"How do you plan to handle this treasure?" After the excitement of discovering the artifact had settled down, Pierce asked Liang En. "Let's make this clear: don't involve me in this. With the scale of my family business, even if my old man steps in, he won't be able to manage it."
Perhaps due to the effect of the [Keen Observation (R)] card, Liang En noticed envy and happiness in Pierce's eyes, but there was no negative emotion like jealousy.
Because of this observation, Liang En felt he could trust Pierce a bit more.
"Do you have any suggestions? After all, I'm just a newcomer in this field, and there's a lot I don't understand."
"Me? I think there are only two options right now." After a few moments of contemplation, Pierce spoke. "Either sell this pot directly to a museum, or hide it away and wait for the right opportunity."
"Can't you use your connections to sell it through your channels?" Liang En inquired. Setting aside the latter option, the first one was safe, but the price was significantly lower.
Although theoretically museums would purchase these artifacts at market prices, the prices offered by pawnshops and auction houses were vastly different.
Especially for a newbie like him who hardly knew anyone in the UK, the best-case scenario for the other party would be to cut the price in half, and if they were unscrupulous, they might even bargain down from the knees.
"If I get familiar with those nobles after a year or two, there might be a chance, but not now." Pierce shook his head with resignation.
"The people I know on my end either don't have much money on them and can't afford a high price, or after a couple of beers, they spill out everything, including the color of their underwear."
In reality, under normal circumstances, an item like this could potentially fetch seven to eight hundred thousand pounds if you slowly found the right customers. However, the impression left by that Russian tycoon was that he didn't play by the rules.
As is well known, those wealthy Russians often have dubious origins, and if word got out while looking for customers, the worst outcome wouldn't be just losing the pot; it could even lead to getting caught up in some dangerous dealings.
"I think it's better to hide this pot for a while." After weighing the pros and cons, Liang En made a decision.
"After all, apart from us, everyone else will just assume this is a big stew pot used by Victorian-era servants. So as long as we don't tell anyone, there shouldn't be much risk."
It had to be said that compared to the massive objects some people found, like antique cars or even tanks, concealing a copper pot like this would be much easier.
Especially since the pot's appearance lacked any engravings or gilding. Unless someone deliberately turned it over to examine it, most people would simply see it as an ordinary pot.
"You're right, and we can give this pot a slight makeover." Pierce retrieved a small bucket filled with black, grimy wax from under the cabinet as he spoke.
"Just melt this paraffin wax and pour it over the bottom of the pot, then apply a layer of charcoal ash. No one will notice any difference between this pot and others, and it will also help protect the pot."
Soon, the two of them finished treating the pot and went to rest. Once lying on his bed, Liang En began to examine the new card that had appeared in his mind.
Three black cards, two [Detection (N)] cards and one [Appraisal (N)] card, seemed to appear for Liang En each time he made a valuable discovery.
After briefly looking at the three cards he had before, Liang En's attention quickly focused on the newly appeared silver card.
[Card: Kazan Copper Pot (SR): Ancestry, Grandfather, Lineage, Father — Whenever the familiar melody plays, many people think of the mighty army that once swept across the entire Eastern Mediterranean, a force known as the Green Romans. This new army was the sharpest blade of that great force.
This pot symbolizes the spirit and soul of this powerful army, and thus, this card can bestow certain powers belonging to this army upon its holder.
Item Card: By possessing this copper pot, you can gain an hour of New Army weapon proficiency every day. Additionally, once a month, you can execute a volley attack by the Solark 62nd Regiment. These abilities cannot be accumulated.]
"Finally, it's here, it's real." Reading the description on the card, Liang En was so excited he almost jumped out of his bed. The abilities carried by this item card were truly formidable.
Let's start with the first one. Although it only covered shooting techniques for a Turkish bow and skills with a hammer, it lacked the renowned Turkish scimitar art or musket shooting technique of the New Army. However, it was more practical.
Carrying a gun or a scimitar in a vehicle was hard to get permission for and could be problematic during police inspections. However, a bow and arrows, along with a steel pipe or a short stick, were a different story.
Especially given Liang En's current occupation, he had enough reason to carry a bow and arrows in his car.
What was more important was that this ability wasn't just a memory in his mind. It was a combat skill honed through countless trials and was now almost instinctual.
So, when activated, it wouldn't just affect the brain; it would also impact every neuron and muscle in the body. Otherwise, those techniques couldn't be executed.
As such, each time this skill was used, these techniques weren't just impressed in the mind; they would also be ingrained in the body.
Therefore, if he used this skill daily, after some time, Liang En should be able to master these combat techniques.
As for the last ability, it went without saying. Although times had changed and bows had exited the historical stage, within the range of a handgun, 30 arrows and 30 bullets had practically little difference.
"Unless there's no other choice, I'll keep this pot safe." After reading about the skills this pot carried, Liang En secretly made up his mind before going to sleep.
Over the next few days, they began sorting through their recent finds. Although the clay objects and tin utensils and cookware wouldn't fetch a high price, at least cleaning them up would earn some money.
After spending five days cleaning up that pile of things, Liang En was planning to continue his treasure hunting journey. However, an unexpected message changed his plans.
"Are you saying the butler from last time contacted you again, offering you a chance at a warehouse auction and a truck?"
That day, Liang En was getting ready to go to the Overflowing Cup bar where treasure hunters often gathered to inquire about new opportunities, but before he even stepped outside, he received a call from Pierce.
"On one hand, the truck isn't mine. It was loaned to me for free when I was given this opportunity for the warehouse auction. Of course, you'll have to cover the fuel costs for the trip." Pierce's voice came through the phone.
"On the other hand, this auction is taking place in a large warehouse that used to belong to the East German national reserves, located in Leipzig. Most of the storage rooms there haven't been opened since the end of the Cold War, so there should be quite a lot of valuable items. It's worth making the trip."