The difference was more than the difficulty of getting food and the att.i.tude towards it.

There was so much more!

When Li Du returned from the Hadza tribe, the lion hunter saw that he was not

interested in hunting. After they spent another day and a half in the wild, the lion hunters

had a new idea.

He said, "Li, I'm sorry, but I should have asked you for your opinion beforehand. I

shouldn't have taken you directly to hunt. It is obviously not something you love to do."

Li Du was not a man to be ungrateful. He hastened to say, "You are too polite, man. My

fiancé and I are not really interested in hunting wild animals. Nevertheless, this trip on

the gra.s.sland opened my horizons. I am very grateful for your warm hospitality."

Sophie also said, "Yes, sir, your hospitality is wonderful. I now know that there is such a

wonderful, rich life outside the United States. The African tribes have such a complex

culture!"

The lion hunter laughed happily and said, "You can sure talk. You speak very well, and I

have to treat you well. You are not interested in hunting, but perhaps you would like

diving?"

Li Du was not interested in diving either. He was about to say so when the lion hunter

said, "I"ve asked around. You've been diving in Australia for a long time, right?"

Since the other side had done research about his past experience, Li Du could not

refuse.

He could have explained that the purpose of diving in Australia was to find black gold

abalone, but the lion hunter might not necessarily be convinced and would be more

likely to think they were looking for a reason to refuse his offer.

Even if he understood Li Du, diving together would be fun for him if he had something to

grab off the coast of Africa. Therefore, Li Du decided to accept the invitation of the lion

hunter and go diving.

The lion hunter was so enthusiastic about him that he overdid it, but that was

understandable.

Cole introduced Li Du as a representative of Harry Winston that came to check on the

African diamond market, which made him almost a representative of the US diamond

market, given Winston's position in the US diamond jewelry industry.

As all knew, the United States was the world's largest diamond market. Although the

United States produced almost no diamonds for commercial purposes, Americans

bought 40% of the world's gem-grade diamonds every year. Any owner of a diamond

mine in Africa would want good relations with the American market.

Driving away from the savanna reserve, Li Du noticed they had a nice piece of lion skin

in their car.

This was a so-called wildlife reserve, and this was the result of the South African

government shouting slogans to protect Mother Earth. Li Du could only shake his head.

However, tens of thousands dollars for a lion's skin was not bad business for the

government. If they used the proceeds to protect the gra.s.slands and their animals, the

sacrifice would be worthwhile. Sadly, with his knowledge of the South African

government, Li Du doubted that would happen.

They were going to a diving site a little way across the prairies, not far from the lion

hunter's

mines. Both places were in the Zulu natal, but one inland and one by the sea.

At the end of the helicopter ride, a stretch of the Cote d'Azur came into view. This was

their destination, the South African port city of Durban.

Durban was known in Zulu as eThekwini, which means "in the harbor".

As the name suggested, the city had an excellent deep-water port, which was an

important venue for South Africa to show itself to the outside world. Compared with

inland cities, Durban was better managed and better protected. It was called the best-

managed city in Africa.

Due to its location, Durban had a pleasant subtropical climate and suns.h.i.+ne all year

round, so it was still suitable for diving even in the South African winter.

At the end of August, in spring, the northern part of South Africa would get hotter due to

being closer to the equator.

The helicopter landed on an inner-city tarmac, where the lion hunter had business

partners who had prepared an S-series Mercedes Benz and other luxury cars for them.

After landing, the first thing to do was to make arrangements for dinner.

Li Du and the others drove down the street, and soon he remarked, laughing, "I feel I

am in Los Angeles, there are so many different /1-nationalities here."

One could see people of all ethnicities in the street, in particular, many who looked as if

they were from India. Li Du also saw a lot of Asians, many of whom he thought might be

Chinese.

The lion hunter smiled and said, "Durban has nearly four million people, a quarter of

whom are originally from India."

"Are these Chinese over there?" Li Du pointed at the youths that were looking into a

shop window. Some of them, to his surprise, were wearing clothes with Chinese

characters on them.

The lion hunter nodded. "Yes, many foreigners come into South Africa from Durban. If

you look at the architecture here, you will see not only a blend of African and British

traditions but also influences from the Netherlands, Portugal and your home country."

After lunch, the lion hunters took them on a fascinating tour of the city, including the

Bania theatre, the African antiques and fine art market, and other local attractions.

Li Du said to Sophie with a bitter smile, "This time in South Africa, we are not looking for

diamonds. We are here to travel."

This was the main reason why he was not in the mood to go hunting and diving. He

came to Africa with a mission, and the deadline was approaching in four months.

Sophie made a face at him. "Who makes you do all that? To find diamonds, you should

go to Botswana, Russia or Canada. Why come to South Africa?"

The world's three biggest diamond mines were located in Botswana, Russia, and

Canada, and South Africa already had nearly as many mines as the former three

together, so mining groups rarely came to South Africa to dig for diamonds these days.

However, Li Du had no choice in the matter. The network resources of the Harry

Winston group were limited in South Africa, Botswana, and Canada. Otherwise, they

would not be lured into buying an abandoned Canadian diamond mine.

As for going to Russia, the international situation there was unstable at present. Given

the historical relations.h.i.+p between Russia and the United States, Li Du decided against

going.

However, the lion hunter misunderstood him and said, "OK, it seems that you are not

interested in our city. I will take you to the golden coast and hope that you will be happy

with it."

In his eyes, Li Du has become a difficult person to please.

Li Du wanted to study the distribution of diamond mines in South Africa and then look

for mining sites.

He knew, however, that he should not let the lion hunter know it, as saying that he was

looking for diamond mines would be equivalent to compet.i.tion with the lion hunter. As

far as he was able to understand the lion hunter's character, he believed that if he found

a diamond mine, the lion hunter would be willing to kill him and occupy it.