CHAPTER 410: CHAPTER 389: FIRST ARRIVAL IN ALASKA

United States, Alaska, Anchorage...

Mountain Eagle and his group experienced a long flight, transiting via Vancouver in Canada before arriving at the Anchorage Airport.

Alaska is the largest state in the United States, covering an area of 1.72 million square kilometers, accounting for 17% of the total area of the United States.

The climate here includes the subarctic in the southernmost part and the frigid tundra in the north. Alaska has very long daylight hours in summer, and polar nights occur in winter.

There are glaciers, mountains, forests, and lakes everywhere here, and it is home to a large number of wild animals.

The people here are known for their independence and self-sufficiency because the internal transportation in Alaska is quite problematic; with a land area of 1.72 million square kilometers, there is a permanent population of only 700,000.

Aside from some larger towns, public resources are almost negligible. If one cannot learn to take care of themselves, it is hard for ordinary people to survive long-term in the interiors of Alaska.

Anchorage’s airport is not large, and when Mountain Eagle and his group stepped out, they immediately felt the coolness of Alaska, entirely different from Southeast Asia...

With temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius and relatively dry air, it felt very cool and comfortable...

Mountain Eagle and his group found a taxi at the airport entrance and rushed to the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage before dinner.

Captain Cook Hotel is one of the top luxury hotels in Anchorage, not only offering accommodations with direct views of Alaska’s snowy mountains but also assisting tourists with various travel-related procedures.

For example, helping tourists find suitable travel companies and guides, handling hunting licenses, renting shotguns, and even arranging whale watching trips at sea...

It was Mountain Eagle’s first visit to Alaska; he needed to rest here for a few days before figuring out how to venture into the Alaskan hinterlands for investigation.

Aside from Daria and Butcher, no fourth person knew they had come to Alaska...

Mountain Eagle is a planner; to better understand Alaska, he chose to spend a significant amount of money to stay in the Presidential Suite of the Captain Cook Hotel.

And the hotel’s butler service provided Mountain Eagle with a professional consultant...

Both Daria and Butcher had experienced the incident at the Hilton Hotel in Moscow, but they were still not used to Mountain Eagle’s approach.

Butcher thought their boss was wasting money, while Daria felt such an unspecific approach lacked efficiency.

Mountain Eagle didn’t care what others thought; he just wanted to stick to his pace and conduct a systematic investigation with a relatively objective attitude while staying off Arctic Fox’s radar.

He had a strong premonition that Black Fox wanted more than just revenge on Arctic Fox...

Revenge alone would only require eliminating the opponent; there was no need for a decisive battle in Alaska, as mobilizing manpower and resources here was too costly, and it was far from Snowden, which was unfavorable for completing his commission.

Therefore, Mountain Eagle speculated that there must be something of immense interest around Beisai, the lair of Arctic Fox!

The most valuable things in Alaska are its oil fields and gold. Apart from these, nothing else could offset the costs for Black Fox.

Mountain Eagle couldn’t figure out exactly what Black Fox wanted, but he needed to seek out significant interests near Beisai and then try to infer Black Fox’s intentions.

The butler provided by Captain Cook Hotel was Celek, a middle-aged man in his forties.

To Celek, Mountain Eagle, who booked a three-day stay in the Presidential Suite, was an extremely important client.

Every year during this season, many tourists from around the world pass through Anchorage to transit to inland Alaska.

Most of the tourists who can afford to travel to Alaska are wealthy, and Mountain Eagle, who almost seemed to wear a ’I am rich’ label, was Celek’s ideal client.

Arranging itineraries for such clients, he could earn significant commissions, not to mention the generous tips from wealthy clients.

After assisting Mountain Eagle and his two companions with their procedures, Celek attentively guided them to take the exclusive elevator to the top floor of the hotel where the Presidential Suite was located.

During the elevator ride, Celek looked at the simple luggage in their hands and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, how long do you plan to stay in Alaska?

Is there anything particular you would like to see or specific places you want to visit?

Your luggage is quite minimal; if needed, I can help you purchase the necessary items according to your upcoming itinerary.

There is an outdoor gear store near the hotel that can provide everything needed for summer in Alaska."

Mountain Eagle smiled and nodded, saying, "I don’t have a specific schedule. If I had to mention a goal, I’d like to explore along the Yukon River basin.

Fishing, hunting, camping, and checking out the snowy mountains, forests, tundra, and wilderness..."

As he spoke, Mountain Eagle glanced at his carry-on case and said with a laugh, "I’m not familiar with Alaska, so I didn’t bring much luggage...

If I can finalize the itinerary soon, then I’ll know what I need.

I trust you can provide the necessary assistance, right, Mr. Celek?"

Upon hearing this, Celek immediately nodded and said, "Of course, providing all necessary assistance to tourists is a tradition of Captain Cook Hotel and my duty as well!

I know several very professional travel service companies, and I’ll call them one by one to arrange suitable itineraries and select appropriate guides and hunting guides for you to choose from."

