While drinking the beer, Blanchette asked Li Du what he wanted to develop in Lightning Ridge.
He said, "Bob told me you were harvesting black gold abalone in King Island. It is a real gold industry, and you're literally harvesting gold in the water. It is a job everyone is envious of."
"It may be enviable, but it's not worth mentioning here. What you're looking for is more valuable than gold," Li Du said with a smile.
Blanchette sipped his beer and sighed. "Yes, but only if you can find it."
"I have every confidence, and I am here for it. I'm sure we can find it if we look carefully," Li Du said in an officially polite manner.
"Hope so, but don't put in too much hope, or you'll be disappointed. By the way, mate, you're not here to be a miner, are you? You're rich enough. Are you here to buy a mine?"
Li Du said, "Yes, that is my plan."