roccoschili Chapter 702 The Gradient World (8)
Chapter 702 The Gradient World (8)
Europe, UK.
Traditional afternoon tea time~
In a high-end French restaurant near the City of London.
Elena Mesa, Xina Osevia, and Toby Olga chatted happily while silently observing Will H. Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, who was paying the bill with the waiter in the distance.
At the same time, she was also retrieving the information that had been swept into the corner bit by bit, and whispered to Qinna. .
"Mr. Somerset, although he looks like he is in his early forties, he is already over 50 years old this year~"
"His family can be traced back to the War of the Roses that broke out in the 15th century!"
"War of the Roses?" Zina had no idea about this very historic civil war that took place on the island of England.
Elena turned her head and glanced at Xina and Toby who "loved learning", shrugged helplessly, and spoke faster.
"The War of the Roses, also known as the War of Roses."
"It was the more than 1327-year civil war that broke out between the two descendants of King Edward III of England (reigned 1377-30) and the supporters of the Lancaster and York families to compete for the throne of England."
"Since the emblem of the Lancaster family is Rosagallica, the red rose, the emblem of the York family is Rosaxalba, the white rose."
"In Shakespeare's historical drama "Henry VI," two roses are used as a symbol of the beginning of the war~"
"The War of the Roses (War of the Roses) has gradually become widely recognized and used by people."
"The [-]st Duke of Beaufort, a leader of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses."
"His paternal lineage originates from John of Gaunt of the French Plantagenet dynasty~"
"And John Gaunt is the son of King Edward III of England!"
"So, until now, the eldest son of the Duke of Beaufort will inherit the hereditary title of Marquess of Worcester, and the eldest grandson of the Duke will inherit the hereditary title of Earl of Glamorgan."
"Wow~oh!"
Toby covered his mouth with his hand, looked at Duke Beaufort who had already settled the bill, turned around and walked back, and said in a low voice.
"There are dukes, marquises and earls in their family for three generations?"
"That's right~"
Elena picked up the tea cup and said in a very low voice: "Let's talk about the nobles later."
"Xina, how about you come...?"
"Okay!"
Zina smiled confidently, looked at Will H. Somerset, and said in a woman's unique "blame" tone.
"Thank you for the luncheon, Mr. Duke of Beaufort!"
"Oh?"
"Haha~Have you still recognized me?"
Mr. Duke returned to his seat and sat down. He looked around the faces of the three people and smiled at Elena: "Actually, we met more than two months ago."
"It's just that at that time, all your attention was on..."
"David Coleman? In the manor of Mr. Whisler Morgan?" Elena asked immediately.
(This is related to Chapter 452, where David led Livlin, Elena and Maggie to attend a dinner hosted by Whisler G. Morgan.)
"Yes~"
"Oh~Sorry! Mr. Duke!"
"Please forgive me.."
"No!"
"Please call me by my name, Will."
"..ok!"
"Mr. Will, I'm sorry I didn't recognize you."
"It's okay~"
Will smiled and waved his hand, looked at Toby Olga, and asked, "Have you ever worked in the City of London?"
"Yes!" Toby tried hard to control his mouth and was not willing to say a word more. .
Zina took the initiative to pick up the teapot, filled Mr. Will with tea, and said with a smile: "So, you also attended the banquet that night."
"Mr. David Coleman, is our boss."
"So, we are all curious ~ what do you think of him?"
"Forehead.."
Mr. Will slowly picked up the tea cup, thought for a few seconds under the gaze of the three people, and smiled.
"He and I only met once from a distance, and we never said a word..."
"But what he said about the coming storm... left a deep impression on me!"
"If what he wants to express is that the oil crisis is extremely destructive, it will happen again..."
"Oh~"
Zina deliberately made a long note, squinted her eyes and asked: "So, when we met by chance in that coffee shop, you recognized Elena at a glance?"
"..Yes!"
"So, you warmly invited us over for lunch. Want to learn more about David Coleman through us?"
"Forehead.."
Will felt a little uncomfortable with Zina's "to the point" way of communicating, so he raised his eyebrows and explained.
"You're half right."
"I.."
"Wait a minute! Please let me guess~" Zina would not give back the right to speak after fighting for it.
She added some more milkshake to her tea cup and glanced at Elena: "Do you know?"
"Many married American women like to wear their wedding rings at all times to show that they are married~"
"But look at the hands of the three of us, none of us are wearing any rings..."
"Uh...Sorry!" Mr. Will couldn't help laughing.
"Please let me take back the rude name I just gave you, Miss Osevia."
