The Secret Investment Formula of a Chemical Genius - Chapter 154



Only Krnovel

Episode 154 Train

“Did you get everything?”

Taekang lifted the bag on his shoulder as if to tell me not to worry.

The past two days.

We stayed in the San Joaquin Valley.

Under the hot sun.

During the day, I worked hard to investigate the area where CZTREA will be located.

At night, we put our heads together and thought about the layout of the facilities and buildings.

“Are you going now?”

“I owe you a lot.”

“What’s your situation? I’ll see you in a week.”

“Probably so.”

Professor Jennon Smith is the Chairman of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Since he has connections in the White House, let’s ask him for a meeting with the President of the United States.

The answer came back that it was not possible at the moment.

Currently, US President Larry Selden is on a visit to India.

The story is that it will only be possible a week after he returns.

A situation where there is suddenly some space in the schedule.

What should I do with the remaining time? I was thinking about it at that moment.

Taekang came up with the idea of ​​taking a ride on the ‘Transcontinental Railroad’.

From California to New York.

A long journey spanning 3,900km from east to west.

I agreed with his opinion, as it was a decent itinerary for a trip with the feeling of taking a little break.

The train journey was thus captured.

We bought our tickets from Amtrak.

“If I’m not busy… … .”

Professor Jennon Smith trailed off with a look of regret on his face.

“You’re busy, aren’t you?”

“yes.”

Professor Jennon Smith was originally supposed to join us on this train ride.

They said something unexpected happened at school.

“Then I’ll see you in Washington in a week.”

“I hope you have a great time.”

A week later, when I had an appointment with the President.

I decided to meet Professor Jennon Smith again.

We left the San Joaquin Valley.

* * *

A refreshing breeze blowing from the west.

To board the transcontinental train called the Zephyr, we traveled to Emeryville Station in Oakland, located in northwestern California.

“Thank you for the ride.”

“no.”

Despite our words, Aaron drove us here.

He leaves.

Taekang let out a strange laugh as he relaxed his stiff body here and there.

“Is it that good?”

“Of course, I’ve always wanted to ride this at least once in my life. Hehehe.”

Single smile.

The smile never left the guy’s lips.

“It’s a heart of steel! When the steam rising from the coal hits the cylinder… … .”

“When was it that steam engines were replaced by internal combustion engines?”

A displeased gaze flew towards me and fixed itself on me.

“Black smoke filled the sky with a sizzling sound that made a man’s heart beat hotly… … .”

“If you keep spewing out that much smoke these days, you’ll be in violation of environmental standards.”

The guy kept his mouth shut and glared at me.

“… … A guy who doesn’t even know the ‘romantic’ part of romance.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t even know the ‘romantic’ part. Hurry up and eat this, I’ll be late for the train.”

I got on the train with a grumbling guy.

* * *

“… … Didn’t we reserve a double room?”

“That’s right.”

“VIP seats, $1,174 per person.”

“that’s right.”

“No, but why is it so narrow!”

1.4 million won per person.

Considering the relatively high price, the room was much smaller than expected.

“Can I come in?”

A bigger body than others.

The guy went inside, bending over with his back bent.

Contrary to concerns, the seat, which was designed for an American body type, was able to accommodate the guy with difficulty.

“… … This isn’t the train ride I had in mind.”

The guy who had been excited when he first started his train journey was muttering to himself with a blank expression, as if he had been struck by a strong dizziness.

“What kind of trip were you thinking of?”

“Spacious rooms, delicious meals, deep friendships with friends met during the trip, adventures and thrills caused by unexpected events… … .”

… … What about adventure and thrill?

“I told you to watch a shorter movie.”

The guy who heard me glanced at me.

“A guy who doesn’t know anything about fun.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just a person who doesn’t know how to have fun.”

The muttering was short-lived.

An exotic sight quickly passing by outside the train window.

Taekang and I kept our mouths shut and quietly admired it.

A feeling of comfort that I haven’t felt in a long time.

I took the earphones out of my pocket and put them in my ears.

A slow and soft melody.

My heartbeat also matched his, beating slowly and deeply.

How much time has passed like that?

I felt someone tapping my shoulder!

When I opened my eyes, which had been slightly closed, Taekang was waving at me.

“Did I sleep?”

“Yeah, he slept really well.”

“how much?”

“About 4 hours?”

You slept for a long time.

I moved my stiff body here and there.

“Let’s go eat. It’s dinner time.”

Before I knew it, the sunset was setting outside the window.

I nodded and moved to the dinner zone with the guy.

“Please sit here.”

We sat down at our seats as instructed by the server.

“That sounds pretty plausible.”

The dinner zone was decorated just like a regular restaurant.

Family, lovers, friends.

People of different races and ages were sitting at the table eating and having a pleasant conversation.

“What do you want to eat? There’s steak here too. Should I eat that?”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

After ordering, I waited for the food to arrive.

“Can you excuse me for a moment?”

A white man in his 30s with brown curly hair approached us.

“Yes, Taekang.”

I motioned to the guy sitting across from me and he gave up his seat.

“Nice to meet you, Han Yu-jin! It’s an honor to meet you like this!”

The man smiled brightly and extended his hand to me.

“Mr. William Turner?”

“you’re right!”

The man had a rather cheerful personality.

“You wanted to meet me?”

“Yes. I kept nagging the professor. We finally got to meet like this. Thank you for granting my request!”

I heard from Professor Jennon Smith that there is someone who would like to meet with me.

He said that he was a student that I used to teach at school.

A request to meet up sometime when you have time.

Since it wasn’t particularly difficult, I accepted it willingly.

