Not long after returning to St. Petersburg, Liang En's phone rang. It was a call from Pierce, coming in from Finland. Through the influence of the Bocytus Count's family, Pierce had obtained valuable information from Finland.
"You're right, those people have indeed overlooked the situation in Finland," Pierce's voice sounded excited through the receiver. "Based on the information I've found, it's true that many of the deceased back then had unidentified identities."
"I told you, those treasure hunters the Count found were too mechanical in their search for various things," Liang En replied to Pierce's words.
"I also strongly suspect that the Count's family was too generous with the money, so some people might have just taken this trip to enjoy free food and drinks, without even bothering to inspect these things."
"What you're saying is possible, but honestly, the information from Finland is very vague. Without additional records, it's difficult to rely on that information alone to determine whether the war correspondent from back then was one of these unknown deceased."
Upon hearing Liang En's criticism of some colleagues, Pierce, who felt uncomfortable making judgments, quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, have you found any valuable leads on your end? If not, I think the Count would only have one feasible option left to find his uncle – to dig up these two or three hundred bodies one by one and examine their DNA."
"I did make a significant discovery here—" Liang En immediately began talking about his recent findings when Pierce asked. He particularly mentioned the red gemstone fixed inside the lighter.
Of course, in the process of narrating, Liang En attributed his reason for visiting the monastery to the data that mentioned it had been used as a field hospital. He explained that during his reconnaissance there, he stumbled upon these items.
"Haha, you must possess some Eastern magic, because your luck is truly extraordinary!" After hearing Liang En's account of his treasure hunt, Pierce teased.
"No, no, I think it's just a string of fortunate coincidences. Just like how back in school, you could suddenly find money on the ground for three consecutive days."
Hearing Pierce's banter, Liang En laughed and denied it, then he recalled the numbers he found on the lead plate.
"By the way, inside that lighter, I also found a lead plate with the Arabic numerals 1082 engraved on it," Liang En told Pierce. "What do you make of this number?"
"Lawrence, you know, you've stumbled upon a crucial piece of information." Upon hearing this question from Liang En, Pierce paused for a few seconds, then spoke loudly with a more excited tone than before.
After a dozen seconds or so, Pierce gradually calmed down and began sharing with Liang En some information he had gathered in Helsinki.
It turned out that on the battlefields back then, although the proportion of these unidentified deceased wasn't significant, their total number wasn't negligible either.
They might have had their faces covered due to injuries or other reasons, or they could have lost their identification documents on the battlefield and fallen into unconsciousness.
In such cases, the doctors treating them would use their hospital bed numbers as their identities to avoid mistakes during subsequent rescue efforts.
Some of these individuals might have been identified eventually due to being rescued or discovering other means of confirming their identities, but there remained a portion who were never recognized even until their passing.
For those sacrificial individuals who remained unidentified until their demise, they would be buried with the same hospital numbers they had during their time in medical care, leaving behind nothing but graves marked with numbers.
"Lawrence, do you now know what you've found?" In the phone call, Pierce's voice was exceedingly excited. "This number is highly likely to be the hospital identifier from back then. With this, we can locate his grave."
After saying this, Pierce hung up the call, leaving Liang En in suspense. It wasn't until half an hour later that he called Liang En again, who had been waiting by the phone.
"It's been confirmed." Even through the phone, Liang En could hear the excitement in Pierce's voice. "There was indeed an unidentified deceased individual in the makeshift field hospital at that monastery back then."
"So where is this person now?" Liang En's breath grew agitated, as he realized he was nearing the final answer.
"The anonymous deceased with that number is buried in a military cemetery near Puumala, Finland." Pierce looked at the aged document on his computer and spoke while holding the phone.
"When the Finns were retreating back then, they took almost everything with them – machinery, livestock, personal belongings, even bodies in the cemeteries. Naturally, this included the bodies of those who died in battle."
"For example, this body with the number 1082 is one such case. According to records, this deceased individual was found on the front lines occasionally. By the time he was brought to the hospital, he was severely frostbitten, and he passed away after about a week of treatment."
"He was initially buried in a temporary graveyard near that monastery, but after the armistice negotiations were settled, he and the other victims buried nearby were moved to the vicinity of Puumala."
"I understand. Send me all your data in electronic format," Liang En said. "With this information, we can wrap this up."
