Chapter 265 Thatched House Restauran
Located at 4.42 degrees south latitude and 55.27 degrees east longitude, the island nation was made up of 115 islands, which were all totally dependent on tourism and fishing. Also, the entire nation’s annual gross national product was worth only $80 million.
As one of the top ten most beautiful countries in the world, the Seychelles was undoubtedly a great place to live. If Chen Fan bought an island there, which he would then reform into a production company, it might very well be the best possible company working environment.
According to official data, 17 islands were currently available for sale in the Seychelles, the largest of which was an oval-shaped island called Siluet. Siluet was six kilometers long and five kilometers wide.
"That’s it!" Chen fan stared enthusiastically at the monitor. His expression looked as if he had found a purse full of cash by the roadside.
The island was priced at $130 million, and another $7 million would be needed for the extradition of 21 of the island’s aboriginal inhabitants. Coming up with the money was no problem for Chen Fan, whose thoughts were only focused on the aerial photo on the screen.
His eyes took in visions of the rich forest, the white snow-like beach and the two long-waved clear lakes on the island.
How wonderful would it be, if its beauty was portrayed in an ink painting?
With the UBS A-level customer card and dozen of dollars in pocket change, Chen Fan happily embarked on his journey to the Seychelles at 8 p.m. Traveling via the sea, Zhong Yun began his journey at exactly 5,000 nautical miles from the Seychelles. He was sailing in the Indian Ocean, and with electric eel’s current speed of 350 nautical miles per hour, it would take him a total of 14 hours to reach his destination.
"Too slow, too slow!" Sitting in that luxury, unaccelerated submarine, Chen Fan was complaining.
This journey would take a whole day, and time would be wasted. The Cloudracer was fast, but unfortunately, it was in another world at the moment. Thus, Chen Fan had no other transport option.
Like a chum salmon, swimming in a rapid current, the electric eel, which was at a depth of 200 meters, was swimming at a speed that even the U.S. Navy would not have dared to imagine. The most amazing thing was that the electric eel was advancing so fast, the water around them seemed to have been frozen in time.
There were no air bubbles being produced at all.The electric eel’s speed was currently as fast as 180 meters per second, which was even faster than a crossbow!
At the same time, one could see that the eel was loitering and not doing its best. According to the ratio of the advancing speed of a fish, it was only doing aerobic exercise. This was because, for a 5,000-mile journey, if it were to sprint rapidly, it would be too exhausting!
Departing in the evening, it reached its destination in the morning. When the thin and distant sky was lined with a pale red, the electric eel finally arrived in Victoria, which was the capital of the Seychelles.
There, natural harbors could be found everywhere. Chen Fan did not have to worry about landing points at all, so he could go ashore at any random deserted corner. Moreover, in such a small country, which did not have an army, the eel was in no danger of being found.
Climbing onto the land along the rocky and grotesque rocks, Chen Fan looked around. The palm trees, which were scattered all over the place, made him completely lose his sense of direction. Thus, he could only use GPS to identify the coordinates.
The first thing Chen Fan had to do was to find a restaurant to fill his stomach. He would then need to find a Chinese-speaking translator to take him to the local resource management bureau, so that he could negotiate the island’s purchase.
As for visas, the Seychelles adopted a very loose visa policy for foreigners upon arrival, which was virtually non-existent. They did not care where you came from, as long as you had plenty of money in your pocket. Of course, if you do not mind extra work, you can also go to the border inspector and stamp your passport with a seal of a sea coconut.
Tourism accounted for 70% of the Seychelles’ gross domestic product. In fact, the country was specifically built for tourism.
As such, Chen Fan was very comfortable, walking along the way. When he had finally passed through the dense palm trees, he found a local-style, thatched-roofed, wall-less building. Inside, there were numerous foreigners with blond hair and blue eyes, who were dining on brown wooden tables and chairs.
Here, the price of vegetables was so high, even Chen Fan was secretly screaming. But, seafood products, such as lobsters, grouper, and tuna, were so cheap!
During the meal, Chen Fan paid special attention to the crowd around him, observing that most of his fellow diners were young people, who were about the same age as him. Many of them were couples, and there were even five Asian faces among them.
Chen Fan had come here with the electric eel, so there was no way to bring a translator. As such, he could only search for one locally. With his little knowledge of English and Creole, he was thinking that the smartest choice would be to find an Asian guide and translator.
Two young Asian lovers, in their early twenties, were sitting across from him at that very moment. They were whispering and looking at each other adoringly.
