Li Du had previously estimated that the island covered an area of approximately 50 to 60 square kilometers . In reality, the territory turned out to be larger . The island spanned a total of 88 square kilometers and was medium-sized .
However, even for that size, the price was still considered very high .
On one of the island listing websites, there had been an island that spanned 250 square kilometers . It was for sale at 150 million .
At first, Li Du had his doubts . Why was he buying a smaller island in a less central location at a higher price?
The governor had responded to his questions . First, that island he saw listed, Basel Island, was barren . Hence, despite its considerably large territory, nobody was willing to purchase it even though it had been listed for ten years .
Second, that list price was from ten years ago . The government would have to re-evaluate the price if someone wanted to purchase it now . It would cost at least 300 million Australian dollars .
However, it seemed to them that Basel Island would not be sold off anytime soon . Although it had been priced at 150 million, nobody had even made a purchase inquiry . Hence, it was unlikely they would increase the price to three hundred million .
Besides, the island that Li Du purchased did not have that bad of a location .
It was southeast of Australia . Although it was very, very far from Antarctica, it was the only major island en route to the Antarctic waters . Hence, the island had the potential to become one of the major stops for people heading towards the Antarctic .
Many of the leading countries in the world had been trying to develop Antarctica . Every year, countless scientific research ships were sent to the Antarctic . Due to the climate of the Antarctic, its geography, and many other factors, ships would have to go through designated routes to arrive at the southernmost continent .
Among all the routes, two approached the Antarctic from the west . One began from Cape Town in South Africa and led to Mount Bouvier . Then, it entered the continent from Port Elizabeth through Prince Edward Island .
If someone did not take the New Zealand or Australian route towards the Antarctic, they would travel from Hobart and then through the Macquarie Island .
Seagull Island was northeast of Hobart . Ships would have to pass the island to reach Hobart . Hence, if Li Du could develop the island, the routes might be changed . The ships would not have to take a detour to Hobart to get to Antarctica, which would save time .
However, that plan could only be put into action a long time from now . Li Du's priority was to develop the island for its opals .
His plan would require another huge sum of money . The city closest to Seagull Island, Herrick City, was hundreds of kilometers away . To replenish his resources, Li Du would need to use airplanes and ships on a regular basis .
Li Du's Mil Mi-8 would be sufficient for flights . However, he now needed a cargo ship to transport some of the construction materials .
That was what he had negotiated for with Tasmania . He had requested that they give him support .
Brusno had agreed and mobilized a thousand-ton cargo ship for Li Du to use . For the next year, Li Du would be able to use it without paying a fee .
The Tasmanian and Australian governments were happy to support Li Du in developing the island . They needed a success story . While the real estate industry was thriving, the island trading market remained neglected .
In the 20th century through the start of the 21st century, the island trading market had been robust . Many rich people were interested in islands and wanted to own one .
Later, along with the Mexican financial crisis, the Asian financial crisis, and the US subprime mortgage crisis, rich people became more cautious and careful with their money . Hence, the island trading market started to cool .
Seagull Island was the largest to have been sold for the past ten years in the entire world . It was also sold for the highest price . Naturally, it would become an ideal case study for others .
If the island became well developed, perhaps it could rile up the interest in island trading again . After all, the last financial and mortgage crises had happened over ten years ago . The rich might now be more willing to purchase islands again .
The greatest problem on Seagull Island was that there were numerous sea snakes around it . Of course, this disadvantage was offset by the huge amount of opal on the island .
Li Du disliked snakes . He did not wish to spend a huge sum to buy an island and even more money to develop it to realize that there were snakes all over the island .
Australia valued the environment, and economic developments were to be coupled with environmental consciousness .
However, Seagull Island was at a great distance from the mainland and Tasmania . There were few people around . Hardly anyone would take notice of the island, and Li Du knew that the government would not protest if he were to relocate the snakes .
In terms of the snake problem, the Tasmanian government was willing to provide support . That was because they were worried that Li Du would mercilessly kill the snakes to get rid of them .
Snakes were common in all parts of Australia . As the continent's inhabitants had been battling snakes for hundreds of years, they were experienced and had many ways to deal with the reptiles .
The Tasmanian government had arranged for the Animal Bureau and the Reptile Protection Association to help Li Du banish the sea snake colony through biological and acoustic methods .
The biological method consisted of planting Ramie plants all over the island . The sea snakes hated the smell of those plants and would presumably leave .
The acoustic method was to select some locations on the island to install sound wave makers . Snakes were far more sensitive to sound waves than humans were . The sound wave makers could continuously emit sound waves that would be unnoticed by humans but intolerable to snakes, driving the latter away .
There was also another method, which involved soaking bird eggs in a hormone solution . Sea snakes consumed food in a single swallow . Hence, a research institute in Australia had invented the method to deal with vipers .
The bird's egg would be soaked in liquid, which would not be poisonous but simply a drug solution rich in progesterone and androgen . Once the snake swallowed it, it would lose its ability to reproduce .
That was a key method that the Australian government had been advocating to deal with snakes . However, the Animal Protection Bureau and the conservationists criticized it severely .
The drug worked upon the principle of dealing with female snakes . It would cause female snakes to lose the desire to mate by inhibiting ovulation and changing the mucus of the snake gonads .
Even if the snakes mated, due to a large amount of progesterone that remained in their bodies, the blastocyst would not be able to survive . The hormones could change the way the female snake's fallopian tubes functioned, hindering the delivery of fertilized eggs . That method was very powerful and could kill an entire region of snakes so that they might become extinct .
Some organizations had found those methods cruel and criticized the government . As nobody cared about Li Du's island, however, he was free to engage in those methods .
Li Du brought people over to Seagull Island on the yacht . Following behind the yacht was a huge cargo ship that ferried construction equipment and instruments for capturing the local snakes .
After the purchase of Seagull Island went through, Li Du rang up Steve . After all, Steve had supported him greatly through the entire process .
A lady with a gentle voice picked up the phone and said, "Mr . Tussenberg has left America . If there's anything you wish to convey, please leave me a message and I will take care to pass it on . "
Li Du was vexed as he did not know where Steve had gone . In any case, he did not have any urgent matters to discuss, so he hung up after leaving his name with the secretary .
Just as the group arrived at the newly bought island, the satellite phone on the yacht rang . It was Steve, and he shocked Li Du with his words . "Hey Li, I'm in Antarctica…"
Chapter end
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