"Don't we need to bring something for an exchange this time? Maybe because of some tension, Pierce subconsciously asked the question he's accustomed to asking during commission missions.
"If you're willing to risk breaking the law by digging up a military graveyard at night, I have no objection," hearing this, Liang En burst into laughter.
"Remember, we're currently commissioned to find something very important for certain individuals. As long as we provide the information to our employer, we don't need to engage in tomb raiding."
"I'm just too excited," hearing Liang En's laughter, Pierce said helplessly. "You know, neither I nor my father have ever received such a job. It's just my ingrained work habits taking over."
After exchanging a few more playful remarks, Pierce sent over the information he had found. Perhaps due to everyone being in the city, the internet connection was finally faster than the wilderness.
Therefore, it only took half an hour for Liang En to successfully receive the information and send it to the steward after organizing it.
"Mr. Liang, may I ask if the information you've sent me is true?" Fifteen minutes after the information had been transmitted, Liang En received a call from the steward.
Unlike his usual elegant tone, the steward's voice sounded highly urgent this time, even slightly grating.
"Yes, all of this is true, Steward Lubsan." Liang En said, looking at the red gemstone placed on the table in front of him.
"At least according to the contents of the information we currently possess, the missing young master Duris should be buried in the military cemetery near Puumala."
"Thank you and your companions for your hard work." As Liang En heard the confirmation of the results of his investigation, the butler, Lubson, finally relaxed.
For him, this search task had been passed down from his ancestors, so every year he mechanically assigned people to carry out this search task, making it even a part of his life.
Therefore, when he realized that this long road was about to come to an end, even with his decades of experience as a butler, he couldn't control his emotions all at once, revealing a sense of excitement.
"So, is there anything my companions and I need to do now?" After hearing a sniffing sound from the other end of the line, Liang En waited for a moment before inquiring.
"I will gather experts now and contact the Finnish side. Tomorrow morning, we will head to Helsinki. You just need to wait for me to arrive around noon tomorrow," Lubson, the butler, immediately replied.
The next morning, Liang En and Pierce arrived at the airport in Helsinki with the things they had found earlier, and handed them over to Lubson, who had flown over.
"Where should we go next? Back to the UK?" After handing over the items, Pierce asked.
"Of course not. Since we're here, we can take this opportunity to add some Eastern European specialties to the store. After all, people are quite interested in these exotic items."
"You're right. I heard that many senior colleagues found some valuable things here when the Soviet Union collapsed decades ago." With Liang En's words, Pierce suddenly became interested.
Anyway, there was still some time before the information was confirmed by the Count's subordinates, and Liang En and his team also wanted to find out the final outcome of this matter as soon as possible.
So, Liang En and Pierce decided to take advantage of this opportunity and get to work directly, trying to find something interesting in this far-off Eastern European land.
Of course, the main reason they were willing to stay here was that the butler was willing to cover their travel expenses for this period of time.
Thus, the two returned to St. Petersburg to rest for a day. Then, the following morning, Liang En and Pierce each set off in their cars to their respective destinations.
Unlike Pierce, who chose the familiar city markets as his targets, Liang En opted for wilderness exploration. A few hours later, he arrived at the shores of Lake Ladoga in the off-road vehicle he had rented.
This largest freshwater lake in Europe is located more than sixty kilometers northeast of the city center of Leningrad. During the 900-plus days of the Leningrad Siege, the post-siege supply line that passed through this lake was the lifeline of the entire city.
Although this area wasn't occupied by the Axis forces at that time, it was within the range of their artillery and air attacks.
As a result, numerous brave Soviet soldiers drove vehicles and boats back and forth through artillery fire, transporting various supplies and personnel. Naturally, in the process, many things sank to the lake bottom.
However, Liang En didn't come here today to disturb those heroic soldiers. After all, this lake covers more than 10,000 square kilometers, and even if there were valuable items from the retreat of Leningrad, he alone wouldn't be able to retrieve them.
"This should be the place." After driving the car to a valley on the east bank of the river, Liang En looked around and said. It was a somewhat messy forest, with swamps and rivers scattered around.
If he were to climb a tree five or six meters high, he could even see Lake Ladoga with its rippling waves not far away.
The current appearance of this jungle might seem ordinary now, but if we were to rewind time by about a thousand years, a Viking town centered around a trading post stood tall here.