Chen Fan was listening to their voices, trying to find out if either of the pair was from the same country as him. The gorgeous girl immediately made an unwilling face, after answering her phone. She then muttered something to her male companion, pouting all the while.
The slightly feminine man, who was sitting beside her, looked as cool as as a movie star, as he spread his hands and made a rather melancholy shrug. The male companion’s melancholy look, which was comparable to the male leading role of an idol drama, made this girl’s stare linger all of a sudden. With a few reluctant comments, she then turned her momentary affection into a kiss on the "male leading role’s" lips.
This entire scene almost made Chen Fan throw up. If this man was tall and well-built, Chen Fan would be happy to see a real life version of such a movie scene. But, that man was feminine enough to put a woman’s dress on in to seduce another man!
After he had been immersed in watching the two people for five whole minutes, the pair of lovers parted. The girl hurried out of the restaurant, and the man continued to wear the necessary sad look of the star in any idol drama.
Chen Fan then went to the front desk to pay the bill. He was walking quickly, but the gloomy "actor’s" muttering still stopped him in his tracks.
"Jingde Town?" He was pinching a cute bone china mug and repeating the chinese words in blue on it. "Slowly...becoming white...with you?"
Chen Fan was overjoyed at first, but then was at a loss for whether to cry or laugh. What was written on the mug was "slowly getting old," not "slowly becoming white."
Did this moron even graduate from elementary school?
"Are you from Hong Kong and Macao?" Chen Fan asked, a little confused, as the word "old" was the same in both traditional and simplified chinese.
"I am a citizen of the Republic of Korea!" Annoyed by Chen Fan’s rash and ignorant words regarding his nationality, the young man’s melancholy eyes then revealed a flash of anger.
"A Korean?" Chen Fan said the words, but his brain did not respond for a moment.
Then, after a few seconds, he asked, "Do you have some time now? I want to hire you to translate for me. If you’d be willing, please give me a ballpark figure for what you would charge."
"You? Hire me for translation?" Yim Pak-Seon was silent at first, then said, "Ha ha, that’s the funniest joke I’ve heard this year! I’m a graduate student in history at the University of Seoul. You know, even the best universities in your country are far behind in rankings versus us."
His tone of contempt and sarcasm was obvious, as he continued. "I’m a graduate student at an institution of higher learning, so who are you to hire me?"
"You’re crazy." Chen Fan pouted and turned away. The Koreans had been rumored to be arrogant, but he never would have thought that he would meet one today!
"What did you say?" Yim Pak-Seon raised his eyebrows and stood up, glaring at Chen Fan.
"C-r-a-z-y!" Chen Fan turned his face and stared at Yim Pak-Seon in a rather defiant way. As Chen Fan was showing his well-defined muscles, Yim Pak-Seon, who wasn’t tall and weighed less than 120 pounds, dared not even speak.
"You must apologize to me, since you are not qualified to evaluate Koreans!."
"I think I am!"
Chen Fan rebutted, then looked around with a poker face. He reached into his pocket to take out a few dozen bills, totaling around 50,000 dollars. "I’ll give you 50,000 dollars to hire you for an hour. Is that sufficient?"
Being a certain nationality could give people a sense of superiority, but they could not change their existing characters. Yim Pak-Seon was obviously a greedy man, filled with many desires, and such an amount of bank notes would allow him to buy a BMW! The thought of such a windfall made him speechless for a moment. Then, juggling between dignity and money in his mind, he finally chose the latter.
"You.... You want to..." Yim Pak-Seon’s face was changing from pale to red, as he stuttered.
"Just follow me!" Chen Fan threw the promised U.S. dollars into his arms, like they were garbage, then marched toward the door with his head held high.
Once he was out of the gate of the thatched house restaurant, Chen Fan raised his eyebrows. Then, he headed down a cobblestone path that ran across some palm trees to the left. Yim Pak-Seon followed him.
"I just want to let you know in advance, I can only translate for you for three hours at most. My girlfriend went to the plant collection that was organized by the college, and she will come back soon," Yim Pak-Seon said, after catching up with Chen Fan.
"Oh, your job can be done in five minutes!" Chen Fan felt that the location was adequately hidden, so he stopped and sneered at him. Yim Pak-Seon was confused, as he stood there waiting for Chen Fan’s words.
"F**k your Koryo stick!" With a bang, Chen Fan lifted his foot and slammed on Yim Pak-Seon’s belly, the huge impact of which directly made him fly backwards. The look on Yim Pak-Seon’s face was one of pure shock!
