The exchange between the two was a win-win. Kobe bought high-quality black opals, which could be customized for his wife.
Li Du made money and also got information about a storage auction.
The appraisal results showed that the gems he gave were all natural black opals with a very high rating.
Kobe bought six pieces for a total of $1.2 million, which was high but lower than the market price. The six pieces of black opals were about 200 carats in total, and they were all relatively large.
The larger the black opal, the more expensive it was. One carat of this quality cost $7,000 to $8,000.
Li Du also helped him contact the top jewelry designer at Harry Winston. The rest of the matter had nothing to do with him. Kobe and the designer had a one-way contact.
After picking up the helicopter, Hans had not returned yet. Li Du went online to check the information about the storage auction that Kobe had told him. The storage company was called Walking Horse Storage Company, and the information was easy to find.
When Hans came back, Li Du told him the news.
After a brief discussion, the two decided to fly to Indiana to see what the auction was about.
There were only three days left before the auction. It was not that Kobe was not timely enough, but that storage auctions were like this. From the time the news was released to the time the auction started, it all happened within a week.
Just as their helicopter arrived, Hans went to do the emergency registration, and Big Ivan applied for the air route. They finished it in half a day, and then the helicopter could take off.
It had to be said that there were a lot of airports and planes in the United States, and there were fewer flight controls. It was relatively easy to take off and land planes here.
The warehouse was in Indianapolis, a city on the east coast of the United States, halfway across the country diagonally from Los Angeles.
The helicopter took off and flew from noon to evening before they arrived.
They were in a hurry to attend the auction. When they arrived in Indianapolis, they only had two days to prepare.
Indianapolis was the largest city and capital of Indiana and the fourth-largest state capital in the United States, after Atlanta, Georgia, Denver, Colorado, and Phoenix, Arizona.
The city was located in the middle of Indiana, and when they could overlook a long river from the air, Hans said, "We're here."
The long river they saw was called the White River, and Indianapolis stretched across both sides of the river, stretching in all directions.
Compared to Phoenix and Los Angeles, Indianapolis was not as prosperous. In the afterglow of the setting sun, the city was very calm. There were few high-rise buildings and less traffic.
Li Du sighed. "This city is not bad. It's not very impetuous."
Hans laughed. "You call this a city? This is the village of Indianapolis. "
Compared to other big cities, Indianapolis did have such a name. Its economy was good, but mainly because of its large size, some people called it a rural area.
However, there was nothing that could be done about it. Historically, the city's economy had never been good.
It was founded in 1820 and incorporated in 1847. In January 1825, the capital of the state of Indiana was moved to the city. In 1847, when the city was incorporated, the railroad opened. The Madison and Indianapolis Railroad was in operation. It was the first railroad in Indianapolis.
With the railroads and a fairly developed road network, Indianapolis began to develop economically.
However, at that time, even with convenient transportation, Indianapolis was only used as a transportation fortress for immigrants to the West and as a distribution center for livestock and fur products.
By the end of the 19th century, when the industry was booming, the city's growth accelerated, and it was not far from Chicago, so it became a major industrial center, an important grain market, and the largest livestock market in the central and eastern United States.
As the helicopter landed, Hans said to Li Du solemnly, "Don't go out at night without me and Brother Wolf. The racial relations here are very bad."
Li Du roughly understood the local situation. Starting in the second half of the 20th century, with the extensive use of land by suburbanization, the local racial relations deteriorated rapidly.
The United States had a large number of blacks, Asians, and minorities. In many cities, there were very few white people who had traditionally occupied the dominant position in society, but Indianapolis was an exception.
According to statistics, more than 70% of the city's population was white, and white people still occupied the dominant position in society.
There was another anecdote about this. In the late 1960s, there was a major event in the United States. That was the assassination of Martin Luther King, the leader of the black civil rights movement.
At that time, the whole United States almost broke out in riots. Black people from all over the country formed groups to demonstrate, and the more radical ones directly began to smash, loot, and burn. Similar things happened in all big cities. Indianapolis was the only exception...
After listening to Hans, Li Du was surprised. "Is it that serious?"
Hans looked serious. "The local white supremacist ideology is very radical. An Asian like you walking on the street at night is easy to be robbed."
Brother Wolf said coldly, "Who would dare?"
Hans suddenly laughed. "Haha, of course, the security in Indianapolis is very good. I'm just teasing you. The local population is mainly white, there are few conflicts, and the auctions here are more peaceful than in other places. "
Li Du snorted. "Your words are also racist, but I won't argue with you."
After the helicopter landed on the hotel tarmac, Hans went to check in, Big Ivan checked the helicopter, and Li Du and Brother Wolf went out for a walk.
There were not many cars and people in the city, and the pace was very slow. Many people walked their dogs and jogged in the sunset.
Feeling the pace of the city, few people would believe that it was the host of a 500-mile race.
The 500-mile race in Indianapolis was famous in the United States. Every year, when the race came, the atmosphere in the city would become wild and hot. Li Du had only seen the news, but had never experienced it.
However, he could feel the resistance of the city's residents to people of color. When he walked on the road, some runners would subconsciously avoid him in advance. Their eyes would sweep past him as if they did not see him, and they would not stop for a second.
This made him very depressed, and he could not help but shake his head. "This is really a cold city."
No one responded to him, so he continued to sigh. "Brother Wolf, how did you become so cold?"
Brother Wolf said, "Ah?"
"I said this is a cold city. Why don't you respond to me?" Li Du said discontentedly.
Brother Wolf picked his ear and said, "Cold? I don't feel it. Isn't everything good? "
Li Du did not speak. No matter how cold the city was, could it be compared to Brother Wolf, who did not say a word all day long?
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