According to Viking tradition, they traveled with furs, amber, honey, and wax through the Baltic Sea to reach Russia. From there, they headed south to the Dnieper River and sailed along it to finally reach their destination, Constantinople.
This journey took a full year to complete, and after conducting their trade in Constantinople, they would follow the same route back to their homeland.
Initially, the activities of these Viking traders and raiders were limited because they needed to return to their homeland before winter arrived, avoiding treacherous sea voyages during dangerous seasons.
However, after the year 850 AD, these Vikings no longer returned home every year. Instead, they began establishing encampments in certain regions as bases for their trading and raiding activities.
The small town in the jungle from that era was one such example. The Viking group settled in this location, constructing a circular fortification from wooden boards and filling the moat with water sourced from a nearby lake.
The reason for building a sturdy outpost here was twofold. Firstly, it provided shelter for passing trade caravans, safeguarding them from attacks by the local indigenous people, the Pechenegs. Secondly, it served as a launching point for raids to capture the local indigenous population as slaves.
In history, some of these types of outposts gradually developed into major cities. For example, Dublin and York were originally Viking settlements.
However, luck wasn't on the side of this particular outpost. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in an attack by the Pechenegs.
Of course, for Liang En, this wasn't bad news. Unlike those abandoned outposts, war-damaged ones often left behind valuable treasures.
Following the mental map in his mind, Liang En quickly found the residence of the town's leader from that era, as well as the location of a sanctuary. He began using a metal detector to search.
At the sanctuary site, nothing was found. However, as he took a few steps at the site of the leader's residence, a buzzing sound emitted from the metal detector.
After crouching down and digging for a while with a small shovel, Liang En felt that the shovel had struck something. However, from the sound of impact, it didn't seem like metal.
"It looks like a stone that's been polished by hand." Liang En thought as he expanded the excavation area. Soon, a circular object appeared in the pit, no larger than 20 cm in diameter.
At that moment, he recognized that what he had dug up was a soapstone-carved stone bowl, adorned with simple patterns.
Clearly, what the metal detector had located earlier wasn't this. Carefully placing the mostly intact stone bowl to the side, he continued clearing the soil beneath.
Soon, a black metal piece, small enough to fit in the palm of his hand, emerged from the pit. The metal piece resembled an uppercase letter "T," and at the bottom of this "T," there was a metal loop.
The moment this object was revealed, Liang En recognized it as an amulet in the shape of Thor's hammer, the Mjölnir. Warriors often carried these amulets as symbols of strength.
The discovery of the amulet left Liang En in a state of excitement, as it indicated that this location hadn't been disturbed much, making it akin to a rich mine.
Unfortunately, his stroke of good luck seemed to fade from this point onward.
It wasn't until he had explored the entirety of the leader's residence that he found an Arab silver coin, a denarius, the size of a thumb. It featured a perforated amber and an axe with a thick layer of rust on top.
While clearing the remains of the leader's residence, Liang En noticed that all the items were found in the corners of the rooms rather than the center. Additionally, there were several charred pieces of wood scattered around.
This could only indicate one thing – the attackers had meticulously looted most of the valuable belongings from the settlement after their attack, before leaving. Only a small portion had escaped the looting due to being in rooms that were set ablaze, and these remnants remained until today.
Realizing that there might not be many significant findings left at these core locations, Liang En expanded his search to the residences of the common folk, following the mental map he had created.
As his search extended, Liang En discovered various houses belonging to ordinary people. Unlike the effort put into searching the leader's house, the attackers clearly hadn't spent much time scouring the homes of the common folk.
However, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the houses that had not been burned down had clearly been completely dismantled later on, leaving no trace behind, not even a single nail.
This situation was reasonable in the context of the era – in a time when productivity was limited, processed wood was a valuable resource, making it natural for ruins to be torn down for the construction of new houses.
In the rooms that had been dismantled, naturally, nothing could be found. During the demolition process, those who were tearing down the structures would have undoubtedly taken everything from the rooms.
Only in the rooms that had been previously burned were there some remnants left, although these couldn't compare to what had been found in the demolished leader's room.
This circumstance was determined by the architectural characteristics of the ancient Vikings. Looking at the bigger picture, their houses were both crowded and spacious compared to modern dwellings.
They were crowded because activities such as cooking, eating, sleeping, and even tasks like cleaning, spinning yarn, weaving, and mending clothes all took place within the same room, with limited living space per person.
