musicians of old

Chapter 803 "Rules"

In such occasions, no one would look down on or ridicule the young people who come.

"Contempt" is a meaningless word. Everyone's goal is to get rich.

Even if some people seem to speak with a bit of "contempt", that is just a rhetoric - these old hands who have been in the business for many years, the only thing they can really do is to see whether the person is "unfamiliar with the place", whether he is a professional climber, an amateur or even a novice, and whether there is more "freedom" in price negotiation.

The man and woman in front of me seem to have a lot of room to perform.

He has good clothes, looks, temperament, and conversation skills, and is accompanied by elite bodyguards. He should come from a wealthy family and will not be stingy when spending money.

But he didn't look familiar, and his figure and physique were average. When he first came in, their attention was spread out widely, and the methods used by those clumsy guys also attracted their attention. Combined with some professional sixth sense, they judged that he should be a novice.

"Leo Pargial." Fanning spelled out a phrase.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

Many people spread their hands, looked at each other, and then sat back in their seats.

But their circle movement seemed to have a certain element of "performance", and soon more people gathered around them, but there were fewer people than before.

"Want to go to Leopardal Peak? My friend, you chose the highest peak in Himachal Pradesh, which is a secondary problem. The key point is that it is not on the list of peaks approved by the government!"

"It would be better for you two to take the classic traverse route of Hanuman Tibha! It has a higher safety factor, and even if you encounter an accident, you can retreat to Rohtang Pass!"

"For $8000, we'll take you to Shilla Peak, which has become popular in recent years!"

"Hey, young people obviously need to pursue new trends! My friend, for only $7500, I will take you to a niche route called Deo Tibba, which is known as the 'Head of God' in the industry! The top of the mountain is shaped like a skull, and there are also ruins of the Bon religion sky burial platform on the mountainside."

"Leo Pargial Peak." Fanning took a sip of butter tea and repeated his destination.

"If you can go, quote a price. If you can't, save your effort."

Everyone looks at me and I look at you.

The purpose is so clear, could it be that I have made a mistake, is he not a novice? Or is he a novice who is particularly unwilling to listen to advice?
"How many times have you had fun? You go to an unauthorized mountain and you're not afraid of losing your life." Some people mocked.

But finally, one by one they stopped trying to sell their products and soliciting work.

"Come with me to the second floor. They can't answer the phone, and they don't dare to answer it." Suddenly, a man with a scar on his face appeared behind Ruoyi.

The bodyguards were also alert and immediately adjusted their standing position.

"Lead the way." Fan Ning stood up.

There is an elegant compartment on the second floor, whose layout and decoration have the flavor of Tibetan aristocracy in the past serfdom era, but Fanning always feels a little uncomfortable with this style.

"Our leader, Mr. Lerici." Scarface introduced them in front and then stood aside.

The ginseng tea kettle on the wooden carving was bubbling, knives and other weapons were hung on the wall behind, and the guide leader Lerici, wearing a black wool coat, sat in the middle.

"Sit down." He made tea for them.

Different from what Fanning had expected when he went upstairs, this man's temperament was not "greasy" at all, and could even be said to be a bit elegant. Under the woolen coat was a dazzling white shirt collar. His thick silver hair was tamed by hair wax like solidified waves, combed back close to the skull, and finally gathered at the back of the neck into a classic small bun.

According to the few words just uttered by those people on the first floor, this person is the local boss here, secretly controlling the mountain climbing market.

Only he can take on this kind of business that is on the edge of the rules, and other guides have to pay him "management fees" even if they take ordinary business.

"Going to Leo Pargial?"

"Yes."

"3 US dollars." Lerici picked up the small porcelain cup and blew into it.

"So expensive?" Fanning asked.

He had looked up guides online before and found that mountain guides like this usually work in teams of three, with each person being paid $2000-3000, which is about seven or eight thousand dollars in total.

For those with particularly good reputation or special circumstances, the maximum reward is RMB 10,000.

"3 is the deposit." Lerici poured the boiling hot ginseng tea on a stone tea pet in the shape of a golden toad. "In the most basic case, it might cost around 2. Anyway, the excess will be refunded and the shortfall will be supplemented later."

Fanning and Ruoyi looked at each other.

Spending 2 is normal, but doubling it is, after all, a "gray area" beyond the scope of authority's permission.

But isn't it usually the case that you pay part upfront and then the other part later?

But when it came to him, it was the other way around. Not only did he have to pay all at once, but he also had to deposit an additional portion.
Seeing the two people hesitating, Lerici said calmly: "If you have decided, pay and make an appointment. If you can't decide, change the destination."

What he said was not "change someone else", but "change the target".

