Chapter 25 Karakarai Falls - 3

At the London airport, they were greeted by a man named Nick Petridis.It was an American from New York, of course Greek in origin.Later, Daxia Setiniaz discovered that this person was exactly the same Petridis who had played a role in the Wall Street adjustment. Right now, Setiniaz is just listening to Petridis report in a car that took Klimrod, Haas, and himself out of the airport. Petridis said to Reber: "The situation is as I have already described it. I will not repeat it..." "Repeat," said Klimrod, "start at the beginning. David, please listen carefully. You don't understand the details yet."

"About sixty ships in all," said Petridis, "of which sixteen are oil tankers. The ships will all be up for auction here in three days. It is now known that all the important ship dealers will be here: Austria Narciss, Rivanos, Niahos, Gulandris, Ludwig and Getty. There are also some Norwegians, Americans, representatives of several American oil companies, including Gulf Oil Corporation . And that's not all. The auction will be conducted on the basis of a 'unanimous sale to the highest bidder' at the Maritime Bureau. All parties will bid in writing, with a ten percent markup allowed on the highest bid."

"Are you cleared up, David?" Reb asked. "Understood," Setiniaz said with some annoyance, but at the same time he was interested, and even began to have a kind of curiosity. "Can I ask a question?" "Ask all you can, David." "Are you planning to participate in the bidding?" "yes." Reb's gray eyes flickered as if amused. "David, I'm both in and out. I don't want to come out and do it through someone else." "This person is me," Seitiniaz suddenly realized. "It's you, unless you refuse. But that's not why you're here in London. I'm just making the most of your presence, so to speak."

"What if I don't come here?" "Then Nick will do it. Actually, you two might as well go. Nick, please go on..." "Now let's talk about the original owners of the boats that are up for auction," Petridis said. "It's a family, British, but originally from Romania, the surname is Meger, which is an Anglicized surname. Their real surname is Maijorescu." "You've got to know their family history, it's unremarkable. Part of the family left Romania in 1907, when the peasants rebelled. They came to England, became British citizens, and the rest of the family People stayed in Bucharest and Constanta. That's when things got complicated."

"In 1944, the Russians entered Romania. At that time, at least forty ships in various ports belonged to the Maiorescu family, the undisputed patriarch Costaquet and his two brothers Jan and Nikijan. Realizing what was going to happen, they began to send their ships out. But the Russians got there quickly, and Kostakai and his brother were trapped in the country. Still, they managed to Get out their last two ships and all members of the Maiorescu family in Romania by appearing as hostages in public before the administration to divert the attention of the Russians and Romanian communists."

"It didn't take long before their plot was discovered and Kostakai and his two brothers went to jail. They're still in jail. No one even knows where, maybe in the Soviet Union." At this time, the black Daimler sedan that Leiber and his party were riding was approaching Hyde Park.Reber didn't seem to be listening to Petridis' introduction.He was reading a book open on his knees, turning page by page at an unimaginable speed.Setiniaz found that it was "Ten Days That Shocked the World" written by John Reed (Note: John Reed (1887-1920), an American political commentator, went to Russia as a reporter during the October Revolution, Lenin believed The book "Ten Days That Shocked the World" written by him "made a true and extremely vivid description of the October Revolution").

"During the past ten years," Petridis went on to report, "the Maijorescu family in London—sorry, the Majorescu family—had tried to make their patriarch and his two brothers Released. The authorities in Bucharest ignored it at all. With one exception, they said, 'Send all your ships back to the Black Sea and talk then.'” The Daimler saloon turns into Park Lane. "End of the newscast," said Petridis, smiling, his jet-black mustache making him look like a jovial pirate. The car stopped in front of the Dorchester Hotel (Note: A famous five-star hotel in London.).

