Chapter 102: Reborn 1987 Chapter 102 Sandgold Trade Port

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Protagonist:

Jiang Wenyu

Merchants set their sights on the future and see clearly the present. A sharp gaze is their hallmark. There is a saying that a great merchant can find gold in a single catty of sand.

Of course, that is something of an exaggeration, but it is enough to show the pivotal status merchants hold in the world.

Not to say they can actually find gold in sand, but discovering a treasure in a pile of scrap iron is effortless for them. They excel at observation, possess well-informed intelligence, and no business opportunity in the world escapes their discerning eyes. Impoverished places, prosperous places — both are their targets. And the saying "able to find gold even in sand" also speaks volumes about the merchant's standing.

Merchants cannot be said to change the world, but in the process of the world changing, they occupy an incomparably crucial link.

"In this country, interest relationships are more severe than you imagine, and the struggle over interests is even more severe. This indirectly fueled their development, but also gave rise to many chaotic phenomena. This is very different from back home. Finding gold in sand... it is because of this saying that this port was named 'Sandgoldport,' which translates to Sandgold Trade Port."

The man was very handsome, well-proportioned, dressed in a black suit. The brand-new clothes seemed to have been bought especially for the trip. His whole expression appeared somewhat cold, even possessed a cool, ruthless handsomeness. He was the most striking of the four. Local women passing by couldn't help but stop and steal a few extra glances at him.

Only at this moment did this cool, handsome male feel utterly helpless toward the three people behind him who were looking left and right.

"Did you all hear what I just said?" The man was quite helpless. He had kindly explained the port's origin and the meaning of its name here, but these guys weren't listening at all.

They were two men and a young girl. Compared to the two men who were full of wonder, the girl appeared much calmer, but it was her first time abroad, so she likewise couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. Everything here was so novel it made one unable to resist taking a few more looks.

"I... I'm listening!" The girl hurriedly jogged over, revealing a beautiful smile. She wore two braided pigtails and had also deliberately changed into a new outfit, looking touching and pure.

Upon seeing this girl, the cool man actually revealed a smile as rich as the setting sun, but when he turned back to look at the other two men he returned to his former self.

"You two are really too embarrassing..." The cool man couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

Only then did those two men immediately walk over. They likewise wore suits. One looked quite cheerful; he laughed "haha," scratched his head, and said: "Can't help it. Although I'm a ronin, I've never been abroad before. This is my first time! And it's my first time wearing this kind of clothing — it feels a bit awkward all over."

His suit seemed a bit ill-fitting. The similarly young man beside him was calmer than the former, his face placid, revealing no emotion, but his pair of eyes shone bright — clearly he, too, was full of curiosity about everything here. He also nodded and said: "I haven't been abroad either. Things here are a bit different from back home."

The cool man finally stopped talking further. He looked left and right, then said to them: "Right now it's 3 PM local time. We have to rush to the venue before nightfall. Before that, let's go eat something. Miao Miao, what do you want to eat?"

When looking at the two men he was always cold; only when looking at the girl beside him was he gentle. The latter also smiled bashfully and said: "Anything's fine, I'll follow your lead!"

The cheerful man immediately said: "Unfair, unfair! How come you only ask her? You're our guide on this trip — you have to take care of us two as well."

The cool man glanced at him and said: "Then what do you want to eat?"

The former instantly chuckled, pointing at the fishing boats near the port, and said: "I just saw a boat haul in a specially large fish — it had several claws. I've never seen it before. I want to eat that!"

The cool man instantly sighed and said: "Our budget for this trip is limited. That thing you mentioned is called an octopus. One meal would cost a pretty penny."

The latter heard and immediately asked: "About how much money?"

The cool man didn't hesitate either, quietly stating a figure. After hearing it, the two men including the young girl were all instantly shocked.

"Th-th-th-that... then forget it. That's fucking expensive. That much money covers my food expenses for a whole month." The cheerful man finished and looked at the young man beside him: "Mulin, what do you want to eat?"

The latter replied obediently: "Anything's fine, you guys decide."

The cheerful man scratched his head again and said: "That guy really takes the cake — just ditching us like that, running off who knows where to play. I'm talking about Zhou Shi. He didn't even say what he was going to do."

