Yellowstone: Wind in the Smoke

On a rural road in northwest Montana, a pickup truck was driving slowly.

Looking around, apart from the distant mountains, there were pastures that had started to turn yellow.

The land agent was taking Dante on another inspection trip. They had just finished checking an area in the southwest near the other ranches he had purchased.

Now, he only needed to inspect a few more places with Susie, who would determine if the land and location were suitable for the factories.

The wealthy often have peculiar habits—or so real estate agents tend to think. Initially, the agent thought this young man wasn't seriously interested in running a ranch. After all, some of Dante's requirements seemed aimed at achieving something in the livestock industry.

But now, the agent increasingly felt that Dante might be planning to build a recreational ranch, which explained his preference for locations closer to the forest.

This time, the choice was good: a small area with hardly any people, located at the foot of a mountainous forest. If you traveled farther north, you'd reach Canada.

The real estate agent drove the car and said, "As you can see, there's plenty of pasture here and Montana's livestock industry has always been highly developed. If you want to manage a ranch, you can easily find all the resources you need here."

Susie looked at the road ahead and said, "If I buy this place, I might need to build a proper road, which doesn't justify the price you're asking."

The land agent quickly explained: "We just drove on the paved road. If you need access to the ranch, you'll take dirt or gravel roads. Mr. Dante, you must understand this clearly: right now, Montana is undergoing a transformation that will greatly increase land prices."

Of course, both of them understood that transportation here was relatively convenient.

Although there were almost no neighbors within dozens of miles, this was standard for ranchers. Dirt roads leading to ranches were entirely normal.

Dante remembered something and quickly asked, "If I acquire this place, the house won't be in livable condition, will it?"

The agent didn't hide anything and said, "That's correct. The real estate agency won't install pipelines specifically for these pastures. But I can assure you that when you move here, there won't be any shortages of water, electricity, or internet—it won't affect your daily life."

Dante didn't want the house for himself, of course. He wanted the home for the people who would work for him. There were many contracted migrants who would be eager to work in places like these. Naturally, they wouldn't be directly tied to his true business operations.

Some would manage the farm, food supply, and livestock in general, while others would focus on the real product.

For this, the ranches he selected needed to have everything in place.

For example, the houses here were usually warm, with heating options like burning wood or other methods.

However, necessities like water and electricity were absolutely indispensable; otherwise, anyone would struggle.

There shouldn't be any issues with basic living conditions. While Dante intended for his people to endure some hardships, he had no desire to make them start completely from scratch. He wasn't interested in having them go through the evolution of civilization from the Stone Age to the Electrical Age with their own hands.

The agent continued, "The rancher wants to sell. He no longer wishes to continue in the livestock business. From what I understand, he's moving his operations to Texas."

Dante likely knew something about this. The current rancher had inherited the property, but not everyone enjoyed the rancher lifestyle. Especially younger generations—even if they grew up on a ranch, they might not hesitate to leave when given the chance.

This thought brought Dante to memories of his brother Jaime, who would have been willing to sell his share of the ranch after their father's death. Beth felt the same, but Rip surely wouldn't have.

Dante recalled the information he had read and asked, "Is livestock farming here really that bad?"

The real estate agent didn't hold back: "Yes. The current rancher's family and career are rooted in other areas where ranching principles are easier to maintain."

When ranchers lack the time to manage their properties, they can't expect cowboys to take the work seriously. Cowboys are there for a job, not out of any sense of ownership. If they can't keep working on one ranch, they'll simply move on to another.

In any case, no matter where they work, cowboy wages are low, and the job offers little in terms of a future.

So this ranch fell into decline, making its inclusion on the sale list unsurprising. It wasn't hard to understand.

The agent continued, "If you want to manage this ranch, you'll need to replant pastures. I've reviewed the information, and this land has been overgrazed, with much of the soil damaged."

"That doesn't matter to me," Dante said, looking at Susie. "Is this a good place?"

Susie, who had been surveying the land, nodded slightly and said, "It'll do, but only with a discount."

"I want this ranch along with the others I've marked. Give me a discount, and I'll buy them all."

"All of them?"

Dante nodded slightly. He didn't know how many properties he currently owned, but as long as he kept his money laundering operations running smoothly, no organization would investigate him.

After all, these ranches were being purchased with bank loans, secured by the value of his pubs, which were worth that and more.

That's why Dante had no concerns.