Chris Bell was a nice guy. He was a treasure hunter from California and a member of California"s $10,000,000 club.

The Arizona state government"s warehouse auction attracted a large number of senior treasure collectors. The state government, through the state warehousing auction a.s.sociation, issued invitations specifically to these people, inviting them to partic.i.p.ate in the auction.

The state government tried to bring home the state"s only $10,000,000 club member, but it turned out that George Anthony was too arrogant to come in person. He sent his son and one of his men instead. The state of Arizona had invited George Anthony, so they let his son attend the press conference when they discovered he was attending in his father"s place.

Conrad Anthony, along with Li Du and Hans, were the only featured treasure collectors not in the $1,000,000 or $10,000,000 clubs. They were only $100,000 club members while the others were at least $1,000,000 club members.

The news was revealed in a chat between Chris Bell and Johnson. Bell meant that Li Du and Hans has been treated differently by the local state government. They definitely were different, so Bell came to make friends with them.

Somewhat surprised, Li Du asked, "Conrad Anthony is a $1,000,000 club member? It appears the guy is good at what he does."

"He"s great among the younger generation. After all, he grew up with George in the warehouse auction business. If I had a dad who was a $1,000,000 club member, I could have joined the $1,000,000 club at his age, too," Johnson said.

Hearing Johnson say that about Conrad, Li Du had a general understanding of his strength. This young person was quite scary. Having had contact with the warehouse auction industry since childhood, he definitely had quite a bit of experience already. However, his judgment was still lacking. Johnson meant Conrad could only join the $1,000,000 club with his father"s help.

After a while, the press conference began. As invited guests, Li Du and the others sat behind the president"s desk.

Besides Conrad and the four of them, there was three types of club members. The state government arranged for press officers to give background briefings on the members of the clubs. The press officers also presented the members" backgrounds to make treasure hunting appear more legendary.

Li Du gave a more low-key performance in the press conference. He would answer if a reporter asked him questions, but the rest of the time he listened quietly, leaving the spotlight for the others. Americans were very good at expressing themselves and promoting themselves, including Hans and Conrad, who were actively communicating with the journalists. These people knew that the media could be helpful in their careers.

Warehousing auctions were a broad industry in the United States with a large number of people partic.i.p.ating in them. However, it was not a high status industry, because even those at the very top were worth only tens of millions. Tens of millions was undoubtedly a lot of money, but in other industries, top performers tended to make their way onto the global rich list, which was unlikely to happen for those involved with storage auctions.

In this case, a lot of top-cla.s.s treasure collectors would cross over from treasure collection and transition into business. With the help of the media, they could build their reputation, and with a good reputation, there would be advantages if they changed their career. However, Li Du didn"t care. He had already made a successful transition. It"s just that he kept a low profile.

The press conference went well, and everyone knew the media was great, so the mood on stage was fun and respectful. Johnson was a good man, and when he learned that Hans, Li Du, and Conrad Anthony had had a fight, he invited Bell to sit between them.

Conrad was unhappy to see Li Du and Hans, but he was not a mindless fool, knowing that this was not the time for bickering. The media was there, as were Bell and Johnson, who were no less important than his father.

After an hour of questions, the public service department of the state capital began to introduce the warehousing auction industry and the imported goods in the auction. At the end of the press conference, Li Du and Hans walked out, talking and laughing. As they were walking, someone pushed Li Du.

Turning around, he saw Conrad"s unruly young face and asked, "What"s the matter, young man?!"

Conrad was clearly displeased by the phrase "young man," sensing Li Du"s tone of superiority, and he said, "I heard that Asians are very concerned about manners and formality. It looks like that"s not true. You should call me senior."

Li Du didn"t want to fight with him, so he shrugged and pa.s.sed around him to leave. Conrad reached out to pull him back and said, "Dog, I have something to tell you."

Brother Wolf stood in front of him and stared at him with a cold expression. Conrad, who had had a close encounter with Brother Wolf earlier, was a bit nervous about getting close to him again. He stepped back, pointed at him, and said, "You"ve lost your chance to make peace with me. Wait and see. I"ll make you regret what you have done."

Li Du shrugged again and said, "I will wait."

Again, there was a lot of fanfare, and then the auction began.

There were two consecutive auctions in Phoenix during the second weekend in July. Early in the morning, Li Du and the others went to the government warehouse site. The parking lot was already full of cars, so the department of public services had commandeered the parking lot of two large shopping malls nearby. They parking spots were specially set aside for the treasure collectors. There were a variety of automobiles including trucks, family cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Apparently, the government"s advertising campaign was successful, and many ordinary people came to the auction as well.

With the U.S. economy in the doldrums, people needed a sideline to earn money to support their families and pay off mortgage debt. It may have been hard for the industry to create super-rich individuals, but it wasn"t hard to make a little money.

Li Du and Hans got out of the car. Several people came and greeted them. "Hey, Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, can I learn from you?"

"Guys, I"m from Flagstaff, too, and I hope you can help me in the future."

"You guys did great in the press conference. You guys are like stars. Cool."

Neither of them knew the men, who were apparently new treasure collectors drawn by the government"s advertising campaign. Li Du shook hands with them and told them they could be with them in the auction if they wanted to learn. Those people were happy to join the team.

Bell and Johnson came one after another, and everyone was followed by a crowd. As Johnson put on his trademark cowboy hat, he walked over to Li Du with his arm around him and asked, "Well, did you find anything good?"

Li Du laughed and said, "Too much. Today I want to buy a lot."

Bell walked up and said, "Well, we"re going to have to fight each other. Come on, show me the future of the treasure hunting king of Arizona."

Hans shook his fist and said, "Be ready, gentlemen, and let the fight begin!"