Hearing Robbins Garcia's words, Jiang Hai nodded in agreement.
Indeed, you can't expect everyone in the world to be kind.
At the moment, Jiang Hai didn't look particularly wealthy. With assets worth only a few million dollars on paper, he didn't seem like someone worth kidnapping. But still, better safe than sorry. What if someone took a gamble? What if someone discovered that he wasn't just sitting on a couple million—but tens of billions? Money makes people bold, and it's always wise to stay cautious.
These poachers were dangerous. Ruthless. Armed. Willing to live on the run.
While Robbins Garcia, Burkedale, and Philemonna were loyal and reliable, they were still just ordinary cowboys. No matter how trustworthy they were, they couldn't compete in combat with criminals who lived on the edge.
Professional problems required professional solutions. And Jiang Hai wasn't without protection.
Azarina, Connorson Peters, and Belle Lassiter—these three were far more capable when it came to handling serious threats.
Victory lies in knowing both yourself and your enemy. The biggest strength of people like Robbins Garcia was understanding their own limits.
The two F-750 trucks sped along the American highway. It had taken about two and a half hours to get to their destination. But the return trip was nearly three and a half hours—because this time, they had cows onboard.
Cattle are very different from people. They need time to acclimate. These were breeding cows, and they had to be handled with care.
Back at the manor, Belle Lassiter and Harriman Fels had already prepared the cowshed and pasture. The cows were first released into the pasture to graze and calm down. Once they settled, they'd be moved into stalls. The next shipment was still on its way.
And tomorrow, they'd need to head out again to purchase more breeding stock.
Last year, Jiang Hai hadn't bought any dedicated breeding bulls. Instead, they'd selected a few from the general herd.
As Robbins Garcia had just mentioned—everyone has their specialty. Beef cattle are raised for meat, and breeding cattle are raised for reproduction.
Most of the bulls from last year had been castrated, which made them easier to manage.
Only a small number of young bulls were left to graze freely and gain weight. But that kind of selection process had a very low success rate. Out of 8,000 cows, they'd picked 120 bulls for potential breeding. A year later, none of them had proven useful.
So Jiang Hai and his team ended up butchering them for beef. This year, they were going to buy professional breeding bulls from the start.
The difference was as vast as between casual players and rich, pay-to-win ones—or between ordinary men and the male leads of romance films from the island nation. The gap was real. As much as Jiang Hai didn't want to admit it, specialization really did matter.
Once the cows were settled in, Jiang Hai and the others packed up and got ready for bed.
Before turning in, he made sure to speak with Belle and asked him to keep Burkedale at the manor to receive tomorrow's shipment. Jiang Hai would go out himself this time. As for Azarina and Connorson—since they usually didn't have much to do—they'd naturally be accompanying him.
With those three around, Jiang Hai figured his safety was well covered.
As for the little Greenland seal they'd brought back earlier, it was clear Darlene and Marian were smitten with it. They already had a pair of capybaras, so a baby seal didn't faze them. They quickly brought it into their room and filled a bathtub with cold water for it.
Of course, a bathtub was no long-term solution.
But Jiang Hai wasn't too worried. After all, he had a swimming pool on the estate. It hadn't been used much—only when Feng Yunchen and Ai Xiaoxi had visited for a photo shoot.
Normally, if Jiang Hai or his friends wanted to swim, they went straight to the beach. But once this seal grew up, the pool would be a perfect fit.
Then came the challenge of naming the little guy. Jiang Hai, Darlene, Marianne, Bernice, and Xiaoya brainstormed for a long time.
Going by Jiang Hai's usual naming pattern, they could call the little white guy Xiaohei ("Little Black"), or name him after the sounds he made—like Aoao. Or maybe name him something cuter like Gege, Lingling, Lanlan, Haihai, or Baobao.
But Baobao was too cliché. Haihai sounded too similar to Jiang Hai's own name. Lanlan and Lingling were a bit too girly, and the little seal was clearly male. No one was quite satisfied.
"How about we just call him Baimao ('White Fur')?" Jiang Hai suggested while rubbing the seal's soft coat.
As expected, Bernice and the others immediately rejected the name.
"That sounds awful," they protested in unison.
"Fine, you name him then," Jiang Hai said helplessly. He wasn't going to argue about it. If they didn't like Baimao, they could come up with something better.
Eventually, after much debate, the four girls decided to name the seal Luck—a symbol of good fortune.
But Jiang Hai still thought Baimao had a better ring to it. So while the girls were fussing over the seal, he quietly pulled the little guy over and transmitted a stream of spiritual energy into it. The seal immediately drooped slightly—a normal reaction.
His spiritual energy had evolved. It wasn't like before when Xiao Huang and Xiao Hei had fainted after being upgraded. Back then, it was more like general anesthesia. Now, it was more like local.
The upgrade could now happen while the animal remained conscious—a welcome improvement.
As the spiritual energy flowed through the little seal, it began to cleanse hidden injuries and improve its physical constitution. The transformation was subtle, but powerful.
Just like how that mountain lion had grown far larger than average. And Dasha—now almost the size of the largest great white sharks.
Jiang Hai had even measured Xiao Huang, Xiao Bai, Ban Ya, and Jiujiu afterward. Jiujiu could now fly with ease, its wingspan rivaling that of a bald eagle. Jiang Hai had even built a platform on the rooftop for it to land on. If it rained, it could always come inside—it wasn't like it couldn't open doors.
Ban Ya was significantly larger than a normal mole. Xiao Bai and Xiao Huang had also grown by a third since arriving.
Jiang Hai hadn't noticed these changes day-to-day, but they were undeniable.
While the little seal was still half-asleep, Jiang Hai whispered the name "Baimao" into its consciousness.
That settled it. No matter what the girls called it, this adorable little guy would always respond to Baimao in Jiang Hai's heart.
With the naming ordeal over, Jiang Hai and Robbins Garcia turned their attention to preparing for tomorrow—reviewing the cattle purchases and the arrival schedule. They'd done this all last year, but Jiang Hai still felt a bit nervous.
Fortunately, with Garcia and Burkedale around, he didn't need to worry much.
Looking back, the two most valuable people Jiang Hai had recruited since moving here were Robbins Garcia and Edward Anderson.
He had to admit—he'd been lucky. These two old-timers were loyal, honest, skilled, and charismatic. Betrayal simply wasn't in their nature.
They were the strongest ropes securing Jiang Hai's ship. Unless it sank, they'd never leave his side.
And right now, Jiang Hai's ship was sailing smoothly. Why would he let it sink? He was just getting ready to ride the wind and chase the horizon.
Thanks to their capable management, the manor ran like clockwork. Jiang Hai didn't need to worry about the day-to-day at all.
With everything for tomorrow arranged, Jiang Hai finally turned in for the night. It had been a while since he visited the hot spring—usually, if he went, Bernice would find some excuse to tag along.
But tonight, her attention was on Baimao.
So with nothing stopping him, Jiang Hai finally slipped into the hot spring for a long, relaxing soak.
And naturally, surprises were not far behind.
Hearing footsteps behind him, Jiang Hai turned—and saw Aphra and Dinah approaching. The two women gave him a playful smile, dropped the towels wrapped around themselves, and stepped into the water.
"Master," Aphra whispered as she leaned into his ear, "we'll be keeping you company tonight. Unless… you had other plans?"
Jiang Hai stretched his neck, feeling the breeze across his skin that made goosebumps rise. But he had no intention of refusing.
"No plans," he said simply.
Aphra and Dinah exchanged a knowing glance. Dinah smiled and slid beneath the water.
To be continued…