To exacerbate matters, their houses lacked windows due to insulation considerations. So, despite the Vikings' relatively advanced outdoor sanitation practices and regular bathing, their houses still retained unpleasant odors.
However, the Viking houses also had their spacious aspects, as they didn't possess much furniture. Even the affluent mostly bought comfortable cushions and colorful tapestries, which served not only as decoration but also as wind barriers.
Apart from these, the only other furnishings were pottery vessels for food storage, wooden barrels, storage chests for clothes, and perhaps a few versatile benches.
Consequently, the possessions of these common folk were often quite simple, and very few of these items have survived to the present day. Therefore, by the busy afternoon, around 4 o'clock, Liang En had only managed to find seven or eight stone rings resembling donuts from the residences of common folk.
These stone rings were components of vertical weaving machines, where the warp threads hung from stones at the bottom to keep them taut while the weft threads were woven in.
"Finally done," Liang En exclaimed as he straightened his body after searching the last burnt-down house, giving his lower back a firm pat and letting out a long sigh of relief.
After all, the items buried in this area were quite shallow, and using a pickaxe standing upright risked damaging delicate artifacts due to the lack of control. He had to bend over or squat down while digging.
Perhaps because the items he had found previously were rather ordinary, lacking any significant historical context, Liang En hadn't obtained any new cards from them.
Therefore, after completing the search for potential riches, he began to measure the fortress ruins, now completely concealed by the surrounding forest.
In theory, this type of work often took an archaeological team several weeks to accomplish.
However, considering that Liang En had the map of this site and didn't need to excavate it, he managed to determine the rough layout of the site in just two hours.
From the traces left behind, it was apparent that the attackers from back then had assembled a well-armed force with a clear numerical advantage and launched a brief yet intense assault during the early hours of the morning.
The defenders of the small town had evidently not anticipated such a large-scale attack, resulting in the town's complete capture after a short fight. This was also why numerous scorch marks were found within the town.
When Liang En finally concluded his assessment, two new cards appeared in his mind: a 【Detection (N)】 card and an 【Appraisal (N)】 card.
Seeing these two cards, Liang En smiled. For him, the greatest achievement this time wasn't the small trinkets that, when combined, would fetch a mere seven or eight hundred pounds, nor was it the cards themselves.
What truly mattered was realizing that, apart from searching for various antiques, discovering previously undiscovered ruins and identifying them would also yield new cards.
Besides the validation aspect, as Liang En already had accumulated six copies of 【Detection (N)】 but lacked a 【Detection (R)】, he chose to use four of the 【Detection (N)】 cards to synthesize a 【Detection (R)】 card.
As the evening grew darker, Liang En habitually reported his activities to the local authorities and then returned to St. Petersburg with his spoils. When he reached the hotel he was staying at, he found Pierce had been waiting for him.
"I found something good this time." As soon as he entered his hotel room, Liang En saw Pierce put down the phone he was playing with, then excitedly retrieved a package from under the cabinet.
"You didn't go and steal something from a museum, did you?" When Pierce unzipped the package after Liang En's unintentional remark, he had noticed a shiny crown inside.
"Of course, I didn't steal it. I'm a law-abiding citizen, after all." Pierce chuckled. "I bought this from a store. They sold it to me at the price of modern crafts. Can you tell what this actually is?"
"Let me take a look." After receiving the crown from Pierce's hands, Liang En observed it closely. Soon, he spotted the peculiar aspects of this crown.
In terms of weight, it seemed to be a small, silver-gilt crown. The reason the seller might have considered it a modern craft was likely due to the well-preserved gold plating, making it not appear like an old object.
While the crown appeared quite elaborate at first glance, upon closer inspection, it exuded a sense of cheap craftsmanship:
The patterns on the crown were quite rough, resembling gilded plastic parts. There was a silver ring inside the upper part of the crown for stability. Even the areas he initially thought were gemstones turned out to be geometrically polished, shiny metals.
Beneath the crown was engraved the name "Jonas Jörnsson," likely the person who crafted this crown. Unfortunately, this silversmith wasn't well-known, and no information about him could be found. Only from his name could one speculate that he hailed from the Nordic region.
"I really have no idea what this could be." After scrutinizing the crown for a good ten minutes, Liang En finally chose to give up.
