088 The Private Jet in Need of a Flight Attendant

The conversation between Li Daniu and Martin went extremely smoothly. Tempted by the promise of a high salary, Martin agreed on the spot to resign from his part-time positions at two other small companies and become the chief technical consultant for TC (Celestial Empire) Jewelry, the company Li Daniu was about to establish.

After the two chatted about some interesting anecdotes from the jewelry industry, their plane finally landed in Montreal, Canada. Not only is this the headquarters of Bombardier, but it also houses one of Bombardier’s aircraft manufacturing plants. The Global 6000 that Li Daniu wanted to see was parked right there at the factory.

Castro had already contacted a car rental company in advance and rented a Rolls-Royce Phantom. Li Daniu was no ascetic; now that he had money, he naturally wanted to enjoy a life of luxury. Besides, even though Tuvalu was still short on funds, the sums it lacked were counted in billions of dollars—certainly not in the price of a rental car.

Strictly speaking, this wasn’t Li Daniu’s first ride in such a luxury vehicle. In the world of “I Am Legend,” high-end cars were everywhere, and since Li Daniu spent a long time in bustling Manhattan, he had sat in more luxury cars than perhaps anyone in this world.

Compared to Li Daniu’s composed manner as he settled into the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Castro and Martin seemed somewhat ill at ease.

“How does it feel?” Li Daniu asked with a smile. “Should I get a car like this for TC Jewelry?”

“It feels wonderful, of course,” Martin replied, not doubting for a second that Li Daniu could afford such a car. After all, someone who was about to purchase the world’s most high-end private business jet certainly wouldn’t have trouble buying a Rolls-Royce.

“But,” Martin continued, “TC Jewelry doesn’t even have a registered address yet. Where would we keep a car like this?”

“Who says we don’t have a registered address?” Li Daniu turned to Castro and said, “Call home and register TC Jewelry in my name right away.”

As King of Tuvalu, Li Daniu could even alter the nation’s laws at will, let alone register a company.

Castro dutifully made the call to register the company and asked Li Daniu if he wanted to change the registered address of TC Entertainment to Tuvalu as well.

“Your Majesty, if all your private companies are registered in our own country, it will be very beneficial for your tax matters.”

Li Daniu immediately understood. Although he knew little about law and even less about tax avoidance, one thing was clear to him: in Tuvalu, he was the one who made the rules.

If the King of Morocco could exempt himself from personal income tax and attract billionaires from all over the world to immigrate, then if Li Daniu registered all of his companies in Tuvalu, life would certainly be much easier. For example, in this purchase of a private jet, if he weren’t the King of Tuvalu but just an ordinary person from another country, the import duty alone would be staggering. Li Daniu remembered that in his previous life, car import duties in the Celestial Empire could reach as high as two hundred percent.

But this time, buying a private jet required not a penny in import duties. Even if there were taxes to pay, they would end up in his own pocket. Since all of Tuvalu belonged to him, why bother moving money from the left pocket to the right?

“Alright, from now on, all my companies will be registered in Tuvalu. We’ll set up a group headquarters in Tuvalu and only open branch offices in other countries.”

Castro was unwavering in carrying out Li Daniu’s orders. After all, as the lawyer employed by the royal family of Tuvalu—and with Li Daniu as its sole member—whose orders would he follow if not Li Daniu’s?

After some light conversation, the three finally arrived at the Bombardier factory.

The boss Martin had mentioned did not show up, but had already communicated with Bombardier, and a dedicated staff member was waiting to show Li Daniu the plane.

As soon as he walked into the factory’s hangar, Li Daniu’s eyes were immediately drawn to a white aircraft.

It was a plane thirty point three meters long, seven point seven meters high, with a wingspan of twenty-eight point six meters. Compared to the behemoths built by Airbus, it was certainly much smaller, but within the private jet industry, this plane was a true giant.

Unlike commercial airliners, which require stair trucks for boarding, the Bombardier 6000’s door could serve directly as a stairway when opened.

The Bombardier staff opened the door and led Li Daniu and his companions aboard what was known as the world’s most high-end private business aircraft.

“Mr. Tarek, this plane is already one of the finest private aircraft in existence, and the buyer further upgraded the interior when customizing it,” the staff member explained in detail. “Since you’ve decided to buy a private jet, you must have done your research. I can say with great confidence that our Global 6000 leads the world in both luxury and comfort among private jets.”

In fact, Li Daniu didn’t even need the introduction. The moment he stepped into the cabin, he had already decided to buy it. For someone who, only a few months ago, was a nobody, to now own such a private jet—why refuse? And whether or not this plane was truly the best didn’t really matter; if it wasn’t, he could always buy a few more. He certainly wasn’t short on cash at the moment.

“Alright, I’ve decided to buy it,” Li Daniu said. “Is the plane ready to go?”

“Of course,” replied the staff member. “As soon as you settle the remaining payment and communicate with the previous buyer, you can take possession of the plane at any time.”

Li Daniu nodded and assigned Castro and Martin to handle negotiations with the seller.

The staff member then offered, “Our company also provides piloting services and flight route applications. Would you need these?”

“Of course I do.” Not only could Li Daniu not fly a plane, but there wasn’t a single person in all of Tuvalu who could. As for applying for flight routes, that was even more necessary—Tuvalu had only one airport and not a single airline. Who knew where to apply for a flight route?

In the end, Li Daniu paid a total of sixty-nine million dollars for the plane. The list price was actually sixty-two million, but he paid extra for the previous buyer’s deposit interest and the upgraded interior.

“If we’d waited a while longer, we could have saved two million,” Martin grumbled, clearly displeased by his other client’s extortionate demands—after all, Li Daniu was now his boss.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s just two million. Besides, he saved us a year of waiting.”

Looking at the plane that now belonged to him, Li Daniu truly didn’t care about the extra two million in interest. At this point, that amount was trivial to him.

However, for now, Li Daniu could only admire the plane from the ground. Even with the fastest processing, it would take at least three days to get the flight route approved—especially since, after a certain incident in the United States, aviation authorities were extremely strict.

Li Daniu had no desire to be shot down by a missile while flying peacefully through the skies; that would mean certain death.

After four days in Canada—during which he postponed several scheduled meetings with designers—Li Daniu finally received approval for the flight route.

Boarding his new plane, Li Daniu was excited, though he didn’t show it; his acting skills had improved considerably by now.

Watching Martin and Castro pacing about the cabin, Li Daniu couldn’t help but ask, “Martin, aren’t you teaching at GIA? Won’t taking these days off cause problems?”

“To get a free ride on a plane like this, it’s worth taking a leave,” Martin answered with a grin.

Li Daniu completely understood how Martin felt. If, in his previous life, someone had offered him a seat on a private jet of this caliber, he would have gladly quit his job, let alone take a few days off.

“Castro, tell me—what do you think this plane is missing?” Li Daniu asked, watching as Castro opened the fridge to take out some wine.

“What’s missing?” Castro glanced down at the wine and glasses in his hands, then suddenly realized, “I know—flight attendants.”