50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 857 Three Sets of Business Cards
How much would someone be worth if they could store a bottle of fine wine worth $200 million in their cellar?

Alcohol is a purely fast-moving consumer good; only truly wealthy people would spend so much money on alcohol.

Therefore, when Sun Zhiwei mentioned the first type of wine in his collection, the price of 200 million yuan immediately piqued the interest of everyone who heard it.

The research conducted by these scientists is very expensive, and some of their research is needed by the country, so it will naturally receive government funding.

However, most of their research is done by individuals, so they need to raise the funds for their research themselves.

It's important to understand that scientific research often relies on luck; aside from good ideas, it requires a lot of time and money.

For example, as everyone knows, tungsten filament is the best material for making lamp filaments.

But that was Edison's final conclusion after years of experimentation, testing more than 1600 materials, and making comparisons.

If he had been richer at the time, he could have used more assistants to shorten the research time.

It would take one person three years to study 1600 materials, but ten people would only need four months, and if they were lucky enough, they might be able to get results in a few weeks.

That's the difference between being rich and not being rich.

For scientists, as long as the idea is sound and the funding is sufficient, results will inevitably be achieved; it's just a matter of time.

If you're lucky, you'll get results sooner and spend less money; if you're unlucky, you'll spend more, and no one can guarantee that.

But if we could get the support of a very wealthy person, wouldn't the funding problem be easy to solve?

Therefore, when the scientists present learned that the explorer was also a very wealthy man, their attitudes naturally changed.

Sun Zhiwei had already observed the expressions on everyone's faces in the bar, yet he continued his performance to reinforce his image as a wealthy man:

"There's also a limited edition Islay whisky, which I heard is a single malt whisky from the island that has been aged for a long time."

"I haven't tasted the wine yet, because there's only one bottle and I haven't been able to bring myself to drink it. But what impressed me most about this wine was the bottle; it was really heavy."

"Hahaha, of course it's heavy! It's a bottle made entirely of platinum; if you bump it on your head, you'll get a huge bump."

What others can figure out, Peter can naturally figure out as well.

Peter was the happiest person at this moment. Of all the scientists present, he was the only one who got along well with Sun Zhiwei. Wouldn't that make things easier for them in the future?

"James, we've got a deal. When I go to New York, don't be stingy with these expensive drinks."

"What's there to be reluctant about? Wine is meant to be drunk, otherwise, why would I buy it?"

"Come on, we don't have any fine wine right now, so let's make do with this whiskey for now, cheers."

The two had just clinked glasses when Saul Maxwell, the climatologist from Sweden, came over.

"Mr. James, I heard you're in a hurry to leave Svalbard?"

“Yes, Professor Maxwell, but it seems there are no departing flights from the airport lately. If all else fails, I’ll have to borrow a car from the pub and head to Longyearbyen to catch a flight there.” “As far as I know, the regular flights from Longyearbyen to Oslo only run once a week, and the next one won’t be for another four days. Can you wait that long?”

"Oh, another four days? Fuck, I have an urgent matter to attend to in New York. But the only flights to New York are from Oslo."

Sun Zhiwei pretended to be annoyed and downed his whiskey in one gulp.

Upon hearing this, Saul Maxwell's eyes lit up even more, and he immediately said, "Mr. James, there are flights to New York not only in Oslo, but also in Stockholm, Sweden."

“If you are really in a hurry to return to New York, there is a flight from Stockholm early tomorrow morning. I can introduce you to that flight to Sweden.”

"However, you must have your passport in your hand."

"Really? That's great! I have my passport with me. Thank you for your help, Dr. Maxwell. Here is my business card. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything."

Sun Zhiwei presented a plain gold-embossed business card with only his name and a phone number, which was the number from his office as chairman of the Robert Group in New York.

There were two telephones in that office, one red and one white. The white one was for regular numbers, and the red one was for important numbers.

Although he never worked in that office, there were still people on duty there 24 hours a day, and a dedicated secretary would usually answer the phone, so you could still find him.

There are three different sets of business cards in Sun Zhiwei's space.

One set is embossed in gold, with James's name and the white telephone number of the group's office on it. He usually gives these to ordinary friends, like the ones he gave to Dr. Maxwell.

If someone receives this business card and calls for help, minor matters will be handled by the secretary, while major matters will be decided by the group's president, Huang Mingyu.

The other set consists of pure gold business cards, still bearing James's name, but with the corresponding red office phone number. He only gives these cards to close friends.

When the red phone rings, the conversation is transferred to Sun Zhiwei's satellite phone.

He has only given out three cards so far: the first to New York Governor Mario Cuomo, the second to Bishop Wilson of St. John's Cathedral, and the third to John Carlson, chairman of Christie's.

The last set of business cards was just a blank sheet of paper with only a phone number on it, which was from another satellite phone he always carried with him.

This is for some special friends, many of whom are unaware of his true identity.

However, the call could not always be made, because Sun Zhiwei kept the satellite phone in space while on missions.

These business cards represent James's interpersonal relationships. The first two types do not need to be kept secret, so they can be handled by the group on his behalf.

As for domestic matters, all communication was conducted via telegram, once a week. In case of emergency, Xu Yimin and Lao Han would naturally contact Tong Jiajia.

In the tavern, Dr. Maxwell was delighted to receive the business card. He had another drink with Sun Zhiwei, and after agreeing on the flight departure time for the next day, he left.

He needed to hurry back to Stockholm to arrange a plane to come over; as the director of the Environment Division of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, he still had that authority.

Peter, watching Dr. Maxwell leave, said apologetically to Sun Zhiwei, "I'm sorry, I'm just an ordinary scientist and I can't mobilize such resources to help you."

(End of this chapter)