Chapter 1235: Fort Davis
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lu Guan looked very confident as he said, “I’ve verified this news. That is the biggest spot for GSP in North America. There were many GSPs held yearly and some people would rent out the warehouse s.p.a.ce to place their baggage and telescopes. I feel that there will be good stuff in that warehouse.”
The mention of the telescopes reminded Li Du of the time he played Conrad Anthony with Princeps’ help.
At that time, he had bought a big telescope and placed it in a box. It was the bait he had used to get Conrad on the hook. In the end, Conrad had fallen into the trap.
Of course, Lu Guan’s information was related to the price of a large astronomical telescope. He was really excited.
Thinking about the past, Li Du started to feel wary and asked carefully, “Who did you get the news from? Are you sure the information is accurate?”
Lu Guan replied, “I got the message from the official website. No one has tampered with it, so I don’t think there will be any problem.”
Hearing that, Li Du relaxed.
He was only being careful. With the little bug, it was impossible for him to make a mistake. If the Anthonys were planning on using the same trick to take revenge on him, they would definitely fail.
However, Fort Davis was indeed quite a distance from Phoenix. Li Du would feel depressed if it were a hoax. Hence, he wanted to be very careful.
The auction would take place at the beginning of February. In Phoenix, spring would have arrived by that time and they might even have started preparing for summer. The weather was starting to get warmer.
It was no wonder that Luo Qun had been so anxious. To her, it would seem like it was already spring. However, in Siberia and its surrounding regions, it was still the middle of winter.
Before he left for the auction at Fort Davis, Li Du gave Steve a call and asked him about his arrangements for their trip to the Arctic.
The trip to the North Pole through Siberia would be considered as a favor transacted between them.
Steve had great confidence in Li Du, who would be accompanying him to the Arctic. He felt that Li Du had great skills and was lucky.
Steve would accompany Li Du and his group to Siberia first, where his connections and resources would be helpful to Li Du.
After receiving the call, Steve told Li Du that his team had started making plans for their journey. However, it would be best for them not to set off before March.
In reality, even in March many places in Siberia would be frozen and snowed in.
After learning the background to prepare himself, Li Du could relax and bring his troop towards Fort Davis. They would have to keep traveling southeast from Phoenix.
In 1854, the United States established a border fort in the southwest corner of Texas to ensure the safety of the trade route between San Antonio, the eastern city, and El Paso, the westernmost point. The route was 540 miles long and there were a lot of mail wagons, caravans, and immigrants on the road.
Later, when the Civil War broke out, the fort was destroyed. After the end of the war, the soldiers rebuilt the wall outside the fort with limestone and mud and restored the building.
Later, Fort Davis had become a small town. The fort that was originally used for military purposes has become a national historic site.
There were only eleven warehouses were up for auction this time around. Li Du estimated that there would not be many valuable items. Hence, he did not gather many treasure hunters and only brought a few of those who had been with him in Flagstaff.
The six trucks formed an entourage with Li Du leading the way in his showy Rolls-Royce. The procession of cars started towards the southeast.
The journey was long, and it was Li Du’s first time bringing such a troop through three states before arriving at his destination.
The scenery was pretty, compensating for the long journey. It was spring in the southwestern United States, and after leaving the desert, they spotted the first greens.
The road stretched far, and some parts of it were empty of vehicles for hours in a row. They were the only ones on the road.
From time to time, Li Du would stick his head out of the window and look back. He could always feel a strange sense of loneliness.
The Rolls-Royce was faster than the trucks. They would arrive in town before the rest and planned to go to the local post office to buy postcards.
Of course, those postcards were not for Sophie. Sophie had long decided to just follow Li Du on his travels and serve as the doctor of the team.
However, it was Hans who needed the postcards now. He had set his mind to follow Li Du’s footsteps and form a lasting relations.h.i.+p.
In the post office, Hans wrote a simple message on a glossy postcard and dropped it in the post box. He hoped that his sincerity would move the beautiful golden-haired shepherdess.
During the break, some people noticed that and asked Hans what he was up to.
As he was hoping to get some advice, Hans did not hide anything and told the treasure hunters about his motives.
The treasure hunters snorted. d.i.c.kens said, “You hope to impress her with postcards? I say you should just ride a Rolls-Royce or a Ferrari and get to Riverdale and let her see your fancy car.”
“That country lady might not recognize an expensive car. Just bring some money. Buddy, bring ten thousand dollars with you. I bet that no lady will be unimpressed by ten grand.”
“I say, why put in so much effort? Big Fox, you should just show her your bank account balance. She will fall for you at once, haha!”
Li Du felt that their jokes were getting too far, and so he thumped on the table and said, “Don’t spout nonsense. Big Fox has really met his true love. He is ready to marry that lady.”
“True love?” One of the treasure hunters continued to snort. “Except for you and Sophie, I don’t believe that true love exists.”
The treasure hunters’ career required them to be on the go constantly. After all, there was a limit to the number of warehouses in each city. It was impossible that one area would have a steady supply of warehouses to be auctioned off all year round.
As they were often on the road, away from their wives, it was easy for families to break up.
Most treasure hunters were rowdy men. They enjoyed alcohol and women. While away from their wives, if they had made money, they would seek for thrill and fun wherever they happened to be.
In addition, their wives were no different. Often, when the treasure hunters return home, they would find other men in their beds, and some would even find out that the children they were bringing up were not really theirs.
In any case, their relations.h.i.+ps and family life were mostly messy.
After seeing such occurrences and having similar experiences, the treasure hunters no longer held love in high regard. Better put, they only believed in money and not in love.
Of course, many treasure hunters still had happy families and good relations.h.i.+ps with their wives. It was just that normal happy families did not attract attention. Scandal, adultery, and divorce were far more interesting and memorable.
The treasure hunters were cra.s.s, and even after Li Du warned them, they continued to crack dirty jokes. It was not until Sophie walked in that they shut their mouths.
Sophie could guess what those men had been saying behind her back. However, she was a smart lady and pretended not to notice anything.
“We are still two hundred and fifty kilometers away from the town. Everyone, drink up to replenish your energy and we can arrive at Fort Davis for the night if everyone keeps up,” Sophie told everyone.