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Chapter 13 – The Romanov Treasure?

“I understand your plan. However, our available capital is quite lacking. The assets that can be used as collateral are limited, and we don’t have many high-value securities. Most likely, Reiko, your plan alone won’t be enough to get us through this.

Moreover, this is a game played in America, which means we’ll need to convert yen into dollars. That alone will increase our expenses. Naturally, since we’re not aiming to profit from exchange rate differences, this part will be a complete loss.”

What my great-grandfather is saying is perfectly reasonable.
The latter issue is purely a risk, but exchanging a large sum of yen into dollars will still accumulate into a considerable cost over time.

The real problem is the former.
A struggling financial conglomerate wouldn’t have much liquid cash freely available. Since this is a long-term plan spanning several years, we can’t recklessly use our assets as collateral either—considering the interest on loans, that would be too risky.

If we’re not careful, the Ootori Zaibatsu could collapse even before the Showa Financial Crisis hits.

That’s why I must play my next move.

“In that case, let’s obtain gold—real gold. There are still untouched gold mines in Japan.”

“Is that true?!”

Since I hadn’t disclosed this information yet, their surprise is understandable.

The only one who doesn’t seem particularly shocked is my great-grandfather.
Grandfather and Tokita are visibly astonished, meaning this wasn’t something my great-grandmother had foreseen. 

And yet, why does he seem so composed?

Regardless, now that I’ve played this card, I have to move forward with the discussion.

“Yes. Deep in the mountains of Hishikari, located in northern Kagoshima. That area has historically been a gold-producing region, but deeper inside, there’s an incredibly promising gold mine.”

“If it’s such a valuable mine, there’s no way it would have remained undiscovered until now.”

“The ore deposits run almost vertically, making them extremely difficult to find. However, I believe I can pinpoint its exact location.”

“If you saw it in a dream, then uncovering an unexploited gold deposit might not be impossible. But that doesn’t mean the mining process will be easy. Even if we decide to develop the mine, we’d have to start by searching for it. How many years would it take before we could actually extract gold?”

(Ugh, I didn’t account for that question. But I’m not done yet!)

“We can use the existence of the mine as collateral for loans. At worst, we can part with it without regret.”

“One idea after another—just what I’d expect from someone who has seen the future. But your plan is still lacking. That said, you need not worry, Reiko.”

My great-grandfather, Souiichirou, said this with a wry smile, his expression unusually gentle.
Then, he shifted his gaze from me to my grandfather, Kiichirou, who gave a nod in response.

“Reiko, the Ootori family has several secrets that are only passed down to the eldest child. There are still many you haven’t been told, but once you’re a little older, we will share them with you. Even your father wasn’t told half of them—one of those secrets is the full truth about the ‘Dreaming Miko'”.

“Please wait, Grandfather!”

Unable to hold back, Ryuya-onii-sama raised his voice.
He was the son of Grandfather’s younger brother—meaning that while he belonged to the main family, he was not of the eldest son’s lineage. 

His impatience was understandable.

However, the three elders silenced him with a single glance.
This was where experience and age made all the difference.

“Reiko, the eldest child, was the one who involved you. That is the basic premise, but in truth, that’s not the whole story. Ryuya, you were chosen.”

(Huh? It was just a coincidence, though?)

I couldn’t help but mentally object.
That said, even if it was purely by chance, it did seem a bit too convenient.

Well, since this wasn’t my turn to speak, I decided to keep quiet.

As I maintained my silence, Grandfather Kiichirou began to speak.

“So, Reiko, have you seen anything about the Romanov treasure in your dreams?”

That was how he chose to open the conversation.
Naturally, Ryuya-oniisama had a giant question mark floating over his head.

I did too.

(Hmm. Even with a confused look, he still manages to be handsome. Not fair.)

Setting that aside, the Ootori family had stirred up quite a bit of trouble on the continent.
During the Russian Revolution, when the great powers intervened, they got involved—mainly through private channels—on the continental front.

Most of their efforts supported the anti-Bolshevik side, the White Army, against the Red Army.

However, since the Ootori family was a financial conglomerate, they weren’t running a charity.
Providing weapons, ammunition, and various other supplies naturally came with an enormous price tag.

As payment, they received a portion of gold bullion from a historical figure named Admiral Kolchak, who had temporarily established his base in Omsk, deep in Siberia, while leading the White Army.

If that were the whole story, it would have been a legitimate transaction.

However, the Ootori family had its fair share of shady dealings.
The weapons and ammunition they provided weren’t just stock they had lying around. 

During the Russo-Japanese War, they had orchestrated espionage and sabotage operations, arranging for groups in northern Manchuria to seize those arms from the Russian military.

