Chapter 768: Amicable Victor
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Ostriches, paradise kingfishers, blue-winged kookaburras, and pale-headed rosellas? There are a lot of rare birds here!" Sophie, who observed flocks of birds from atop a hillock, exclaimed.
There were a lot of mountains on this island. When surveying the surrounding area from a mountain, one was able to see that there were many birds living here as a lot of places such as the tops of trees, the ground, and inside thickets had bird nests
Ah Meow, whose eyes were nearly popping out from staring too hard, was vigorously trying to catch a bird.
Li Du had no choice but to forcefully slap his buttocks to calm him down. This naughty child makes me worry a lot.
However, Ah Meow's actions were understandable as felines had a thing for birds, which were one of the main animals that felines preyed on.
Compared to King Island, Cape Barren Island had a smaller land mass and even smaller population. In order to prevent human activity from affecting the wetlands and the birds' rest, the government discouraged people from living on Cape Barren Island.
Due to no internet, no water, no electrical infrastructure built by the government, an inconvenient transport system, and a lack of facilities such as shopping malls and hospitals, there were not a lot of people living on Cape Barren Island.
Nonetheless, like how there were all sorts of birds coming to the island when there were more wetlands, there were also all sorts of people coming to the island when there were more people on the island, which still had some inhabitants.
There had been a period of time when the government had planned on developing the island and hence, had cleared a piece of land and built a road. Not long after the plan to develop the island had been implemented, the plan was discontinued as the importance of protecting the environment had resonated with various large countries' governments.
The people living on the island were still grateful for the plan to develop the island as it had allowed them to continue living, with a passable living condition, on the island.
After Li Du and the others saw the magnificent sight of tens of thousands of birds returning to their nests in the evening, they walked slowly along an uneven mountain road in search of a place stay in.
With an exceptionally beautiful environment and lots of wetlands, lakes, and rivers, which were all sources of freshwater, the small island was like an otherworldly paradise. As Li Du washed his face, he tasted the water and felt that it had a sweet taste to it.
While the sun was still up, they entered a gathering place that looked like a small, plain-looking town. They had arrived at their destination.
As the island was frequented by tourists, the people in the gathering place were not surprised by their arrival.
Like a village in the Middle Ages, the gathering place, which occupied a very small area of only approximately 40 to 50 mu, was surrounded by handmade wooden fences.
All the houses inside the gathering place had been built by the residents using large amounts of wood since wood on the island was free. Although the houses had a very rough appearance, they were very sturdy.
There was a shop at the entrance of the gathering place. Even though the shop was not supported by the government, someone in the gathering place had a boat and would, from time to time, go to the nearest island to stock up on supplies to fulfill the needs of the residents.
The main gate of the gathering place was just about to close when Li Du and the others arrived. While they were walking into the gathering place with quick steps, the gatekeeper did not ask them any questions and allowed them to walk straight in.
Seeing this, Lu Guan began to ponder and asked, "Mate, you guys don't seem to be suspicious of outsiders. Why then did you guys install those things? Who are you guys trying to keep away?"
The gatekeeper laughed and replied, "We're trying to keep pirates away."
While he was speaking, he patted his waist. He carried a hunting rifle, which had a barrel that reached all the way to his waist, on his back.
Li Du, who was shocked, asked, "There are still pirates roaming the sea?"
If there were pirates, they had been a little too easygoing in the way that they traveled. Without weapons on the yacht and with them driving a yacht by themselves, they were as good as flaunting their wealth on the sea.
The gatekeeper muttered, "Be careful, don't just throw your life away on the sea."
The small two-story building at the entrance was the shop, which had some wooden shelves with goods on them on the first story. While sitting at the entrance and smoking shisha, the boss of the shop waved to them.
When Li Du walked over, the boss extended his hand and smiled. "I'm Victor, the amicable Victor. Ni men hao."
He used some Chinese words in his greeting. Although he did not speak proper Chinese, it was enough to surprise Li Du. As most of the Australians Li Du had met were arrogant and proud, they were unable to clearly differentiate between the different types of Chinese in Asia.
Li Du shook his hand. "I'm Li, very pleased to meet you. How did you know that I'm from China?"
The boss winked at him. "I have a unique ability. I can tell where you are from by looking at you. Right friend from Germany and fella from Mexico?"
These words were directed at Brother Wolf and Godzilla; both of them were also surprised.
Victor was a very interesting person. As there was a row of wooden stools outside the door of his shop, they sat on them.
Li Du bought a bottle of brandy. Not because he was an alcoholic, but because there was a need to drink some hard liquor to increase blood flow as the sea and the small island were very humid. Even the children also had to drink some.
For a very ordinary bottle of brandy, the boss sold it for 100 dollars.
Li Du suspected that this bottle of alcohol cost only a few dollars in other places. However, as the transportation system on the island was not convenient, it was normal that the items on the island were expensive.
While the group of them shared the bottle of brandy, Victor handed the shisha to Li Du. "Want to fight the humidity? It's useless to rely only on alcohol. Come, two smokes per person. It will re-energize you."
As Li Du did not smoke, he shook his head and refused the boss's offer.
Hans, who did not mind smoking shisha, went over, hugged the hookah, and began puffing out smoke.
With a smile on his face, Victor said, "I heard you guys talking about some pirates earlier? Haha, don't listen to that old man's nonsense. There are no pirates here."
He pointed at his head before continuing, "The old man has a problem in that area. Persecutory delusion—you guys know what that is, right? Be empathetic towards him."
"The old man?" Li Du asked. "You're talking about him?" He pointed at the gatekeeper.
After Victor nodded his head, Li Du asked another question: "In that case, who are those fences safeguarding against?"
"They are not to safeguard against people," Victor replied. "They are to safeguard against animals and insects. Go near those fences and find out what they smell like."
Li Du already knew what those fences smelled like. When they had approached the gathering place, he'd smelled the strong smell of sulfur. Evidently, the residents used sulfur to repel insects.
As they had to stay in the gathering place for the night, Victor very enthusiastically helped them find a hotel.
Although the place that Victor helped them find was said to be a hotel, it was actually an apartment that had a lot of rooms. Other than providing plain rooms, blankets, mattresses, and pillows, the hotel did not provide anything else. The rental of a room cost 20 dollars for one night.
"If you guys plan on having a meal and love eating fish, you guys are in for a treat. However, I suggest that you guys eat bird meat. The old man should have hunted some wild geese. Wild geese are very delicious," Victor continued.
Li Du asked, "Find the old man and have a meal together? How much will that cost?"
With a crafty smile, Victor replied, "You guys can eat at my place. My shop is also a restaurant. Haha, two in one, convenient for everyone."
"How much?"
"Pay me 20 dollars per person and 50 dollars each for the two burly men," Victor replied, "and I will ensure that you guys are well-fed."
Li Du happily said, "Can do."
Having briefly talked to Victor, Li Du felt that he was a very reliable person. Other than selling alcohol at a steep price, he handled matters very well and the lodging that he'd helped them find was very reliable.
After Victor returned to the door of his shop and shouted, the old man walked over to him before returning to the main gate and bringing over the large birds hanging on the fence.