Chapter 963 Black Smoke Calling for Help

Renault and his friends got their passports as they wished and left. Xiao Peng also wanted to leave but was stopped by Ismail and others.

The reason why they kept Xiao Peng was not surprising: they wanted to know more about the value of this mask.

Xiao Peng didn't lie to them. Although what they did was indeed not very decent, he felt no pressure at all since they were cheating the Koreans - who told you to say I was from your country?

You can disgust me, but I can't disgust you?

"To be honest, this mask isn't very valuable," Xiao Peng said truthfully. "Masks like these were used as decorations during sacrifices, so they should come in a set. But you only have one, and it's made of silver. Moulay Ismail plundered a vast amount of wealth through war. Even the palace door bolts and kitchen utensils were made of pure gold. Gold antiques from Ismail's time can be found in museums across Europe. So a silver sacrificial mask wouldn't be very valuable."

After hearing what Xiao Peng said, Ismail and others looked disappointed: "Then how much is this thing worth?"

Xiao Peng considered for a moment and said, "If there's proof of a direct connection between this mask and Moulay Ismail, it could be worth quite a bit. However, judging by the illegible text alone, that's impossible! Without context, the value of a cultural relic is significantly reduced. Considering the mask's state of preservation... I'm guessing the price is around 8,000 to 10,000 euros."

"How much?" Ismael jumped up. "You said 8,000 to 10,000 euros?"

Xiao Peng nodded: "Sorry, this thing is not as precious as you think..."

He couldn't continue speaking because he saw that Ismail and the other three had eyes filled with ecstasy.

"Isn't this worth anything?" The soldier named Sheikh among the four widened his eyes. "Xiao, do you know how much we earn a month? Ten thousand ouguiyas!"

The ouguiya is the currency of Mauritania. Xiao Peng's mind raced to calculate the exchange rate. Uh, over a hundred RMB and over twenty Euros! That's enough to keep the four of them busy for years! It's truly an astronomical figure!

Xiao Peng coughed twice and said, "Then I wish you prosperity in advance. I have to leave first!"

Beida said: "Xiao, we are doing this for the country..."

Xidia on the side smiled and said, "Okay, Xiao is our true friend. He already knows what we are thinking. Otherwise, why would he let those people write the documents? Don't lie to him."

Beida took out a cigarette and handed it to Xiao Peng: "Xiao, we Chinese are really our good friends! We are always considerate of us."

Xiao Peng smiled and said, "I'm giving you some advice. Don't sell this thing too soon. Observe it for a while and make sure there's nothing wrong with it before selling it. That young Frenchman just told me they bought it for 50 euros. Don't be foolish and sell it for 50 euros. No matter what others say, just remember the price I gave you."

Ismail nodded and said, "You're right. I swear to God, if you hadn't told us we would have sold it for fifty euros."

Xiao Peng smiled and waved his hands: "You won't sell it so cheaply. Okay, I'm leaving first. I'll come visit your house when I have the chance. I hope we can meet again."

Seeing Xiao Peng about to leave, Beida hurriedly asked, "Xiao, what if we sell this mask to you?"

Before Xiao Peng could say anything, Ismail said directly, "Xiao already said that we should hide this mask for a while and observe how the situation develops. How could you just say you would sell it to Xiao?"

"Yes!" Xiao Peng waved his hand and said, "I still have to continue traveling. I will definitely visit you when I have the chance."

Ismail did not try to persuade them to stay any longer, after all, they still had four days before their shift change.

After saying goodbye to Ismail, Xiao Peng smiled helplessly in the car.

Why did Ismail stop Beida? Was he really listening to me? Wasn't it because he didn't trust Xiao Peng? What if Xiao Peng was also deceiving them by lowering the price?

He still has to confirm it himself before he can feel at ease!

It's a pity they underestimated Xiao Peng: he really didn't care about this 18,000 euro item. The gifts he gave to the live broadcast room were not worth this much! Even if this thing was confirmed to be Moulay Ismail's, it would only cost a few hundred thousand euros at most. Could he cheat people for such a small amount of money?

If he was still as poor as he was when he was a diver, he might have cheated them too, but now that he is a billionaire, why would he cheat others for such a small amount of money? Generally speaking, the level of a person's morality is directly proportional to the thickness of his wallet!

Xiao Peng was not angry about what Ismail and the others did: after all, it was human nature.

Xiao Peng didn't take this little episode to heart. What happened at this checkpoint had nothing to do with him. If he had to say anything, it was just knowing that he had obtained a customs clearance certificate and that the Chinese people were doing well here. That was enough!

But not long after they set off, Xiao Peng began to regret his behavior: Although Africa is near the equator, most places are not hot - but this "most places" definitely does not include the Sahara Desert and its surrounding areas!

The further south he drove, the hotter it got! The desert temperature was already over 30 degrees Celsius, and the temperature inside the train car was even hotter! The problem was that even turning on the air conditioning couldn't solve the problem: the sun was too strong! The entire train car, exposed to the sun, was scorching hot!

Xiao Peng had been complaining about the poor interior of this "Mengshi" car, as it didn't even have leather seats. Now he finally understood why he did that: if it really had leather seats, he wouldn't even dare to sit on it!

It can burn your butt!

Xiao Peng held the map, wondering whether he should continue eastward into the desert or head south to Nouakchott. After all, it seemed like it would get even hotter if he went deeper into the desert...

However, he did not hesitate for too long, as a black smoke from the horizon attracted Xiao Peng's attention.

This black smoke is definitely not natural smoke. It's more like the black smoke from burning tires: If you're driving in the desert and are in danger, burning tires is a good way to call for help. The black smoke is eye-catching and burns for a long time. On a good day, the black smoke can rise high enough to be seen from farther away. This must be someone calling for help.

Xiao Peng drove over quickly.

Mauritania is generally flat, with excellent visibility. Xiao Peng spotted a parked car from a distance. Not far away, a tire was burning, emitting the black smoke. Several people sitting near the car saw Xiao Peng approaching, jumping and waving their hands to greet him.

"Huh?" Xiao Peng frowned slightly after seeing this. Aren't those Renault and his group the ones calling for help? There were clearly three cars just now, so why is there only one here? Where are the other two cars?

Xiao Peng drove over and parked next to them: "Renault, what are you doing?"

"Thank God for not abandoning us! Sir, I see you again!"