"Mr. Jiang, we've completed the appraisal of your jewelry collection. The estimated market value is around 900 million U.S. dollars. We're still working on the detailed breakdown. Would you prefer to sell it directly or have us auction it?"
In the VIP room of the Phillips Auction House in Miami, a familiar Arab associate of Jiang Hai's asked with a smile that bordered on sycophantic.
"I'll sell it directly to you."
Hearing that, Jiang Hai made a mental calculation. He still had 800 million yuan, but 600 million of that would be taxed next year, leaving only 200 million. Adding this 900 million, he'd have 1.1 billion yuan. That would allow him to invest a full 1 billion in oil futures and keep 100 million as liquid cash.
"Alright, I'll handle it," the staff member replied cheerfully, stepping away to make a call.
Jiang Hai leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest while Moses Adams sat calmly beside him, waiting for the sales contract.
Jiang Hai wasn't physically tired—his enhanced physique, four times stronger than the average human, made that unlikely. No, this was mental exhaustion.
And it wasn't surprising. After all, anyone would be drained after the intense events of the previous night.
The silver lining? That creature from last night was now Jiang Hai's bodyguard.
If he planned to dive for sunken ships and underwater treasure again, having such a formidable protector would make things significantly easier.
Aside from a sperm whale, that creature might just be the most powerful being in the ocean.
With such a bodyguard, if things ever went south on land, Jiang Hai could simply retreat into the sea—his domain.
After dealing with the giant squid the night before, he'd had it follow his boat, stowed the treasures in his room, and then called Azarina, Darlene, and Marian to help sort and catalog everything.
Once sorted, he locked away the rest of the hidden treasures in his room.
After sailing overnight, they reached Miami early the next morning. Moses Adams had already arranged things with Phillips Auction House.
Only Jiang Hai disembarked, while the rest stayed aboard. However, Bell, Harriman, and Azarina each received one million U.S. dollars—whether for silence or for their hard work, it didn't need to be said.
This, of course, explained why Bell was so willing to remain in the dark.
While the others rested on the ship, Jiang Hai and Moses headed to the auction house.
After a full day of evaluation, Phillips provided Jiang Hai with a figure that matched his expectations.
Since this wasn't their first business deal, Jiang Hai let Moses handle the formalities—he didn't need to be involved any further.
Just as he was resting with his eyes closed, a phone began to ring:
"Despicable Aimu, the eagle is angry.
Hot oil is the oil of the clothes.
Blow him up, Rick Enemons, Enemons, Rick Enemons…"
It was a rock song by the American band Maroon 5, a relatively new release called Beast Enemons—though Jiang Hai wasn't a fan.
Kevin and the other kids loved this chaotic rock music, and after spending some time with them, even Darlene and Marian had taken a liking to it.
They changed Jiang Hai's ringtone without asking. He never bothered changing it back. Sometimes he didn't even realize it was his phone ringing.
When the music blared, Jiang Hai was momentarily startled. Checking the caller ID, he was a bit surprised.
"Hello? Du Famen? What made you think of calling me?"
After pausing for a moment, Jiang Hai answered the call. It was none other than Du Famen.
"Come on, brother, that hurts! I thought we were friends," Du Famen laughed heartily on the other end. Jiang Hai chuckled too.
Were they friends? Maybe. But Jiang Hai wasn't one to believe in deep friendships when it came to men like Du Famen.
"Alright, so why are you really calling? You're not just checking in, are you?" Jiang Hai asked with a smile.
"I wanted to see how you've been. Also, I heard you recently came into a batch of treasures—oh my God, I'm jealous! You must be God's illegitimate child. The goddess of luck is clearly having an affair with you!"
"Illegitimate child? I doubt it—I'm a pure-blooded Chinese man. But if the goddess of luck is really a beauty, I wouldn't mind having an affair with her," Jiang Hai joked.
He wasn't surprised Du Famen found out—news of the sale at Phillips would have reached him soon enough.
"Well, I intercepted your batch of jewelry," Du Famen said with a chuckle, shifting to a more serious tone. "I think I need it more than Phillips does. I might not have 900 million in cash, but I can offer one billion dollars in oil futures. Interested? I remember you saying you were looking to invest."
"One billion in oil futures? Are you serious?"
Jiang Hai frowned. He had been considering buying oil futures, but for Du Famen to suddenly make such an offer felt off. He didn't believe in free pie falling from the sky—it was usually a trap.
Even if split and sold individually, his batch of jewelry likely wouldn't fetch more than 900 million. Most of it was gold and silver coins, priced by weight.
So why would Du Famen offer one billion in oil futures? Jiang Hai found it hard to believe.
Oil futures weren't exactly "cheap." A ten-billion-dollar contract might be worth 20–30% of its face value—1.2 to 1.3 billion dollars in actual worth. Why would anyone give him such a generous deal?
"Brother, those treasures might be valuable to you, but to us, not so much," Du Famen replied smoothly, sensing Jiang Hai's suspicion.
"If that's your final offer, then I'm more than happy to sell. But… are there any hidden conditions?" Jiang Hai asked cautiously.
"None at all. If I ever need a favor from you, I'll come ask separately. This deal stands on its own," Du Famen said confidently.
"Well, if that's the case, I'm in. I'm in Miami right now—when can you come over?"
"I'm still in Dubai, negotiating oil transfers with your country. I can't leave right now, but my lawyer's in the States. He'll handle everything."
Jiang Hai was surprised. Ten billion U.S. dollars—not Korean won or Vietnamese dong—was no small amount. Even for someone as wealthy as Du Famen, that was serious money. Yet he was casually sending a lawyer?
"Well, I'd prefer to negotiate with you directly," Jiang Hai said.
"Haha, fair enough. I'm not exactly confident anyone else can handle that kind of money either. How about this—remember I said I'd visit your place? I'll be in Atlantic City on August 24th for a UFC event. After that, I'll drop by. You can come sign the papers then. Just keep the jewelry stored at Phillips for now—they won't charge you."
Jiang Hai considered it. It was already August 15, so the 24th wasn't far off. After sending everyone home, he could make the trip himself.
Last time he went to Atlantic City, it was because of Pra Walton—and things between them got complicated.
Truthfully, he wanted to avoid her… but he was still curious about Atlantic City.
It was the second-largest gambling city in the U.S., and he'd never really experienced it before.
Besides, this wasn't just a sightseeing trip—he'd be finalizing a deal worth over a billion dollars.