Chapter 42: Chapter 40 Ambergris
“I don’t know, found it by the sea.” Huo Sining shrugged.
“Why would you dig up something so smelly and even bring it back!”
As soon as Su Qingqing smelled the stench, she instantly sobered up, looking disdainfully at the object in Huo Sining’s hand.
She was about to persuade Huo Sining to throw the thing away when suddenly a phrase that Xie Daoyuan had mentioned flashed through her mind, her face immediately showing shock as she hurriedly grabbed Huo Sining’s hand, “Let me see it!”
Seeing the serious expression on Su Qingqing’s face, Huo Sining quickly opened her palm.
Su Qingqing took the black object, smaller than a table tennis ball, in her hand and scraped at the black outer layer with her finger.
After she saw white hard substance exposed underneath and took a closer sniff, still frowning, she then looked up at Huo Sining curiously, “Although I can’t be sure, I think I might guess what this is.”
Huo Sining became curious, “What is it?”
Su Qingqing said deliberately, “Ambergris.”
Huo Sining had never heard the name before and was puzzled, “What is ambergris?”
Su Qingqing rolled her eyes subconsciously, “Simply put, ambergris is a special substance secreted in the intestines of a sperm whale, which when vomited out or excreted, dries and hardens over time into the form of ambergris.”
Huo Sining’s eyes widened, “You mean, this stuff, is that what, sperm whale poop?!”
The room was still filled with that fishy stench, and Huo Sining felt sick; she had actually brought home thirty or forty pounds of whale feces and had foolishly treated it like a treasure!
The more she thought about it, the more Huo Sining hated that no-good dolphin.
She must have been played by that creature! Dammit, don’t let me encounter you again; I’ll hit you every time I see you!
Seeing Huo Sining’s frustrated look, Su Qingqing knew there was a misunderstanding and hurriedly explained, “I haven’t finished my explanation! Although ambergris does come from whale feces, it’s actually a rare treasure.”
“A treasure?” Huo Sining looked at Su Qingqing in surprise.
Su Qingqing nodded, “From a medical perspective, ambergris has the effect of promoting circulation, dispersing energy, and relieving pain. Ambergris is also a top-quality fragrance; when fumigated, it gives off a unique fragrance that can invigorate the mind and boost the spirit.”
“In ancient times, ambergris was a tribute item only used by the royal nobles. In modern times, it’s needless to say, with sperm whales becoming rarer, ambergris is simply invaluable. This piece I’m holding, would be worth at least four or five thousand dollars!”
“How much?!” Huo Sining’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“I’ve never seen ambergris before, but the professor once mentioned in a lecture that when it first enters the sea, it’s light black, then slowly turns gray, and finally white.”
Seeing Huo Sining’s skepticism, Su Qingqing hurriedly explained,
“Generally speaking, white ambergris is of the highest quality. To become white ambergris, it needs to soak in seawater for at least a hundred years to bleach out all impurities.”
“I just checked, and the ambergris you have is white inside, which proves that the seawater has soaked out all the impurities. Such ambergris is top-quality, and the price will only be higher, not lower. Four or five thousand dollars is my conservative estimate,” Su Qingqing said uncertainly.
Huo Sining was so shaken by Su Qingqing’s words that she was at a loss for words.
This table tennis ball-sized piece of ambergris was no more than fifty grams, but the problem was the big chunk of ambergris she had carried back weighed thirty or forty pounds!
Doesn’t that mean the piece of ambergris she brought back was worth over a million dollars?
Thinking of the larger chunks of ambergris attached under that huge rock, Huo Sining felt both depressed and regretful.
She finally understood what she had missed out on: there were at least a hundred or two hundred kilograms of ambergris under that rock, a treasure worth tens of millions!
Su Qingqing, looking at the piece of ambergris in her hand, suddenly had an idea. Her eyes twinkled, and she raised her head and flashed a flattering smile at Huo Sining, “Ningning, you wouldn’t mind if I cut off a small piece, would you?”
Huo Sining didn’t know what Su Qingqing was up to and shook her head upon hearing her words.
