Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1088: Chapter 1084: Song Chaoying’s Proposal

Although Huo Sining lowered her voice, she didn’t deliberately keep Song Chaoying in the dark, so Song Chaoying, who was standing nearby, could still hear what Huo Sining was saying clearly.

When Song Chaoying suddenly chimed in, Huo Sining wasn’t annoyed; instead, she looked at her and nodded, asking, ”What do you have to say, Sister Ying?”

Song Chaoying smiled and said, ”Our casino can internally digest about five tons of gold annually. Some special clients come to our casino for competitive events, using gold as transaction chips. However, our purchase price for gold is slightly lower than the market price. If Miss Huo doesn’t mind, you can consider our Aocheng Casino. That’s the first point.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Sining was quite surprised. She had always thought that cash was the primary form of transaction at Aocheng, but it turns out that gold was also part of it. However, even for the wealthy Aocheng Casino, taking in about five tons of gold is feasible, yet it is still quite a ways from Huo Sining’s forty tons.

Seeing that Huo Sining didn’t speak, Song Chaoying continued:

”Secondly, besides Aocheng, there are some smuggling boats on the high seas that are willing to accept gold bar transactions. These smuggling boats usually only do business with acquaintances, but their reputation is absolutely reliable. Moreover, what can’t be handled on land can usually be processed at sea. Although the Song Group’s business is not prosperous nowadays, we still have connections in this area. These smuggling boats might not handle forty tons, but one or two tons shouldn’t be an issue.”

This is true. Although Huo Sining studied bioengineering, she knows quite a bit about maritime matters. For those familiar with docks and ships, the high seas constitute a very special realm.

The high seas belong to an international scope, which means as long as citizens reach the high seas, they are essentially beyond national borders, not subject to national laws, nor are they restricted by regulatory systems.

These days, countries’ control and contention over land have become increasingly severe, leaving only the high seas with significant controversy, making it one of the few free zones on Earth.

Just like when Huo Sining helped the Song Group gamble on the high seas earlier, in the high seas area, there is no concern about breaking laws because the high seas are part of international free zones, unrestricted by any legal constraints.

Hence, on the high seas, not only can one gamble, but also smuggle foreign exchange, firearms, substances, ****, and even commit murder without facing legal repercussions, as the high seas belong to no one, no country, and no organization, lying beyond the reach of legal authority.

What is illegal under domestic law can be found on the high seas, which is why the high seas are referred to as a haven for indulgence and decadence.

However, where there is a market, there is demand, which is why smuggling ships like the ones mentioned by Song Chaoying exist.

In the early days of the reform and opening-up, smuggling was the most talked-about topic among coastal residents, especially in southern coastal cities. Because smuggling was lucrative, it gave rise to many notorious figures in the smuggling sector, who quickly amassed astonishing fortunes through small goods like cigarettes, alcohol, cosmetics, and larger items like cars, crude oil, and weapons.

Initially, during times of less stringent national regulation, these smugglers were almost omnipotent, acquiring almost anything as long as they received money.

In the 1990s, a smuggling wave of cars swept through the mainland. Back then, Honda, Toyota, and other cars on the streets were more than half cheaper than the legally purchased ones, mostly smuggled illegally through ships.

Later, at the end of the 20th century, when domestic oil prices soared, some smuggling boats started smuggling thousands of tons of oil from the Middle East, stirring up a domestic crude oil smuggling wave, with many private gas station owners reaping fortunes from smuggling gasoline.

In recent years, due to the increasing state control over maritime smuggling, no one dares to smuggle in inland seas anymore, with most smuggling ships moving to the high seas, where illegal goods also flow out from these smuggling vessels.

To an outsider, hearing about high seas smuggling might seem vague, thinking that the high seas aren’t lands, so how is business done?

In reality, most current smuggling follows a single pattern: powerful smugglers buy a massive oceangoing ship, anchoring it on the high seas. The ship is loaded with various smuggled goods, like a huge floating mall, serving as a covert trade base.

Trade ships from various other places come directly to this trade base, board the ship to select the goods they want to buy, then conduct on-the-spot transactions and transport the goods away by ship. Once entered into coastal ports, they distribute the goods further into the mainland.

This forms a complete profit chain. Because of enhanced regulatory and legal systems, past large-scale smuggling doesn’t exist anymore, so these smugglers adopt such methods to smuggle goods.

Of course, these smugglers also smuggle domestic goods to other countries for trade, like the gold trade mentioned by Song Chaoying, which is generally destined for places like India and Thailand, as the demand for gold in South Asia is huge, and smuggling trade is much safer and simpler than in Huaxia.

However, these smuggling ships can only handle one to two tons at a time. To sell everything, they would need to contact a dozen or so smuggling ships, which is too troublesome and conspicuous, making it too much hassle for Huo Sining.

Seeing Huo Sining’s expression, Song Chaoying knew that she was not satisfied with the first two suggestions, so she smiled and said:

”And lastly, there’s the investment in mining areas, like the Myanmar Jade Mining Area. If you can get involved in investing in Myanmar’s jade mining, you can directly trade using gold, as the people in Myanmar prefer gold, followed by the dollar and the euro.”

What Song Chaoying said was not untrue. In Myanmar, not only do ordinary people gamble on stones, but even many transactions between Jade Company utilize gold for transactions. Even those with some wealth have a few pieces of gold hidden under their beds.

But Song Chaoying’s last suggestion, while it sounds decent at first, upon deeper thought, seems utterly unreliable. Myanmar was in civil war not long ago, fighting over the ownership of jade mines. How could they possibly allow Huo Sining, a Huaxia person, to meddle and invest in jade mining production?

Thinking this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but voice her doubts.

A smile immediately appeared on Song Chaoying’s face: ”For the average person, that’s impossible. But the Song Group happens to have collaborations with Myanmar’s four major families, granting us a certain level of influence over several jade mining areas.”