Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 151: Ch.150 Dining

Chapter 151: Ch.150 Dining

Naturally, everything the old man considered, Su Ming had already calculated. It's because merchants chase profit, and pawnshops, which rely heavily on connections and reputation, deal in the business of buying and selling, making it impossible for them to resist such temptation.

"Youth is truly impressive," the old man said, wiping the water from his beard, as he walked out from behind the counter to invite Su Ming to sit down for tea.

He had no doubt that if this young white man weren't in urgent need of money, he could have easily sold the items directly to the royal family, leaving the old man out of the equation. But royal payments are often slow, and sometimes they settle with land or goods—things a young man wouldn't be interested in.

As for why Su Ming chose the pawnshop instead of a foreign broker, the old man surmised that brokers are intermediaries and might not have enough ready cash to buy such valuable jewelry outright.

The young man had already mentioned his urgent need to buy a ship and head to sea, so he was after cash.

The old man also had his own ship. Although he knew that finding a lost ship was like searching for a needle in a haystack, whether it was to save lives or retrieve goods, the sooner, the better.

"You flatter me, shopkeeper, but I must ask, will you take this deal?" Su Ming smiled faintly, sipping his tea after blowing away the steam. It felt like an eternity since he last tasted authentic tea.

"Young friend, you're straightforward, and how could I not recognize such an opportunity? I'm interested in taking this deal, but I wonder..."

"One of these pieces of jewelry was once sold by my ancestor to buy an entire fleet that sailed the seas. However, times have changed, and I now need cash urgently. Thus, I'm willing to offer this treasure for the sum of ten thousand to you, Uncle."

The old man stroked his beard. He had addressed Su Ming as "young friend," and in no time, this foreigner was calling himself "nephew." Do foreigners also like to cozy up this quickly? It gave the old man goosebumps, but the price was just right.

The term "ten thousand" obviously referred to dollars, not copper coins.

Asking for ten thousand dollars, with a clear resale path laid out, and the jewelry itself being of world-class quality—this young man was using the pawnshop as a middleman, not really pawning at all. There might be some trickery involved, but to refuse such a gift from the heavens would be a mistake.

The old man's face showed a mix of emotions, and he even plucked a few hairs from his beard in his contemplation. Finally, he nodded and smiled at Su Ming, saying, "Agreed. Nephew, would you accept a Citibank draft?"

Su Ming smiled as well; it was a done deal, much easier than he had anticipated. He still had plenty of tricks up his sleeve that he hadn't even needed to use.

"Of course."

"Then allow me a moment to make the arrangements."

The old man sent his accountant to handle the matter while he stayed behind to chat with Su Ming.

They laughed together, a seemingly strange scene with two people of different races chatting happily in fluent Chinese.

The pawnshop wasn't large, but it had deep resources. Who knew which Chinese business association was backing it? In no time, they presented a draft for ten thousand dollars.

Politely declining the old man's invitation to stay for a meal, Su Ming headed to the nearby Citibank to cash out the draft.

Dressed in a flamboyant Hawaiian floral shirt, with one hundred $100 bills in his pocket, Franklin was smiling up at him.

In fact, during this era, there was also a form of gold certificates directly linked to the Federal Reserve's gold reserves, each worth ten thousand dollars. But Hawaii was still considered rural America at this time, so such large bills wouldn't be practical.

Hawaii wasn't quite a city yet, just a slightly larger town.

Ten thousand dollars in this era was equivalent to about eighty thousand in Su Ming's time. This interdimensional profiteering was terrifying—Su Ming had made over a hundredfold profit.

The pawnshop certainly wouldn't lose out either. They could likely sell the jewelry to the Hawaiian royal family for even more. However, without a formal identity, it was inconvenient for Su Ming to haggle with the royal family.

The royal family wouldn't lose either; as former nobility, this timeless jewelry was a symbol of status and identity. After losing their position as Hawaii's rulers, they now needed such symbols more than ever.

It could be said that this was a transaction where all parties were satisfied.

Next, Su Ming planned to obtain an identity.

At this time, the United States hadn't yet implemented comprehensive population censuses or identity verification. The 1920s used a system called life registration, which recorded specific information from a person's birth to their death, with each state's population bureau keeping records.