Chapter 266 Purchase Complete
Violence was not a good thing, but it did the best job of soothing negative emotions. Yim Pak-Seon, who was kicked, then hit a palm tree after a few rolls, looked at Chen Fan with a fuzzy look in his eyes. Perhaps it was hard for him to understand that the young man, who had been still calm a moment ago, had turned into a completely different person, without warning.
Three golden-haired foreigners approached them from a distance, holding digital cameras. They were snapping photos by the nearby palm and coconut trees.
Hence, Chen Fan, who wanted to give his companion another two kicks, had to stop. He glared at Yim Pak-Seon before turning away.
With his would-be translator gone, Chen Fan had to find another one. He walked to the street, taking three turns and asking several Asian tourists in a row, with no luck, before hiring a Malaysian, who could speak Chinese and English and Creole.
This thin Malaysian looked like he was in his thirties. He could not speak Mandarin fluently, but he spoke Cantonese pretty well.
He brought Chen Fan to the Local Resource Management Bureau of the Seychelles. The staff, as soon as they heard that he was going to buy the island, immediately put on their most welcoming smiles. Chen Fan could barely stand the intimate warmth of their attitudes.
"Excuse me, how can the problem of water, electric, and telecommunication on this island be solved?" Chen Fan’s eyes flickered over the plastic models on the long table. The island of Siluet was 22 kilometers away from the main island and capital. As such, it was unrealistic for him to build a factory there all by himself.
"Dear sir, submarine cables were set up on this island five years ago. There are two large lakes on this island, where the water quality is absolutely up to par regarding the drinking standard. Moreover, you only need to prepare a satellite internet device to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and the beach of the Seychelles." As he spoke, Bernadine, who was the head of the Bureau of resources, put on what he thought was the most appropriate smile to serve Chen Fan a cup of coffee. "Let me tell you some very interesting news. For Lake Island, which is 10 kilometers away from West Lute Island, we just signed a contract with a buyer yesterday. Guess who the buyer is?"
"Obama!" Chen Fan replied immediately, without even turning his head. This was a stupid question. There were so many people in the world, so he obviously could not guess correctly, even if he guessed until his hair turned white!
"It’s the royal princess, who is also known as being the jewel of Dubai," said Bernadine in a high-pitched voice. He continued, more excitedly. "She’s so beautiful. Her face is like a crescent moon in the dark. You can’t help but be attracted to her."
"The royal family of Dubai is indeed very rich, but they are close to the sea themselves, so why do they need to come to you?"
"Dear Sir, the climate in Dubai is terrible. Half of the time, it is very very hot, and it is also frequented by sandstorms. Can you imagine what threat such a harsh climate poses for travel?" Bernadine continued to disparage Dubai, comparing its climate with the climate of the Seychelles. "After all, what’s so great about Dubai except for its money? We have the most complete variety of tropical fruits, unique flowers, and exotic trees in the world. Dubai only has sand! What’s more, the living conditions here are way better!"
"Can we go now to the Silhouette Island and see for ourselves?" Chen Fan requested, interrupting Bernadine’s endless bragging.
"It would be my great honor to take you there, Sir. I will get a speedboat, so I can show you the whole island!" As soon as he said this, Bernadine picked up the phone on his desk.
With a lean crew for economic efficiency, Bernadine took Chen Fan on foot through the tree-lined main street, then boarded a speedboat and headed to the Silhouette Island. It only took twenty minutes for a twenty-two kilometers journey!
Floating in the blue sky and sea, the entire way there, all Chen Fan could do was look at the snow white beach, the rugged rocks, and the countless coconut trees. Even from hundreds of meters away, Chen Fan could still feel smell a pleasant and refreshing scent, wafting from the island itself.
"Sir, there are now 21 aboriginal people on this island. Our government has already negotiated their relocation with them. Within seven days of your purchase, the this issue will be completely resolved."
"What about the docks? Why aren’t there any docks here?" Chen Fan put his fingers together and looked for an arbor. Unfortunately, when he was looking around, he only saw the white sandy beach and green trees, not any modernities at all.
"A kilometer to the left, there lies a deep-water quay with a shaggy cliff, which has a maximum capacity of 5,000 tons. In the middle of the island, there is also a large natural cave, which was once used as a base by Creole pirates, who were roaming the Indian Ocean. Then, in the 18th century, they were eliminated by the Royal Navy. Half of the aboriginal people here today are descendants of those pirates."