While Celek spoke, the elevator doors opened. He picked up two suitcases and moved out of the elevator, then heldopen the elevator door with one hand, smiling and saying, "The hotel has prepared refreshments for our distinguished Presidential Suite guests. You can rest in the room first, and then head to any of the hotel’s restaurants for dinner around 8 p.m.

I personally recommend the French cuisine; they have goose liver and truffles air-flown in today and fresh cod and lobster are available.

Just a side note, the restaurant’s French chef is very particular about ingredients, so the oysters are fantastic!"

Seeing Celek wink at him, Mountain Eagle knew he must have misunderstood his relationship with Daria...

Mountain Eagle didn’t want to explain his situation, so he simply nodded with a smile and said, "Then I must try it. It is said that oysters from cold places are more delicious..."

Celek nodded happily...

A wealthy client who is willing to listen to his advice would make his subsequent work much easier.

When Celek led Mountain Eagle and the others into the presidential suite, there were already two waiters opening the door waiting for them.

The moment Mountain Eagle walked into the suite, he was attracted by the huge balcony floor-to-ceiling windows...

The distant mountains under the clear, bright sky caught his attention!

Mountain Eagle swiftly walked to the balcony, took a breath of fresh air, and then looked at the distant scenery and sighed...

"I like this place, I hope Yukon River won’t disappoint me..."

Celek appeared behind him in a timely manner, smiling and saying, "Sir, Alaska lacks many things, but it does not lack beautiful scenery and game.

For anyone who longs for the wilderness, Alaska is heaven!"

Mountain Eagle glanced at Celek and said with a smile, "Heaven usually comes at a heavenly price, right?"

Celek shrugged naturally and said, "That’s correct...

Because to truly appreciate and understand Alaska, you need professionals and professional equipment.

Planes, boats, guides, and camping equipment along the way, all these are not cheap.

But I believe this won’t be a problem for you, as you have already made preparations..."

Mountain Eagle quite liked Celek’s straightforwardness. He laughed and said, "I did do some research before coming here, but I’m still not sure.

Would it be too demanding to want a few qualified travel plans on my desk by tomorrow evening for me to choose from?"

When Celek heard this, he said excitedly, "Not demanding at all..."

After a pause, Celek then carefully asked, "Sir, may I ask how long you plan to stay in Alaska, and what is your approximate budget?"

After hearing this, Mountain Eagle stroked his chin and thought for a bit, saying, "I plan to stay in Alaska for 30 to 40 days...

We are here to have fun; as long as the itinerary meets my requirements, the budget is not a problem!"

Saying this, Mountain Eagle seemed to suddenly remember something. He looked at Celek and asked, "Have there been any interesting events in Alaska recently?"

Celek hesitated for a moment and said, "Interesting events?

If it’s related to tourism, there are a lot of interesting things...

I will send you a few Alaska travel magazines to help you understand more about this place."

Mountain Eagle nodded and said, "That would be great, thank you..."

Then Mountain Eagle took out a stack of US Dollar, counted a few twenties, and handed them to Celek and the waiters...

"Help me reserve a table in the restaurant, I will be there at eight tonight for dinner."

After receiving the money and saying goodbye politely, Mountain Eagle sat on the sofa in the living room, turned on the TV, and switched to the local channel...

Daria looked at Mountain Eagle actually watching the local news seriously, curiously sitting next to him and asked, "Boss, what are you doing?"

Mountain Eagle spread his hands and said, "Watching the news, reading newspapers, magazines, and then talking to a few reliable guides..."

Pointing at the local news being broadcast on TV, he laughed and said, "The news is the best channel of information for us outsiders.

Those who watch the news, can find business opportunities faster than others...

For example, the news said that a few whales appeared off the coast of Anchorage;if the boatmen act quickly, they might earn the money from whale-watching before others."

Daria frowned and said, "What does that have to do with our current mission?

If you say Black Fox came to Alaska for a more important interest, it definitely has nothing to do with civilians.

Such ’important interests’ must be hidden under the table!"

Mountain Eagle laughed and nodded, saying, "Exactly, big money business won’t make the news before it succeeds.

But trust me, the kind of big deals that require people like the Black Fox are definitely not peaceful.

The militant Jungle Ants only create chaos and carnage; their presence alone is surely for them to do what they’re good at.

If someone wants to smooth things over with Black Fox, it means conflicts might have already emerged!

I don’t believe such matters could remain completely unreported. Media in the United States, where even missing pets are reported, wouldn’t miss news related to conflicts."

Mountain Eagle looked at the surprised expression on Daria’s face, smiling and saying, "Having no credible source of information, we can only find reliable sources this way.

If my guess is correct, I believe we certainly can find the information we want from the news and from those guides.

These local media and guides who rely on tourists for their livelihood are the real insiders; they have more reliable channels of information than we do."

Daria instantly understood the logic behind Mountain Eagle arranging guide interviews and travel plan bids...