Chapter 1196: Birds of Arica
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the afternoon, when the sun was shining, the treasure hunters were busy picking up what they had won.
Following a sign from Li Du, Godzilla and the bodyguards entered to tidy up the exhibition room he had bid for.
Dr. Saatchi stood glumly by the door, and when he saw Li Du asked his n to go in, his eyes widened and he asked, “You have taken this room?”
Li Du smiled and said, “Yes, I did bid for a few of the rooms to see if I could make so profit from them.”
Dr. Saatchi was definitely not a good businessman. When he heard Li Du said so, he imdiately grabbed his arms and said, “The museum has been cleaned by the city governnt, the banks, and several universities. Why don’t you sell the things left here? I’ll give you... I’ll give you two thousand dollars...”
Li Du looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Noticing this, the old man changed his story. He gulped and said, “Well, I’m very passionate about this room, in particular, the table and chairs. I want to buy them.”
Li Du said, “I respect your feelings, but if you want to buy so tables and chairs as keepsakes, many other rooms here have so nice furniture as well...”
“I’ll buy them all. I will buy all these tables and chairs and take them ho in mory of the museum,” snapped Dr. Saatchi.
With a pitiful look he went on, “You’ll grant the request of an old man, won’t you? I’ve worked here all my life. God, I’ve beco one with this place...”
Speaking of that, his expression suddenly changed, he slowly closed his mouth, and then carefully stared at Li Du’s face.
Li Du shifted uncomfortably under his stare and said, “What’s the matter, doc?”
Dr. Saatchi said, “Last night... last night I saw you in the street! It’s you, isn’t it?”
He looked at Godzilla and the others, who were more recognizable in shape and appearance.
Li Du said without any secrecy, “Yes, I was walking around last night. We did et. What is the matter?”
The old man’s face beca livid. He stopped talking and stared at Li Du with fury.
Li Du shrugged his shoulders, ignored him, and directed the group to pack up the contents.
The exhibition rooms were in a ss, with shattered ceilings, concrete blocks, torn-up wood floors and various fragnts everywhere.
Godzilla cleared a table and pulled it out with one mighty heave.
The table was made of solid wood. It had been very sturdy, but it fell from the second floor and suffered damage from concrete blocks and chairs.
With brute force, Godzilla pulled the table apart, wrenching the top off.
It was a solid table, supported not by four legs, but by two thick, broad planks of solid wood.
When the tabletop was pulled down, a hole was exposed in it.
Godzilla took one look inside and said, “Hey, boss, there’s sothing in there.”
Li Du asked, “What is it? So kind of silver coins like in the prison’s warehouse?”
Godzilla shook his head. “No, it’s a book. A big book.”
Li Du said with disappointnt, “Who would hide a book in there? What sort of book is it?”
“A very big book,” Godzilla picked up the board and slid the book out. A huge book, at least one ter long, 60 or 70 centiters wide and more than ten centiters thick was revealed.
When Dr. Saatchi saw the book, his expression changed greatly, but he did not look any longer. Instead, he went to a corner and made a phone call.
Li Du carefully moved the book out. The treasure hunters in the vicinity gathered around to ask, “What book is this? Why is it so big?”
On the cover of the book, there was a na. The author’s na was John Jas Audubon.
John Jas Audubon was a na that was not well known to Chinese people, but to Aricans, it was absolutely famous.
Just as Chinese students learned about ancient scientists like Zhang Heng, Shen Kuo and Xu Xiake in elentary school, Arican students learned about John Jas Audubon.
Looking at the na on the book, one of the treasure hunters was shocked. “God, John Jas Audubon? Two centuries ago, he was a famous painter and naturalist. His paintings of birds are known as the United National Treasure.”
“That’s the book. That’s the Birds of Arica! Am I dreaming? You actually found it? This is the national treasure that he is famous for!”
“Yes, that’s it. Birds of Arica, Turkey, and Quadrupeds of Arica, these books are national treasures.”
The treasure hunters’ surprised voices attracted a lot of people, but the curator did not co near. He went aside and wandered to the street outside with an unhappy expression.
Soon, after much discussion, Li Du learned about Audubon.
Mr. Audubon was well-known both as a scientist and an artist, like so famous n of the Renaissance. He had completed countless paintings in his lifeti. Each work was not only an important project of scientific research but also a rare masterpiece of art.
Arican academics called Audubon “the greatest ornithologist of all ti”. Audubon was born in France in 1785 and immigrated to North Arica at the age of 18.
After Audubon ca to Arica, he hunted a large number of birds, fixed them with wire and made them into temporary specins, which were then drawn in a ratio of one to one.
It may seem cruel today, but at the ti, with primitive technology, it was the only way that naturalists could accurately record the physical details of wild animals.
It was common practice at the ti, and Audubon was rembered for his years of bird-watching experience and for improving his bird-painting techniques.
His birds did not stand stupidly like those in the early natural history paintings, but showed various natural habits: flying, foraging, raising young, brooding, fighting, and so on.
Because of the mass extinction of birds in modern tis, people could only learn about the birds on the Arican continent hundreds of years ago through these natural history paintings.
Among them, Audubon’s work was the best, and the pinnacle of it was Birds of Arica, which was now in Li Du’s hands.
Soone looked up the estimated value of the book online and was shocked. Other people went to check, and their mouths opened wide when they saw the number.
Reviews
All reviews (0)