"Hahaha~"
Zina waved her hands indifferently and said with a smile: "I don't think I have Elena's beauty, and I don't have Toby...that good figure that makes women jealous~"
"But my standards for choosing my partner have never been lowered!"
Will nodded with a smile: "This is natural."
"You exude your unique confidence, generosity, intelligence and maturity, which will fascinate countless outstanding men!"
"Oh?"
"Including you, Will?"
"Forehead.."
"Sorry~"
"Although my wife has passed away many years ago, I have never thought about remarrying..."
"That's it!"
Zina sighed with regret, and sat back in her chair relaxedly: "Then there is only one main intention for you to invite us out for lunch!"
"Is it right?"
Mr. Will remained silent with a smile on his face.
Xina waited for a few seconds and continued: "Obviously!"
"You were one of the few guests who attended that banquet who felt the storm was coming... the most."
"But you didn't know David through Mr. Morgan...?"
“So when you happen upon Elena, you realize this is a great opportunity!”
"..." Mr. Will didn't make any excuses. He silently stretched out his right hand and made a gesture of invitation, wanting to hear what else Zina could "guess".
Xina crossed her arms in front of her chest, crossed her legs under the table, shrugged and smiled.
"We just arrived in London a few days ago and went to visit Lady Deborah of Devonshire."
"When she was chatting with us, she told some interesting stories circulating in the aristocratic circle~"
"Her nephew, Mr. Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, happened to come over to visit her at dinner."
"We talked a lot about investment with Gerard."
"So I think the problems you and the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire have encountered should be very similar, right?"
"After all, to maintain the dignity of the duke + the expenses of the fief + the maintenance of the ancestral castle + the wages of the servants, etc., it requires a very troublesome amount of funds every year!"
“Like, Deborah!”
"If she hadn't transformed the Chatsworth estate inherited by her husband, the Duke of Devonshire, into a public tourist attraction..."
"The couple simply cannot afford the huge inheritance tax!"
"..." Will stretched out his right hand again, gesturing for Xina to continue.
Xina seemed to have had enough of this "you figure it out and I guess it" game, she chuckled and shook her head.
“Our dessert is here~”
"..." Will blinked a few times and heard a series of footsteps coming from far and near from behind.
A restaurant waiter, holding a large dessert plate in his hand, walked up to Will, bowed and smiled.
"Excuse me, everyone!"
"Here are the cherry cake, plum cake and strawberry cake ordered by the three ladies."
"This is the apricot cake you ordered, sir."
"Thank you~"
"Please enjoy!"
Waiter, gone.
Elena glanced at Toby who was "ready to make a move" and couldn't help laughing: "Eat it quickly~ Stop holding it back!"
"Well... okay!" Toby was very confused and picked up the small fork for eating dessert. He secretly glanced at the smiling Zina and mocked himself with his tongue out.
"I won't eat anything tonight! Try to lose weight!"
"Haha~" Zina didn't believe her "nonsense", so she picked up a small fork and picked out a little cherry cake and put it into her mouth.
"Um!!"
"good to eat!"
"What if I can't eat it in New York?"
"Tsk~"
Elena tasted the plum cake that she had always wanted to have, her eyes smiled like a crescent moon: "Last month, when this restaurant just won three Michelin stars, I wanted to come and taste it."
"Michelin?" Will asked curiously while eating the apricot cake with a novel texture and distinctive taste.
"Are you talking about...the Michelin restaurant guide in the United States?"
"Yes~"
Elena quickly threw a look at Xina, indicating that she would "take over" the second round of competition, and smiled at Will.
“In 1900, the founder of the Michelin Tire Company was inspired to create the Michelin Guide magazine while attending the World Expo.”
“However, the content of the original Michelin Guide magazine was mostly travel itinerary planning + attraction recommendations + road guidance, etc.”
“In 1926, the Michelin Guide began to use stars to mark the excellence of restaurants.”
“It was then that Michelin-starred restaurants officially began to spread around the world.”
“In 1931, the Michelin Guide designed the crossed spoon and fork logo to indicate a restaurant’s recommendation rating.”
“All restaurants included in the Michelin Guide must first obtain at least one set of knife and fork marks. This mark is the guide’s basic evaluation standard for restaurants!”
"The marks ranging from a maximum of 5 to 1 are mainly to show people the comfort level of the restaurant."
"The Michelin star evaluation of a restaurant requires inspectors from the Michelin Guide magazine to quietly conceal their identity and go to the restaurant or hotel for on-site experience or tasting before making the evaluation."
