Chapter 1145: It seems like I’ve been tricked
William sat beside Xiao Peng with an anxious look on his face. But he didn't want to interrupt Xiao Peng as he was reading. Finally, when Xiao Peng finished reading a book and was about to change it, William interrupted and said, "Xiao, why did Lloyd's Insurance Company give you this information?"
Xiao Peng glanced at William and said, "This information is in the lobby of Lloyd's Insurance Company. Anyone who enters can view it. I simply asked the broker who insured the Luna to take a picture of it for me. It's not difficult. Besides, Lloyd's Insurance Company needs me. I have a cooperative relationship with them."
"What kind of cooperative relationship do you have with them?" William was puzzled.
Xiao Peng said, "In the past fifteen years, Lloyd's Insurance Company has had over $1.5 billion stolen from insurers and brokers through various means. Forty years ago, that figure would have been several times higher. After all, many maritime disasters are impossible to investigate. Although Lloyd's is still profitable, they're very unhappy about being fleeced, and they want to recover the losses as much as possible."
Lloyd's Insurance's main business is ocean-going cargo ships, and the insurance premiums here are staggering.
For example, during the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf region became a battlefield. Iran and Iraq simultaneously launched oil tanker raids. Tankers entering the Gulf were either directly hit by artillery fire or trapped with both crew and vessel. At the time, no insurance company in the world, except Lloyd's, dared to accept insurance for ships bound for the Gulf—the risks were simply too great. But Lloyd's took on the responsibility.
During the Iran-Iraq War, over a hundred ships were trapped and sunk in the Gulf. Lloyd's paid out over $500 million in insurance premiums, but ultimately, they profited over $10 billion during the war! The war lasted eight years, and they earned over $1 billion annually.
A cargo ship in the Gulf region costs $4 million a week to insure! Even with war, the Gulf remains the world's most important oil transportation route, with countless ships risking their lives transiting there. This insurance money continues to flow into Lloyd's, making money faster than a money printing press!
It is for this reason that so many people have set their sights on their company, trying to take advantage of it. After all, it is too difficult to thoroughly investigate a shipwreck.
So after the Luna was insured there, Lloyd's Insurance Company also approached Xiao Peng, wanting to cooperate with the Salvage King to investigate some suspected insurance fraud related to the shipwreck. Xiao Peng did not agree to this outright, after all... the money was too little for him!
But he didn't give up in one breath. After all, such a relationship still had to be maintained!
Think about it! From 1688 to the present, thousands of ships have been lost among their insured vessels, most of which date back to the last two hundred years. Many of these vessels hold valuable assets worth salvaging, and comparing various sources reveals that finding these vessels for salvage is far more effective than salvaging more recent wrecks!
William saw Xiao Peng took out another book and started to read. He grabbed Xiao Peng and said, "Xiao, I heard that Fan Clay wanted to find you and locked you out?"
"Fan Clay?" Xiao Peng was stunned. "Who is it?"
"My cousin!" William said, "That's William Van Clay."
Xiao Peng still looked confused.
William said: "It's the Prince of Groningen. Ask your butler to tell him that in Daxia, only dogs are judged by their bloodline!"
"Oh!" Xiao Peng suddenly realized: "So it's him! Why is he looking for me? I don't even know him!"
William said embarrassedly: "He was the one who called the police and said you were destroying the environment!"
"Oh! So it was him who did it!" Xiao Peng clapped his hands. "If I had known this, I would have met him! I must thank him very much!"
"Thank him?" William was confused.
Xiao Peng nodded and said, "Really? William, I tell you, Villa Eikenhorst is really useless to me. You said such a big house and such a big manor. I'm not exaggerating, it's bigger than the entire village with farmland when I was a child! I felt like I was dreaming of having such a big house. I was so excited at first! But after arriving here, what happened? The helicopter can't land, the house can't be air-conditioned, and we have to burn the fireplace every day in this cold winter! The circuits are aging and I dare not run high-power appliances. I want to modify them but it's not allowed. The ancient building protection department is so strict. Do you think I should live in it? I'll suffer! Don't live in it? I have to pay so much tax every year! That house is really 'tasteless to eat and a pity to throw away'. This time I wanted to do some landscaping in the yard but was fined. The money is a small matter, but this incident made me make up my mind. I can't live in this house no matter what!"
William sighed and said, "Well, that house does have a lot of problems, but it is indeed a symbol of our royal family."
"Symbol? So as the owner, I only have the right to live there, and I can't touch anything else?" Xiao Peng said, "Anyway, I've really had enough of this house! I might as well go back to France. My little villa in La Ciotat isn't as big as this one, but I can lie on the roof and play the suona, and no one will sue me for disturbing the neighbors. My neighbors will even happily come to my place to enjoy the music! But here? A neighbor a kilometer away can sue me for damaging the environment! This is too unfriendly! I won't live here anymore! Not for any reason!"
William sighed and said, "Let me tell you the truth. Besides being a prince, Van Clay has another identity. He's the owner of the Ardan Ocean Exploration Company, and the Ifrit is his ship! Because he's a board member of the IHC Group, the Ifrit has joined the Tri-State Salvage Alliance and has become one of its vessels. But because of his vulture behavior in the Black Sea, you haven't assigned the Ifrit any salvage missions. This has made him very angry, so he's taking this opportunity to retaliate!"
Xiao Peng slapped his forehead when he heard this. "Oh my god! I'm just an ordinary citizen! How could I have offended the Prince of the Netherlands? I don't dare live in this house anymore! How about this? I'll just return the house to you! The property tax you pay will be considered my rent."
William said helplessly, "Xiao, let's stop making trouble, okay? Van Clay has been expelled from the IHC Group board of directors, and the Ifrit has been removed from the Tri-State Salvage Alliance. He's received the punishment he deserves. Wouldn't it be nice for you to just live here peacefully and make this the future headquarters of the salvage alliance? You can do whatever you want with that house, as long as you don't change the exterior! The Port of The Hague will waive berthing fees for your two ships! The Dutch royal family will cover the expenses, right?"
Xiao Peng curled his lips and said, "It sounds nice, but in the end it's the taxpayers who are going to pay for it!"
"Then what are your conditions?" William said, "Whatever conditions you put in today, I'll agree to them as long as I can do them!"
"Really?" Xiao Peng suddenly grinned.
William's heart skipped a beat when he saw Xiao Peng's smile: Damn, it seems like I've been tricked!
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