Pontianak is currently the most prosperous city in Borneo. After several years of development, the city is also very modern.
Of course, as Italy's most developed city in the region, Pontianak is also the place with the largest number of Italians. The various commercial houses in the city as well as the shipyards and other factories at the port have accumulated too many people. According to government statistics, there are more than 50,000 Italians in Pontianak.
, and the entire Borneo only has about 200,000 people, which also shows how much Italy likes this city.
The bar in the port area is the favorite place for Italians at the bottom. Sailors, workers, and adventurers all like to come here to have a drink or two. If they have nothing to do, they can even flirt with the waitress for a few words, so that their fatigue can be swept away.
Bol's Bar is also located in the port area and is similar to other bars, but the bar is run by a retired explorer, so many explorers like to come here for a drink or two.
Simon pushed open the bar door, glanced at the people in the bar and walked in.
"Simon, long time no see."
The bar owner Bol saw him coming in and immediately greeted him.
"Boll, the old rules."
A glass of whiskey with ice was placed in front of Simon.
"How is it? I heard that you went to the east again. Did you gain anything?"
After passing the wine to Simon, Bol, as the boss, asked.
"What's the harvest? The Dutch are chasing us everywhere. I heard that two of the past expeditions have been caught by the Dutch and everyone has been detained. Now I have made money.
I really don’t want to suffer this crime again.”
"This is really bad news. If even you, the most experienced explorer, don't want to go east again, then others can imagine."
"I can't control other people. Anyway, I have gained enough. I want to open a bar like you in my later years, but I don't want to die in a smelly ditch somewhere in the rain forest."
After finishing the glass, Simon looked at Old Bol who was adding wine to himself.
"Boll, is there any interesting news during my absence?"
"Yes," said Old Bol, who filled the glass and put down the bottle. "Do you still remember that Cruise who liked to wear enchantments?"
"I remember him. I even bought him two drinks last year. I remember that before I left, he was studying mysterious Eastern metaphysics."
Of course Simon knew about this guy, who liked to talk about gods and promote that he got guidance from the universe. They all treated him as a joke.
"Now that guy is rich. Someone asked him to form an expedition team before. They discovered a gold mine in the primitive jungle 80 kilometers east of Putusibao upstream. Now many people have gone there.
"
Hearing this, Simon suddenly asked, "How are the casualties?"
Of course, Old Boer knew what Simon was asking. It was normal for the expedition team to have casualties. In the inaccessible rainforest, primitive people, beasts, and diseases would kill these strong and strong team members. Every expedition was a life-threatening journey.
, any small detail error is enough to prevent them from getting out of the rainforest.
"I heard that eight people died and only eleven people are left. Cruise is fine."
After hearing Bol's story, Simon said something meaningful.
"Oh, if this guy is lucky, he can become a rich man."
What does Simon mean by this sentence?
This is actually a piece of advice.
Simon, who is well-informed, knows how tempting gold mines are to people. It can be said that adventurers like them most hope to find gold mines, and the last thing they don't want is to find gold mines.
The gold mines in Borneo are different from other places. There are no large gold mines. They are basically small gold mines. There is very little news of medium-sized gold mines being discovered. Simon has been in Borneo for several years and has only heard of it once.
.As soon as this gold mine was discovered, it was acquired by the Borneo Mining Company.
News about small gold mines comes out every year. It is precisely because of this that Simon knows how bloody small gold mining is that the government looks down upon. It can be said that only one-third of those lucky people who discover gold mines get their share of the rich.
After being rewarded, they were able to return home with wealth and fine clothes. Another third returned to the past due to various reasons after suddenly becoming rich, and the remaining third died suddenly in the gold mine they discovered.
As for why it is so bad, it is because these small gold mines are basically found deep in inaccessible rainforests, and the conditions are extremely harsh to survive until now.
In such an inaccessible place, the government is simply beyond its reach, so it is basically the law of the jungle and the risk factor is very high.
So this is a blessing from Simon, and I hope the lucky Cruise can resist the temptation of gold and escape unscathed.
After a few more drinks, Simon continued to understand some things and left the bar in a slightly drunk state.
I wandered all the way to my residence, and just as I was about to open the door, I heard someone calling me from behind.
"Sir Simon, please wait a moment."
Upon hearing this, Simon immediately returned to his sober state, because none of his friends or acquaintances would call him Your Excellency, and someone with this title must be an official figure.
Sure enough, he turned around and saw a well-dressed middle-aged man walking over from the bench in the aisle. It seemed that he had been waiting for him for a long time.
"Hello, do you have any advice?"
Looking at the middle-aged man who appeared in front of him, Simon was even more sure that he didn't recognize him.
Seeing Simon's doubts, the visitor said, "Please don't mind the intrusion. Won't Mr. Simon invite me in to sit down?"
"Please come in!"
After the two entered the room, Simon looked at each other and asked with some fear. "Your Excellency, before expressing your intention of coming, please introduce yourself."
Facing Simon's words, the visitor smiled slightly and said, "Then you can call me Mr. Tony. As for the purpose of my visit, I simply need to use your expertise. I know that Sir Simon is one of the many explorers in Borneo, so I hope that I can
Hire you to form a professional expedition team. The remuneration is negotiable, as long as it is not outrageous, I can accept it."
As soon as Simon heard the other party's introduction, he knew that the matter was not simple. Because he had a feeling that Tony was the name the other party mentioned casually. As for hiring himself to explore, to be honest, he didn't want to agree.
"Then can I refuse?"
Faced with Simon's answer, the visitor looked at him and said with a smile, "What do you think?"
Hearing the visitor's answer, Simon sighed. "Since I can't refuse, can you give me a hint, at least let me know who I am working for. You know that I am timid and afraid of accidents. Otherwise, I won't be able to do this."
You can’t do it, even if you pay for it with your life.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Simon stared at the visitor and waited for his reply.
Facing the stubborn Simon, Tony was finally defeated. After all, a person who is no longer afraid of death has nothing to use as a threat.
"Okay, since you want to know, I'll tell you, but it's best to keep the news in your stomach, otherwise you will be in big trouble."
The visitor named Tony said after sorting out his language.
"This expedition comes from a big man, an absolutely big man with hands and eyes in Borneo. And this mission you take a team of people to go somewhere. This is what I can say, don't be curious anymore
Otherwise, it will do you no good at all, even if you are not afraid of death."
After hearing Tony's answer, Simon was finally able to be sure of one thing. This adventure of his was not a disposable consumable, which was good.
In expeditions, the most feared thing is the mysterious guests who use their expedition team as disposable consumables. Therefore, despite the appearance of their explorers, the actual danger is very high. If you are not careful, you may end up somewhere.
"How much time do I have to prepare?"
Now that he knew the situation, Simon was quite free and easy and asked directly for the time.
"You have ten days to prepare. When the time comes, we will meet at the Kexi Hotel in the west of the city..."
As he spoke, the guest Tony took out a money bag and put it on the table. "This is your reward this time. Remember not to be late."
Then the visitor Tony left his room, leaving Simon alone.
Of course, Simon knew what the other party's move of paying him in advance meant. The other party was not afraid of him fleeing with his donations. Combined with the phrase "big shot", it was obvious that he was working for the colonial government. But what it was, it had to be done in private, and Simon had no idea at all.
Don’t care, the saying “curiosity killed the cat” is very famous in Europe.