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"That's..." Zhang nglong said sowhat embarrassedly, "I ca back in such a hurry that all the things were piled up together without labels, and I don't know which ones are from Huaxia."
"No problem, let's just treat it like opening a blind box!" Chen Xin recovered from his astonishnt, and the prospect of unlocking the crates of cultural relics was far more thrilling than any blind box. He couldn't wait to find out what surprises Zhang nglong had brought him.
The first box contained a long, golden staff, almost entirely cast from gold, with a large red diamond embedded at its top. Enigmatic script was etched along its length, and the staff was a little over one ter long, quite substantial in weight.
"This! This seems to be..."
As if he had discovered a new continent, Professor Chen Xin almost excitedly reached out for the golden staff, but his professional instincts imdiately reined him in. With ticulous care, he pulled out a pair of gloves and a magnifying glass from his pocket and began to examine it closely.
"This seems to be the Scepter of an Egyptian Pharaoh!" Zhang nglong could feel Chen Xin fiercely suppressing his excitent.
In ancient Egypt, the scepter was a symbol of status and power. Whether it was the scepter of a king or a god, it represented supre dignity and authority, but the most precious of all was the "Pharaoh's Scepter." The Egyptians believed it to be a divine relic bestowed upon humans.
However, the Pharaoh's Scepter had been lost for many years, and despite the discovery of nurous pyramids and Pharaohs' tombs by Egyptologists, the scepter's whereabouts had never been traced.
As one of the four great ancient civilizations alongside Huaxia, the value of this scepter was no less than that of the Imperial Jade Seal, both holding a similar stature in history.
"Yes, Professor Chen, this is the Pharaoh's Scepter," said Zhang nglong, "In fact, before the Pharaoh's pyramid was excavated, tomb raiders had already entered the burial chamber and stolen a batch of treasures, including this scepter."
"According to legend, the Pharaoh's curse left within his pyramid struck the tomb raiders not long after they fled, leading to their untily deaths, and the Scepter of the Pharaoh subsequently vanished without a trace," these details were narrated to Zhang nglong by Emma.
"It's amazing, a treasure lost for a thousand years has reappeared today," exclaid Professor Chen, unable to contain his admiration. "I can't believe soone managed to find it. What's the auction estimate, a stratospheric figure?"
"Not expensive, just 1.2 billion euros."
"1.2 billion..." Both elderly professors nearly coughed up blood. 1.2 billion euros, not expensive? Who talks like that?
The first "blind box" gave Chen Xin an incredible surprise, and it made him even more eager about the contents of the other crates.
"This is... a Crystal Skull of the Mayans!" Chen Xin exclaid.
The Mayan Civilization is one of the world's most mysterious civilizations. Although not one of the four great civilizations, the jungle civilization had long achieved great accomplishnts in astronomy, mathematics, and other fields during the Neolithic Age.
The Maya have left behind many mystical legends, including the 13 Crystal Skulls of the Mayan Civilization, shrouded in fantasy. These skulls could speak, sing, and supposedly held information about the origins and death of humans.
Up until now, it was thought the 13 Crystal Skulls were re legends, but four years ago, the first Crystal Skull surfaced amongst the ruins of the Maya. While the supposed secrets of human origin and death were not found, the precise anatomical knowledge and astonishing cutting technique were enough to wonder at.
Yet, four years had passed, and archaeologists tirelessly sought the remaining 12 skulls with no news, but here, one appeared.
"How much for this one?"
"Much cheaper than the scepter, just 800 million euros!" Zhang nglong said offhandedly.
"Cheap..." Chen Xin shook his head as he opened a golden brocade box, "What's this? It's quite heavy!"
Chen Xin smiled as he opened the box, but the mont he saw what was inside, he was struck dumb. Then, his old eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
"My goodness! The Imperial Jade Seal! Is this a dream?" Chen Xin, seeing this national treasure that had been lost for over a thousand years, was imdiately overco with emotion.
For these professors of history, these lost national treasures were a constant heartache, and the feeling upon seeing this artifact was like that of an old father finding his lost child, an emotion beyond the power of words to describe.
"This is the Nine Dragons Sword!"
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"The Lanting Preface! It's actually the Lanting Preface!"
"The last of the animal heads!"
...
Eight national treasures, each one of them was among Huaxia's most precious and historically valuable items. Towards the end, Chen Xin was even afraid to lift those relics anymore; he feared that he might carelessly drop one of them on the ground.
"These items should be placed in a museum, so that every descendant of Yan and Huang can co and admire them!" Chen Xin said excitedly.
He suddenly stood up and bowed to Zhang nglong.
"Professor Chen, what are you doing?" Zhang nglong hurriedly stood up to help Professor Chen.
"nglong, I represent our nation in thanking you for bringing these national treasures back to Huaxia!"
"Professor Chen, what do you an? These were just small efforts," Zhang nglong replied hastily, "I originally went to the auction just to broaden my horizons, and it just so happened that I saw these items and bought them on a whim. You don't need to be so formal!"
"Bought them on a whim?" Chen Xin was amused by Zhang nglong's words.
Any one of these items, if taken out, would be worth over a billion, and just the combined value of these Huaxia relics probably amounted to dozens of billion Euros. Is that what you call buying on a whim?
"nglong, how many items were sold at that auction?" Professor Han asked curiously, since Zhang nglong brought back more than eighty treasures by himself, the total must be quite staggering, right?
"A hundred and sothing, I guess," Zhang nglong said, "I just bought whichever items looked nice, seed practical, or had so significance."
"Are you sure that you went to attend an auction?" Chen Xin and Han Jinyu exchanged glances.
Not to ntion that Zhang nglong purchased nearly ninety items out of a hundred sothing by himself, this was an auction where everyone was well-prepared, specifically targeting certain auctioned items.
And for Zhang nglong, it seed he just bought whatever caught his eye, like shopping at a market. Even at a market, people can haggle over prices, could he haggle at an auction too?
"nglong, why do I feel like your trip abroad wasn't so much to attend an auction as it was to go grocery shopping? You just bought whatever you saw." Han Jinyu said, exasperated.
Zhang nglong pondered for a mont and then nodded, "Actually, it's quite similar to grocery shopping."
...
Zhang nglong called a few of the household servants to tidy up these things, and then carefully repackaged the eight relics belonging to Huaxia and set them aside.
"nglong, I will report this to the National Cultural Relics Bureau as soon as possible," Chen Xin said, "However, these items are quite substantial and require a very special venue, and I'm afraid the Historical Cultural Museum in Jiangnan City might not have the space to store them. I may need to apply to have them sent to the museum in the capital."
"Ah? Sent to the capital?" Zhang nglong was sowhat reluctant. Although there was no difference, as it was still within Huaxia, these items were, after all, procured by himself, and he would prefer them to stay in Jiangnan City.
Actually, Chen Xin very much hoped that these items could stay in Jiangnan City too, but if that were to really happen, it would an petitioning for funding to expand the venue, which wasn't an easy matter.
Chen Xin shared the difficulties with Zhang nglong.
Zhang nglong smiled slightly, "So it's just a matter of funding, is it? How about I make another donation?"
...
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