Seeing this, a long-haired assistant next to him laughed and said, "To play 'self-selected route', one person must be willing to go out and the other must be willing to lead. Haha, you need to be aware of this, my friend! If you are still considering comparing prices, don't bother. Where can you compare prices? " "Cost is an issue, but it's not the most important issue." Ruoyi looked at the people in front of her with a scrutinizing look, "It mainly depends on whether you are really familiar with the route and whether you are really at a higher level."

"Hahaha, little girl! Let me tell you the truth." The deputy felt like he heard some funny questioning. "Mr. Lerici can expand his business because of his professional level. The annual volume of orders like yours for 'gray demand' is only so large. It's just a drizzle for us! It's just to 'enrich our business scope'. Twenty or thirty thousand US dollars is not enough for us to hedge the risks. Now the higher-ups are also checking strictly."

Ruoyi gave Fanning a questioning look.

"Thirty thousand US dollars." Then she placed an anonymous Swiss bank card on the table.

"Go and get a receipt." The long-haired deputy did not take the bank card immediately. He just put out the cigarette and waved to his subordinates.

The bodyguards behind Ruoyi made way for her.

"Is Leo Pargial one or two peaks?" Fanning suddenly asked.

"What?" The deputy suspected that he had heard it wrong.

"Is Leo Pargial Peak one or two?" Fanning's eyes were fixed on Lerici.

The thin thread pouring from the teapot in Lerici's hand suddenly broke for a second or two.

"Of course there is one." He looked into his eyes, his lips twitching slightly.

"Reo Purgyil." Fanning spelled out another similar-sounding but still different phrase. "What does this have to do with Leo Purgyal?"

This is a question that Fanning has always wondered about.

All the online information he and Ruoyi found, including the name given by the locals after arriving in Himachal Pradesh, showed that the name of the highest peak was "Leo Pargial", without exception.

But in Fan Chenxun’s previous WeChat chat records, the name used was “Reo Purgyil”.

"It's just a different transliteration spelling." Lerici said lightly.

Fanning remained silent, as if this explanation failed to dispel the intuitive doubts in his heart.

With a "swish", Lerici tore off a stack of carbon paper beside him and said, "Fill in an emergency contact, and then make a call."

"Emergency contact?" Ruoyi frowned.

"Immediate family members, parents, children, brothers and sisters, write them down. Each person writes one and dials one."

".Why?"

"We still have to abide by the rules of extreme sports." The deputy picked up another cigarette and moved it to his subordinate's lighter. "What if something unexpected happens? What if we encounter trouble that exceeds the deposit budget? We will also arrange for people to communicate with the base camp at the foot of the mountain in a timely manner. Safety comes first."

Ruoyi frowned even deeper.

Having said so much, the main point wouldn’t be “the hassle of exceeding the deposit budget”, right?

Is it an emergency contact or an "emergency blackmailer"?
And the key is
"I can't fill it out. I don't have it." Ruoyi shook her head.

"Is it necessary to fill it out?" Fan Ning twirled the pen in his hand.

On-site verification?
"When doing business, you have to abide by the rules." The deputy spit out a series of circles in his eyes, "Boss, customers, these rules must be followed."

The two looked at each other again.

I didn't get to the bottom of the key issues, but instead got to know a bunch of trivial matters.

"Let's go." Fan Ning grabbed the bank card on the table and stood up with Ruoyi.

"No need to see me off." Lerici remained calm throughout the whole process and blew another sip of the boiling ginseng tea.

When the helmets of the bodyguards behind the two men also sank under the stairs, Lerici finally showed a hint of thought.

Leo PargialReo Purgyil
How could this young man know the existence of the secret mountain? It was unlikely.

Purely accidental?
"Assign someone to keep an eye on it." Lerici's eyes turned cold.

"Boss, that shouldn't be the case." The deputy next to him was a little surprised.

In his opinion, they were just two young people who failed to reach an agreement in the end.

As for doing business, harmony brings wealth. In the mountain guide market, no matter it is gray or white, there are always people who can negotiate and people who cannot.

Forced buying and selling is a taboo, and Lerici himself has liquidated many unruly groups.

It’s up to these two people to go and do something else, or change their climbing destination, or find another guide. Isn’t that up to them?
What the deputy said before was true. It's just a matter of tens of thousands of dollars. Those small groups on the first floor that rely on Lerici's protection, which one of them doesn't pay hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in management fees every month?
"Not at them, but at the guide."

Lerici pulled out a Tibetan scimitar from the drawer and turned it over carefully to examine it, as if he was appreciating a beautifully crafted work of art.

"Oh, tens of thousands of dollars is a small matter, but if someone in the circle breaks the rules that have been set for many years, that's a big deal."