With a glint in her eyes and without another word, Su Qingqing took a small knife and carefully carved off a small piece from the side of the chunk of ambergris. Then, she found a lighter and cautiously lit it up.
A rich and exotic fragrance instantly wafted through the air, overpowering the foul smell in the room in an instant.
Although it was only a piece of fragrance material the size of a fingernail, the entire room was filled with its scent, and the long-lasting, elegant fragrance still lingered for a long time without dissipating.
Upon smelling this aroma, Huo Sining felt invigorated.
She immediately understood the meaning behind Su Qingqing’s words. The exotic fragrance was indeed refreshing and stimulating, so rich and enticing, no wonder so many people were so eager for it.
Seeing how much Su Qingqing loved the piece of ambergris, Huo Sining generously gave it to her.
Initially, Su Qingqing hesitated and tried to refuse, but the next second, Huo Sining dragged over a huge bag and threw it in front of her.
Looking at the large bag containing about thirty or forty pounds of massive chunks of ambergris, Su Qingqing was so stunned she was lost for words.Upd@te by novg0 .co
Su Qingqing was somewhat speechless: “You clearly don’t understand anything, so why is it that you just randomly go to the sea and dig up such a huge treasure? It’s so unfair that the heavens have given all the good luck to you.”
“I plan to sell this thing. Do you know where to sell it?” Huo Sining asked directly.
“Sell it?!” Su Qingqing became anxious upon hearing this, “Do you know how precious this thing is? It’s not just the Chinese who are crazy about ambergris, those French perfume companies also have a huge demand for it. The price of ambergris keeps rising, and if you collect it for a few years, its price will definitely multiply.”
Collect? Huo Sining’s mouth twitched slightly: “This thing stinks, where do you think I could keep it? Besides, its smell is so distinct—if someone knowledgeable were to sniff it out, wouldn’t that be openly inviting thieves?”
“Uh…” Confronted with the large stinky piece, Su Qingqing suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Although ambergris was precious, it indeed was of no use to Huo Sining.
She had no need for something to refresh and stimulate her mind, as the Water-Repelling Pearl was much more useful than this; and as for collecting, she really didn’t have a hobby of collecting such things.
Moreover, Huo Sining was certain that the ambergris under that rock would definitely not be found by just anyone.
If one day she really needed it, she could simply find a way to visit that small island again. There was so much ambergris under the rock, she could dig as much as she wanted—why would she bother to meticulously collect it?
Seeing that Huo Sining was insistent on selling, Su Qingqing couldn’t do anything about it. After thinking for a bit, she said to Huo Sining:
“Ambergris is bought by pharmacies, perfume companies, and antique shops, but the prices offered by those places will definitely not be very high. Those French luxury companies also control the price of ambergris. If you just take it to sell it like that, you’ll certainly be at a loss.”
Of course, Huo Sining did not want to suffer a loss. Upon hearing Su Qingqing’s words, she became anxious: “Ah, what should I do then?”
“I think it’s better to put it up for auction. Such a large piece of ambergris would definitely be of interest to an auction house. Moreover, nowadays, there are many wealthy people holding lots of idle capital with nowhere to invest, and the collection market is going crazy. If those people see such a highly valuable piece of ambergris, they’d definitely be willing to pay a hefty sum to hold onto it and wait for its value to increase!”
After listening to Su Qingqing’s analysis, Huo Sining silently marveled that this girl was indeed from the Su Family.
Although Su Qingqing was both clumsy and naive, she had still picked up quite a few traits of a cunning merchant from being around them. She may sound like a fool in everyday conversation, but when it came to business and making money, the moment she spoke, her analysis was on point and her suggestions were savvy.
This time, Su Qingqing took the initiative and made the contact without Huo Sining having to say a word.
Upon learning that Huo Sining had dug up another wonderful item, Su Jinyuan’s lips twitched involuntarily, and he thought to himself: Does that girl have to be so lucky? Over thirty pounds of ambergris—do we even have that much nowadays? How can one just stumble upon it while strolling along the beach? Why haven’t I ever encountered such good fortune when scouring the sea?