Chapter 210 - 208: Come Mine for Fun

Chapter 210: Chapter 208: Come Mine for Fun

Rian Sinclair leaned to one side. The only sounds around them were the CRUNCH of tires and the SQUEAK of footsteps pressing into the snow.

Jasper Rivers seemed to think of something and asked, "Will they even let you leave the country?"

"Yes. I’m not a Veridia researcher, and I haven’t signed any contracts. Besides, with my heart so full of patriotism, no one could ever poach me."

Jasper chuckled softly but didn’t press the matter. "Let’s go. I’ll take you out to see the world."

Rian rolled her eyes at him and kept quiet. She doubted she needed him to show her the world.

Naturally, the news of her going abroad couldn’t be kept from the government. The moment she arrived at the airport, she received a call from the Ministry of State Security. After a series of discussions, Rian still ended up boarding the plane to North Boro.

Jasper sat silently beside her. Only when she hung up did he laugh aloud. "Does it feel like you’re being monitored wherever you go now?"

Rian didn’t reply immediately. Hearing his teasing, she clicked her tongue. "The country worries when I go abroad. How can you call such a heaven-sent blessing being monitored?"

It was a feeling of absolute security. It made her so excited that she wanted to wipe out North Boro just to cool off.

Jasper didn’t say anything. Later, after they met with the old Shipping Magnate, Rian finally realized that his nominal grandfather was actually the wealthiest man in Portshire, Ship King Rhodes.

This surprised her a bit.

"You managed to bag yourself a billionaire grandpa?"

Jasper remained silent, but a trace of softness flickered in his eyes.

"Where’s your little trophy wife?"

Rian leaned back against the sofa. The comfort level was quite nice; she’d have to get one for herself later.

Jasper folded his hands behind his head. "Tsk..."

Seeing that Jasper was unwilling to talk about it, Rian didn’t ask further.

Rian stayed by Jasper’s side. After Ship King Rhodes and his men verified their information, a dedicated staff member approached them.

"Mr. Magnate! You’ve traveled a long way. Welcome, welcome!" a bald, chubby man wearing a string of Buddha Beads walked over with a wide smile.

The newcomer wore a dark gold satin short-sleeved shirt and matching shorts. A large, dark green jade Buddha hung around his neck, and he held a string of agarwood prayer beads in his hand. His exposed limbs were covered in tattoos of ferocious wolves, tigers, and leopards, all baring their fangs. At first glance, it was clear he was not a kind man.

Asher Rhodes smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand. "Greetings, Mine Owner Walsh! It’s been years, but you look as imposing as ever!"

"Let’s walk and talk. Your accommodations have already been arranged." The man led them forward, while Rian shadowed Jasper the entire time.

She glanced around, observing that everyone present clearly held a significant status.

"I still have to thank you for your help four years ago, Mr. Magnate. Without your assistance back then, Wayne Walsh probably wouldn’t be standing here today. Since you’ve made the trip, I will definitely host you with the utmost hospitality!"

Four years ago, Wayne Walsh had been transporting a shipment to Meridia when his ship encountered problems and was stranded in the deep sea. At the time, unable to contact any rescue teams, they had made a desperate last-ditch effort by leaving a message on the maritime shipping channel. To their surprise, it attracted the cruising fleet of the Rhodes family.

Back then, they all thought they were doomed. After all, they were stranded in the deep sea, carrying cargo worth billions. Plundering at sea, dumping bodies overboard, and sinking ships to steal goods were not unheard of; in fact, such ruthless acts were quite common out on the ocean.

However, to their astonishment, once the other party understood the situation, they simply helped transfer the goods and the crew. In the end, they even transported everything to Meridia without charging a single cent!

This was something he had never expected. If the roles had been reversed, he definitely wouldn’t have done the same. If someone needed his help, unless they offered enough to sway his interests, he would have just seized the goods and thrown the bodies into the sea. The ocean was teeming with carnivorous creatures. By the time the bodies were devoured without a trace, there would be no evidence, and no one would ever know what he had done.

Wayne had owed the Shipping Magnate a huge favor since then, but he rarely did business in Veridia. The Shipping Magnate, on the other hand, was not involved in the jewelry business. Their paths rarely crossed, so this favor had remained unpaid.

Today, the Shipping Magnate had only made the trip because Jasper was interested, which led him to accept the invitation. But Jasper purely wanted to bring Rian out for a breather. Wayne was the only one who didn’t know that all of this was simply an excuse for a change of scenery.

When Wayne found out that the Shipping Magnate had agreed to come, he heaved a massive sigh of relief!

After all, he wasn’t someone who liked being indebted to others. The sooner he repaid this favor, the sooner he could relax. If this favor continued to hang over him, it would only become harder to repay later on. It would inevitably turn into a huge hassle, and he might have to pay an even greater price down the line. Wayne was a businessman, and businessmen prioritized profit. Therefore, the earlier a debt of gratitude was settled, the better, minimizing his potential losses.

Asher Rhodes chuckled. "It was no trouble at all! It’s never easy being away from home, so it’s only right to lend a helping hand when possible. You don’t need to dwell on it too much, Mine Owner Walsh. It’s all in the past, and I’m genuinely glad to see your business growing bigger and bigger.

"Besides, I’ll be relying on you to look after me this time. This is my first time dealing in stone gambling, so you have to help me out. At my age, losing money is a small matter, but losing face would be terrible," Asher finished with a laugh.

Wayne smiled and wagged a finger playfully. "This is my personal master appraiser. When the time comes, he will evaluate the stones for you. I guarantee you’ll make a killing."

Listening from the side, Rian understood the hidden intricacies of this trade.

In the ore and jewelry industry, every major family would spend a fortune to retain a master appraiser. After all, stone gambling was exactly that—a gamble. However, having an experienced master drastically reduced the risk of loss. By only buying stones that the master had appraised, even if they didn’t make a profit, they wouldn’t suffer a massive loss either.

Asher raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "If I borrow your master and end up making a fortune, don’t get upset with me, Mine Owner Walsh."

Wayne shook his head with a laugh. "Even if you took this entire mine, I wouldn’t utter a single word of complaint!"

The Shipping Magnate smiled and shook his head. Wayne knew full well that this wasn’t an empty offer—he had tried to gift him mines before, but Asher had outright refused them! In the past, he had offered two of his best mines as a token of gratitude, but the other man had rejected them on the spot.

That had been the first time Wayne had felt a deep sense of powerlessness. He wanted to give a gift, but the person didn’t want it. You couldn’t even say he was being pretentious—the man was just genuinely that wealthy.

Asher smiled and gently pushed Jasper forward. "This is my grandson, Jasper Rivers. I brought him along today to show him the ropes."

Jasper offered Wayne a polite smile. "Mine Owner Walsh. I’m Jasper Rivers."

Wayne looked at him in silence for a moment before saying, "Not bad at all. I didn’t expect your grandson to have such an imposing presence. You’re a lucky man in your twilight years, Ship King Rhodes."

This was the first time he had met the Shipping Magnate’s grandson, but the young woman standing beside him actually caught his attention more. However, knowing she was someone the Shipping Magnate had brought, Wayne ultimately kept his thoughts to himself.

Wayne patted Jasper on the shoulder. "Since this is our first meeting and I haven’t prepared a proper gift, I’ll just give your grandson two mines," he said, glancing at Asher. Then, looking back at Jasper, he added, "Whenever you have free time, you can come over and do some mining."

Jasper didn’t reply immediately. He simply looked at Grandpa Rhodes. Only when he saw the old man nod did Jasper respond, "Thank you, sir."

Wayne let out a hearty laugh, gestured for them to follow, and led the way forward.