Empire of the Ring

Youngho called someone who could clear up his confused mind.

“Mr. Eriksson, this is Lee Youngho.”

“Mr. Lee, what a pleasant surprise to receive a call from you. In my experience, when information resources call me first, they usually bring me the good news. Am I right?”

“I’m not calling to give you information but I’m calling to confirm information.”

“You know there’s a cost if you want to confirm any information from us.”

Eriksson talked about money first. Youngho flinched at Eriksson’s reaction because he had called him thinking that he could take advantage of his connection with him. He had forgotten about the information agency’s basis.

“What if I share what I know with you?”

“Then that makes a different story. We can conclude to exchange our information.”

Although the agency was completely after money only, Eriksson was fairly easy-going.

“I’m just going to be straight-forward, I just have a doubt in the current situation of terror attacks. I’m assuming that there is a powerful de facto behind terrorist groups or maybe each head of the groups had made an ally but I can’t figure it out by myself.”

“Whoa, no one ever doubted that before but how did you come to such a conclusion?”

“Well, it seems like a tactic of the terrorists, since there are no major attacks but there are spontaneous small-scale attacks being launched all around Europe.”

“I’m impressed again by your intelligence. I now know why you were picked as an information source for our agency.”

His compliment was flattering enough, although he must be sugar coating it.

“I’m asking again, it’s impossible for terrorist groups with limited funds to exert their power this much. Isn’t that obvious that there is a power behind this?”

“That was what we’ve been investigating upon. I can’t tell you about all speculations our agency is making from different perspectives but I can tell you my opinion on it if you’d like to hear it.”

“Very well. If you do, I’m sure I can help you in some way.”

“There’s no need. I’ll just think of it as the payment for saving my life in Chechnya.”

“…”

Eriksson spoke so calmly for a person who escaped from life-threatening danger. It was quite contrastive from agent Philip, who said he would payback Youngho’s favor for the rest of his life. Maybe Eriksson was being confident since his agency paid Youngho for saving his life. After a short pause, Eriksson suggested ridiculous speculation.

“I think that the US Federal Reserve Bank is behind all this.”

Eriksson’s response was a preposterous nonsense.

‘Why on earth would the US Federal Reserve Bank terrorize Europe?’

The Federal Reserve Bank is the central bank of the United States, which has control of the US dollar supply. Although it was an organization made of private banks, it had to go through the board of directors’ vote of the Federal Reserve Systems to make decisions of major monetary policies. Why would they be supporting the back of terrorist groups?

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“In my perspective, it makes sense. Isn’t it true that Jewish capitalists started the World Wars? You’d know that the Reserve Bank’s board of director’s current chairman is a Jew. Wouldn’t it be a reasonable guess if the board made extreme decision to combat the weakening of dollars anymore?”

His voice was shaking as if he held a grudge on the Federal Reserve Bank. What if the Federal Reserve Bank troubled by the continuation of weak US dollar, was stirring up the world to fluctuate oil price and hold back Europe’s economic growth by decreasing tourism revenues caused due to terror attacks? It was a plausible story. It would be an opportunity to reverse the weakening of dollar against strong euro. Even when 9/11 was also suffering by many conspiracy theories, there was nothing Youngho could say to oppose Eriksson’s theory.

“I’ll just have to consider this conversation as it did not happen.”

“Of course, you should. People like us who live off doing information business should have that kind of an attitude in order to survive in this industry for long. We’re just messengers, not the driving force of such events.”

Through the conversation with Eriksson, Youngho realized something big, that there were things in the world that should be overlooked.

***

Youngho was stunned to hear that an organization with untouchable power and authority was controlling the whole world. In this world, there is more to it than meets the eye. He could not say anything to Eriksson’s accusation that Jewish capitalists were behind World War I and II.

Historically speaking, the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Empire’s successor Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination in Sarajevo by a Yugoslav Ist was the reason for the First World War. It did not seem that Eriksson, who was a middleman of the information agency, to speak of such nonsense that could turn the history upside down. World War II was known as caused by Hitler’s madness. However, another reason was more realistically believed by many people, that the war broke out to contain the Rothschild family who had been in great power over the whole Europe for more than a century after the Napoleonic Wars. At the time, the family’s economic and political power was so great that it was hard to find any European countries that did not have debts to the Rothschild family. It was also a historical truth that in order to trash the bonds that the family had, politicians around Europe spread the conspiracy that Jewish people were trying to control the whole world, which caused the oppression of Jews.

Ironically, the Rothschild family had risen in Frankfurt, Germany. Moreover, Youngho was intrigued by the family since the family was the only group that had Baku of the Caspian Sea oil field exploration license in the 19th Century.

How good a family is enough to dominate the railway industries of Germany and Russia and issue bonds for each country? Although the family had been almost destroyed by Nazi, they fled to the States and to Great Britain and during the Second World War, the family financed Britain’s funds and played a major role in establishing Israel in the Middle East now.

