After submitting the thesis, the next step is to wait for the other party's review. Traditionally, for someone like Leonard Ethan, a complete newcomer, it is difficult to attract a well-known magazine and to publish his own content.
However, considering that this thesis could be considered an important step in deciphering Ancient Egyptian text, there is still a high probability that they would give this newcomer a chance.
However, regardless of circumstances, whether the thesis can be published or not lies entirely in the hands of the evaluators and editors. So, for Leonard Ethan, his work on this thesis naturally comes to an end with its submission.
So, realizing that today was the day of the auction event, Leonard drove straight to the Emerald Antique Store to inquire about the results of the auction.
"You arrived just in time; I was about to call you over to give you your money." Upon seeing Leonard enter, Pierce, who had just come in and was taking off his wind coat, showed a surprised expression.
"I sent the thesis over an hour ago, and after having breakfast, I hurried here," Leonard said, leaning on the counter. "How was today's auction?"
"It went very well; the four items I brought were all well received." Pierce replied as he locked the shop door behind him, then handed Leonard a backpack.
"Your money is in here; count it."
Compared to ordinary people who prefer to use credit cards for large transactions, many antique dealers and treasure hunters prefer cash for such transactions. Therefore, Leonard naturally took the backpack and began counting the banknotes inside.
"Why is it all in 50 pounds' denominations?" As he looked at the new, red banknotes, Leonard frowned slightly.
It's because, in the United Kingdom, on average days, people usually pay with 20-pound notes; these new 50-pound notes are too eye-catching.
"I can't help it; those nobles did consider our preference for cash, but they only understood it superficially. And I couldn't tell them otherwise," Pierce shrugged.
"18,200 pounds? You didn't give me extra, right? I remember you only owed me 15,000 pounds for the gun." After counting the money twice, Leonard asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Of course not, your necklace sold for 3,200 pounds. And considering the good price we got for the gun, I won't take any commission for this transaction."
"3,200 pounds? But I remember the overall condition of the dragonfly eye was just average, so its market price was around 800-900 pounds. Adding the value of the original trade beads, it could be sold for around 1,500 pounds at most."
"What you said pertains to selling the beads separately, but the historical value of your original necklace adds extra value to it, so the prices doubling at the auction is normal."
As Leonard stuffed the cash into his wallet, he asked about the specific situation of the auction. "You just mentioned that you successfully sold the four items you brought to the auction. Does that mean you're in their circle now?"
"Not that easy, at this point, I'm only dipping a little toe into that circle." Upon mentioning this, Pierce's spirits lifted.
"However, even a little toe is a great opportunity for us, like this time, for instance—"
As expected, different information circulates in different circles. For Pierce, the biggest gain from this auction, besides making a profit, is the opportunity to obtain information he has never had access to.
For example, this time, he learned that a Russian tycoon wants to sell a mansion in Carlisle due to financial difficulties and needs some professionals to clean it up.
"What are their conditions?" Leonard asked with a solemn expression, because the wealthy and powerful not only have various rules, but may also not be generous with money, so it's better to ask clearly about such matters.
"Because I got this job through the old butler at the auction, we can make 600 pounds a day without any middlemen taking a cut, and all the stuff we clean out is ours."
"All ours?" Leonard Ethan's face showed surprise as soon as Pierce finished speaking.
Normally, when completing cleaning tasks, they would need to hand over high-value items and anything related to their employers to the person in charge unless they were granted permission to take them away.
Nevertheless, even then, the things they were allowed to take often netted them a significant profit, which was the main appeal of this line of work for many people.
Therefore, when Pierce mentioned that there were no demands on that front this time, Leonard couldn't help but be shocked by such an unusual situation.
"Don't worry, safety isn't an issue," Pierce patted his chest confidently, reassuring Leonard.
"At least our source is very reliable, though they didn't elaborate on why the situation is like this. Of course, it's not my place to ask."
"So, it means the rooms may mostly contain trash," Leonard raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, they wouldn't let us take away everything so easily."
"You're right, but the problem is that they're giving us too much money," Pierce shook his head.
"Not to mention they pay us 1,800 pounds for three days, which is high salary, but also the things those wealthy people don't want can make us a good amount of money."
Early the next morning, Leonard drove his small van, following Pierce's medium-sized truck towards Carlisle, which is located in the north of England.
As Pierce had said, although the job was tough, the fat paychecks were enough to make Leonard, who currently had no urgent matters, take a trip.
The distance from London to Carlisle was over 400 kilometers, almost spanning the entire length of England.
Fortunately, the roads between the two cities were well-maintained highways, so Leonard and Pierce, who set off at 8 o'clock in the morning, finally arrived there at 4 PM.
After staying in a secure inn for a night, the two of them went directly to the manor of the Russian tycoon the next day.
This residential housing was located in the suburbs of Carlisle and was a medium-sized manor built in the Victorian Era. Its grandeur could be judged from the spacious courtyard that was at least a hectare in size.
Entering the main building composed of beige walls and a black roof, Leonard and a dozen other people were instructed by a man who looked more like a thug than a butler.
Possibly because they were new, Leonard and Pierce were assigned to the servant's kitchen and three servant rooms, respectively.
"Bullying the newcomers," Leonard grumbled in dissatisfaction, while Pierce's face didn't look too happy either.
It was well-known that cleaning in places like this, the most profitable spots were the rooms and warehouses once owned by the previous residents. As for the servant-related rooms, they could only hope that the items they found would be numerous and fetch a slim profit, at best.
However, after the complaints, they had to get on with their tasks. After all, half of their wages had already been paid, which meant they would persevere considering the 1,800 pounds at stake.
Coming down the stairs from the second level, Leonard and Pierce said goodbye to each other at the stair entrance and went to the rooms they were assigned to start working.