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“Yes, very real, Dianxia, and I hope you will approve the project.” Izzie gasped and waved a hand at him. “Not because we know each other, of course, but because this is a good thing for your country. I’ve been looking to launch another vineyard, but I wanted to make it a unique challenge, as well as something Kairo and I could build together over many years. I’m quite a fan of Gaoxing’s plum wine, but it is quite hard to get outside of Asia. Most of the land I’ve chosen will be dedicated to grape vines and plum orchards. From there, we can make the original Gaoxing plum wine and some unique variations using the grapes.”
“But Minister Gong Hou has stated that you’ve chosen steep, rocky hillsides for your venture. Aren’t you creating more work for yourself?”
Izzie made a little dismissive noise. “I’m Greek. Everything we do is built on a hillside. I’m not worried about that. The important thing was to not buy up any valuable flat farmland from your people when grapes are just as happy on a hill.”
Jin could only stare at the booklet in his hands. He glimpsed some of the initial figures and did the math in his head in terms of new revenue that would instantly be brought in. That didn’t even count the long-term gains his people would see from this. It wouldn’t fix all their problems, but it would buy them some breathing space and give his people something positive to cling to in their dark times.
“Isidore, I…I don’t know what to say. Are you really willing to risk this much money in the name of charity?” Jin stammered.
“Charity? No, no, no. This isn’t charity.” Izzie paused, his nose wrinkling. “Okay, maybe it’s a tiny bit of charity. I wasn’t as aggressive in the negotiations for the plot of land as I should have been, but that’s not important. This is a business opportunity. I expect to turn a profit on this. Plus, we create new jobs and we get to share a slice of Gaoxing culture with the world. At least ninety-five percent of my staff will be locals. I want to hire little grandmothers to teach me how to make proper plum wine. It’s going to be wonderful and exciting.”
Alexei snickered beside him. “Plus, if West is staying here, we’ll have a place to crash on the island for visits, because you know Izzie and Kairo are going to be splitting their time between here and Europe.”
“Oh, yes. Kairo and I will be here a lot. It takes a great deal of time and hands-on work to get a vineyard and an orchard up and running,” Izzie agreed with a nod.
Jin’s mind was spinning. “You think West will stay?”
Both men laughed, their shoulders knocking into each other.
“Of course he’s staying!” Alexei exploded.
Izzie elbowed him hard and gave him a look, then pointedly glanced at the guards.
Alexei covered his mouth and whispered a muffled, “Sorry.”
Izzie leaned forward, his expression soft and warm. “There’s no missing how much West cares for you. I can’t imagine him ever leaving your side.”
“And you’re planning to visit?”
“Well, yeah,” Alexei answered, making it sound like the most obvious thing in the world. “Gaoxing is cool. I mean, other than your current assassin infestation. We’ll hang out, have some fun, eat good food. Izzie will get us drunk on his wine. It’ll be fun.”
Isidore picked up his cup of tea and blew on the steaming liquid. “Plus, Max is talking to the heads of your historical society at the Royal University of Jin about a possible joint archeological expedition.”
“What?”
Alexei snorted. “Yeah, someone mentioned a lost temple and a fox spirit. That man was just gone. For the past two days, he’s been dragging around a translator and talking to historians while trying to learn your language. I think it’s going to be a while before Ed can drag him out of your country.”
Jin fell back in his chair, his mind struggling to keep up with everything that was happening. An archeological expedition not only meant increased revenue for the kingdom through the various permits and fees, but if they made a discovery, it would mean new global interest in his people. Renewed interest meant an influx of new tourists.
Yes, in the grand scheme of things, these were but drops in the ocean. Yet the drops were accumulating much faster now. With just a bit more, the kingdom could reach a positive turning point.
“We also wanted to visit with you to make sure that you’re okay after the incident with the speech a couple of days ago,” Izzie asked. Jin smiled at the sweet man, who looked very much like he wanted to envelop Jin in a hug. Alexei appeared as if he were in the mood to shoot more people.
