Chapter 347: Chemical Analysis
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Los Angeles was a melting pot of diverse cultures and a city of crime. These two aspects of LA were similar to Detroit.
LA had been fighting a war on drugs for decades. Thus, as for yesterday and today, that explained why the police had rushed over so quickly once there was a tip-off.
Li Du had initially been enraged by the sudden raid, but knowing Godzilla’s past, he couldn’t feel anger anymore. He could only sit in silence.
However, since they were having a legal business negotiation here, the police couldn’t just create trouble for them due to Godzilla’s past.
Under Hill’s suggestion, the cops sat down for coffee.
The lead policeman examined Godzilla’s green card and driving license. He then contacted the station to see if he had any criminal records.
Naturally, Godzilla’s records were clean. The only allegation he had was an unauthorized entry into a neighbor’s kitchen. However, that case had been dismissed and Godzilla hadn’t gone to court for it. There had been no negative consequences for him.
With the misunderstanding cleared, the team leader downed his coffee in one go, and said, “Alright, we’ll be leaving now. However, sir, you better get rid of that tattoo on your chest.” Godzilla gave a low grunt in response; it was unclear if he agreed.
“We can still continue with the deal, right?” Hill asked.
“Why not?” Li Du said. “In Chinese, we have a saying; ‘Good things come to those who wait.’ Clearly, there will be wonderful things that will happen for us soon.”
Hill nodded with a smile and said, “That would be wonderful.”
Alice continued her tests. After about half an hour, she and Hill went to a corner and secretly discussed something.
Once they finished their conversation, Hill was beaming. “Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, I believe we can start talking about prices now.”
“These essential oils are all fine, right?” Hans asked.
“The physical appraisal is very positive. Our company is willing to buy them. However, we still have to rely on the chemical testing to determine the exact composition. We can negotiate a minimum price now.”
Setting a minimum price meant that they were willing to seal the deal. Regardless of the final test results, as long as they were sure that this was rose essential oil, they would at the very least make the exchange with the minimum set price.
Of course, if the chemical testing found that these bottles were not rose essential oil, but just high-quality imitations, then the agreement would be discarded.
Both parties were facing each other at the table when they started the big negotiation battle. Li Du was observing, while Hans and Hills exchanged blows with their words.
The result of the fight was that the minimum price was set at 660 dollars for every ounce.
The international market price was 1,500 dollars per ounce, but that was for premium rose essential oil from Bulgaria, Morocco and Turkey.
The essential oil that they had was made with common ingredients. The main component was Rose Alba and not Damask Rose, so the value was lower.
With the contract in place, they packed up the rose essential oil and drove to the Siguaraya company in LA.
Siguaraya was a second-tier supplier. They didn’t have a brand of their own. They mainly imported essential oil from other countries like Bulgaria, refined them, and sold them to famous brands like Chanel and Dior.
Their company was near the outskirts of Los Angeles, with many workshops of varying size.
After entering the company, a young black man with a feminine demeanor came to meet Alice. The youth opened a bottle and smelled, his face turning euphoric.
“How’s the oil?”
The young man spoke with his eyes still closed: “Ah, oh my God, how lovely! What a wonderful fragrance. Flavorful, smooth, and delicate, with a slight zest within the sweetness. This is truly a gift from God.”
“Is it that great?” Li Du asked, perplexed.
“Of course,” the young man replied. “Rose essential oil has a completely different fragrance from ordinary flower essential oils.”
Li Du shrugged. He couldn’t tell at all.
Alice was an aromatherapist. She explained, “My colleague isn’t exaggerating. After many distillations, the particles responsible for the fragrance are reconstructed to become richer, sweeter, and more delicate.”
Hill waved his hand and said, “Let these essential oils undergo testing and analysis. Get the results quickly—we can’t afford to waste the time of these two gentlemen.”
Taking the opportunity, Hill brought them to view the workshops.
The specifications of each workshop were organized in a detailed manner. There was one workshop for purifying, quality checking, and refining. There was one more that they were not allowed in, which Hill called a “company secret.”
Li Du was curious, so he sent the bug in. He realized that it was a packaging workshop. There were many intricate production lines, where the essential oils that had been placed into containers were labeled.
No wonder Hill would not let them in. Li Du saw labels from Chanel, Dior, and Bulgari.
Essential oils from those international brands were produced here.
Siguaraya’s working speed was swift. After Li Du and the others finished their tour, a complex analysis report was printed out.
Hill took a look and said in shock, “Monoterpene is an aromatic alcohol. The smell of the essential oils comes from that. It is one of the main components in rose oil, but not the most important. Thus, the lower it is, the better.
“Normally, the percentage of monoterpene is around 65 to 75 percent. The lower it is, the more valuable the oil would be. This here shows that the percentage is only 68 percent, which means that the quality is extremely good.”
“Besides monoterpene, what other statistics should we look at to understand its quality?” Li Du asked.
“This is a huge field of knowledge that I can’t explain it all in simple terms,” Hill laughed. “You guys have to know that there are over 400 chemical components in rose oil that have not been identified yet.”
Li Du and Hans had already known about this. Rose essential oil was the most complex of essential oils. Each drop of rose essential oil had hundreds of natural components, with most of them still remaining a mystery.
The value of rose essential oil was in these unknown components. They had a therapeutic effect on humans and could soothe emotions, bringing balance and a sense of harmony to a person.
Wall Street and Hollywood stars were loyal fans of rose essential oil. Whoever met the people from there would realize that they all wore similar perfumes. They used rose essential oil because it could help them relax and relieve negative emotions like stress, nervousness and anxiety.
For those financial big-shots and Hollywood stars, they appeared glamorous on the outside, but they faced enormous pressure every day.
The rose essential oil helped them relax, helped them sleep, and even improved their complexions.
