Chapter 278

The SUV eventually stopped at the entrance of an abalone farm.

Looking through the iron fence into the farm, there wasn’t a single person to be seen, everything was covered in dust, clearly indicating that the place hadn’t been opened in a long time.

“We’ve arrived at our destination,” Lin Mo said, pointing to the abalone farm in front of him, “While vacationing here a few days ago, I found some clues. Below the sea area of this farm, there might be a treasure buried that’s legendary.”

Legendary treasure?

This…

Zhang Li was stunned for a moment, feeling like it was surreal.

What is this, like a movie?

He had considered all possibilities before, even arms trading, but never did he think that Lin Mo was actually here for treasure hunting!

However, Zhang Li did know that Lin Mo had met a very legendary figure in Demon Capital, apparently called Uncle Tai, who had taught him a lot of tricks in the antique industry.

And even the new identities they used to come to Northern Sea City were forged with the help of that Uncle Tai.

Just a brief moment of stunned silence passed before Zhang Li calmed down. He looked at the farm in front of him and asked, “So what do we do now, dive in right now to find that batch of treasure?”

“This farm seems to cover two or three hundred acres; just the two of us probably won’t be enough to find it.”

Indeed it wasn’t going to be easy to find,

and even before arriving, Lin Mo had considered that if the treasure were easy to find, the farm probably would have discovered it by now, and there would be no chance for him to swoop in.

He nodded and said, “Indeed, it’s not going to be easy to find. I can only estimate the general area; the rest will depend on our luck.”

“What we need to do now is to first rent this factory. Then, our fishing boat can come over, and we can make good use of the detection equipment we’ve previously bought.”

“By the way, do you know how to dive?”

Zhang Li shook his head but quickly added, “I can swim, I can learn!”

“Hmm, I’ll teach you later. It’s not hard, you’ll pick it up quickly.”

After chatting with Zhang Li, Lin Mo dialed the rental number posted on the factory entrance.

Shortly after,

the call connected, and a middle-aged man’s voice came through: “Hello, who is this?”

Lin Mo inquired, “Is this the landlord of Quanxin Abalone Farm? I see that you have a rental sign for the farm here?”

Hearing there was a potential renter, the man on the phone immediately became cordial, “Oh yes, yes, where are you? Shall we meet in person to discuss?”

“I’m right at the entrance of the farm; if it’s convenient for you, come over.”

“Alright, I’ll be right there.”

It wasn’t long before the landlord of the abalone farm hurried over, extremely polite and warmly approaching Lin Mo and Zhang Li, asking, “Gentlemen, are you the ones wanting to rent the farm?”

Lin Mo stepped forward and nodded, asking, “Yes, what’s the price?”

“This…” The landlord, finally having a prospective tenant, didn’t want to quote too high and scare him off, quickly said, “How about 700,000 yuan a year? This farm spans over two hundred acres, the water is fresh and unpolluted, no rivers nearby, seaweed resources are abundant, and the salinity of seawater is pretty stable, cultivating abalone is definitely a profitable business.”

“Boss, don’t joke around. With Northern Sea City’s location, do you know how much it would cost just for transportation of the abalones?” Lin Mo wasn’t concerned about the price, but the expected haggling had to be done; otherwise, it might arouse suspicion. “I’ve made some calculations before, 500,000 yuan a year. I’m not one for empty talk, if that’s okay with you, come over the day after tomorrow to sign the contract.”

“If not, I’ll have to look at other islands’ aquaculture bases.”

500,000 yuan was certainly a decent offer.

The landlord secretly rejoiced upon hearing this but wore a look of regret on his face, and after a long time said, “Okay, let’s say it’s fate, 500,000 then. How many years would you like to rent it for?”

“Let’s try two years for starters, but I want to test the water quality first, so we definitely can’t sign the contract today,” Lin Mo responded crisply, adding, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay in the factory these next few days. It would be convenient for me to check the water quality and see if it’s suitable for growing abalone.”

“But rest assured, even if I decide not to rent afterward, I’ll still give you some compensation.”

The farm was idle anyway, and there was nothing valuable left inside, only a steel-structured factory building.

The landlord readily agreed and handed over the keys to Lin Mo. However, he took a precautionary step by asking Lin Mo for a 50,000 yuan deposit.

Lin Mo didn’t say much, promptly transferred the money, took the keys to the factory, and saw the landlord off.

Afterward, Lin Mo unlocked the farm gate with the keys, drove the rented SUV inside, and called out to Zhang Li, “Let’s move the diving equipment down first.”

“Wait here for me, I’ll go bring over the fishing boat.”

Zhang Li nodded and started to get busy.

It had to be said, having an extra person made the work much more efficient and eased the mindset, completely different from the solitary feeling he had when he dug up the Eunuch’s Tomb by himself in a basement under a house he built at the foot of Qinglong Mountain.

…

Another two or so hours passed, and Lin Mo arrived near the abalone farm on the fishing boat.

“When entering the water, make sure to descend slowly, don’t rush, and especially be careful to exhale gently through your nose, which helps maintain the pressure equilibrium in your ears.”

Having anchored the fishing boat, Lin Mo, while putting on the diving gear, instructed Zhang Li on the precautions of diving.

Zhang Li was learning seriously while curiously asking, “Bro, have you dived frequently before?”

Lin Mo shook his head: “No, this is my first time diving in the sea.”