The man named Zhou Shi calmly replied: "No. Anyway, let's go eat first. Right, Li Chen, you didn't forget the passes needed for tonight's venue on the boat, did you?"

The cheerful man heard this, first blanked for a moment, then his face changed drastically. The other few people also froze along with him.

"Seems... seems I forgot to take them..."

……

Sandgold Trade Port, the world's most famous gathering place for wealthy merchants. Every year a large-scale conference is held here. Participants are merchants from all over the globe. Everyone comes here for two purposes: one, invited to attend; two, to seek business opportunities.

At every annual merchant conference, staggering major projects emerge, each one shocking. This is the place merchants love to come most — making connections, chance encounters at the conference, etc.

And Sandgold Trade Port is the most renowned district here. Bordering the sea, elegant environment — it can be called a merchant's paradise.

But for the few people coming to a foreign country for the first time, this place appears extremely unfamiliar — unfamiliar to the point that without someone to act as a guide they would get lost.

……

This is September 25, 1988. The time has already arrived at evening.

At the moment night was about to fall, the entire port suddenly lit up with rich lights. Behind those colorful rays, a huge boom exploded from the sky, then turned into fireworks filling the heavens.

Grand fireworks, paired with those bright lights — all of it originated from a certain district. That is the venue where the merchants are about to hold their conference.

Since merchants from all over the world attend, the luxury level here goes without saying. Its overall structure is square. Four tall, thick white columns stand at the corners. All four sides lack walls — those are the entrances.

The whole presents a bright white color, giving rise to a sacred feeling. Its total area is roughly one-quarter the size of a football field, capable of accommodating nearly a thousand people. Not only merchants come here; some distinguished guests are also invited to enter and watch, or to appreciate the personal charisma of those merchants.

This gigantic building also has a name — Platinum Hall

At this time, a large crowd gathered near Platinum Hall. Some people not invited inside would watch from the periphery. Some reporters of this era likewise had qualifications to enter and interview famous merchants. For a moment, the scene was bustling with excitement. Fireworks rang incessantly above the hall.

One after another, people began to enter.

A full half-hour passed, yet people still streamed in continuously. Even after so many entered, Platinum Hall remained incomparably spacious.

A foreign man in white formal wear also walked in at some point. He seemed very familiar with this place. Inside the huge hall were several exquisite tables, but no chairs or stools. A table could fit three or four people standing. On the tables were high-end red wines ordinary people have never even seen.

The tables were the same size, but their arrangement seemed to hold something special. From outside to inside they were placed in sequence, also decreasing in number sequentially. Therefore, in the very center there was only a single table, and that table occupied the largest area. Not only that, these tables also had different colors — from outside to inside sequentially: white, blue, purple, black, red. Ordinary people naturally wouldn't know what this distinguishes, but the merchants who came here didn't wander randomly; they would accurately go to a certain colored table and wait quietly. Some reporters seemed to be the same.

The foreign man in white formal wear arrived, first looked around, then straightened his clothes, and walked straight toward the centermost table. He finally arrived and stopped quietly, waiting. The table before him was black.

Not long after he arrived, a man and a woman suddenly also stood before this table. The man was handsome, the woman bewitching. Age and complexion were similar to his. They came over and smiled at the former. One of them said: "Respected Mr. Miles, the Trency Family is still represented by you this year."

The man named Miles smiled gentlemanly and replied: "Yes. The family's external affairs are basically all handled by me. Is this the first time Mr. and Mrs. Smith are attending?"

The latter nodded and said: "Yes. It's a rare invitation to attend. My wife also received an invitation."

His wife was very bewitching, with a good figure. Both likewise wore formal wear. After chatting a few sentences, Smith immediately said: "Oh right, we can't stay here too long. Although it's our first time, we only received a Purple Invitation, so we won't disturb Mr. Miles. We'll head back."

Finished speaking, the two walked back and stood at a purple table slightly further toward the outer ring.

After they left, Miles put away his expression and shook his head, muttering to himself: "Only got a Purple Invitation yet ran to the black table. Hmph, the Smith Family really doesn't take the conference seriously... Speaking of which, Li Chen and the others seem a bit late."