Becoming Rich with Daily Scavenging APP-Chapter 452: Snagging Armor at a Bargain

"What car is that?" Chen Yiyang spotted a car he had never seen before.

Not only had he never seen the car’s appearance, but he’d never seen its shape either.

"That’s a Lada car," said the Uzbek companion who was accompanying Chen Yiyang, telling him the name of the car.

Lada car, what is that?

Chen Yiyang racked his brain but couldn’t figure out which country’s brand this car belonged to.

"It’s a car produced in Russia during the Soviet era. At that time, it was a national-level car for the people of the Soviet Union."

Seeing Chen Yiyang’s puzzled expression, the Uzbek official introduced him to the history of the Lada car.

Lada was a brand under the largest automobile factory in Russia during the Soviet era, but this brand completely died out in 2009.

Nowadays, apart from the Central Asian former Soviet republics, it’s rare to see such cars.

After hearing the introduction from the country’s official, Chen Yiyang started feeling a bit uneasy.

A country where such old cars are still running on the streets—can the people afford new cars?

Upon arriving at the hotel, Chen Yiyang contacted some Chinese businessmen who were doing business locally.

Thanks to Uzbekistan’s recent attraction of a lot of domestic investments.

Therefore, Chen Yiyang could contact many businessmen who were familiar with Uzbekistan.

They all had dinner together in the evening, and Chen Yiyang took the opportunity to inquire about the current situation in the country.

"Although Uzbekistan seems large in terms of territory, most of it is desert,"

an old acquaintance introduced to Chen Yiyang, "So this place is essentially made up of three main areas, with the capital Tashkent being the most prosperous region."

"But I see that even here, the consumption level is not high."

"Yes." The old acquaintance nodded before continuing, "But doing business is not just about looking at the consumption level. You also have to consider whether the social environment is stable or not.

Uzbekistan has quite a stable social environment.

Thanks to the public education and infrastructure built during the time of the former Soviet republics. People here generally have a good level of quality, and at least they like to keep clean.

If you go out here, you can see poor people, but it’s rare to see places that are dirty and chaotic.

Even though people dress simply, they are never too dirty.

This is different from India and many African countries.

It’s even much better than some of the poor and chaotic places in Southeast Asia."

"By the way," the acquaintance added after speaking, "although this is a ’Stan’ country, the social atmosphere is not extreme."

Chen Yiyang immediately understood why these people were willing to invest in this inland country of Central Asia.

Because Uzbekistan is a country of order.

In business, you’re not afraid of dealing with evil partners, nor neutral ones.

The main fear is dealing with chaotic ones.

Like the country of India.

Today there’s one policy, tomorrow there’s another policy, and the day after tomorrow, a bunch of people come out to protest against you.

Worse still, the policies issued by their country can even be retroactively punished.

This makes it impossible to do business.

But Uzbekistan, at the very least, is a country of order.

With stable order, it’s good for business.

"What about Uzbekistan’s automotive industry?" Chen Yiyang asked curiously.

"In the past, there were only old General Motors’ Chevrolet cars running here because they were cheap enough. Even the oldest cars were fine as long as they could drive.

A car that sells for over 200,000 domestically is considered a luxury car here, and an average middle-class family would find it extravagant."

The acquaintance continued to add, "So the automotive industry here actually has great potential. As long as the cost is controlled well and the cars are cheap enough, they will definitely sell."

"What about foreign exchange? Is it convenient to exchange?" Chen Yiyang inquired about the most important aspect.

"Foreign exchange is not convenient, but you can exchange it for other products to be transported back home."

The acquaintance briefed Chen Yiyang on what valuable items Uzbekistan offers. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Uzbekistan is the world’s sixth-largest textile country. Of course, raw materials like cotton aren’t something Chen Yiyang has dealt with, so he’s not considering it.

But besides that, Uzbekistan is also the seventh-largest gold producer and the eleventh-largest natural gas producer in the world.

After making money here, if you really don’t want to bother figuring out how to exchange foreign currency, you can directly convert the money into gold and import it back home.

In the domestic market, the import of gold is quite lenient, even tax-free.

The country would be glad if you brought more gold back.

So importing gold is tax-free, and there’s a restriction on the export of gold.

After getting these useful tips from the acquaintance, Chen Yiyang hurried to thank him.

"Mr. Chen, you’re too humble. Having you invite us to a meal is already an honor for us. When you return home, feel free to call us over for a get-together if you have time."

"No problem." Chen Yiyang nodded.

After doing business for so many years.

Chen Yiyang transformed from a small business owner who had to connect with local acquaintances through networks to someone whom, as soon as he arrives somewhere, the local acquaintances would proactively reach out to as Mr. Chen.

His reputation in the business circle has, to some extent, become a network of its own.

The next morning.

Today’s intel, ancient armor: An antique shop in Tashkent is currently selling a set of ancient Yuan Dynasty armor. Buying it now would be a steal.

The related item pictures and location are attached on the second page.

An antique steal?

Seeing today’s intel on a lucrative find first thing in the morning, Chen Yiyang was in a good mood.

He had scheduled talks with the Uzbek officials for the afternoon.

So Chen Yiyang took the morning, after breakfast, to have a guide show him around.

He also wanted to see the real scenes on the streets of Uzbekistan.

After heading out, Chen Yiyang walked down a few of Tashkent’s more prosperous streets.

Overall, it matched well with what his acquaintances said last night.

This is a poor country, but the poverty here is mainly in terms of development.

Although overall, it still maintains the appearance of a large city in Huaxia around the 90s.

However, because wealthy people gather in some areas, the gap with other modern metropolises in those areas is not too large.

The reason behind this scene is that Uzbekistan hasn’t kept up with the development speed of the world’s leading nations.

In such a country, the wealthy at the top can still enjoy the fruits of technological advancement. But most common folks remain trapped in the old times, living repetitive and monochrome lives.

But all this has little to do with Chen Yiyang.

He does not plan to invest too heavily here, and the specific scale of investment depends on how the negotiations with the local officials go in the afternoon.

Following the directions in the intel on a lucrative find, Chen Yiyang soon arrived at an antique shop that looked more like a warehouse.