In 1939, President Roosevelt introduced the Social Security Number system, which served as an alternative ID. Whether for tax purposes or paying into retirement funds, it was all done through this number.

Hawaii's situation was even more special. It wasn't officially made a state until 1950. At this point, it was neither fully a colony nor a puppet state—it was in a unique status.

The people of Hawaii had overthrown their feudal monarchy themselves and voluntarily joined the United States.

As for why some people saw that the insurgent troops were all white, why the seas were filled with patrolling American warships, and why there were men in black suits conducting secret activities?

Well, you must have been mistaken! Do you dare to repeat that in front of twenty thousand Marine Corps soldiers?

Su Ming looked very young, so he could easily pose as an American born in Hawaii. A little money would get him a legitimate identity record, verifiable and all.

It could be said that his preparations were almost complete. Soon, he would be able to go to the U.S. mainland to begin his plans.

When he returned to the small cargo ship, Burd was still waiting for him. He was lying on a deck chair, his fishing rod stuck in the ground next to him.

The butler and the workers were nowhere to be seen; they were probably still out selling the goods and eating. The sea breeze ruffled Burd's gray hair, making him appear even older.

"Burd," Su Ming called.

The captain put away his fishing rod and rubbed his eyes, tired from staring at the shimmering sea. "Ah, it's a fine day today, isn't it? Shall we go?"

"Why don't you pick the place? I'll be heading back to the U.S. in a few days, so let's choose somewhere with a bit of local flavor."

"Indeed, staying here too long makes one lazy. It's too comfortable. How about we try some 'Loco Moco'?"

Burd smiled and nodded, full of British gentlemanly grace, as if they were heading to Buckingham Palace for a banquet.

Su Ming wasn't omniscient; he had no memory of what Loco Moco was, so he let Burd lead him into downtown Honolulu to a small local restaurant.

And then he realized, Slade had eaten this before—it just had a different name in the future.

In the future, it would be called—Papaya Burger Patty with Egg and Gravy, or simply Hawaiian Plate.

It really was a dish representative of Hawaii. The primary populations in Hawaii were Americans, Japanese, Chinese, and locals. So, mixing together the culinary features of these various ethnic groups resulted in this mishmash dish.

The taste was okay; at first bite, it was somewhat reminiscent of Sichuan cuisine but with the addition of seafood, fruit, and cream. It was still better than Cindy's stew, though.

Su Ming added another item to his wishlist: once he got to New York, he would have to eat some authentic Chinese food.

As for now, he could consider it expanding his information reserves, a reminder that he should avoid trying food with names he didn't understand in the future.

Burd ate happily, not noticing the pity in Su Ming's gaze.

What good was money? He had spent the first decades of his life eating fish and chips every day, gazing at the stars, under the reign of Britain's notoriously terrible cuisine. Even with money, he hadn't enjoyed it much.

A few days ago, Su Ming had been running around on the battlefield, so he made do with what he had. But now that he had money and time, who would want to eat this sea-and-land stew?

"Waiter!" Su Ming snapped his fingers like a typical American, catching the local server's attention. Then he placed another order: "Two grilled lobsters, and a Martini with ice, shaken, not stirred."

Su Ming had long wanted to taste what 007's favorite drink was like. If it was good enough for the world's best secret agent, then the best mercenary wanted to try it too.

However...

The waiter looked utterly confused, as if he didn't understand at all.

Burd chuckled, easing the waiter's embarrassment by suggesting that the Martini be replaced with a pineapple plum sake. After waving the waiter away, he quietly explained to Su Ming.

According to him, the Martini cocktail was invented around 1850, but Hawaii, being not particularly developed at this time, lacked the ingredients. A Martini required gin and vermouth, and the best sources of these were in the Netherlands and France—basically on the other side of the world.

Here, because of the large number of sailors, the most common drink was rum. But the sailors preferred Cuban rum, which was too strong and unsuitable for cocktails.

In his view, Su Ming was probably trying to bypass the Prohibition laws by coming here, but he believed it was better to drink something with local characteristics for the full experience.

Su Ming chuckled awkwardly, hoping the drink wouldn't be as disappointing as the "Loco Moco."