"Are you surprised, David?" Reber asked. "Do you want me to rent a house for the four of us in the Whitechapel ghetto? You're dealing with a bunch of billionaires trying to buy a merchant fleet of sixty ships. You need a accommodation commensurate with his status." Two suites have already been reserved, under the names David James Setiniaz and Nicholas H. Petridis, both from New York.Neither Klimrod nor Haas are mentioned by name.Haas has disappeared.The waiters carrying luggage were expressionless and slightly sick, as if they came out of the wall, just like the ghosts described by Oscar Wilde (Note: Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), British writer, dramatist and poet, A representative of aestheticism, here refers to the plot in his novel "The Ghost of Canterville" published in 1887.).They carried the suitcases in almost trepidation.After a while, Setiniaz was already in the living room of his apartment, and Reb who was with him was staring at the verdant trees outside the window.

Leiber said slowly: "I first came to London in 1937, when I was nine years old. I like this city very much. Come on, David, ask all your questions... " "Are you really planning to buy all those ships?" "Of course not. Those Greek ship owners are all related to each other. They are either uncles or uncles and nephews. I don't have such great magical powers to deal with them, Getty or Ludwig. Not yet." "Then what is the purpose of your making these tricks?" "I'll answer you later; you'll forgive me for that. It's not that I don't trust you, David, but I'm not sure of anything just yet."

"So, what is my role?..." "You're going to make a serious effort to buy those ships, under a company name. I've called it the Diana Marine Company on my own initiative, and I hope you won't be offended. Name the companies I started, and I'll Sometimes it can be quite nerve-wracking. Nick will provide you with all the relevant documents. Now let's talk about Nick: I suggest you keep your mouth shut in front of him. He knows that I have done a few real estate transactions in the Wall Street area , but mostly he doesn't know. He doesn't know what I do in other ways. I even think he thinks I represent someone, a group, maybe the mafia. You have doubted me like this before .I guess it's a double check. You already know a hundred times more than he does, and someday you'll know a million times more. You'll always know better than anyone else. You're taller than him, David, and you'll be taller. .”

"You want me to spy on him?" Setiniaz asked sarcastically. Reb's gray eyes were still unfathomable. "Why not, David? I can't trust Nick Petridis or anyone else the way I trust you, not now, and never will. That's all." "You live in a pretty grim world." static field.After a while, Reber nodded. "Maybe I didn't have the chance to see the cool side of this world, maybe I was born this way." He suddenly smiled. "How about going back to the purpose of our visit to London?" "Do you want me to bid in a sealed way?" "Exactly, unless you let Nick do it alone. I repeat, I'm asking you to come with me, not to be a scarecrow. In any case, I will never ask you to be a scarecrow." "Then what am I here for? Spying on Petridis?" "That might be a purpose. But not really. I made a proposal to you. I hope you will accept it, but you have not done so so far. If you did, there would be only you in the world—except George Except what Taras and Dinago Haas may know,—you alone know all, if not all, of my business. This is the real point of your visit to London. Purpose. If you agree, you can remain in the background for a long time without showing your face. I know that it suits your character, taste and qualities, which are much better than you think. However, I hope, At least this time you're going to be on stage. I think I've made my point, David." He smiled again, that unusually warm smile. Setiniaz felt confused and troubled again, as if he was swept by a torrent and didn't know where to go.But at the same time, he was overwhelmed by a strange excitement that almost brought tears to his eyes and made him feel bewildered.His emotions had always been very restrained. Finally, he said, "Do I have to give you an answer right away?" "Absolutely not. Not busy. I'll wait as long as you need." "And you? What are you going to do while I'm pretending to buy these boats?" "I'm going to travel with Diego." "For another business, or for this one?" "For this one," he smiled, "and for other business. I like to have several things going on at once." "I'm sure my question is childish, but I'll ask anyway. Is what you're about to do, or what you might have been doing, illegal now or in the future?" "Absolutely not. I'm not sure it's going to work out. It's a pretty...special deal. But it's certainly not illegal or immoral." There was another silence.Setiniaz looked at him bewilderedly. "You are absolutely sure that I will take your advice. Am I right?" "You could say the same thing," Reber replied, smiling more broadly than before. "You guy," Setiniaz said, "sometimes it really annoys me." Those pale gray eyes, with black eyelashes, seemed to David to be shining like a devil.However, the gaze was full of joy again.