23rd March 1690

Mumbai, Satavahana, Akhand Bharatiya Empire

A car that is almost never seen on the road, the only car that has ridiculous legends like it is protected by an energy shield produced by the Vedic energy, and a car where there are only a handful of them in the world, the Raya Imperial R1 moved through the streets of Mumbai, making everyone's heads turn. Within the car was Agni himself, protected by a convoy of police travelling right next to him. Looking out the window, he was lost in thought. He couldn't help but remember his meeting with Pritam Paoli after being introduced by his cousin Rajendra.

About a month and a half ago, after a conversation with Pritam, Agni came to understand more about his company, the International Federation of Mobility, and the Formula One races it organised. He had to admit, he was quite surprised by how quickly the IFM had risen. After receiving authorisation from the Bharatiya Standards Organisation, it hosted several races at its home track in Colombo. Within just a few months, it had generated revenues of several million varaha, with the events even drawing audiences from across the sea, from the mainland.

It got so big that people actually had to buy tickets in the black market to watch the race, and hearing about Pritam recounting with a defeated expression about how few people actually dared to climb trees in the distance in order to watch the game, he realised that Pritam was on to something.

Agni couldn't help but look at Rajendra, 'Since when did this guy become so reliable?' At that time, he remembered Rajendra looking back at him with a clueless expression, blinking his big eyes like an owl.

As Agni continued talking with Pritam about IFM, he realised that Pritam had actually taken a huge, as in a massive, step forward, and that's because he somehow caught the attention of the manufacturing giants of the empire, and they themselves came forward to participate in the race as a way to showcase their cars.

When Agni heard about this, even his usually calm, unsmiling face showed a hint of surprise. Out of curiosity, he asked about how the races are held. He heard a lot of information from Pritam, but one thing that got his attention was the stringent standards put forward that were almost equal to the strictness of a laboratory. This was why the car companies were so interested. With such strict standards, the ceiling for entry was very high, meaning only the top of the food chain could enter. It was a way for the top companies to cement their image in the minds of the public so that even if competition arose in the future, their names would be remembered and their brand would be a cut above the rest.

When Agni began to inquire about Pritam's requirements, even he couldn't help but look at Pritam with admiration. The engine capacity should not be more than 2.5 litres, and it should be BSO certified. The maximum weight of the car, along with the driver, should not weigh more than 500 kilograms.

The maximum width of a car should not be more than 1.8 metres, the maximum length should not be more than 4.5 metres, the fuel tank capacity should not be more than 100kg, the wheelbase should be between 2.8 to 3.2 metres, the ground clearance should be a minimum of 40 millimetres, and all the safety equipment should be installed in the car according to the Bharatiya Standards Organisation.

Agni's eyes flickered.

"Can I see your finances?" Agni knew it was rude, but still, he decided to ask because he felt like he had come into contact with a gold mine, so he had to make sure.

Pritam hesitated, but still, he took out the account book and showed it to the prince.

Agni perused through the account book, and the finances were much more amazing than he expected. The profits of each race, putting aside the payments made to the drivers and maintenance of the track, were around 80% of the investment, and given that until now over 20 races had been held in Colombo in the last three months, the investment had been completely recovered, and there were several million in the company's accounts.

He immediately made a decision. "Pritam, are you willing to sell the company?"

Agni could still remember the expression on Pritam becoming like a shrivelled-up tomato when he asked such a question. Thinking about it now, as he travelled to the first ever F1 match, which was not run using racers and the company's own cars, but of seven different companies and fourteen different racers, each company having a pair of cars, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I apologise, your highness, but I can't do that." Although Pritam struggled a lot in speaking out the words of rejection, he finally gathered the courage and spoke out what was in his heart.

Agni was taken aback, but he was not too surprised. Listening to Pritam's story from Rajendra, he guessed something like that might happen, so he put forward another offer. "In that case, how about this? Let me invest in IFM. I value the company at 50 million Varaha. How about I put in 30 million, you sell me 51% of the company, you can still be the managing director, but I need the controlling share."

Agni was confident that this time his offer would be accepted, but Pritam gave him a surprise once again by rejecting the offer, and this time with a more determined voice and a more resolute gaze. "I am sorry, your majesty, I should still be the controlling shareholder of the company. I apologise for my repeated rejection."

Agni was troubled. Everyone knows that his father, the emperor, is a business genius, and the thing he learned from him was to control the platform by which people make money. The five sporting leagues of the empire, being firmly in the hands of the royal family, are an example of this. Although the various teams make a lot of money every year, and the profits derived from the league itself are not that exaggerated, it is a constant long-term reward that is extremely solid against any sort of economic instability. It is a hedge against inflation. In his mind, Formula One had the same potential as a sporting league like, let's say, a Bharatiya Premier League, so he wanted to obtain the most profits.

"Should I make my own?" Agni did have this thought when he met Pritam, but thankfully, he came back to his senses. He was not a petty capitalist. He wanted to be the emperor of the Bharatiya Empire, walk in the footsteps of his father, match his legacy, and by God's grace, even go much further, not be known as a penny pincher.

He thought about it and came up with a solution. "How about this, the valuation can be brought down to the original 35 million Varaha, and I will invest 7 million, occupying 20% of the stocks, but aside from the investment itself, I want to get involved in the business in another way."

Pritam was doubtful. "Please go ahead, your majesty, I'm all ears."

"I see that you have gotten the attention of the top car companies, but your reach is limited. The way you have set up the Formula One is brilliant, and I believe it can be taken to all parts of the empire."

"So let's hold a tournament together. You will be responsible for hosting the event, and I will be responsible for providing venues."

"I can provide you with 20 venues in 20 different cities across the empire. I will be responsible for laying down the track according to your Formula One specifications, completely following the BSO standards."

"In exchange, the International Federation of Mobility and the Formula One tournament under it should be exclusively signed to my venues in those 20 cities and are not allowed to look for other parties or build their own race tracks for the next 20 years. And apart from this, I will get a cut of the event revenue."

"What do you think?"

Agni crossed his hands and waited. This way, although he wouldn't be controlling the IFM completely, he'd still have a lot of indirect control over the company, enough to make the race tracks iconic so that it would be the only option for IFM in the future if it wants to hold a racing event in the stadium.

He could tell that Pritam was hesitating, so he added another temptation. "Think about it. If you agree, within a month you can start preparations for the tournament to be held throughout the empire, and the company will immediately become one of the top entertainment companies of the empire."

Pritam, finally making a decision, gritted his teeth and nodded. "Let's do it, your highness, but the revenue share has to be further discussed."

Agni smiled. "Happy cooperation."

Agni finally reached the Mumbai race track, where the Mumbai Grand Prix, one of the twenty Grand Prix before the tournament ends, was being held, and entered the newly assembled racecourse. In order to put together the racecourse as quickly as possible, Agni directly bought the seating stands from stadiums in the area and placed them on a plot of land his family owned. As for the road, he quickly invested several million and had a contractor work day and night to get it done within a month.

Agni was greeted by a storm of sound with the crowds roaring, confetti bursting through the air, and drums beating in rhythm with the pulse of excitement. At the centre of the racetrack stood fourteen gleaming cars from seven powerful teams, each backed by one of the empire's largest manufacturers. Their dry-grip tyres hugged the asphalt, engines rumbled with heat, steam hissed from vents, and the air itself seemed to tremble; everything was ready to explode into motion.

In the end, Agni, taking the chequered flag into his hands, waved it down decisively, sending the sleek cars built for speed, all with aerodynamic curves and lean bodies, rushing forward, reaching 50 kilometres per hour within 5 seconds.

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