"This crown is unlike any I've seen before, even those similar to noble headpieces that I know of. It's truly baffling, one can't even guess what this might be."
"It's perfectly normal if you can't recognize this object. After all, this type of crown is only popular in certain Catholic communities in Northern Europe. If it weren't for my aunt marrying a Swedish man back in the day, I wouldn't recognize what this thing is either," Liang En explained.
"So, what exactly is it?" Liang En inquired further, handing the crown to Pierce to keep. He really wanted to understand what this crown, combining grandeur and roughness, was all about.
"This is a chastity crown. In the Catholic tradition, the bride in a wedding is seen as sacred, akin to the Virgin Mary," Pierce explained, placing the crown on the table.
"So, whenever a wedding takes place, the local church would have the bride wear the crown that's usually placed on the statue of Mary. Of course, because the Virgin Mary is not only supreme but also represents chastity, only brides who are virgins are eligible to wear it."
"Even before the 20th century, in those Northern European Catholic communities, there was a tradition that newlywed brides shouldn't have children too early. If they were suspected of 'getting on the train before buying a ticket,' they could be fined."
"The money from the fines would go to the church and would be specifically used to gold-plate these Virgin Mary crowns. That's why the surface of this crown looks overly smooth."
"Ah, I see now!" Liang En's face lit up with understanding after Pierce's explanation. It seemed that everyone had their areas of expertise, and learning was indeed a lifelong journey.
Next, Liang En presented the items he had found. While these items might not be as valuable as the silver-gilt crown, for Pierce, the act of discovering these items in the wild was praiseworthy in itself.
"You can sell the things you find to me in the future," Pierce said earnestly after inspecting Liang En's collection of trinkets. "I promise to take only a fair 1/3 cut under normal circumstances."
"Why are you doing this?" Liang En asked with some confusion. After all, Pierce didn't know about his unique abilities. Following the normal 1/3 commission rate, he would just end up making some hard-earned money most of the time.
"Because I believe you're suited for this line of work. Ever since you found that pocket pistol, I've noticed you've been on an upward trajectory in this field," Pierce responded seriously to Liang En's question.
"So, as a businessman, it's only natural to seize this opportunity with you. Although we're friends, I believe shared interests will make our collaboration even stronger."
"Aren't you worried that by saying this, I might realize my own value and seek collaboration with someone else?" Liang En asked immediately after Pierce's words fell.
Honestly, he found Pierce's sudden request today a bit abrupt, so he subconsciously wanted to understand why his friend was making such a proposition.
"No, because you're not the kind of person who values profits over friendship.," Pierce chuckled and shook his head. "And even purely from a profit perspective, collaborating with me is obviously advantageous for me."
"To be honest, helping you sell these items at this price won't bring me much profit from the transactions themselves, but it presents an opportunity for my upward development," Pierce began earnestly. He understood that engaging in actions almost tantamount to giving money away seemed rather peculiar, so he explained to Liang En why he was making this offer.
"You see, even though my family has been in this business for generations in London, accumulating a substantial network, the scale of our store hasn't expanded much beyond a certain point. Ever since you've been finding various treasures, I finally see a possibility to take my family's store a step further. While I might lack talent in this field, I can collaborate with someone talented and reliable like you."
"So, you found me for this reason?" Liang En felt relieved to hear Pierce speak so openly about his intentions. Compared to unexplained generosity, this mutually beneficial collaboration made much more sense.
To be honest, Liang En didn't mind collaborating with others in this area. He knew that even with his unique abilities, his strengths were primarily in discovering treasures and uncovering historical truths from various ruins.
In contrast to engaging in trades that he wasn't suited for just for the sake of profits, it made perfect sense to allocate some of the gains and have a dependable professional handle these matters.
Clearly, Pierce was currently the best fit for this role, and he had recognized this fact when he made the request to Liang En.
For him, even if he only made a modest sum from Liang En, the items entrusted to him for auction could significantly enhance his standing in the market, leading to greater benefits from other sources.
"If that's the case, I'm willing to give you priority in purchasing the items I find," Liang En made a preliminary commitment after pondering for a moment. "When we return to London, we can have a contract drawn up by professionals."
Once the agreement was reached, the two headed straight to St. Petersburg's renowned Tsar's Restaurant to enjoy a hearty meal, also celebrating the successful completion of the commission and their future collaboration.
