Chapter 35 Rainbow

"Mr. Barbas, what are these..."

As Zhang Hainuo opened the leather paper bag, he saw a thick stack of banknotes inside. Even without counting, he knew that there was a substantial amount of money in it.

"Just a small token of appreciation to Mr. Link," the Jewish old man said with a grin. It seemed to be a typical expression for a merchant, but strangely, Zhang Hainuo didn't find this antique dealer particularly annoying.

"Mr. Barbas, I think you misunderstand," Zhang Hainuo said seriously as he handed the leather paper bag back to the Jewish old man. "To be honest with you, I invested in my friend's salvage company, so I have a share in these ancient Egyptian coins. Although it's not a large proportion, I consider it my own business. The reason I chose to trade with your antique shop is entirely because you are trustworthy and have sufficient strength!"

"I see," the old man's shrewd eyes captured some crucial expressions on Zhang Hainuo's face. He then put the leather paper bag into his pocket and apologized with a look of regret. "I misunderstood. I am truly sorry for that! I hope Mr. Link doesn't mind!"

Zhang Hainuo didn't mind at all. He now deeply appreciated the cunning yet practical business methods of Jewish merchants.

"Mr. Barbas, I hope we can maintain this good relationship for a long time. When the next batch of coins arrives from Europe, I will still consider cooperating with your antique shop first!"

"Oh, that would be an honor!" The Jewish old man wore an expression of pleasant surprise. Of course, judging from the quantity of banknotes in the leather bag he just received, he knew how much profit this batch of coins could bring him. He glanced around cautiously and asked:

"Mr. Link, may I be so bold as to inquire if you have any plans to invest in America recently?"

"Investment?" Zhang Hainuo had plans to invest in America, not only in finance but also in his planned early appearances of instant coffee, nylon, sunglasses, and more. However, it wasn't the right time yet because his top priority was to settle U148 and its crew, then establish a shipyard using the funds he had on hand, and secretly hire shipbuilding technicians, technical personnel, and submarine experts from the wartime naval shipyard in Germany. These ideas were quite urgent, as over time, the high-level talents in Germany who lost job opportunities would gradually flow abroad!

"Well, Mr. Link! Our Jewish Merchants Guild offers a traditional service of managing clients' finances. Although I primarily operate in the antique industry, I also have some business in this area! If Mr. Link trusts me, you can entrust your surplus funds to me for investment. Investment returns can be distributed proportionally or through commission extraction! Do you need more specific information about this?"

"Mr. Barbas, I am interested in your financial services, but I don't have surplus funds at the moment. I intend to transfer part of my industry to America in the coming year or the year after. At that time, I will definitely prioritize your antique shop and the Jewish Merchants Guild!"

"That's wonderful!" Barbas didn't try to hide his merchant nature—wherever there was a potential business opportunity, he was willing to patiently wait. This was quite similar to German submarines lurking on enemy routes.

"The deal for these ancient Egyptian coins is also completed. I will be leaving port in the next few days. When I arrive in New York next time, I will visit again!" Zhang Hainuo said politely. After a pleasant cooperation with the jeweler Solak in Antalya and receiving his help, he realized the necessity of establishing good relationships with these reliable merchants. To avoid causing too much attention, he planned to sell the remaining 20,000-plus coins in batches, with each batch not exceeding 2,000 coins.

"Well then, I'll take my leave!" After shaking hands with Zhang Hainuo and bidding farewell, the Jewish old man quickly left on the Fast Number with his men.

After watching the Jewish man leave, Zhang Hainuo was about to return to the cabin when he noticed a slight commotion not far away from the dock. Many people were rushing towards a certain place, apparently trying to buy something. In just a few minutes, similar scenes occurred at several nearby docks. Zhang Hainuo found it strange and then realized that those people were holding newspapers when they left.

What's going on?

That was Zhang Hainuo's first reaction, but just one second later, he was shocked!

"Thomas, go buy me a newspaper!"

At this moment, Thomas, the boatswain, was directing the sailors to carry baskets of vegetables on board. When he heard Zhang Hainuo's instruction, he quickly ran to the crowd and squeezed his way in, taking advantage of his size. Zhang Hainuo watched him for a short while from the deck before he came back with a newspaper.

"German High Seas Fleet... Scapa Flow..."

After taking the newspaper, he indeed saw these two alarming lines in the most conspicuous position on the front page! Although reading American newspapers was still a bit difficult for him, he quickly found words related to the date:

"June 21, 1919, damn it!"

Zhang Hainuo remembered November 11, 1918, because it was the day World War I ended, and anyone interested in modern military affairs would know. However, few people remembered the exact time of Operation Rainbow, including Zhang Hainuo!

The sun was already setting, and Zhang Hainuo raised his hand to check the time. It was 5:20 p.m. in New York, so considering the time difference, it was already 9:00 p.m. in Britain! It was likely that Operation Rainbow had already ended, and the elite of the German High Seas Fleet had probably found their resting place at the icy bottom of the sea!

This time was not significant to Zhang Hainuo because knowing it in advance could save the fate of those warships, but he was worried about Hessen and the crew still on U148! When Emperor Wilhelm abdicated and Germany surrendered, Zhang Hainuo had done his best to calm the emotions of the crew on the boat, but now he had no way to directly contact Hessen. With Hessen present, he wasn't afraid of the crew losing control, but he was worried that after receiving this news, Hessen would mistakenly believe that the British intentionally sank those German warships. In that case, he might take the submarine to attack British ships on his own!

Although Hessen's character was calm, let's not forget that he was the famous Madman of the Sea!

"Hainuo, what's going on?"

Otto, Gissel, and the others came out of the cabin when they heard the commotion.

"Ah..."

Zhang Hainuo sighed deeply. "We lost the High Seas Fleet! Now, we must set sail as soon as possible to rendezvous with U148!"

"What? Self-sinking?" Otto's face changed drastically as he took the newspaper and glanced at it.

"Self-sinking?" Gissel and the others couldn't understand the English on the newspaper, but they could tell from Zhang Hainuo and Otto's tone and expression that it was a very bad news.

"Thomas, when is the earliest we can set sail?" Zhang Hainuo asked Thomas.

"The supplies on board are already fine. We just need to complete the departure procedures, and we can set sail in two hours!" Thomas didn't quite understand their actions, but he didn't ask much.

"We can't wait that long!" Zhang Hainuo quickly made a decision. "We must set sail tonight! Otto, go contact the people from Jumah Company. We'll pay them in full, and the rest will be temporarily stored in their warehouse until we come next time to pick up the goods! Thomas, Gissel, you two are responsible for preparing for departure. Start the fire in an hour! Simon, come with me to handle the departure procedures!"