meant by air taxi.
It truly made little sense why they didn't arrange ferries. Such a beautiful route felt wasted being viewed from the air.
The hot weather combined with a romantic atmosphere definitely raised people's hormones. Caught in the moment, the two decided to take a break -- well, the heat really was stifling.
...
While William White wandered around, Soros didn't have it so easy. He disliked changes -- wasn't fond of them at all.
Mexico was barely hanging on, but now they were forming a regional alliance. The most ridiculous part was that America supported it.
Soros was thinking too simplistically; his followers were struggling. America had no real interest in their affairs.
If nothing else, Haiti was exhausting America to no end. They had nothing, yet they brought a fight to the table.
"Sir, experts aren't optimistic about the Caribbean alliance."
"Hmph, what do they know? They say the Caribbean's bad, but Europe is just wonderful?
Mexico really could stir up trouble without any industrial foundation. How could they possibly make anything happen?"
Although he said this, Soros had to proceed cautiously.
There was no such thing as an undefeated champion; even betting houses had the potential to lose.
Most bettors believed that the house always controlled the game. That wasn't really the case. Sports betting and Wall Street were pretty similar -- higher odds came from having access to more information.
Many outcomes revolved around mathematical models, which eventually transitioned to automated computer systems.
The circuit-breaker mechanism was designed to prevent uncontrolled automated trading.
They'd give you a fifteen-minute pause to cancel overly rational actions. Without that, there could be catastrophic sell-offs.
Computer programs were rigid; once stock prices hit a certain threshold, they would simply act according to settings -- without considering the reasons behind market crises.
Don't even get started on artificial intelligence; ultimately, it's just a data pile. It's better to have humans in control. If something goes wrong, it's okay if the stock price plummets, but if all the flying objects in the sky are weapons of mass destruction, that would be too scary.
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