novelraw Chapter 418: Delphine, I’ll Leave All These Private Assets to You, Okay?
Chapter 418: Delphine, I’ll Leave All These Private Assets to You, Okay?
"In the first year of sailing, the fleet had a negative balance of $102,800. Everyone in the fleet tightened their belts to get by."
"In the second year of sailing, we traveled to the Middle East to lobby the Arabian prince, who sponsored us with $5 million. The fleet set off from the Malacca Sanctuary, crossed the Atlantic Domain, and arrived at the Amazon Valley. There, we discovered an undiscovered tribe and a local mineral unique to the area. Because of its rarity, the mineral has yet to circulate on the market."
"In the fourth year of sailing, we discovered previously unknown islands in the Indian Ocean. Each of us claimed an island, and the remaining islands are planned for auction."
"In the seventh year of sailing, we mistakenly sailed to a pirate treasure island. Most of the items dated back to the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We shipped them to the United Kingdom for appraisal, and the gold was deposited in the Swiss Bank."
"In the tenth year of sailing, we salvaged a sunken ship."
At first, Delphine listened seriously, jotting down notes. As the story went on, however, she found herself dumbfounded. No wonder Ken had mentioned Cloud Ji’s private assets. Any one of these major events yielded benefits that could rival a nation’s wealth. Moreover, many of the events were groundbreaking—not only tied to patents and ownership but also marking significant historical records.
"Were your maritime accomplishments ever covered in newspapers?" Delphine couldn’t help but ask.
Cloud Ji wanted to scratch his head but couldn’t move his right hand, so he gave an awkward smile and replied, "Some of them made it to the press, but others we kept to ourselves—like discovering the pirate treasure. If word got out, European countries would come asking for artifacts and would pester us endlessly."
Delphine fell silent for a moment. No wonder Cloud Ji said the assets were limited. Unique minerals, private islands, European artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries, treasures from sunken ships—these were virtually impossible to convert into current monetary value.
"I used to be alone, and no matter how much money I had, it never mattered, so I never dealt with these things. I originally thought to donate them to the nation via friends if anything ever happened to me. But now that you’re here, I’ll find friends to properly appraise the assets within a few months." Cloud Ji saw Delphine lower her gaze in thought; her profile carried traces of her mother’s features. Feeling both anxious and uncertain, he said carefully, "Delphine, would you like me to leave these things to you?"
His tone was cautious, eager to please.
Delphine took a deep breath, unsure of how to respond, then suddenly laughed with relief. This was her father—a man born into a distinguished family yet treating power and wealth as mere fleeting clouds. He’d cast aside his family’s inheritance without hesitation, amassed immeasurable wealth from years of sailing but hadn’t used a single penny, and achieved grand maritime feats without overtly boasting about them. He was far removed from the petty, calculating, worldly characters driven by self-interest.
"Miss Delphine, Mr. Leclair has arrived," Dongzi interrupted the father-daughter conversation with a knock on the door.
Ignatius Leclair pushed the door open and stepped inside. The man’s chiseled features were strikingly handsome, his expression one of perennial cold composure.
"Uncle Cloud has severed ties with the Cloud Family?" Ignatius Leclair asked in a low voice. "What are your plans for the future?"
The words were addressed to Cloud Ji, but the man’s deep, almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Delphine. Seeing her in good spirits, her delicate lips curved into a smile, and her entire presence as fresh and radiant as a lily dotted with morning dew, his gaze deepened further.
Since Chinese New Year’s Eve, the pair hadn’t had any time together. Previously, Squire siblings shamelessly clung to her, and now her biological father had appeared. Ignatius Leclair felt somewhat melancholic, fearing he’d been relegated to some remote corner of her priorities.