The restaurant had a strong sense of history, having been established in 1750. Upon entering, one could see that the columns, ceilings, and displays had histories spanning over a century. This was a key reason why the two chose to dine here.
Perhaps due to the restaurant's name, there were portraits of eleven Tsars hanging inside. When Pierce and Liang En arrived, several servers dressed in period attire were singing Tsarist anthems.
Of course, the restaurant's fame wasn't solely due to its ambiance. Most of its menu had been preserved from a century ago.
Considering that Tsars had dined here in the past, eating at the restaurant was like tasting the same cuisine enjoyed by the royalty of yesteryears.
As they were celebrating the successful conclusion of a major deal, Liang En and Pierce ordered caviar with rye toast as a special treat.
While Liang En couldn't really discern the flavor of the caviar, the grilled meats, salads, and borscht were all delicious. The raspberry juice and Napoleon cake after the meal were also delightful.
This meal was satisfying from every angle, with the only slightly disheartening aspect being the bill – a staggering £107 for just the two of them. It was undoubtedly an expensive dinner.
Over the next two days, Liang En and Pierce thoroughly explored famous landmarks in St. Petersburg such as the Winter Palace, the cruiser Aurora, Peter and Paul Fortress, and Catherine Palace. They also took the opportunity to purchase some small souvenirs.
After all, since they had traveled all the way from England, they wanted to make the most of their time by thoroughly experiencing these attractions.
On the third day of their stay in St. Petersburg, the Count's estate butler, Lubsan, called Liang En with good news. They had confirmed that the unidentified deceased person buried in Finland as number 1082 was indeed the young master of their household. Lubsan informed them that he would be traveling to St. Petersburg tomorrow to provide them with the payment they were owed.
"Here is your deserved reward." Early the next morning, in a private room of a café, the steward of the Count's estate, Ludovic Lubson, met with Liang En and the others. As soon as they met, the steward pushed a large check across the table.
"200,000 euros? It seems this is a bit more than what you promised before," Liang En glanced at the number on the check and inquired of the steward sitting across from him.
"The extra 50,000 is a bonus from the Count himself," Ludovic Lubson said earnestly.
"Your recent actions have resolved a problem that has troubled our family for decades, and you've also located a missing family member. So, the Count believes you deserve a generous reward."
"Furthermore, the Count asked me to inform you that the individuals connected to the fortune you discovered exceed our initial expectations. Therefore, it might take until after Christmas to accurately calculate the value of those items—"
"No worries, whenever you have those things figured out and valued, that's when you can give me the money," Liang En waved his hand and replied with a smile.
According to the information he had seen on the ingots earlier, this money was tied to at least 20 to 30 hereditary noble families. So, untangling the relationships within this wealth was certainly not something that could be done quickly, even a century later.
As a simple example, some nobles had no direct heirs, but there were many potential inheritors of their wealth. So, determining who should receive the money posed a significant challenge.
"Thank you for your understanding." After Liang En's words, Ludovic Lubson nodded slightly, expressing his gratitude for Liang En's understanding. After a brief conversation, the steward took his leave.
"We're making a fortune this time." Once the steward left, excitement gleamed in Pierce's eyes. Although, according to the agreement, he would only receive a tenth of the money, making 20,000 euros in less than a week was still a substantial sum.
"Yes, indeed, striking it rich." After pocketing the check, Liang En responded to Pierce. "By the way, what's our next step? Do you have any new information?"
"There are some opportunities, but they're not all great." As Pierce spoke, he handed a list to Liang En.
"Jobs like these warehouse auctions or cleaning tasks—pure manual labor. I think it's not really worth our time to do these jobs. Of course, if there aren't any better alternatives, then these jobs are acceptable."
"How about this job exploring the territory guard training base?" After going through the entire list, Liang En pointed to one of the items and asked.
"I'm a bit hesitant about this because the place was abandoned after World War II and it's located in the East End of London," Pierce said, glancing at the information on his phone.
"During WWII, this base was on the outskirts of London, but after the war, it was completely abandoned and the growing city enveloped it within the urban area."
"Then, starting from the 70s, that area gradually turned into what they call a 'deprived community.' It wasn't until this year that someone bought up all the land and plans to develop new real estate."
"So, you're saying if there was anything valuable there, it might have been taken away already?" Liang En realized why Pierce was hesitant after his description.