“How much do you know about me?”

“Name: William Turner, age 32. Majored in chemistry at Stanford University School of Engineering. Talented but relatively lazy during his school days, received two academic warnings. Is that what I heard?”

“Ha, ha, you’re still the same. That devil’s tongue… … .”

William Turner quickly shut his mouth as if he realized his slip of the tongue mid-speak.

“If you mean the devil’s tongue, are you referring to Professor Jennon Smith?”

“That’s… … That’s what my friends used to call me, Professor. It wasn’t meant in a bad way… … .”

In Korea or America.

It’s the same when students give their teachers nicknames behind their backs.

“It’s okay. Don’t be so embarrassed. I won’t tell the professor.”

William Turner, who had been smiling awkwardly, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as if his worries had been relieved.

“But why did you call Professor Jennon Smith the Devil’s Tongue?”

“I’m curious too.”

When Taekang intervened from the side, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

“The professor… … was very sharp-tongued. And quite a bit of it. He was merciless even when I made a small mistake. Should I say he would beat me up with words? Whenever I listened to a sermon in front of him, my friends would say that it would be better to get hit with a fist.”

“That’s surprising. The professors I’ve met are quite kind.”

“Kindness… … right?”

William Turner creaked like a broken robot when he heard me.

What an interesting person.

His emotions were clearly written on his face.

That’s all for Professor Jennon Smith’s story.

“By the way, may I know why you wanted to see me?”

“Oh, yes! You are currently leading a startup company called Shell Co. in San Jose.”

“San Jose, Silicon Valley?”

“you’re right.”

“What do you do at Shell Co?”

“We are researching CCUS technology.”

At that moment, Taekang and I quickly exchanged glances.

“I guess the professor said that this meeting would be helpful to me, and there was a reason for that. Could we talk about it in more detail?”

“Of course! Shell Co uses zeolite to absorb CO2 dispersed in the atmosphere… … .”

CCUS technology, which absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, is broadly divided into three types.

Wet absorption, dry adsorption, membrane separation.

The carbon adsorption chemical formula I developed belongs to the ‘wet absorption’ category, and its technological maturity is the highest among the three.

The method William Turner is researching is called dry adsorption.

This is a method of capturing CO2 by switching between high and low pressures using PSA (pressure swing adsorption), and is a fairly effective method that can sufficiently remove even low-concentration CO2.

“… … How is it?”

A nervous face, like a student waiting for a grade.

“That’s great. It seems like it still needs some research, but I think it’s a good method.”

William Turner’s shoulders, which had been raised with tension, slowly slumped.

“Thank you for saying so.”

We talked a little more in depth about carbon dioxide adsorption process technology.

A story full of technical terms that Taekang doesn’t understand.

When the guy yawned in boredom.

“Mr. William Turner.”

“yes.”

“Is there anything you would like from me?”

“… … .”

Somehow, the conversation feels a bit superficial.

When I asked him directly, he, who had been talking excitedly until then, shut his mouth tightly.

“Or did I just assume too much and jump ahead in the conversation?”

“No… … I was just wondering if I could possibly get technology licensing from CZTERA.”

Technology Licensing.

A contract in which the licensee pays a certain royalty to the licensor (owner of the technology) and grants permission to use the technology.

“If we transfer technology from CZTERA, what will Shell Co. do with the technology it has researched so far?”

“… … I plan to discard it.”

“Why? It seems like you spent quite a long time researching it.”

“Because it’s meaningless.”

William Turner smiled bitterly.

“I realized after seeing CZTERA’s technology that even if I complete what I’m currently researching, the gap will not be resolved. I don’t think I can possibly keep up. And now the research funds I received are almost all gone. I have to do something to make a living!”

I’m trying to smile brightly though.

A deep despair was read across his face.

That’s why it was like this.

The reason Professor Jennon Smith connected me with William Turner.

“Unfortunately, CZTERA has no plans to enter into technology licensing agreements with other companies.”

“I guess so. I’m sorry. I asked you for nothing… … .”

“Instead, I would like to invest $20 million in Shell Co.”

“… … !”

Looking at him in surprise, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Mr. William Turner seems to have made excellent progress in the research on carbon mineralization (a technology that converts carbon dioxide into solid carbonate) among the technologies he is researching. Don’t you think it’s a shame to give it up?”

“… … Do you really think so?”

“Of course.”

streak.

A thousand things flashed across his face.

and.

“Since Ms. Han Yu-jin said so, I will give it a try!”

Just a moment ago, his eyes, which looked like they would go out with a bang, were now sparkling.

“Let’s discuss the detailed contract later. I’m also on half-vacation.”

“Okay, thank you for your time! Okay, I’ll be going now!”

Like a private who has just been transferred to the military base.

William Turner spoke briskly and left.

“It must have been very hard.”

“I think so.”

Sometimes, when I do research for a long time.

Sometimes, suddenly, I wonder deep in my heart if I am going in the right direction.

Terrible self-loathing and despair.

The traces of that terrible emotion that follow one like a shadow make one exhausted.

“Jennen Smith, that old man is secretly kind, too.”

“I know”

What William Turner needs now is not a huge amount of research funding, but a word of encouragement.

Professor Jennon Smith would have seen right through that.

“But, does it really look useful? It’s the carbon mineralization technology that he’s researching.”

“It looks okay. Just need a little more polishing.”

“If that’s what you want, then yes. But where on earth does that person go on a moving train?”

“… … .”

“You’re not going to jump, are you?”

Taekang put the sliced ​​steak into his mouth with a calm expression and mumbled.

Another ordinary day passed.

The next day.

I had my wallet pickpocketed.