"Very good, I think I’ve come the right place!" Chen Fan stood on the bow of the boat and looked forward with a smile. "Let’s go to the island and see if everything goes well. The sooner the handover is completed, the better!"
"You...You are so..." Bernadine, who was blushing, searched his mind for a long time, but did not find any words to describe Chen Fan’s opulence, much less his own inner excitement.
He could only introduce Chen Fan to the customs and practices of the island. When the boat reached the shore, he even pulled a young Creole girl from a local family to serve as a guide, hoping to draw himself closer to Chen Fan.
"Beware, the stones here are washed in by the tide year round. It’s like stepping on glass. Bernadine ran to take Chen Fan’s arm, like he was helping an old man across the street. Chen Fan cut him off, having no idea whether to laugh or cry at his strange behavior.
The whole island felt like a mooncake, which had been made by highly abstract workmanship. In the middle of this mooncake, a knot could be seen, which was the highest peak of Silhouette Island, the 660 meter-high Mount Moon!
Generally speaking, Silhouette Island was a very favorable site to transform into a weapons processing plant, and Chen Fan already had his eyes on the exact plot of land he would use for his future factory site. The site was located in the west, facing the sea on one side. The other three sides were surrounded by mountains of different heights, which could be hollowed out to build underground warehouses, or they could act as natural barriers.
After a round trip around the island, when the sun had set and the blue sea was rendered a pure gold by the afterglow, Chen Fan swung his hand and led the translator and Bernadine back to the speedboat. The island had nothing that he saw to quibble about, so all he had to do now was pay $137 million to the Seychelles.
The huge amount of money was equivalent to one-sixth of the annual average output value of the entire Seychelles nation! To handle such a large transaction, even the President of the Seychelles personally came, holding a glass of wine, while issuing one convenience policy after another to Chen Fan.
From the payment to the final signature, everything was going so smoothly. The information registered on the document was Chen Fan’s passport in China. As for the authenticity of this thing and the file records, no one really cared. After all, the population of the Seychelles was still less than 20 times the population of a small county town in China!
When all the documents were signed, Chen Fan scratched his head and walked up to the President, who was dressed in a casual summer suit. He quietly told him that he was going to build a large sports equipment factory, then asked him whether any special approval was needed for the documents.
"No, No," the President assured him.
When Alex Michelle heard that the rich man was coming to invest and set up a factory, she immediately thought of many words, such as "population employment,""increased taxation,""trade pulling," and so forth, before quickly agreeing to everything. Patting her chest with a confident posture, she said, "The weak industrial base has always been our shortcoming. Even the equipment for simple sporting goods, such as volleyball and kayaking, we have to buy from Yemen and Singapore. With you opening a sport equipment processing plant here, I guarantee that all of the relevant facilities’ procurement plans in this country will be handed over to you. As for taxation, yours will be duty-free for a maximum of two years."
What a joke! If you could spend more than $100 million to buy an island to set up a factory, you would have to be the top dog in the industry, like Adidas or Nike! Alex Michelle was prepared to spread the good news to the whole country and all of the citizens, if Chen Fan was not in a rush. If she knew that Chen Fan was carrying the banner of making sports equipment, but in actuality, he was really preparing to produce weapons, she might not be able to laugh!
The dinner and signing ceremony lasted until ten o’clock. Chen Fan, after a day on the run, bitterly rejected Alex’s kind invitation to stay longer, instead sneaking into the streets, then plunging himself into the dense palm trees.
By the time he got back to Zhongyun City, it was two o’clock in the afternoon the next day. Chen Fan was so tired from the long journey, he could not even lift his hands and went to sleep immediately.
After a long time of sleeping hazily, Chen Fan heard a sudden crisp sound. Slightly opening his eyes, Chen Fan got up and looked around a few times. He found that the source of the sound was the computer speakers. To be precise, it was the message ringtone from QQ!
Zhang Xueyang sent a message to tell him that the Deputy Minister of Military Materials and Oils had returned to Tianhai, and asked him to go there as soon as possible. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Chen Fan put on his coat and walked out of the stone tower. He then took the electric eel to the blue sea. He was ready to call Zhang Xueyang to see if he could get in touch with the whole carbon fiber production line.
The island had already been bought, and their building the factory appeared to pose no technical difficulties, so they could go ahead and recruit the locals. As for the CNC machine tools, which were used to make the metal parts, they could be bought from Anhui or Shenyang.