Chapter 1421: Hire
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At this moment, Li Du’s ident.i.ty was of great convenience to him.
He was the second-largest stakeholder in Harry -Winston Inc. The Harry Winston Group had a professional jewelry luxury sales channel. Although the gold treasure was not a jewel, it was also considered a luxury item.
The purchase of jewelry luxuries and expensive collectibles were often done by the same group of people. Many of the gold items that Li Du found were works of art, not just metal.
Through the network of the Harry Winston Group, the origin of the gold had been confirmed. Li Du contacted the old man Martin, who was an expert in history. He would be able to provide him with a.s.surance in this regard.
In addition, Li Du also told the old man of the discovery of the ancient rock paintings in the Blue Ridges. That had excited the old man very much. He had contacted a group of American archaeology and history scholars to back Li Du’s claim.
After Steve received the coordinates from Li Du, he flew to Blue Ridges. He was now examining the rock paintings in the cave. When he ended the investigation, Li Du would be able to announce it to the public.
Now the old man and his high-profile companions were working for Li Du, to identify a series of gold artifacts. Then, he would put them up for sale via the connections of the Harry Winston Group.
There were mostly gold ingots amongst the treasure. As the smelting technology had been relatively primitive, the gold ingots of the Kochena tribe contained impurities and needed to be refined.
Through the old man, Li Du contacted a precious metal identification expert named Francis. Francis became a visiting consultant of Li Du’s company and was responsible for the pricing of precious metals.
In addition to these gold ingots, the Tavisi tribe still had some more gold waiting for Li Du to take over. Hence, he needed an expert to provide him with professional advice.
There was also snake venom and snake serum. Those things were also very valuable. Similarly, Li Du needed professional staff to provide him with advice. Hence, he wanted to find a biopharmaceutical or reptilian expert.
It happened that the Magic Hand had set up a party for Li Du once he knew that Li Du was coming to settle down in Los Angeles. At the party, Li Du talked about his needs, and Magic Hand introduced a man to him.
That person was not a biopharmaceutical or reptilian expert. He was a man who raised snakes, and his name was Griffin Wiesler. He made money from catching snakes and breeding them. Hence, he was very familiar with snake venom and snake serum.
Magic Hand pa.s.sed Griffin’s contact information and address to Li Du. So after the party, Li Du went to visit the snake-raising man, bringing along Lu Guan and Brother Wolf.
Griffin lived in Pasadena, a place similar to Santa Monica, but larger and more populous. It was a medium-sized satellite city in the Greater Los Angeles area.
It was located in the northern part of Greater Los Angeles, fifteen kilometers from the old downtown Los Angeles. It was connected to the city center and other communities by highways and subways.
Li Du had already seen that place beforehand. He was more familiar with Pasadena than Santa Monica, because the protagonists in his favorite drama, The Big Bang Theory, lived there.
In Los Angeles, he began to enjoy the convenience of a modern city. The subway was well connected and more comfortable than driving. Staying in the car all day can tire people out, and taking the subway was a different experience.
The snake farm could not be located in the heart of the city. Griffin’s farm was Northwest of Pasadena. There were also many vegetables and animal farms around the area.
Once he was out of the subway, Li Du got onto a cab and had a smooth journey.
Griffin’s snake farm was unusual. It was like a bunker. There were two layers of walls outside. Due to fear that a poisonous snake would escape, the security was strict.
Li Du and others got out of the car and that very moment, someone came over to drive them away. “Hey, don’t stop here, hurry and leave, it’s dangerous.”
Lu Guan went ahead and said, “Thank you for the tip, man. We have deliberately come all the way here. We are looking for Mr. Griffin Weissler. Can you help us find him?”
The man, who was a security guard, looked at them. Suspicious, he asked, “Why are you guys looking for Griffin?”
Li Du said, “Wanted to see if we can work with him. We are here to offer him a deal. Of course, under the condition that he is willing to take up the partners.h.i.+p.”
The man told them to wait outside and then went in. After a short while, a handsome middle-aged man who looked to be of mixed race walked out and asked, “I’m Griffin Wiesler. Who wants to work with me?”
Li Du extended his hand and said, “h.e.l.lo, I am Li Du.”
Griffin shook his hand and said, “Alright, come with me. Be careful. Since you guys are here to look me up for a partners.h.i.+p, you must know what I raise here.”
Li Du took a few people to go through the first gate, and after walking some distance, a building appeared. That was Griffin’s office.
At the entrance of the building, there was a young man who was handling some snake eggs under the sun. There was a small cage next to him, with more than a dozen small snakes in it. The eggs were probably going to hatch soon.
Looking at everyone, the youth glanced at the older man and asked, “Griffin, these are the customers who want to buy snakes? Asians? Are they reliable?”
Griffin replied casually, “Who knows, we haven’t talked about business yet. It would depend on what they offer. Let me talk to them.”
Hearing the conversation, Li Du interrupted, “Oh, sorry, you guys must have misunderstood. We are not here to buy snakes.”
“Then you must be here to buy snake venom,” Griffin started to grow cautious. “I don’t sell that sort of thing easily. Have you guys permission to buy it?”
The youth by his side tilted his head and a.n.a.lyzed the visitors. Then he asked, “You guys are not here to buy snakes? Seemed like you are a Chinese. You Chinese like to eat snakes. Why don’t you buy a few of our snakes and take them home to cook up?”
Li Du said, “I’m indeed Chinese. However, there are not many Chinese who like eating snakes…”
“How can that be?” The youth pursed his lips. “Our snakes have all been snapped up by you Chinese. G.o.d, you guys really eat everything, dog meat, snake meat, and any organs of animals!”
Griffin waved his hands. “Hey, Singer, shut up, don’t quarrel with the customers.”
Saying that, he looked at Li Du unenthusiastically and said again, “Alright, man, you’re not here to buy snakes. Then what are you here for?”
Li Du took out two small bottles of serum and two small bottles of snake venom. Then he started to say, “I’m here to…”
He just started talking when the youth interrupted him instantly. He smiled, “Ha, Griffin, these people are in our trade. You guys are here to promote your serum and snake venom? If that’s your plan, then you’ve come to the wrong place. Besides, I dare to bet that those things you have in your hands come from pet snakes, right? To be frank, that’s tras.h.!.+”
The att.i.tude of the other party was very problematic. Li Du started to feel unhappy. Frowning, he said, “Can you guys let me finish? First off, I must tell you that these materials in my hand came from free-range wild snakes. The venom that you guys produce, however, comes from farm snakes, right?”