Unlike the artificial reservoirs that Li Du expected, Lake Powell was more of a tourist attraction with lots of cars parked in the parking lot, and there were buildings all around.
In fact, during the early days of the construction, the Bureau of Reclamation had already planned out a dual large-scale project with the reservoir also acting as a tourism spot.
In 1972, while the reservoir was still under construction, the construction team began building a series of tourism-related buildings including water park resorts.
Li Du alighted, looked at the crowded beach and lake, and exclaimed, "No wonder the Navajo want to reclaim the rights to the land. This is a golden goose!"
Unlike the Hopi, the Navajo had developed a lot of scenic attractions in their reservation. The Navajo had a lot of contact with the outside world. If they could recover Lake Powell, the tourism industry would enable their tribesmen to make a lot more money.
Although tourism was well developed, the main function of Lake Powell was to provide drinking and irrigation water to the states of Utah, Arizona and Colorado.
It was no wonder that the environmental protection here was very good; there was no sign of any pollution around the reservoir and that aspect also attracted a large number of tourists coming to the location.
The treasure hunters got off their trucks. Hans rented a yacht and the group jointly started to move the huge automatic fishing machine out toward the yacht.
The fishing machine was still very new. The storage unit it had been in was dry and sheltered it from the wind and rain. Besides some dust seen on the machine, it was really clean.
As soon as the machine appeared, the whole group of treasure hunters became the center of attention.
A few girls wearing sunglasses and bikinis came over to them and said, "Wow, that's a very nice fishing machine. Are all of you here to fight the big fish?"
It was widely known that Americans were very fond of fishing. It was also widely known that the United States had a lot of vehicles and was referred to as the "Nation On Wheels."
In fact, by the ratio of people to vehicles, countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and some countries in Europe were no less inferior to America in this aspect. America did not have the absolute advantage in the world.
But if one looked at the ratio of people against boats or ships, which was the ratio of the population versus the number of various boats owned, America had a great advantage. With the exception of families in Phoenix and other dry cities, many families in the United States owned small boats.
Since 20 or 30 years ago, Americans had changed their favorite leisure activity from going out for a trip or sightseeing to sailing out on the lake or ocean for fishing.
This fact was reflected in the various fishing entertainment shows as well. The United States had a lot of fishing programs: "Wicked Tuna,""Big Water Adventures,""Deadliest Catch,""Top Hooker,""Fish Warrior," and many others.
Looking at the beautiful women, the group of treasure hunters became very excited:
"Of course, all of us are good at fishing. Want some pike fish burger for lunch? I'm a good angler."
"You must also be good at fishing. Don't be humble, I can see that from your arm. Look, you have a swordfish tattoo—it's so beautiful."
"Wanna come fishing with us on our yacht? I bet you've never experienced fishing with a fishing machine before. It's not just luxurious, it's also comfortable!"
Not only girls came up to them, some men who were fishing enthusiasts also approached.
Someone immediately recognized the identity of the machine with one look. "A bad*ss machine made by Pure Fishing. This must be the Havoc X40 fishing machine. I saw this in a magazine once."
Li Du did not want anything to do with the girls in heavy makeup. He was only interested in the person who knew about the identity of the fishing machine. He asked, "Seems like you know this machine well?"
The man said with a smile, "People who like to fish know it very well. This is a star: the Swedish Abu royal chair, telescopic fishing rod by Fenwick, France Mitchell reel, PE fishing line by Spiderwire… my God, it's beautiful, isn't it?"
Li Du chatted with the man for a while and noted down the model of the machine. He also did a search on the Internet.
The Havoc X40 fishing machine was really famous. There was a lot of related news about it on the Internet.
The machine was made by Pure Fishing; this was the world's largest fishing gear company, with its headquarters located in Spirit Lake City in Iowa. It was the only company in the world that was well-trusted by many with respect to the fishing line, bait, fishing rod, and many other fishing-related accessories. Highly recognized for providing high-quality goods, it was the leading company of fishing gear in the market.
Pure Fishing's business mission and philosophy were to serve the anglers. They relied on thoughtful service and met their customers' demands by providing reliable, high-quality fishing gear. This had won the favor of many fishing enthusiasts and the company enjoyed an absolute sales advantage in the market.
The Havoc brand was launched by Pure Fishing with regards to the fishing machine. "X40" meant that the machine belonged to the 40th generation. The company was fast-paced in introducing new fishing machines. They were now in their 44th generation, the latest model.
Li Du also verified the price of the machine on the internet, which was what Hans had estimated: a brand new X40 was at least 50,000 dollars, but this price was only the price of the machine itself. It needed to be paired up with a lot of other fishing gear and accessories for a complete automatic fishing experience.
The machine needed other fishing gear. For example, the fishing rods: this machine came equipped with eight fishing rods. Like a big spider, it could fish in all directions when the rods were slotted in the machine and every slot had a pull receptor.
He looked at the introduction of the fishing machine; if one were to buy a full complete set of the machine together with all the accessories, one would need to spend at least 65,000 dollars—an ordinary small yacht could be bought for this price!
Hans rented a fishing yacht so that they could take the fishing machine out for a test.
The fishing machine itself was a small boat, but it had to be hooked behind a fishing yacht where it would drag the fishing machine through the water.
From the dock into the water, the fishing machine was now steadily floating on the surface. There was diesel inside the machine; when it was started up, the dashboard panel immediately lighted up.
The group of treasure hunters immediately cheered when they saw that. The fishing machine seemed to be in working condition. That meant it would fetch a good price.
Li Du also laughed. He already knew that there was no problem with the machine. The little bug had checked the generator, the pivot points, the axle, and so on.
The dashboard panel, which was the computer of the fishing machine, gradually became brighter. The logo of Pure Fishing appeared, followed by the selection panel.
The fishing machine was about thirteen feet long, eight meters wide, and could accommodate up to four people at a single time for fishing. Hence, there were four seats, with two in front and one at both sides of the machine.
When the seats and a large parasol opened, Li Du and Hans sat on them first, followed by Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, who each took a seat as well. It was now a full house at the fishing machine.
Turis waved at the ocelot. "Ah Meow, do move aside and let me come over, we'll sit together."
Ah Meow gave Turis a grumpy stare. "Meoow! Meooowww!"
Don't provoke me, I'm already unhappy that we're on a boat. It's really annoying! Ah Meow thought.
The fishing machine was a mini luxury yacht. It had a chiller whereby the generator generated electricity for the cooling function. It could be used to store drinks, food, and also the fish they caught.
Li Du had not enjoyed fishing in the past. He did not understand how fishing could be entertaining when all one did was sit and wait and then reel. He thought it was a boring activity.
But after coming in contact with the fishing machine, he understood that this was really a very good leisure activity, especially when one owned a fishing machine. One did need not do anything and just let the machine do all the work. And that was really a pleasure in life!