Looking at Du Famen, Jiang Hai smiled as he spoke about the situation at his manor.
When Du Famen heard Jiang Hai's words, he was taken aback. What was going on? He could tell that Jiang Hai wasn't lying, and this made him pause. Indeed, his flattery had mainly been to introduce Jiang Hai's cattle.
As a member of the royal family, Du Famen's primary duty was to serve the Dubai royal family, and Jiang Hai's cattle represented a potentially profitable opportunity.
If the cattle could indeed be cultivated successfully, it would be a massive profit. An ordinary cow sells for $5,000, while Jiang Hai's cattle go for $150,000. That's a price difference of 30 times—not something to take lightly.
Jiang Hai's land may be limited, with room for at most tens of thousands of cattle, but what if the Dubai royal family invested in building artificial pastures? How many cattle could they raise then—100,000? 500,000? A million? If they could slaughter a million cattle per year, that would be worth $150 billion! With that kind of money, Dubai's losses and the sluggish tourism would be nothing.
But now, Jiang Hai's words had extinguished the flame of hope in Du Famen's heart. He was starting to wonder if Jiang Hai was bluffing. Yet, seeing the sincerity in Jiang Hai's eyes, he couldn't deny that Jiang Hai was telling the truth. The grassland, the cattle, and Jiang Hai himself were inseparable.
It was a triangular connection—the cattle couldn't leave, and this land couldn't function without Jiang Hai. As long as Jiang Hai was here, the miraculous breed of cattle could thrive. Otherwise, it would just be another ordinary pasture.
Seeing Du Famen still hesitating, Jiang Hai smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, feel free to take a few away." He truly didn't mind. After all, he knew they wouldn't be able to replicate his results.
Much like the research team he had put together in Boston, they too had studied the cattle for a long time.
When the cattle were first brought to Boston, they resembled Jiang Hai's cattle, with marble-like patterns almost covering their bodies. They were strong, their fur smooth and soft—truly rare and top-quality cattle.
However, a month later, those cattle reverted to their original form, still strong but essentially just ordinary Angus cattle. They lacked the spiritual energy that Jiang Hai's cattle absorbed from the grass. Without the direct infusion of spiritual energy from Jiang Hai, the energy the cattle absorbed from the grass dissipated over time, so after slaughter, the marble patterns would only remain in small amounts—about 5%. As a result, the price of such cattle could only reach around $20,000, far below the $150,000 price tag.
Jiang Hai had also tested the soil and pastures, and while they did contain spiritual energy, it was nowhere near as potent as what was required to maintain the unique qualities of his cattle. Three days after leaving Jiang Hai's land, any spiritual energy had already dissipated, leaving only ordinary, fertile soil and pasture.
This is why Jiang Hai didn't mind if Du Famen took some cattle. Even if the US government got involved, it wouldn't matter. The mutations weren't caused by nature, but by Jiang Hai himself. As long as he remained on the land, the cattle would be extraordinary. Without him, it would simply be a regular, money-losing pasture.
"If that's the case, it's a pity... I thought this could be something that benefits mankind," Du Famen said with a sigh. Jiang Hai shrugged. He had long seen through Du Famen's intentions. It wasn't about benefiting mankind, it was about benefiting the Dubai royal family.
"Even so, I still want to study your cattle further. How about this: I'll buy 30 cows at $1.5 million each. What do you think?" Du Famen proposed after a moment's hesitation.
The price for breeding cattle is typically higher than for regular beef cattle, which Du Famen understood.
"You'll be responsible for handling customs. That's not my concern. You can pick any cows you want. I don't want $1.5 million; just give me $100 million for the gems. I can't be sentimental. $1 million for 30 cows. Your people will handle transportation. And remember, it's not the breed that's magical." Jiang Hai said casually. Du Famen sighed. If that was really the case, he'd be disappointed to miss out on such a huge profit. However, Jiang Hai's straightforwardness put him at ease.
Du Famen immediately transferred $30 million to Jiang Hai—the price for 30 cows. He then called his contacts in Dubai to arrange the necessary logistics for customs and transportation.
As Du Famen made the call, he reflected that matters involving the state were always easier to resolve. For example, the giant pandas China sends abroad—they are national treasures, and ordinary people, even officials, can't send them without approval.
Once it becomes a state-level matter, things become much simpler. Du Famen's call to Dubai was already in motion, with plans for transportation and coordination with the US government. These were matters that Jiang Hai didn't need to worry about.
"This is my mission. Once the cattle return to China, it won't be my responsibility. But I don't think you'd lie to me. If these cattle turn out to be ordinary once they return home, our plans will be officially ruined. But to be honest, the quality of the ingredients here is outstanding. Miss Ya's cooking skills today were impressive, but compared to top chefs, they still have a long way to go. However, her ability to use the ingredients to their fullest potential was remarkable. You should know that we, the royal family, are very particular about food, which is why I need you to provide us with fresh ingredients. I'm particularly interested in your beef, mutton, fish, lobster, and shellfish. I can buy your products at a price 5% higher than your retail price, and we'll handle transportation. There are plenty of empty planes in Dubai. All I ask is that you guarantee our supply. Of course, our consumption won't be too large—it's just for the royal family." Du Famen said seriously.
Jiang Hai raised an eyebrow. "That's no problem, but I need to know how much you'll need so I can plan accordingly." Jiang Hai was eager to sell his products, but more importantly, he knew this would serve as a free advertisement for his goods.
The potential was immense. With his beef labeled as "exclusively for the Dubai royal family," demand would surge, and he could charge a premium. And given that Dubai is part of the UAE, there was the possibility that the demand could expand to the entire UAE royal family, which would increase the scope significantly.
Du Famen had already done some quick calculations. "There are 713 registered members of the Dubai royal family, including their wives, totaling fewer than 5,000 people. If each person consumes two kilograms of beef and one kilogram of fish per day, excluding banquets, the annual consumption would be about 3.65 million kilograms of beef and 1.8 million kilograms of fish. But considering the banquets, the actual consumption is about 5 million kilograms of beef and 3 million kilograms of fish."
Jiang Hai's heart sank as he heard the numbers.
An Angus bull weighs about 750 kilograms, with a slaughter rate of 60%, meaning around 450 kilograms of meat per cow. But the Dubai royal family would only want the best cuts, about 200 kilograms per cow. This would mean about 25,000 cattle annually to meet their demand.
As for the fish, 3 million kilograms (3,000 tons) was not a large amount, but the beef demand—well, that was substantial.
"Fish is no problem. I'll start fishing around March next year, and I can supply that. But beef... I'm a little overwhelmed," Jiang Hai admitted. Originally, he had planned to raise only 25,000 cattle this year, with about 10,000 cows and 15,000 bulls. If all of that went to Du Famen, where would he get more cattle for his other commitments?
Most importantly, he had already promised cattle to Pula Walton, Qi Li, and Zhang Deshang—at least 10,000 cattle. Jiang Hai knew that if he mentioned it, any one of the three would gladly take the remaining 5,000 cattle. Even with Du Famen's 5% price increase, Jiang Hai was unlikely to sell all his beef to him. If someone only cared about money and lacked integrity, they would ultimately fail.
(To be continued...)