A "deprived community" was similar to places like downtown Detroit, where financially struggling residents might have already scavenged anything valuable.
"Yes, but there are still benefits to searching there," Pierce continued. "To enter and search, it costs only £150, and we can take whatever we find without having to clean up the mess."
"Then that's what we'll do." Liang En tapped his phone screen with his fingertip. "At least, compared to other places, this base offers the best value for our money."
Later that afternoon, Liang En and Pierce returned to London by plane. After a night's rest, they drove to the outskirts of the city the next morning to the training base, now transformed into a construction site.
Though it was called a training base, most of the open spaces had been developed into buildings, leaving them with just a three-story main building and an adjacent two-story annex to explore.
After paying £150 in cash to the person at the gate, Liang En and Pierce entered the relatively small yard.
"This place doesn't look too promising," Liang En remarked spontaneously, observing the building with empty doorframes and windows, and the yard cluttered with debris.
"With what we paid, the condition here is about what I expected," Pierce's mood seemed better. With more experience in this field, he was mentally prepared for such environments.
After a brief discussion, they decided to start their search in the yard using metal detectors. The yard seemed more promising than the obviously searched interior of the buildings.
"I'm getting a signal here." According to their plan, each of them covered half of the yard. Pierce had the luck to pick up some underground metal reactions.
The buried object wasn't too deep; digging down about five or six centimeters with a small shovel, they felt it hit a hard object. They began clearing away the dirt from that spot, working outward from the center.
As the dirt gradually cleared, the previously buried metallic object emerged. It was a rust-covered metal canister about the size of an adult's fist, with remnants of black paint on its surface.
"I know what this is." As soon as he saw it, Pierce recognized its identity. "This should be a gas mask filter canister."
Indeed, upon flipping the canister over, Liang En noticed a multitude of small holes on the bottom, likely for air intake.
"Before World War II, the UK stockpiled 87 million gas masks on its home soil. In contrast, the Germans had only 9 million. The British military believed that in the event of war, the enemy would likely drop large quantities of gas bombs over Britain."
"So, when WWII broke out, the British Civil Defense Commission distributed gas masks to everyone and mandated that they be carried at all times. There's even an old gas mask up in my attic."
"You Brits were fortunate back then," Liang En sighed as he listened to Pierce's explanation.
At that moment, he thought about the past in China, where even frontline soldiers often didn't have such equipment. They had to dip towels in their own urine to counter the effects of Japanese gas attacks and fight the enemy at the risk of their lives.
"You should say 'you Brits.' I'm Irish," Pierce corrected with a shake of his head. "Compared to that upstart Germany that looted the world for hundreds of years, the depth of heritage in various aspects of the UK is far greater than we imagine."
"Of course, it's also good for us. It means we might find more valuable items here."
After confirming that the item was indeed a filtration canister, Liang En and his companions casually tossed it into the garbage heap. After all, the production of these items was excessively high, and it looked no different from rusted scrap metal.
Next, the two of them split up and continued searching the yard. At this moment, luck smiled upon Liang En.
"Silver coins!" Hearing the sound from the metal detector, Liang En excavated a standard-sized mechanical silver yuan coin from a small pit.
The front of this silver coin depicted the head of a king wearing a crown. But when he turned the coin over, he found the back side inscribed with "1 Indian Rupee" in English, accompanied by the Arabic numeral "1917" representing the year.
"What did you find?" Pierce, who was carefully scanning the ground on the other side of the yard, inquired. He had noticed that Liang En had been holding onto something he had dug up from the ground.
"A 1917 Indian Silver Rupee," Liang En said, tossing the coin over. "It's worth about ten pounds in today's market, hardly worth much."
"But it's still a good start, isn't it?" Pierce remarked after examining the coin for a moment. "Compared to that filtration canister from earlier, this item is obviously better than trash."
Apart from the silver coin, over the next hour, Liang En and her companions cleared out three British pennies from World War II, a shilling, and a half of a military bayonet from the yard.
However, just as the two were preparing to sweep the room after scanning along the walls, they heard the metal detector's strongest signal coming from a spot near the base of the wall.
"It seems there's something big down here," Liang En said excitedly as the metal detector's search range expanded. He could tell that whatever it was, it was much larger than a backpack.
