For Liang En, procuring various supplies was no simple task. As a newcomer, he wasn't quite clear about these matters. Fortunately, the seasoned Pierce, who had been involved in this field for a lifetime, was well-versed in its intricacies. Thus, he greatly assisted Liang En in this major procurement.
"—The RV is indeed nice. That off-road RV we saw earlier looked pretty cool. But it's not suitable for you," Pierce carefully explained to Liang En in an automobile shop.
"After all, our main operational area is in the UK, Western Europe, and Southern Europe. The key characteristics of this region are high population density and relatively advanced infrastructure."
"So, compared to those off-road RVs that are very expensive both in terms of fuel consumption and maintenance, a medium-sized truck is more suitable for us."
"You see, this region hardly has vast uninhabited areas. As a result, RV functionality is practically unnecessary. On the contrary, due to planning issues in some old city areas, larger vehicles have difficulty moving freely."
"This essentially boils down to different activity areas having different needs. If you weren't in the UK but rather in North America or a sparsely populated area like Russia, then I would definitely recommend you buy this type of off-road RV."
"I see, that makes sense!" Listening to the elder's guidance, Liang En earnestly nodded.
When he first entered, he was immediately drawn to a striking Mercedes off-road RV. If not for Pierce's reminder, he might have spent money on a vehicle that would hardly be useful to him in the short term.
After receiving the appropriate guidance, Liang En had a better grasp of these matters. Ultimately, he spent around ten thousand pounds to choose a high-end version of an Isuzu truck with a fully enclosed cargo compartment, capable of carrying four tons.
Interestingly, although this vehicle was an RV, the manufacturer listed in the documents was from Huaxia (China).
According to the dealership's staff, there had been an increasing number of vehicles produced by Huaxia in Europe in recent years. Maybe they would become as numerous as Japanese cars in the future.
Besides this vehicle from his homeland, Liang En also purchased an array of equipment related to long-distance travel. From combat jackets and helmets to a new toolbox, everything was covered.
Considering that the entire European Union in this world had uniform gun permits for certain firearms, he also bought a double-barreled hunting rifle and corresponding ammunition that could be used in most EU countries.
Based on information he found online, he and his counterparts in Russia and the US had the highest gun ownership rates. Because of the vast wilderness areas there, weapons were necessary for self-defense.
However, as Pierce had mentioned, public safety in Western Europe wasn't particularly great, especially in certain cities. Considering Liang En was an Asian, it indeed made sense for him to prepare some defensive weapons.
During this period, Liang En invested nearly all his energy into preparing various supplies and undergoing training. When he finally caught a breather from the busy schedule, he realized it was already November.
In these busy days, the private auction had also successfully concluded.
A first edition of "Harry Potter" with the author's signature sold for a price of £68,000, and that peculiar coffin was sold for £700. Following the pre-arranged 50-50 split, Liang En was set to receive over £30,000 from this income.
Just when Liang En felt he had completed all preparations and was ready to embark on the next journey, he unexpectedly received a long-distance call from France.
At first, he thought it was a scam call, as Europe wasn't immune to various telephone frauds. But after answering, he discovered that the call came from the Count of Borset's steward.
Initially, the caller apologized, explaining that a significant portion of the wealth Liang En had discovered actually belonged to other families. Consequently, they had to invest most of their efforts in returning those riches.
Due to these circumstances, they were temporarily unable to calculate the values of those assets and pay Liang En his rightful share.
"Please rest assured, we will definitely pay you the compensation you deserve before Christmas." The steward's tone was apologetic. In the aristocratic world, failing to fulfill a promise could lead to social death within noble circles.
"It's alright. Whenever you find it convenient, you can give me the money." Hearing the sincere apology, Liang En naturally skipped over this issue.
After all, he wasn't in dire need of money at the moment, and with the promissory note in hand, he wasn't worried about them failing to meet their obligations.
Or rather, if they were willing to use the prestige of their family accumulated over hundreds of years as a bargaining chip for failing to pay, Liang En felt he could easily let go of that money.
After the apology, the steward mentioned the reason for contacting Liang En that day. It was to ask for his help in conducting a search, with the target being the uncle of the current Count.
As it turned out, the father of the current Count was the second son of the family and didn't originally have the inheritance rights. However, when the Sufin War erupted, the elder son with inheritance rights went to Finland to become a war correspondent, and he disappeared directly on the battlefield.
"Didn't you try to find your heir when he went missing?" Liang En inquired with a hint of confusion.
In his understanding, such a matter would be of great importance to any traditional aristocratic family. Therefore, waiting for over half a century before initiating a search didn't sit well with him.
"We never stopped searching," the steward sighed. "However, in the beginning, that area was a war zone, and we couldn't deploy sufficient manpower to conduct a search."
"And after the war ended, the place where young Mr. Duris disappeared became part of Soviet territory. Under those circumstances, crossing national borders to search became an impossible task."
"So, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, we've dispatched several groups to search for young Mr. Duris, but unfortunately, after all these years, the local changes have been so profound that we can't find any clues whatsoever."
"Why did you entrust this task to me, then?" Liang En's face showed his confusion. "I assume you know that I've been in this field for less than half a year. I don't have significant advantages in this area."
"We are well aware of this, but after so much time, we believe that finding what young Mr. Duris left behind might require not just skill or ability, but also a bit of luck."
"And you—" here, the count's steward emphasized his words. "We believe your luck is the best among all the treasure hunters we've encountered. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for you to locate the treasure that's been missing for centuries."
"After all, we're not lacking the funds to hire additional personnel. Spending a bit more to employ a treasure hunter is not a bad proposition for us."
"Truly, you are rich," Liang En muttered in his mind, but he still agreed to take on this job. To him, this assignment had no downsides.
Thus, at the end of the call, Liang En and the steward agreed to meet in Paris the day after tomorrow. The steward would then provide him with a series of documents.