North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 41 As you wish

The next day, early in the morning.

Edgar Allan Poe, as usual, arrived early in the shipyard study.

A-Zu was already waiting for him.

He looked up and down at Edgar Allan Poe, who had just recovered from a serious illness and was full of energy, with a scrutinizing gaze.

"How are you feeling today, Reverend Mr. Poe?"

Edgar Allan Poe couldn't wait to pour a glass of wine, took a sip, and then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"It feels so good to be healthy again! This is life!"

Poe savored the long, wonderful aftertaste of Macallan whiskey. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, "Lee, thank you again from the bottom of my heart! After a few days of continuous injections of the miraculous penicillin, I feel like I have fully recovered!"

Poe added: "Since yesterday, I haven't had a cough, my chest no longer aches, and I feel completely at ease!"

Ah Zu looked at his condition and said, "It seems that you have recovered quite well! So can we start working now?"

"Of course!" Poe put down his glass. "Any time!"

"But compared to running a newspaper, I'm more interested in the magical penicillin!"

Edgar Allan Poe paused and said, "If, I mean, if I had the honor to join your company, I would like to mass-produce penicillin and bring good news to countless seriously ill people!"

"The conditions aren't ripe yet!" A-Zu replied. "Penicillin, of course, we will mass-produce it in the future. However, there are two reasons why I don't have any plans to market it in large quantities yet."

Poe was puzzled and said, "Why? Lee, why? I don't understand. Penicillin, this miraculous drug, can obviously bring good news to countless people and save many lives. And... it can also earn you countless wealth!"

A-Zu was still shaking his head. "Mr. Poe, you are a famous detective. Why don't you guess why I wasn't in a hurry to launch penicillin?"

Poe fell into deep thought, and after a long pause he replied, "Are you afraid that you might lose the secret formula for penicillin?"

"Yes!" A-Zu nodded. "Penicillin is truly extremely important. As you said, it can save countless lives and bring endless wealth."

"Because of this, penicillin will surely attract the greed of countless people and forces. I don't intend to make it public until we have sufficient self-protection capabilities!"

"Very reasonable, very sensible! Li, you are definitely the most intelligent and rational young man I have ever met!"

Poe changed his tone and asked, "What about the other reason?"

"Another reason, of course, is that I'm not strong enough to produce penicillin on a large scale for the time being."

"But, you once said that money is not a problem for you?"

"Haha!" A-Zu laughed frankly, "For my future self, money really won't be a problem; but for me now, it's still a small problem!"

"But the main problem is not money, but people!"

"people?"

"Yes!" A-Zu spread his hands and said, "I need a large number of talents to research penicillin and to manage production and operations."

"People! This is indeed a very big problem. There really isn't enough talent in the West right now!"

Poe thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps I could write some letters and try to help you recruit as many talented people as possible."

"Pah!" A-Zu clapped his hands. "Really? That would be great!"

Poe smiled reservedly: "I have lived in America for forty years. I know more people than you, a young Chinese who has only been here for a month."

"Thank you so much!"

Poe shook his head. "I also hope that penicillin can be mass-produced as soon as possible! If it were put into production one day earlier, it would benefit many people, wouldn't it?"

"Indeed!"

"Then let's talk about my work!" A-Zu took out a thick stack of US dollars from the drawer and placed it in front of Edgar Allan Poe: "Here is $10,000. It is the start-up capital for you to recruit newspaper talents and order machinery and equipment."

"I can only give you this much for now!" A Zu continued, "But soon, I will give you enough funds."

"No problem! Ten thousand dollars is enough for the initial start-up."

"As for the location of the newspaper office, you can temporarily choose this building. Most of the rooms are still vacant, so you can take your pick."

"No problem, I am very satisfied with the office conditions here."

What made Poe even more satisfied was that he could drink alcohol at any time, especially old Jason's collection of Macallan whiskey.

He has fallen in love with the taste!

A Zu added, "There's one more thing that will require a little of your time and energy."

"What is it? Just tell me, I will do my best."

"Have you heard of Bay Area Bank and Mr. Ross, the banker?"

Poe thought for a moment and replied, "I have only heard a little about it. After all, I have spent more time in the East and do not know the West very well."

"That's not a problem. After all, you're a famous detective. I believe that with your abilities and means, you can easily accomplish this."

"Well, do you need me to deal with Bay Area Bank and Ross? No problem! Although I haven't been in the West for a long time, I still have some heavyweight friends."

A Zu shook his head slightly: "You don't need to deal with him personally. You just need to secretly investigate Bay Area Bank and Ross and fully grasp their dirty laundry."

"Oh! My dear Lee...!" Poe seemed to understand: "You want to discredit Ross and destroy the Bay Area Bank?"

Talking to smart people is so easy and enjoyable.

"Yes! I hope that our first issue of the newspaper can use the negative information about Bay Area Bank and Ross to make a deafening first shot."

Poe smiled slightly: "As you wish!"

Running a newspaper and discrediting Ross and bringing down the Bay Area banks, two things that were completely unrelated, unexpectedly and effortlessly became one thing!
-
At noon that day, A-Zu, Vic, Jason and more than ten boatmen went to Clarke Wharf to attend today's auction.

The auction house is located in the dock warehouse.

The three of them walked into the warehouse, and the auction had not yet started.

Not only two paddle steamers are being auctioned today, but also precious silk and porcelain from faraway China, spices from India and Southeast Asia, and ivory and gems from Africa.

There are even two living ferocious lions, one male and one female!
Many people have come to the warehouse, and many of them, with flattering and respectful expressions, are surrounding an old man sitting in a wheelchair, being pushed by a middle-aged man.

"Lee, did you see that? That old man is Colonel Cameron!"

A'zu's eyes narrowed and he looked over there intently.

"Is he old Cameron? The disfigured, crippled old man?"

"That's him!" Jason replied. "Seven or eight years ago, he led a Ranger patrol that was surrounded and defeated by the Comanches. Old Cameron was captured alive. The Comanches severed his tendons and buried him in the wilderness, leaving only his head exposed to die."

A-Zu stared at Old Cameron without blinking: "But he's not dead!"

"How did this old guy survive?"

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(End of this chapter)