Chapter 1605 - 1572: Visitors from the Imperial City (3)

Previously, they hadn’t thought deeply about it, after all, there hadn’t been any whispers about it, but now they couldn’t help but think carefully.

Minister Zhu was teased a bit, but wasn’t angry at all. His chubby face still beamed with a smile, and he said, "Old Mo, Marcus Quinn didn’t come out of the military academy, he’s not your protege, is he?"

The two joked and chatted, and soon arrived at the canteen where the valuable fish were kept.

Irving Spencer’s family, Irving and his wife hadn’t met any high officials, so they smiled and accompanied throughout the process. But Spencer himself had met quite a few high officials along with Old Marcus. Back then, with Old Marcus around, after being the village head for over ten years, his heart truly felt anxious.

Marcus Quinn remained steady and unassuming. Ardan noticed that Dean Mo and Minister Zhu weren’t on the same side, and was secretly delighted. This way, negotiations would be easier.

She secretly tugged Marcus Quinn and whispered in his ear, "When negotiating conditions later, don’t agree easily."

She blinked her big eyes, fearing that this simple-minded man would let Dean Mo take the fish away under the pretense of old ties. Marcus looked at her cheerful little face, her black eyes sparkling, his face felt warm, but thankfully, his dark complexion disguised it, so he nodded.

The leaders from the Imperial City arrived at the canteen. Dean Mo saw the expensive fishes cramped in the repaired pool, swimming with various fish scrambling for food, his smile froze. Why did it seem like taking care of valuable fish was so easy? Heaven knows how much money the Imperial City’s fish institute spent each year, fearing the loss of a single one, only managing to keep a dozen or so weighing more than a pound each year. While in Anfield Village, even the smallest ones weighed three or four pounds.

Minister Zhu saw these plump fishes, eyes twinkling with joy, determined to pressure Old Mo to bring the fish back.

"Marcus, you guys have really accomplished something this time. These fish are so rare, worth a fortune, and common folks wouldn’t spend money to eat these kinds of fish. How about delivering them to the Imperial City, and I’ll buy them all, however many you bring."

"Old Zhu, these valuable fish have always been under our care for cultivation. Your side has neither people nor data. If you take them back, they’ll be either eaten or dead. Without expertise, don’t rush into it," Dean Mo chuckled.

"Marcus hasn’t spoken yet. We need to see what Marcus thinks. If your institute could nurture these valuable fish, their numbers wouldn’t be dwindling year after year, and in three to five years, there might not be any left," Minister Zhu retorted unabashedly.

These two leaders personally got involved, tearing into each other, while the researchers behind them were used to it, leaving the Holiday Village and mayor and county officials in cold sweat.

"These fish belong to Ardan," Marcus said calmly, "The Holiday Village was also built for Ardan."

What a dodge, and what a show of affection!

Everyone: "..."

All eyes turned toward the young, beautiful girl on the field.

Ardan wasn’t fazed. The Chase Family, a scholarly clan by the Seacoast, had seen the world. Ardan was not only unfazed, but also determined to negotiate a good price, so she sweetly said, "No wonder these fish are so valuable, it’s all thanks to Grandpa Marcus’s hard work back in the day."

With one sentence, she attributed all the credit for nurturing these valuable fish to the deceased Old Marcus. Ardan thought it impossible for the fish to naturally grow in the lake. It was most likely Old Marcus himself introduced the fish fry for cultivation. If things came to that, they couldn’t claim these fish were naturally raised and seize the Holiday Village entirely.

Everyone present were astute individuals, and didn’t have the energy to trace back the origins. For now, the priority was to get the fish and understand why they were thriving so well.

"Ardan, little girl, what do you think? Are you planning to sell the fish to me or to Old Mo?" Minister Zhu smiled, "Feel free to name your conditions."

Ardan was no child, having released the message last night, now two heavyweight figures had arrived. Oliver Zolotov was a fish expert, and any results reported naturally went to Dean Mo. As for Old Zhu, he was probably an arch-rival, and whenever the rival made a move, naturally he also had to respond.

Dean Mo likely intended to get more fish for research at the institute, while Minister Zhu wanted to connect with Marcus Quinn to counter his rival. If Ardan hadn’t guessed wrong, each backing a group of interests. Seeing Minister Zhu’s eager willingness to open negotiations, if she waited a couple of days, perhaps more people would offer olive branches.

So, these fish had to be sold, and indeed at a high price.