Since the matter wasn't particularly urgent, and Liang En was a bit tired after a busy day, he decided to leave the issue until the next day.
The next morning, after breakfast, Liang En and Jeanne headed to Marie's gallery in the city center to discuss the matter of the staff.
"This is the situation," Marie explained. "A couple of days ago, I hosted some guests from Angola. After completing our transaction, I instinctively showed them the photo you gave me and asked for their opinion."
"One of the guests mentioned that this staff might very well belong to a king from their region, but they also needed some time to verify this."
"That sounds like good news, but are you sure this staff belongs to that king?" After a few seconds of excitement, Liang En quickly realized another important issue.
"You know, not everyone tells the truth, so we need to verify some things ourselves—" Marie nodded. "I've already asked Elizabeth to handle that."
"Just half an hour before you arrived, I received a notification from Elizabeth. She confirmed through her investigation that this indeed was the highest-ranking staff of that kingdom."
"That quickly? How did she manage to investigate so fast?" Liang En asked, a bit surprised. He had previously worked in this area and understood how complex it was to conduct investigations in Africa, certainly not something that could be accomplished in a short time.
"It's simple," Marie replied, taking a sip of coffee. "We have a new investment in southern Angola."
"We made a significant investment in that area, building a small hydropower station on a river to supply electricity to the surrounding areas, and also established plantations nearby."
Ever since Elizabeth joined them, Liang En's business had grown rapidly, and they had begun investing comprehensively. These investments were, of course, not limited to Europe or the United States but spread across the globe.
However, due to their limited capital and the lingering issues left by the banks, much of their time was spent sorting out assets.
The most important part was cutting off a large number of unprofitable or inefficient investments in the United States and redirecting funds to other countries, such as China, Southeast Asia, or Africa.
This isn't to say that the United States isn't a good place to invest. As the world's largest economy, it's obviously a great place for investment. But for those like Liang En, who have limited capital, it can be a bit of a burden.
In the U.S., industries with high-profit margins are already dominated by major capital players, leaving little room for them to get involved. On the other hand, low-margin businesses are exhausting and unprofitable, making them not worth the effort.
This is why they chose to invest elsewhere. Although those regions have various problems, at least the profits are much higher.
Of course, they still adhered to traditional, stable investment principles, such as investing in the hotel industry in China, mining in Guatemala, wind power in Northern Europe, and agriculture in Southeast Asia.
As for the investment in Angola, it was their first venture in sub-Saharan Africa and merely an experiment. After all, this place offers various opportunities and challenges, so it’s somewhat of a gamble.
From another perspective, the opportunity was too good to pass up—they managed to secure a small hydropower station, something hard to obtain elsewhere.
According to the contract, Liang En and his team had to start the project within three months after signing and complete it within three years. After that, they could enjoy 70 years of revenue, and then they would sell it to Angola at 10% of the market price.
Although the contract was somewhat strict, the potential maximum returns from this investment made it worthwhile. In addition, they also purchased a large farm surrounding the area.
The reason for buying the farm was simple. With the construction of the hydropower station, a large area of previously uncultivable land became irrigated and suitable for farming.
Liang En originally thought that acquiring land for agriculture would be more complicated than building the hydropower station, given that many countries place great importance on agricultural land and often prohibit its sale to foreigners.
But that wasn’t the case here. After submitting the overall plan for the hydropower station and small reservoir, he easily bought a large tract of land, or rather, obtained the European-style 999-year ownership.
Unlike many other countries, this one had large tracts of land but no one to farm them, so they offered various incentives to those willing to travel far to cultivate the land.
Of course, there was a prerequisite: the land usage could not be changed without approval, or they would face fines or even confiscation.
According to Marie, the investment had been ongoing for more than seven months, and some basic facilities had already been constructed. During this time, they had established good relations with the locals.
This was mainly because, although there was a river, access to water beyond the riverbanks was difficult. Many villages far from the river had to send people to fetch water daily, which was time-consuming and exhausting.
Some people even had to rely on makeshift cisterns or stagnant water from muddy pools, leading to frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases and high accidental death rates in the region.
Upon discovering this, Elizabeth immediately ordered the advance engineering team to help the local villagers dig wells and build cisterns. Considering the high water table in the area, the work was much easier than anticipated.
Although the work was simple, it solved one of the most immediate and critical issues for the locals, which helped them build strong relationships with the community.
This is why Elizabeth was able to gather those clues so quickly. After inquiring, she found that her target was a neighbor and quickly uncovered the relevant information.
They then understood why they had been unable to gather information before—news about the staff only circulated locally and was unknown to outsiders.
Half an hour after confirming that the staff indeed came from the mentioned location, Liang En met the guest from Angola.
He was a wealthy man who had made his fortune in oil, and his mother came from the kingdom where the staff originated. Because of this, he knew the significance of the staff.
Of course, anyone who could rise to become an oil tycoon in that part of the world was not an innocent person. He was willing to negotiate now only because Liang En’s current status was too formidable for him to challenge.
Although Liang En couldn't do much to directly affect his business, he could certainly ruin his plans to establish connections in Europe, which is why he truthfully shared the information about the staff.
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