Chapter 63: Sandalwood is a Big Business

  Here is the translation:

  "Now, let me take a sip of tea. Ah, yes... Agarwood is actually a pathological secretion of certain tree species in the families Aquifoliaceae, Lauraceae, Myristicaceae and Rutaceae. We in the timber trade just call it agarwood. When an agarwood tree gets injured or infested with insects, its trunk wound needs to be infected by fungi. The surrounding tissue then becomes diseased and starts to rot. As a result, the resin canal of the tree is stimulated, causing the resin to transform into a fatty lump that seals off the affected area to prevent further decay and spread. This lump or the surrounding wood that has been affected is what we call agarwood."

  Bai Qilin said, "Guo Yu, think about it, this situation is extremely rare. Look at this piece of agarwood, it's the real deal, and it can be considered crystalline in form. The value of this thing is extremely high, with prices per gram exceeding 10,000 yuan. In Chinese history, there have been many types of incense, but the four most precious ones are 'Chen Xiang Long Mao', and agarwood is ranked first among them. Just a few years ago, a string of Qi Nan agarwood beads sold for over 2 million."

  "Of course, agarwood is also graded, black, brown, dark green and green are all different, the value is also very different. Even so, this kind of agarwood is too rare, according to statistics, only a few dozen kilograms are produced worldwide each year. Of course, private transactions are unknown."

  "This type of agarwood is also very miscellaneous, with inverted agarwood, water agarwood, wood agarwood, ant agarwood, live agarwood, and white wood. Among them, there are things about agarwood, in fact, the agarwood carvings on the market, as well as the bracelets, most of which are made from agarwood, but this agarwood is not agarwood itself, it's just a tree that contains agarwood oil, the higher the content of agarwood oil, the higher the price, however, the trees that produce oil must be at least thirty years old or more, otherwise they are just white wood, and there is no big difference with ordinary wood, the value is not high."

  "I'm telling you, young man, this thing, as long as you have good quality goods, you won't worry about selling them. They can be used for cultural relics, religious supplies, aromatherapy products, medicinal purposes, decorative collections, and high-end crafts. And now, our country alone needs 500 tons per year, with 80% being imported. The market is flooded with fake agarwood or low-quality wood oil masquerading as high-grade agarwood. There's a saying that goes 'ten fragrances, nine fakes', which describes the current situation."

  "Even if we take a step back and say the material is not good, but the agarwood that produces oil can still be used to make agarwood oil. This stuff is also in high demand now, with a price of around $10,000 per kilogram. Using young agarwood to extract agarwood oil is also okay, as long as you can get a large quantity of wood."

  Bai Qilin spoke in a dry and hoarse voice, hastily drinking two cups of tea to recover. His words had broadened Guo Yuzhang's horizons, using wooden sticks to teach by example was much stronger than searching for information himself, and more intuitive too.

  The real agarwood is rare, and although it's valuable, it's too hard to find and can't be mass-produced, which doesn't meet the purpose of selling a large quantity. However, the agarwood in his space is different. Many of them are hundred-year-old trees with black cross-sections, which should belong to the high-oil type of agarwood. The value is not low, and the collectible level should be over 10 million per kilogram, similar to the Kyara agarwood level, which should be over 100 million.

  Agarwood has a huge market in China, Japan, India and Southeast Asian countries, with an annual turnover of over 20 billion. This is still the case when the market is severely lacking in raw materials, just right for filling the gap. Now Southeast Asia and Vietnam have very strict management on agarwood harvesting and export, while China has almost no wild agarwood left. The raw material is shrinking while the market demand is surging, this is an opportunity to get rich.

  What should be considered next is how to operate this huge market. This thing is not a controlled commodity, buying and selling are legal, it seems that I need to set up a company to sell high-end wood, and sell my own agarwood.

  There are several super-large domestic wood trading centers, such as China-Russia Wood Trading Center, Shanghai Wood Trading Center, Qingdao Wood Trading Center. Finally, Guo Yu chose Guangzhou Wood Trading Center because of its proximity.

  He plans to set up a company in Hong Kong, recruit staff, establish a sales department in Guangzhou, and ship directly from the Hong Kong dock for domestic sales. This way, he can make money without having to travel far. Of course, the first priority is to hire a few people who really understand the business, which requires a headhunting company to find suitable candidates who can start working immediately.

  In this day and age, the most valuable thing is talent, and the cheapest thing is also talent.

  At night, I had a authentic Donglai Shun dinner with Bai Qilin. Bai Qilin is really a heavy drinker, he drank over 2 catties of white wine and was only slightly drunk. Is it true that all ethnic minorities can drink? But Guo Yu wasn't afraid of him either. Now Guo Yu is someone who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Bai Qilin kept patting Guo Yu's shoulder, saying: "Brother, I'm so glad to have met you! All these years, no one could keep up with me drinking. Today, I finally found a true kindred spirit! You understand tea, can drink wine, and play with wood - these are my three greatest loves in life, and you possess all of them. We're truly destined to be together!"

  Guo Yu's inner monologue: I have a predestined relationship with you, but I hope you're not gay, that would be too scary. Of course, this is just a joke.

  The two of them kept drinking until after 10 pm, when Guo Yu finally returned to his residence at the Beijing Fishing Village Hotel, took a bath, lay in bed watching TV, and prepared to rest for the night before returning to Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon.

  The phone on the bedside table rang, Guo Yu picked it up and saw an unfamiliar number. It was already 11 o'clock, whose call was this? The phone connected, and a soft female voice came from inside, "Is Mr. Guo? I'm Tang Fei, the flight attendant from today, do you still remember?"

  "Yes, Miss Tang, what's up?"

  "Sorry to trouble you, but I have something to ask of you. Is that okay?" The voice was even softer than before, possibly because they were afraid someone might hear.

  "You said it." Guo Yu said with certainty.

  "My friend and I came to Sanlitun for fun, but my friend was tricked by someone. Now we're trapped in Wangji Bar and they won't let us leave." The little flight attendant's tone started to get anxious.

  "Was I cheated and spent a lot of money?" Guo Yu's first reaction was that he had been cheated by the wine promoter into spending a large sum.

  "No, it's my friend who was drugged by them. We're both in the restroom and don't dare to come out. If we go out, we're afraid they'll take us away. Can you help me?" The tone gradually became tearful.

  "Don't worry, I live close to you, just a few minutes away. You must hold on, if all else fails, just drag them along for a bit. Once I arrive, everything will be fine." Gu Yu said while driving and speaking on the hands-free phone, meanwhile putting on his clothes.

  Kuo Yu sped quickly, got out of the car and rushed to Sanlitun. The hotel was really not far from Sanlitun, he felt it was just a few minutes before he entered the Sanlitun bar street. From afar, he saw several men and women pulling and tugging on the street, one of the men's hands covering his head, blood dripping down, while the little flight attendant held a bottle in her hand, waving it non-stop.

  Kuo Yu was somewhat stunned, what's going on, little beauty burst into a transformation and became a lightning doll.