Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

Not long after, the industrialist duo returned to their main office at Pittsburg. It was four o'clock in the morning and the sky was still dark. They had just come back from a meeting in Columbus Ohio with Felix Sumpter.

As they walked towards the main entrance of the building, they were greeted by a night shift security guard stationed there.

"Good morning, Mr. Nielsen, Mr. Axelsen," the security guard said before opening the door for them.

Poul and Jonathan nodded at the gesture made by the security guard as they entered the building. Inside, the lobby was deserted, there were no people to be seen. Well, that's completely normal as the operating hours of the building are from eight o'clock to twelve o'clock midnight.

They made their way to the elevators and pressed the button to go up to the eighth floor. As they rode up, Poul turned to Jonathan.

"Looks like we'll have to acquire land not only in Texas but in other parts of the country," Poul commented. "Do you have any idea of a place where there could be a lot of oil deposits aside from Texas? That is not yet being mined by others?"

Jonathan hummed in thought, "Actually, I was doing some research on this recently. There are a few places that come to mind. One is the Appalachian Basin, which includes parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. There are some oil deposits there that haven't been fully tapped into yet. And there's also the Powder River Basin in Wyoming, which has a lot of potentials."

"But isn't the northeastern part of the country being controlled by Rockefeller? Are you saying that there are parts in the basin that haven't been mined?"

"Yes, that's correct," Jonathan nodded. "While Rockefeller may have a strong hold on the oil industry in the northeast, there are still areas in the Appalachian Basin that haven't been fully explored. And even if there are some wells already in operation, we can still acquire more land and increase our production there."

Poul nodded thoughtfully, "I see, so should we act quick and buy the land?"

"Absolutely," Jonathan replied. "We shouldn't waste any time if we want to get ahead of our competitors. I suggest we start by sending out our land scouts to the areas we've identified and see if there are any opportunities to acquire land with oil deposits. Then we can make our move and purchase the land before anyone else does."

Poul nodded, "That sounds like a solid plan. I'll make sure to get the ball rolling on that."

As the elevator dinged to a stop, they stepped out onto the eighth floor and walked towards their respective bedroom, where they'll take their rest. They have been awake for the last eighteen hours and their body could barely keep up with the demands of their busy schedule. They knew they needed to rest before the start of another busy day.

As they entered their respective rooms, they jumped quickly onto the bed and fell into a deep slumber. The exhaustion from their long day caught up to them quickly and they were asleep before their heads even hit the pillows.

However, their rest was short-lived as the sound of a knock on Poul's bedroom door jolted him awake. He groggily sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. When he looked at the clock, he saw that it was only eight in the morning.

"Who is it?" Poul said.

Amelia's voice came from the other side of the door, "Poul, it's me. Sorry to wake you up, but it is time for work."

"Do we have any matters that require my presence for the next two hours?" Poul asked.

"Not according to your schedule sir, but you have a lot of paperwork to sift through."

"Well, I'll take care of that later," Poul replied. "I'm quite sleepy at the moment and would like to sleep more. How about Jonathan? Is he awake?"

"Not yet, he gave me the same reason as you," Amelia said.

Poul sighed, "Alright, let him rest for a bit longer then. We'll start the day a little later than usual."

"Understood, sir," Amelia said. "I'll let the rest of the team know."

Poul settled back into his bed, closing his eyes and hoping to get a few more hours of sleep. But his mind was too active to let him doze off. He couldn't stop thinking about the potential oil deposits in the Appalachian Basin and the Powder River Basin.

If they could secure those lands, it could mean a huge boost to their company's production and profits. But he knew it wouldn't be easy. They would have to act fast and outmaneuver their competitors.

Poul finally got out of bed, feeling slightly more rested. He quickly got ready for the day and headed to the office, ready to tackle the challenges that lay ahead.

"Here is your breakfast Poul," Amelia set a plate down on Poul's desk. It's a continental breakfast, with an assortment of pastries, fruits, and yogurt.

"Thank you, Amelia," Poul said, grabbing a croissant from the plate. He took a sip of his coffee and started to sift through his mails and paperwork, trying to prioritize the most urgent matters.

Ten minutes later, he called Amelia back to his office.

"What is it, Poul?" Amelia asked politely.

"Amelia, I have another task for you. We are looking to expand our enterprise in oil production and I want you to start searching for potential land acquisitions in the Appalachian Mountain and the Powder River Basin. Hire some land scouts and oil prospectors to get the job done."

Amelia nodded, "I understand, sir. I'll get started right away. Do you have any specific criteria for the land we should be looking for?"

Poul thought for a moment before answering, "Yes, I want you to focus on land that has not been fully explored yet. Look for areas where there are signs of oil deposits but no one has started drilling yet. We need to be the first ones to get there."

"Understood, sir," Amelia said, taking notes. "And how soon do you want to acquire the land?"

"As soon as possible," Poul replied. "I don't want Rockefeller to be chiming into the land we just found oil in, and claiming it as his…" Poul paused and grabbed a map of the United States of Avalonia. "I suggest that you start looking here, at The Clinton Sands formation in western New York and Pennsylvania, The Black River Valley in northern Ohio, The Big Injun Sandstone formation in West Virginia and western Pennsylvania,  and The Berea Sandstone formation in eastern Kentucky and southern Ohio."

"Understood, sir," Amelia said, jotting down notes on a pad of paper. "Would that be all?"

"Yes," Poul confirmed.