I Spy With My Secret Eyes

Chapter 134

Seeing Jenifer’s situation reminded Oliver of the beautiful boss, Hailey. She went through something similar.

The thought of Hailey brought an inexplicable tenderness to Oliver’s heart, and he couldn’t help but wonder how she was doing now.

Oliver said to Manuel, “Oliver, let’s go back to the room and rest. We need to be well-rested for work tomorrow.”

“Okay!” Manuel nodded. The four men completely ignored Jenifer and left the restaurant, heading back to their rooms.

In the elevator, Manuel whispered to Oliver, “Oliver, I don’t know this Jenifer, but the Woods family here is quite famous. Their wealth exceeds hundreds of billions of dollars. Not only in the southern area, but they are also among the wealthiest in the entire country. They’re quite renowned.”

Oliver said calmly, “It doesn’t matter if Jenifer’s family is famous or not. We don’t rely on her family for our livelihood. Besides, we have no conflicts of interest with them. Can they really cause trouble for us?”

Manuel smiled and said, “True. In this day, it’s all about conflicts of interest. We have no financial disputes with her family. If she wants to act high and mighty, let her.”

Originally, Manuel had planned to take Oliver out for some fun that evening. However, Oliver had already fallen asleep, and Manuel didn’t want to wake him. He decided to let him rest and recuperate to be in good shape for making money.

The next day, Oliver got up early, but Wayne and Simon got up even earlier. Manuel was up as well, and the four of them had breakfast in the hotel restaurant before setting off.

The place to gamble on wood was not in the city but at a wood processing factory in a rural area.

The wood processing factory was quite large, covering several acres. Wood was stacked everywhere, and the parking lot was filled with off-road luxury cars, including high-powered pickup trucks.

In fact, these cars, although not as flashy as supercars, were still quite expensive, costing millions of dollars. People in this business usually valued practicality and functionality more.

Because many business people often travel in rural areas, supercars have virtually no off-road capability in the countryside. In contrast, super pickup trucks not only excel in off-road performance but also offer the convenience of carrying cargo. They provide a comfortable ride, are capable of transporting goods, and can easily navigate rough terrain, making them the top choice for these businesspeople.

Manuel and Oliver had rented a Mercedes-Benz van with a driver. Upon arrival, Manuel greeted a man in his forties and introduced him to Oliver, “Oliver, this is Felix. He has been in the wood industry for decades.”

Felix had a shrewd and business-savvy look in his eyes as he sized up Oliver and said, “Manuel, you’re no longer partnering with me. It turns out that now you have a new partner. Haha. Oliver, you look quite young.”

From Felix’s expression, it was clear that he looked down on Oliver.

Oliver only responded with a faint smile.

Felix didn’t say much. In business, there is a simple principle that if we get along well, we collaborate; if not, we part ways. There’s nothing much to discuss. However, Manuel had been shrewd his entire life, and it puzzled him why he wouldn’t partner with this young, inexperienced guy with no prior track record.

Manuel originally intended to honestly tell Felix about Oliver’s capabilities, but before he could speak, Felix pointed to the crowded area on the right side of the square and said, “Let’s go, it’s starting. The supply this time is more abundant than before, with over ninety pieces of scentedwood. Come on, let’s go and see how our luck turns out.”

As they walked over, Felix was rubbing his hands together eagerly. “We’re going to have an extraordinary day today. If we can hit the jackpot with the scentedwood with a ghost-faced pattern, we’ll make a fortune.”

Oliver didn’t understand the terminology of the scentedwood with a ghost-faced pattern, and he had never even heard of it.

Manuel simply shook his head and said, “It’s like gambling on stones, all about luck.”

However, as Manuel said this, he suddenly realized that Oliver might be his “luck”.

When they arrived, Oliver looked at the trees on the ground, each wrapped with a red cloth. Some had trunks the size of a bowl, and some were as thick as a washbasin, but the largest ones were only slightly thicker than a washbasin. None of them seemed exceptionally massive.

Manuel with an excited expression and his mouth wide open, said to Oliver, “Wow, there are so many… It’s truly rare. Scentedwood grows only half an inch in trunk diameter every five years. To reach this size, they must be over a hundred years old. It’s truly remarkable.”

Oliver observed for a while and listened to the onlookers discussing the wood. He gradually understood scentedwood was one of the three most valuable types of precious wood, alongside precious redwood and sandalwood.

This kind of wood was highly prized due to its slow growth, dense texture, natural fragrance, and exceptional appearance,

making it a historically significant royal tribute wood.

Its slow growth rate has led to the scarcity of this resource, increasing its value. Nowadays, there’s even a saying that “every inch of scentedwood is worth its weight in gold”.

Scentedwood was also graded by quality, with the best featuring an abundance of wood burls that exhibit smooth and uncracked surfaces, resembling patterns such as fox heads, elderly heads, or elderly head hair.

Because this was very similar to the pattern of a ghost face, it was called scentedwood with a ghost- faced pattern.

Oliver focused on a piece of scentedwood with a bowl-sized trunk, which was relatively curved. Based on the size and curvature of this piece, it seemed more suitable for crafting smaller decorative items rather than furniture.

After observing this moderately sized scentedwood for a few seconds, the identification message appeared in Oliver’s mind:

[Year of growth: 107 years old. Inner burl diameter: 13 inches. Inner burl length: 3.2 feet.]

[360-degree internal view of the Inner burl.]

[Craftsmanship: Raw form with no craftsmanship.]

[Value assessment: Equivalent to 250,000 dollars.]

Oliver was surprised that the first tree he examined had significant value, even though it wasn’t exceptionally high. Still, it was valuable.

The owner of this tree had set the initial asking price at 20,000 dollars.

Because the tree’s outer dimensions were not substantial, and there weren’t enough prominent surface burls, the initial asking price of 20,000 dollars was merely a high starting point. After negotiations, it was expected to drop by half or more. Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

Oliver overheard someone nearby offering 6,000 dollars, which was less than a third of the owner’s asking price.

And few people were interested in this particular tree, mostly smaller-scale gamblers hoping for a lucky find.

Anyway, it didn’t matter if Oliver paid 2,000 dollars for a bet. If he is lucky, he would make a fortune. If he failed, he would only lose 6,000 dollars or so.

If it was more than 20,000 dollars, Oliver would still feel distressed if he lost.

Oliver whispered to Manuel, “Manuel, try to secure this tree. I estimate it’s worth at least around 200 thousand dollars.”

When Manuel heard this, he was momentarily surprised. The tree’s appearance seemed quite unimpressive, and he himself didn’t hold it in high regard, but Oliver said it was worth at least around 200 thousand dollars.

Manuel trusted Oliver and without a second thought, he nodded in agreement. As for how to outcompete the others to acquire it, that was something Manuel excelled at.

In the end, Manuel successfully acquired the tree for 11,000 dollars.

The initial investment of 11,000 dollars was practically a steal compared to the value of this piece of scentedwood.

Felix had long abandoned the four largest and most eye-catching pieces of scentedwood that Manuel was competing with.