Then, instead of using them immediately, they had those same groups hold onto them in preparation for the next potential war with Russia.

These groups in northern Manchuria had their own deep ties to my family, but that was a topic for another time.

What was more shocking was that Grandfather Kiichirou apparently had direct connections with historical figures like Zhang Zuolin(a Chinese Warlord) and Ma Zhanshan(General and Former Defense Minister of Manchukuo).

(This old man… just how scheming is he? Is it a requirement for a colonel to be shady as hell?)

I almost let that thought slip out.

Back to the main topic.

Since these were Russian-made weapons, even if they were a little outdated, they were still considered highly compatible with the White Army’s forces.
As for the ammunition, some of it had degraded over time and was practically useless,
but once sold, that wasn’t their problem anymore.

Perhaps because of this, the White Army suffered a crushing defeat—just as in my previous life’s history.

The 500 tons of gold bullion they had taken with them—equivalent to over 2 trillion yen in the 21st century—vanished without a trace.
There were theories that it had been properly repaid, while others claimed that the Japanese military had embezzled it. 

No one really knew the truth.

But that was in my past life’s world.
In this world, the Ootori family had managed to claim a portion of that gold as payment.

And their initial investment had been close to zero.

That said, they had still spent a fair amount on procurement, transportation, and concealment efforts.

“And so, there is approximately 50 million dollars worth of gold bullion sitting in a Swiss bank account under the personal name of the head of the Ootori family. A bit too much to stuff into my own pocket, though.”

Grandfather concluded his statement like some kind of master thief.
For reference, 50 million dollars (equivalent to 100 million yen) worth of gold bullion amounts to roughly 75 tons.

Depending on the time period, that same amount of gold would be worth anywhere from 300 to 400 billion yen a hundred years later in the 21st century.

And gold bullion isn’t just valuable at face value—it holds even greater worth.
If used as collateral for a loan, one could easily borrow up to three times its value during prosperous economic times.

Especially in this era, when the gold standard was the norm, borrowing against it would be easy.

With this much gold, the Ootori conglomerate would certainly be secure.
Unlike the massive conglomerates seen in games, their debt and non-performing loans likely wouldn’t exceed 300 million yen.

“So, you see, there’s no need for you to worry about the Ootori family, Reiko.

That said, if possible, would you be willing to share more about the future events you’ve seen?”

My great-grandfather turned the conversation back to me, his voice gentle.

And truthfully, I could have gone along with it.
But there were still too many unresolved issues, like the possibility that the key adults in the family might disappear too soon.

(There’s no way I can change the course of history itself. The safest option is to just rely on my ancestors’ hard work and take it easy.)

Even if I felt this way, few would blame me.
It’s easy to criticize with hindsight, but history is shaped by the decisions of capable individuals who act with the best intentions in mind.

There’s no way a single person like me could change anything.

If I were to play the role of an overpowered protagonist like the ones I’d seen on the internet in my past life, I would need either the combat power of a nuclear weapon or knowledge of some absurdly advanced future technology.

Without the sheer ability to rewrite history through brute force, mere tricks wouldn’t be enough to make a difference.

(But doing nothing would be the worst choice. Besides, there’s a part of me that wants to struggle against fate. Right now, I might be in a position where I can actually do something, even if only a little.)

With that thought, I steeled myself and directed a firm gaze at my great-grandfather.

For a while, we stared each other down—but in the end, it was he who yielded.

“Hmm. Are you dissatisfied? You take after your mother. Very well, then. Speak. What do you wish to do? And what do you believe you can accomplish?”

“Buy as many shares of the American stock market’s Dow Index as possible. With that, we might not only secure the Ootori family’s future, but also improve Japan’s fate, even if just a little.”

“So, Japan’s fate, is it? That’s quite a bold claim. Specifically? Are you planning to use leverage?”

“Yes. First, we should—”

Now, it was time for the concrete plan.
I was just a young girl, and I was starting to feel sleepy.

But there was no way I could allow myself to doze off now—so I steeled my resolve and opened my mouth to speak.

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Hishikari Mine
A gold mine located in the eastern part of the Hishikari district in Isa City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

It is Japan’s largest gold mine and the only one currently operating at a commercial scale.

Discovered in 1981, it is famous for its high gold content.

However, even if all of its gold were extracted, the total value would not be particularly large.

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The Romanov Treasure
There are various theories, ranging from mere rumors to seemingly credible accounts—a kind of golden legend.

500 tons of gold bullion sounds like an enormous amount, but in the context of war, it would be spent in the blink of an eye.

In fact, Japan’s Siberian Intervention ended up costing even more.