"This will be your future home. Don't catch the dolphins, tuna, sharks, or anything valuable. As for the lobsters… well, you can help yourself!"
After anchoring the boat in the open sea, Jiang Hai stepped out of the hold and walked onto the platform.
He dipped his hand into the water, and moments later, the massive head of a giant squid emerged from the depths.
Sending out a wave of spiritual energy, Jiang Hai communicated with the creature.
Ever since the squid came under his control, Jiang Hai had been meaning to give it a name.
But with his level of imagination, choosing names wasn't exactly his strong suit.
Just look at his dog, for example...
It had taken him two full days to settle on a name for this giant squid.
"Alright, let's go, Roger!" he finally said, giving the creature a friendly pat on the head.
As his most powerful guardian beneath the waves, the squid dove back into the deep sea at his signal.
At this point, Jiang Hai's oceanic defense team was looking pretty solid—two sharks (Dasha and her mate), a dozen dolphins, and now Roger. It was practically impenetrable.
He named the squid Roger not because he lacked creativity, but because of the circumstances of their meeting.
The squid had first been found near a pirate ship, and since pirates and squids both had strong associations with the sea… well, it made sense.
And who was the king of the pirates? Gol D. Roger. So, Roger it was.
Watching his tentacled guardian disappear beneath the waves, Jiang Hai restarted the engine and made his way back toward the dock.
By the time his boat reached the pier, Edward Anderson and the others were already waiting.
Aside from Xiaoya and Bernice, nearly everyone had come out to greet Jiang Hai and his companions.
After all, they had been away for over half a month, and the others had missed them—not to mention, there were plenty of updates to report.
With a warm and lively welcome, the group returned to Jiang Hai's villa, where Bernice and Xiaoya had already prepared a spread.
Though it was still morning and breakfast had already been served, they laid out some snacks for everyone to enjoy.
Once everyone had settled in, Jiang Hai began distributing gifts.
For the men, the best present was—of course—alcohol. Whether cowboys or fishermen, they all enjoyed a good drink.
Jiang Hai had brought back South American rum, which he himself had found to be excellent.
One box per person—he wasn't stingy when it came to generosity.
For the women, the gifts were mostly local souvenirs—small tokens, but thoughtful ones.
Americans love receiving gifts, and they don't care too much about how expensive they are.
Even so, everyone was delighted with what Jiang Hai had brought back.
After enjoying some leisure time together, Jiang Hai announced that there would be a party that evening in the square outside his house—food, drinks, and good company.
Upon hearing this, Burke Dahler and Tommy Charles set off to start preparations, while Harriman and Bell went back to rest.
Even Aphra and the others left to tend to the vineyard—grape season was at its peak, and their hands were full.
In the end, only three remained in the villa: Robbins Garcia (head of the ranch), Edward Anderson (in charge of the fishery), and Dulles Gerard (head of the winery). They were here to report recent developments.
Robbins spoke first, having the least to report. The cattle had all been sold.
"The herd's been calm lately, and the calves are doing well. During the last breeding cycle, 378 cows became pregnant. Combined with the 986 we already had, we should be expecting over 2,000 calves next year.
"But the grass has been growing like crazy. Should we start bringing in new cows, or make some of the grass into silage?"
"You can decide," Jiang Hai replied after some thought. "If you want to bring in more cows, how many? Will we need to hire more hands?"
Jiang Hai had picked up quite a bit just from observing the ranch, but compared to Robbins' experience, he was still an amateur.
"The number of workers depends on the number of cows," Robbins explained. "Since we've got the cattle dogs helping out, we can stick to the original plan of expanding to 25,000 head. We won't need extra manpower for that."
"Great," Jiang Hai nodded. "Let's move ahead with the expansion. It'll be cooler after August, so we'll start preparing then."
Next, Edward Anderson spoke.
"No issues at the fishery. Most of our sales came from tourists. Some knew about us in advance, others started buying after seeing the crowds.
"Over the last half-month, we averaged about $13,720 a day, with total sales reaching $219,520."
It was the fishery's first real profit—and a solid one. Over $200,000 in just fifteen days.
If that held, it would amount to nearly $5 million a year. And that was just from what Edward called "scraps"—lobsters, abalone, sea cucumbers. Things they didn't even eat themselves and couldn't really sell in Winthrop.
"Not bad. Keep it up," Jiang Hai said with a smile. "At the end of the month, you, Tommy, Enol, Andrew, and Mullen will each receive a $20,000 bonus. Well deserved."
Edward was stunned, then elated. $20,000 per person—$240,000 per year—was a windfall for them.
And Robbins didn't envy them; the cattle team had already received over $200,000 each in bonuses from previous sales.
"I think they'll be thrilled to hear this!" Edward chuckled. He never worried about being treated unfairly—Jiang Hai always rewarded hard work. That trust was the root of his confidence.
Sure enough, that evening, when Tommy Charles, Enol Ceci, Andrew Christian, and Maren Rupert heard the news, they were over the moon. They sang, danced, and celebrated together.
Finally, it was Dulles Gerard's turn.
"Boss, about 30% of the grapes are ripe. We can start the winemaking process now, or wait a bit longer. Based on the current sunlight, over 90% should ripen soon. What do you think?"
Jiang Hai considered for a moment, then asked, "What would you do?"
"Honestly… I'd wait," Dulles said, almost through gritted teeth.
The ranch and fishery were already well-established as the primary income sources.
Though Dulles often acted aloof, as if above the cowboy and fisherman lifestyle, he was here to make money too—and he had confidence in the winery.
From day one, he believed he could generate at least $800,000 to $1 million a year in profit.
That would've been impressive… if not for the fact that cattle were selling for $150,000 each.
Golden cows, he thought. Literally. Japanese Wagyu once sold for over $60,000 and made headlines. But Jiang Hai was regularly getting $150,000 a head.
And the fishery, which seemed even less glamorous, was pulling in $5 million annually just from scraps. What about the big fish?
It was enough to make his scalp tingle.
So yes, he felt pressure. He wanted to prove himself. He wanted the winery to shine.
But his professional integrity wouldn't let him rush the grapes.
"Slow work makes fine wine," Jiang Hai said with a smile. "I trust your craftsmanship. Follow your instincts."
Hearing that, Dulles was deeply moved.
He realized Jiang Hai truly was a great boss—one worth giving his all for.