"In the process of judging the stars, the scoring items they need to refer to include the restaurant's food (60%), dining environment (20%), service (10%) and wine pairing (10%)."
“In 1967, two chefs, Albert and Michel, founded the first French restaurant in London.”
"In 1974, this French restaurant called Le Gavroche became the first restaurant in the UK to receive a Michelin star!"
(Off-topic: The well-known British TV star + Hell Chef Gordon Ramsay worked at LeGavroche for a year when he was young.)
"And the restaurant we are in just received a one-star restaurant honor from the Michelin Guide before Christmas last month."
Elena followed Will's example and stretched out her right hand and said with a smile: "That's why the dishes in this restaurant are so expensive~"
"It makes me want to come over and taste the plum cake, and it will make my wallet feel sad..."
"Hahaha~"
Will felt the same way and laughed: "When the waiter handed me the bill just now, I was shocked~"
"He actually wants to charge an additional 20% service fee?!"
"Isn't this robbery?"
"Hahaha~"
Zina was so amused that she laughed and said, "You can't say that!"
"The 61-year-old red wine produced by the Burgundy Armand Rousseau winery we just drank has a very high retail price."
"If you sell it in a Michelin restaurant, even if its value doubles again, no one will complain too much~"
"Hahaha~"
"I also have a winery in Burgundy..."
"Charles Rousseau really knew how to make wine better than his father Armand Rousseau."
"The winery?"
Zina asked with great interest: "What is the name of your winery?"
“How is the quality of the red wine produced?”
"Forehead.."
Will put down the fork in his hand helplessly and sighed: "In my winery, most of the grapes produced in the vineyard are first-grade, so it is difficult to make top-quality red wine."
"Oh~"
"Then you haven't thought about improving the soil in the vineyard and adding some fertilizer..."
"No!"
Will suddenly interrupted Zina directly, shook his head and said: "Good soil must not be improved by fertilizers mixed with various chemicals~"
“Only by completely applying natural fertilizers can the grapes produced in the vineyard be rich in fruit aroma and pure in taste!”
"..All right!"
Xina decided to give up arguing with the stubborn Duke and changed the topic.
"So, you are not the poor nobleman I guessed, right?"
"Hehe~"
Will smiled restrainedly and replied: "Nobles ≠ rich people."
"In the entire British aristocratic circle, there are probably less than 50 aristocrats who can be called wealthy..."
"But my situation is different from theirs!"
"My fiefdom castle is not in the UK, but in Beaufort, in the Champagne region of France."
"I am also the only English Duke named after a fiefdom outside the British Isles."
"Beaufort in Champagne..." Zina repeated the place name in a low voice.
Elena, who is very familiar with France, smiled and continued: "Then your castle is very close to the winery in Burgundy, right?"
"It's okay~it only takes about five and 10 minutes to drive."
"Hmm~"
"Then we want to buy a batch of red wine from the Champagne region and Burgundy. You will definitely help...right?"
"Hahaha~" Will was amused by Elena's "request"~
He picked up a napkin, wiped his fingers, and said with a smile: "If you want to taste the collections of major wineries, I have them in my castle. You can taste them as you like!"
"castle.."
Xina glanced at Elena, who was "godly assisting", and asked: "There must be many of your collections in your castle, right?"
"I just opened an art store in New York last month."
“If you have a piece of art you’d like to collect and haven’t found it, I can help you!”
"Oh?"
Will looked at Xina warily for a few seconds, smiled and slowly shook his head and said, "I'm not that kid from Karnes."
"I won't sell any of my collections!"
"Forehead.."
"You know those pieces of art that Carnes is giving us for sale?"
"Why don't you know?"
Will picked up the dessert fork again, shook his head slightly and said: "Most of the oil paintings and prints he collected were appraised with my help before he dared to buy them with confidence~"
"Otherwise, with his ability to appreciate art, how could he possibly buy an authentic one?"
"Oh my god..."
Xina felt as if she had won a big prize. She stared at Will excitedly and asked.
“So do you have a piece of art you’ve always wanted to collect, but can’t find it on the market?”
“I know a lot of big collectors in New York!”
"Maybe they have the one you want most..."
Will tilted his head in a rare move, looked at Zina, thought for a moment, nodded and said, "Yes!"
"Michelangelo's teacher, Domenico Ghirlandaio, once painted a portrait of his lover called "Daisy and Girl."
"Can you help me find it?"
"Daisy and Girl??" Zina had never even heard of this painting.
But this did not prevent her from taking the order first: "ok!"
"Don't worry, I will give you an accurate answer as soon as possible."
"it is good!"
Will took a bite of the dessert cake and felt that time was almost up, so he got back to the topic.
