Novel - Drama Chapter 19
Chapter 19
Chapter 19
After walking around the street twice, Hailey pointed to the seaside and said, “Let’s go to the fishing village. I lived there for six months when I was a child.”
The seaside looked close, but it was actually quite far.
The fishing village was more than 12 miles away from the city, and it took more than ten minutes to drive.
The houses in the fishing village remained predominantly old, with only a handful being newer constructions. The younger generation showed little interest in continuing the traditional occupation of fishing passed down by their elders, resulting in a majority of them seeking employment opportunities in the city.
Most of the people who stayed in the fishing village were elderly, and there were fewer and fewer real fishermen.
Hailey pointed to an old house and said, “I lived here when I was a child. It is my grandma’s sister’s home. But my grandma’s sister passed away several years ago. Most of her descendants have since relocated to the city.”
A rusty iron lock dangled from the gate, preventing entry into the house.
Oliver walked around the old dwelling, observing its windows. Thick layers of dust covered the glass, a testament to its abandonment for several years at the very least.
Oliver went back to the gate and didn’t see Hailey. After looking for her, he found that Hailey was heading to the beach along a small path.
There was an old fishing port at the one around. The place was quiet.
entrance of the fishing village. Several old boats were tied to the port, and there was no
Hailey strolled leisurely toward the beach on the left side. After a few dozen feet, she stopped and took off her shoes, allowing her bare feet to sink into the wet sand. Moments later, she bent down to collect seashells scattered along the shore.
After more than two years working in True Treasure second-hand store, Oliver saw Hailey as an elegant glacier beauty. When he talked to her on normal days, she always remained a composed expression on her face. No one could tell whether she was depressed or calm.
But now she was like a teenage girl, hopping along the sealine and picking up shells.
Oliver quickly took off his shoes and followed her, fearing that she would go too far..
The weather was good, and there were no clouds. The tide on the sea was gentle with a wave of light strokes.
As the tide rolled in, Hailey’s footprints gradually vanished, erased by the advancing waves.
As Oliver hurriedly followed Hailey, his steps sank into the damp sand. With an unpleasant odor wafting up, he realized that he had unintentionally stepped on something resembling mud.
“Odd. Is there any cow dung on the beach? Or it could be dog shit,” he thought.
Oliver glanced down and discovered a sizable clump of brown substance stuck to his feet, resembling cow dung. A patch of brownish-yellow sand emerged in the seawater, giving the impression of cow dung, but emitting an unmistakable odor of dog shit.
Fortunately, he took off his shoes and was barefoot. If he stepped on such a ball in his shoes, it would be unbearable.
Oliver bent down to wash his feet. When he stared at the brown cow dung, an identification message suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Ambergris. It weighs 30 ounces and has been soaked in seawater for 144 years. A prized traditional herbal medicine and a sought-after spice raw material.].
[Grade: high-grade.]
[Appraised value: 17 million dollars.]/
“Damn!” Oliver cursed in his mind.
Oliver almost fell into the sea. He was shocked to know that such a smelly thing was ambergris that was worth more than 16 million dollars.
Oliver shuddered and quickly bent down to dig out the brown dung-like thing from the sand.
After carefully extracting the ambergris, Oliver discovered a bowl-sized mass that was still emitting a strong odor and appeared dirty.
Oliver dug a pit in the beach and submerged the ambergris in seawater. He then proceeded to wash the object thoroughly with the seawater.
As the brown residue was washed away, the true nature of the object began to reveal itself. The dirt- like appearance dissipated, revealing a white-colored object with a bone-like texture, approximately the size of a small bowl.
After enduring the strong odor for a while, Oliver was surprised to discover that the object emitted a subtle, pleasant fragrance.
“This thing is worth 17 million dollars?” he pondered.
“Oliver, come here. This conch is so beautiful and I can blow a whistle with it…”
“Ms. Fox, come over here!” Oliver didn’t go over and waved to Hailey. “I found a… good stuff!”
Hailey came over and asked, “Is it a shell or a snail? Yours must be less beautiful than mine!”
When Hailey got closer, she saw that Oliver was neither holding a shell nor a snail in his hand. Instead, it was a large white object emitting a faint odor.
Hailey covered her nose with a frown and said, “It smells bad. I thought it was a beautiful shell!”
Oliver exclaimed with excitement, “Ms. Fox, don’t be deceived by the smell. It’s not actually foul but fragrant. The scent becomes unpleasant only in excess. This is called ‘ambergris, which is the excretion of a sperm whale. It’s extremely rare!” “Ambergris?” Hailey was familiar with the name. Among the top perfumes she bought, the perfume with original ambergris ingredients was the most expensive.
Oliver provided a further explanation. “Ambergris is formed from undigested bones that accumulate in the stomach and intestines of sperm whales after consuming large cuttlefish or octopus. Over time, it transforms into ambergris, which is then either regurgitated or excreted. It sinks beneath the ocean floor for hundreds of years, and when all impurities are eliminated, it eventually floats to the sea surface. The quality of ambergris varies, with brown being the least desirable and gray being preferred. The highest quality is the rare white ambergris, which is worth its weight in gold. This particular piece we found is of the finest white variety, Ms. Fox…”
Speaking of this, Oliver said in a slightly trembling voice, “Ms. Fox, we can make a fortune!” novelbin
Hailey asked him confusedly, “Make a fortune? Even if it’s a piece of gold, it is not worth making a fortune. How much can it be worth?”
As the value of 17 million dollars was determined through the value assessment ability of his eyes’ superpower, Oliver couldn’t provide any further explanation or evaluation of its worth.
Hailey took out her phone from the crossbody bag, took several photos in a row, and then sent them.
Since Oliver said it was “a big fortune”, this ambergris must be valuable. She immediately sent the photo of the ambergris to her father’s assistant and partner, Professor Gabriel Lewis.
Gabriel was one of the top antiquarians in the country. His assessment skills were better than Gunther’s. She eagerly awaited Gabriel’s evaluation of the value of the ambergris discovered by Oliver.
In less than a minute, Gabriel made a phone call to Hailey, seeking detailed information about the shape, color, size, and other characteristics of the ambergris. After gathering the necessary details, he delivered an astonishing verdict to her. “Hailey, the ambergris you have is the rarest and most valuable variety. It is considered a top-ranking brand in the market. The current price for each 0.035 ounces is no less than 20,000 dollars. Based on our estimation that you possess approximately 28 ounces of ambergris, its total value amounts to around 16 million dollars. You… Wait, I will promptly come with your father!”
“16 million dollars?”
Hailey was stunned, but Gabriel had already hung up. She stared at Oliver and couldn’t say anything.
Oliver continued to astonish Hailey. On the first day, he earned 780 thousand dollars by stones gambling, and another 6 million dollars with Sofia’s antiques yesterday. And today…
This was ridiculous. Oliver could stumble upon great treasures simply by walking along the beach.
Even Hailey herself didn’t think the 16 million dollars was a small number.
16 million dollars! Oliver was so lucky. Others would never meet this kind of opportunity once in their lifetime, but he seemed to have an uncanny ability to attract them effortlessly.