Li Du shook Bill’s hand and said in shock, “The Napoleon you spoke of, is it the Napoleon I’m thinking of?”
Bill laughed, “That’s right, Napoleon Bonaparte, the King of France. That’s who I was referring to.”
Li Du was speechless. It seemed like he still lacked understanding of the European and American auctions.
Besides, he did not understand Bill enough. He did not know why Bill would approach him.
Fortunately, Bill was a frank person. Very soon, he revealed his motives. “Mr. Li, from what I know, you’ve enjoyed great success in the warehouse auction trade.”
Li Du waved his hand dismissively, but Bill continued, “You don’t have to be humble. As a person who is making a living in California, I know all about your capabilities. However, what I’m curious about is why you seem to have left that trade since you came to Los Angeles.”
“It’s just that there weren’t any warehouses that I was interested in,” Li Du laughed.
Bill said, “I was guessing that perhaps it’s because you don’t have so much time and energy anymore. Now that you have attained success in the property auction trade, it seems like that field has given you more profits.”
Li Du said honestly, “That’s part of it. However, now I’m just going through all these auctions out of interest. It’s not about making money.”
Bill nodded. “I understand. I am also a treasure hunter. I was fortunate enough to be promoted to the Million Dollar Club this year.”
Li Du looked at him and said, “That’s impressive.”
The two of them were around the same age. They were both less than thirty years old. Becoming a member of the Million Dollar Club at that age was considered outstanding.
Bill laughed bitterly. “I’ve gone through a lot to be able to achieve that. In reality, I’ve had interactions with this trade for about twenty years and have been active in it for around fourteen years now. When I graduated from high school, I did not go to college but went on to become a treasure hunter right away. It is only this year that I managed to become a member of the Million Dollar Club. My achievements are less impressive than yours are.”
Li Du said, “You have plenty of time. You will eventually become a member of the Ten Million Club.”
Bill shook his head. “I know my own capabilities. Mr. Li, I believe that choices are more important than hard work. What I’m saying is that I wish to join your company.”
Previously, Li Du and Hans had formed a company that joined in warehouse auctions. Later, when he went for his expeditions, he had made a lot of wealth.
Since then, the warehouse auctions become less attractive to him. Hence, he did not pay much attention to the company. However, it still had some employees, managed mainly by Lu Guan.
Hearing Bill’s words, Li Du asked in surprise, “You wish to join my company? What do you propose to do for us?”
Bill said, “I’ve heard about your situation. Right now, you are lacking a capable helping hand in the warehouse auction trade. I feel that I am the right person for the task.”
“The warehouse trade in California is valuable. There is no lack of potential. I wish to work with you. I can search for warehouses that are valuable and interesting. You will give the directions and I will comply. Then we will split the earnings 30-70. Does that sound okay?”
Li Du looked at him and frowned. “Why would I need that? I have an assistant. He can help me gather information about warehouses. Besides, if you are able to find valuable warehouses, why would you need to work with me? Won’t that be unnecessary?”
Bill shrugged. “I know about your assistant. Mr. Max Conrad, is that right? However, he is in charge of too many things. Now, he is clearly unable to focus solely on the warehouse auction. I will be able to concentrate on that.”
“As for why I would want to work with you if I can find valuable warehouses on my own… One, I admit I do not have enough confidence to pick the most valuable ones out of the lot. Two, I do not have sufficient strength to protect myself. Los Angeles can be a messy place!”
Li Du said, “And you feel that I will be able to offer those two benefits you currently lack?”
Bill nodded. “Clearly you can. I know Big Fox, whom you partnered up with. Pardon my honesty, but that dude was just a Million Dollar Club member. However, after pairing up with you, he managed to become a member of the Ten Million Club. That signifies a lot.”
Li Du thought about it and said, “Let me consider. If I think there’s a possibility for partnership, I will contact you.”
Bill passed him a file and said, “This contains the details of how I managed to pick out a few of the most valuable auctions in the past two months. You can check those out. Perhaps that can help you reach a conclusion.”
Li Du nodded and said, “Alright. Oh, you’re also a guest at this auction?”
Bill laughed. “That’s right. In addition, the auction company inviting you as a guest is also a suggestion that I brought up. Honestly, Mr. Li, your name is not prominent enough in Los Angeles. You deserve to be better known. You need an assistant that can help you in that area.”
The auction started. As guests, Li Du and his men were seated in the front row.
The organizer introduced the guests. They would conduct an on-site review of the auction items and offer the auction-goers professional advice.
There were eight guests. Other than Li Du, Bill, Big Beard, and the Hermes guy, there were four others.
Li Du found no interest in any of the auction items. Hence, he was not very enthusiastic. Sometimes, when it was necessary, he would give some reviews.
With the help of the little bug, it was a piece of cake for him.
Li Du gave some comments, anchored in an analysis of the quality and historic value of the items. Nothing was difficult for him and he never made a mistake.
Big Beard and Hermes were considered quite famous in the folk collection auction trade. Their reputation did not come only from fooling around but also from their foresight.
After listening to Li Du’s comments, they realized that Li Du was capable. They immediately gave up trying to challenge Li Du or embarrass him.
Towards the end of the auction, a small golden key was brought out. The small key was very beautiful. Its body was bright yellow, like gold. The handle of the key was decorated with some shiny sparkling stones. They looked like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and the like.
The auctioneer said, “This little key represents a limitless mystery. We have verified it with key experts who believe that this style of keys had been popular twenty or thirty years ago. Perhaps it is the key to an unknown treasure chest. Perhaps there is unlimited wealth in there. Of course, none of it can be confirmed. However, it is very beautiful, made of 18K gold and decorated with all sorts of gemstones. Now let’s invite this expert to verify it…”
The jeweler invited on stage was someone whom t Li Du did not know. Another segment allowed bidders to pick a guest to conduct the verifications. Thinking someone might decide to ask his opinion, Li Du let out the little bug to check out the key.
The key was indeed made of 18K gold. However, the stones were not genuine. Those shiny decorations were artificial imitations.
As he watched the backward progression of time, Li Du saw that the key was in contact with a safe, and the things in the safe aroused his interest.
