As per Liu Yong's instructions, Overlord carefully extracted a few intact pieces of porcelain from the sunken ship, being cautious not to cause any further damage to it.
With the porcelain in hand, Overlord quickly approached Huahai City without any intentions of further dismantling the ship.
Liu Yong switched off the third-party vision and checked the current status of Song Dynasty porcelain on his mobile phone.
He was pleased to find out that the price of such porcelain had only increased over time, making his mood even better.
The journey from Nanhai to Huahai City took several hours, even at over 160 knots. By afternoon, Overlord finally arrived at the seafront warehouse, where he carefully placed a dozen pieces of Song Dynasty porcelain in the open space.
"Master, I have successfully retrieved the items," Bawang reported to Liu Yong.
Upon receiving the information, Liu Yong promptly checked through the third-party vision and was delighted to see the porcelain pieces arranged neatly in the warehouse.
"Thank you for your hard work, Overlord. Let's take a break and fill up on food before heading back to the South China Sea to explore the sunken ship tomorrow," Liu Yong said appreciatively.
"Sure, master," replied Overlord.
Liu Yong checked the time and saw it was already past four in the afternoon.
He stood up from his seat and prepared to leave the company. He planned to drive to the seaside warehouse and inspect a dozen pieces of porcelain.
As Liu Yong left the company, everyone appeared to be surprised. They knew he was the boss and could go work whenever he wanted.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtChen Hu broke the silence and asked, "Boss, do you want me to drive for you?"
Initially, Liu Yong intended to call something other than Chen Hu, but he appreciated the offer and eventually agreed, saying, "Sure, you can drive. Just use the big G."
Chen Hu drove the big G and arrived at the big warehouse by the sea in about an hour.
Using the remote control key, Liu Yong opened the warehouse door and instructed Chen Hu "Drive the car directly in."
The big G drove straight into the warehouse and parked in the open space in the middle.
A dozen pieces of porcelain, including bowls, saucers, and bottles, were placed more than ten meters away from the car. They looked delightful, and there were several types in total.
Liu Yong quickly exited the car and walked over to the porcelain. He squatted down, picked up one of the pieces, and looked at it with great interest.
"Very beautiful," he remarked, "and very delicate."
Moreover, the porcelain was remarkably intact, without any damage, and in excellent condition. Chen Hu joined him, and when he saw the dozens of porcelains, he exclaimed happily, "Boss, it seems that these are all antiques."
Liu Yong nodded in agreement and said,
"Yes, they are all porcelain from the Song Dynasty. Be careful. Help me wrap them in old newspapers, and put them all in the car."
He had brought the old newspapers with him specifically for this purpose.
Chen Hu followed Liu Yong's instructions, wrapping each piece of porcelain in several layers of old newspapers before carefully putting them in the trunk of the Big G.
When everything was packed in the car, Liu Yong signaled to Chen Hu, "Let's go back."
As they drove, Liu Yong felt a sense of excitement. He thought about the dozen pieces of porcelain in the car and decided to look professionally at them tomorrow and determine their value.
The first person that came to mind was Ding Wen, a half-expert in antiques which had registered and established a cultural company specializing in the collection, appraisal, and auction of antiques. Ding Wen also recruited some professionals.
This afternoon, Ding Wen requested leave again and visited a porcelain professional through an elder's relationship.
The person he saw was Shen Zhouping, an authoritative figure in the identification of ancient porcelain in China who had worked for the Palace Museum and had expertise in antique porcelain collections.
Ding Wen hoped to hire Shen Zhouping as the company's ancient porcelain appraisal expert, even if it was just a name, as a guest expert.
But Shen Zhouping's response could have been more precise. He didn't refuse outright, but he didn't agree either.
This was mainly because of Ding Wen's family background. An authoritative figure like Shen Zhouping would generally serve as something other than an appraisal expert in a newly established small company.
In addition, Shen Zhouping himself had plenty of money.
While not as wealthy or influential as Ding Wen's family, this man still has access to 300-500 million yuan and boasts a personal collection valued at around 200-300 million yuan. Ding Wen must have hit a wall when faced with such a talented individual.
"I can't believe Shen Zhouping is the company's appraisal expert. He's really a headache," Ding Wen muttered to himself, unable to sleep well that night.
The next day, Ding Wen arrived at his newly established company in a Grade A office building on Huahai Avenue.
Although the company had yet to officially operate and needed to recruit some personnel, the office space had been prepared, and Ding Wen had his own office.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHe was racking his brain, trying to figure out how to leverage his connections or methods to bring Shen Zhouping into his company, even if it meant making him a guest expert. While contemplating this, Ding Wen's phone rang.
After the call, Liu Yong's voice came from the other end, "Hey man, where are you? I need to ask you something."
"I'm at the company, Brother Yong," Ding Wen replied.
"Okay, come here right away," Liu Yong said.
"I'll wait for you in the lobby on the first floor," Ding Wen said before hanging up.
As he left the office, Ding Wen headed to the lobby on the first floor, where he waited for Liu Yong. A short while later, Liu Yong arrived with Chen Hu, carrying a large cardboard box.
"Brother Yong, what's going on?" Ding Wen asked, puzzled by the situation and Chen Hu's presence.
"I've got some Southern Song Dynasty porcelain that I want you to take a look at. Since you're a semi-professional, I thought you might be able to help me out," Liu Yong explained.
Southern Song Dynasty porcelain? Ding Wen's interest was piqued. He had been trying to recruit Shen Zhouping, who had a particular passion for Song Dynasty porcelain and even had a few valuable pieces in his collection.
"Brother Yong, is it really Song Ci?" Ding Wen asked.
"It should be, but you'll have to take a look for me to be sure," Liu Yong replied.
"Okay, let's head to my company. I'll show you the way," Ding Wen said as he led Liu Yong and Chen Hu into the elevator.
When they exited the elevator, Liu Yong's eyes fell upon the golden letters that read "Hanhai Culture." He glanced around and realized that Ding Wen's company seemed to occupy the entire floor.
Ding Wen, however, was not interested in showing off his company to Liu Yong.
He brought them to his office, where Chen Hu placed the large cardboard box on Ding Wen's desk. Without hesitation, Ding Wen opened the box and pulled out the first piece of porcelain.
...........