Now, the family was as a mega financial corporation that could control the world finance. Eriksson had emphasized ‘Jewish capitalist.’ The Wall Street was also dominated by Jewish funds. If the power of a single family was that enormous, the family’s glory in the past was unimaginable.

The Western world harassed by terror attacks and people’s hatred over terrorists were rapidly growing. If this continued, the Western world and the supporting countries of extreme terrorist groups could be up in arms against each other. Would not that be a beginning point for another World War?

***

Mega global corporations were not subject to a certain country now. Not being under the authority of a nation, they now were subordinate to certain families. A capitalist family like the Rothschild would try to resolve political issues with their money. Of course, they would control world financial markets. Global corporations that made weapons for mass destruction would sell their arms if they could make money, not discriminating its buyers. If political leaders, who armed their forces with those kinds of weapons, made decisions out of their misjudgments, the world would soon turn into a war place. Imagining this, Youngho decided that he should prepare for the most extreme scenario. Although it was his own conclusion, he was certain that there would be events that would put the world into turmoil.

Paper currency such as dollars and euro would be considered as trash in such situations. All that could be worth of money would be gold bars and raw materials. He would have plenty of oil since he was directly connected to Yaniv. He thought that if he could buy out cobalt, iron, or copper mines, which were commonly spread in Azerbaijan, at cheap prices now, he would not have to envy the Rothschild family some day.

How would he find mines that had effective minerals? The answer lied in the ring’s power. Youngho’s senses were developing at a tremendous rate. If he could sense a certain mineral, he would be able to sense its existence in abandoned mines as well. It would be best if he could find a gold mine.

Since Youngho had been spending a lot of time in his study meditating ever since he returned from Vladivostok, it was Jongil and Insoo who got busy with work. Jongil had to get along with Baku’s officials to collect information for the CIA. Also, because of Karajan who stayed home taking care of her baby, he needed to look after the Chunho Merchant direct clothing store’s management and its retailing business.

Insoo, as well, busily managed the security company by going around to check the work environment for the company’s security crew and supporting their needs. Trusting his friends’ abilities, Youngho focused on meditating, expecting if he could reach the ring’s full potential as done in fantasy novels but nothing new had happened yet. However, he was feeling that as his mediation time lengthened, his head was clearer and focus was keener. He laid different types of minerals and tried to see if he felt anything special but all his efforts were in vain. Thinking that his greed was overtaking his mind, he kept on meditating only.

***

Ever since Fatima got pregnant, Yunsuh and Sangchun had moved into the mansion to live with the family. It was because Sangchun’s parents insisted that Fatima should not be tired out by being in charge of big and small chores of the mansion. The quiet mansion had now turned lively due to the puppy and Yunsuh’s little son. Believing the common saying that it was good for expecting women to see babies and little children around, she let Fatima have more time with Yunsuh’s son. Fatima’s face had gotten even brighter with that pregnancy glow and she made Youngho want her more but since she never let him near her, all he could do was to meditate alone at nights.

On a night of full moon, Youngho and Fatima went out to take a night walk alone. The trees had recently yielded fruit and the fresh scent of grapes in the night breeze was tickling Youngho’s nose.

“Oppa, ever since I began to take a walk with you at night, I sleep well.”

In the beginning stage of her pregnancy, she suffered from not being able to sleep but now, the mother and the baby were both healthy.

“You got pregnant in the best season. The grape scents make your head clear.”

Fatima took Youngho’s arm and began to hum softly to herself. When she hums, it meant that she was in a great mood. Youngho was glad that he suggested taking a walk for an hour every night. Indeed, her pregnancy had taken place in the blessed time. Her due was at the end of October, which was the time right after the cultivation season would be over. When the baby is born, Fatima would have the whole farm’s care and attention.

Youngho was a little bit worried to make a pregnant woman insecure but since he needed to let her know about the current situations, he carefully opened his mouth.

“Fatima, there will be events that will agitate the whole world soon, and there might be a war too. I just want you to stay strong even if things get worse. When I made the security company, there were many reasons but I also wanted to tighten the farm’s security.”

Youngho emphasized that the farm would be safe no matter what.

“…”

Not saying anything back, she only grabbed his arm tighter. She did not seem to be shocked by the news.

“Luckily, Baku is a world-famous treasure of natural resources and many powerful nations hold each other in check to prevent abusing the resources. Here can be safer than other European countries.”

Fatima who had been listening to Youngho’s words silently finally opened her mouth.

“I’ll be here protecting the place. I know we’ll be safe here because of you. Who would touch an agent’s family? Don’t worry about me and the farm and just do your best for your work.”

The CIA’s investment and regard for its core agents were tremendous. Of course, the families of the agents were benefited by the CIA. It was guided in the CIA’s manual that in urgency, the families of agents and ambassadors were escorted to safe zones and if that was not possible, they would be taking shelter in aircraft carriers floating above the water. It might not seem like a big deal but with this system, the US encouraged all agents to focus on their work, risking their lives for dangerous missions.

Youngho also envied this kind of regard for core members of the CIA, since he was not a core member of the CIA. However, he was sure that he could safely evacuate his family with the power of the ring and the shoes.