"Your boss, David Coleman, always said what he said at the last banquet was nonsense..."
"But he teamed up with Gerald, Little Peter and Kanes to buy large amounts of gold spot and crude oil spot, all using actual actions and rice dollars to prove that he was not just talking~"
"so?"
Elena put her right hand on Zina's hand, stared at Mr. Will, and waited.
"Hehe~"
Mr. Will took another bite of the dessert cake and smiled: "So, I also want to talk to him about cooperation."
"Can you tell us about... that aspect?"
"I can help you tell him immediately."
"Of course you can~"
"I'm very interested in any business that can make money."
"If he is willing to cooperate with me, I will not let my partner down!"
"Understood~"
Elena retracted her right hand, looked at Xina, and nodded.
"We'll call him when we get back to the hotel."
"Is there anything else you need us to tell you?"
"Um.."
Will stopped what he was doing, thought for a moment and said, "Although I don't have many friends in New York."
"But I can often hear some news from them."
"There was a real estate developer named Lontero Brinkman who seemed to be dissatisfied with a certain plan proposed by David..."
When Elena heard this strange name, she immediately looked at Zina, the New Yorker.
After Zina heard the name, she was surprised at first, then showed a strange expression on her face, and asked Will.
"Can we exchange contact information?"
"Of course~"
Will took out a well-made business card box, took out three business cards and handed them to the three of them.
Xina glanced at the business card, handed back one of her newly printed business cards, and asked.
"We can always call you Will from now on?"
"Okay~ My friends all call me that."
"Okay, Will."
Xina extended her right hand to him and smiled: "Nice to meet you, Will!"
"Hahaha~ Me too, beautiful ladies!"
----
The other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
new York.
Noon~
Manhattan, upstairs at Wildfire Bar on 42nd Street.
David was lying in bed sleeping, dazed, when he was woken up by a rapid ringing of the phone~
Two 10 minutes later.
David stood in front of the Wildfire Bar, waved to Black Mike, Old Red and Mengo the steel-toothed dog who were chatting, got into a black car, and drove away quickly~
on the way.
The driver, Pine, glanced at David sitting next to Lilith and Laura in the rearview mirror, and smiled at Giles in the passenger seat.
"Look~ this lazy boy actually got a tan too!"
"Have it?"
Giles turned back to look at David curiously: "It's indeed darker!"
"Tsk~"
David rolled his eyes at him angrily, spread his hands and said, "Hawaii's sunshine + beach + beautiful women."
"I would be a real fool if I liked hiding in my room every day like you!"
"Hey~"
When Giles heard the "familiar smell" of his bad friend again, he couldn't help but stare and was about to fight back, but Laura stopped him with an impatient wave of her hand.
"Sit down immediately!"
"..." Giles curled his lips, glared at David who was full of pride, sat down obediently, and stopped talking.
Lilith pinched Laura who was having a bad temper with her hand and asked Pine in the rearview mirror.
“How come I’ve never heard of this place that can hold cremations?”
"Did they find it temporarily?"
Payne looked forward, put a little force on his feet, and passed an intersection before the traffic light changed, and replied.
"I haven't heard of this place, I only know its approximate location."
"But there will definitely not be many people who can come to the funeral today."
"Why?" David frowned and asked.
Pine glanced at David in the rearview mirror, shook his head slightly and said, "Some people are really preoccupied with important things and can't get back for the time being."
"Some people simply didn't want to attend this impromptu and hastily held funeral."
"Oh~"
David understood the unfinished meaning of Pine's words, thought about it and asked again.
"Do you all have an appointment tomorrow?"
"Lilith and I treat everyone to dinner."
"Okay~" Pine nodded and replied.
"No!" Laura objected immediately.
"Why not?" David reached out and grabbed Laura's wrist, staring at her with a "vicious" look and asked.
Laura stared with big eyes without flinching: "We have made an appointment with Ermin and Kylena to go shopping together tomorrow!"
"shop?"
"Then you won't have lunch or dinner?"
"Eat~but I don't want to eat with you!"
"Haha~ This matter is not up to you."
David let go of Laura, took Lilith's little hand, and explained: "Our vacation is not over yet~"
"So before we leave New York, we want to meet up with friends we haven't seen for a long time."
"I'll wait for your call at dinner tomorrow?"
"Ok!"
Of course Lilith understood what David was thinking and agreed obediently.
Laura complained silently to David, feeling that her request was indeed a bit too "naive", so she could only acquiesce to his arrangement.
As for what will happen tomorrow, we can wait until tomorrow!