"This feels like an ammunition box." After clearing away the dirt, Liang En frowned. The item was a metal box with a handle on the side, and it looked remarkably similar to ammunition boxes seen in historical images.
"This is indeed an ammunition box." Pierce pointed at a protruding spot on the box with gloved fingers. "Can't you see the insignia of the British Army on it?"
"What?" Liang En leaned in and saw a slightly blurry shield emblem on the stamped steel plate – likely the emblem of the disbanded British Army Department.
"We should be careful," this emblem instantly put Liang En on alert. Not all ammunition boxes bore the army department's emblem. Unless the contents of this box were directly issued by the army department.
But with a moment's thought, it was clear that something specially issued by a nation's top army authority wouldn't be too simple. When it came to military matters, it might even be quite dangerous.
"It's probably not a booby trap or some mechanism triggered by opening," Pierce said after pondering for a few seconds.
After all, even if this place was on the outskirts back in the day, it wasn't enemy territory. The people back then probably wouldn't have turned this into a dangerous bomb.
Although he said that, after Liang En's reminder, Pierce naturally became cautious. So, after digging the box out halfway, he stepped away, then used a pry bar he carried to open the lid of the metal box.
Perhaps due to severe rust, the lid came off directly when opened, falling from the box to reveal the contents that had been stored inside.
"This thing looks a bit like canned beef." Observing the almost rusted cylindrical objects in the box, Pierce mused to himself. Indeed, the item's dimensions were quite similar to the tinned corned beef issued to the British Army during World War II.
"Definitely not canned beef." Liang En's face revealed a tense expression. "Canned beef wouldn't be placed inside an iron box with the British Army emblem on it, fixed in place with metal frames."
Inside the box were ten cylindrical objects arranged neatly in two rows of five each. To secure these cylinders, there was a metal plate inside the box with circular holes punched into it, resembling an enlarged test tube holder.
"You're making sense," Pierce's seriousness deepened after Liang En's reminder. It was clear that canned beef wouldn't require such elaborate preservation methods.
"So, what should we do next?" After scrutinizing the box and its contents, Pierce whispered, "We can't bury it back; otherwise, the construction workers building the houses nearby will be in trouble if this thing turns out to be hazardous."
"It's simple – call the police." Liang En pulled out his phone and dialed 999. He explained the situation to the operator, emphasizing the British Army emblem on the box and his suspicion.
Shortly after ending the call, Liang En received a call from someone claiming to be a police officer. In this call, he was asked to take a photo of the metal box and move away from it.
"Seems like this thing is really dangerous." After hanging up the phone, Liang En shrugged at Pierce and then retreated with him into the almost empty room before climbing to the second floor. Compared to outside, this building could clearly provide them with cover.
"It looks like this house wasn't built during World War II—" While waiting for the police to arrive, Liang En carefully examined the room. He found that this three-story red-brick building was styled a bit earlier than he had imagined.
"This place used to be an office for a regiment of the British Army stationed in Dublin." Pierce furrowed his brow and pondered before speaking.
"After Ireland gained independence, the regiment was disbanded, and naturally, this office was abandoned. It wasn't until the Second World War that this place was reactivated."
"No wonder there are traces of wallpaper and such here." Liang En surveyed the room he was in, then kicked at the needle on the floor. "Unfortunately, this place was abandoned for too long before. Otherwise, we would definitely have made a great find this time."
"But if this place hadn't been abandoned, we wouldn't have gotten in for just £150." Pierce commented after listening to Liang En. "Unfortunately, what we've dug up so far isn't worth the entry fee."
While Liang En and Pierce were bantering, the sound of sirens reached the entrance. A dozen seconds later, they met a vigilant-looking police officer standing by the door.
"You're the ones who made the call?" the police officer asked as he saw Liang En and Pierce stepping outside. They both nodded to confirm, and he proceeded to ask about the entire process.
"So, you reported the metal container after you saw it?" After Liang En finished recounting the events, the police officer asked.
"Yes, because this used to be a military facility, and on top of that, there's the emblem of the army department on the metal box. So, we were worried that the box might contain a bomb and decided to call the police," Liang En explained earnestly.
Just then, two individuals in hazmat suits entered through the gate and carefully approached the iron box.
"So, it's not a bad idea to be cautious while searching," Liang En said seriously to Pierce over an hour later, in a restaurant several hundred meters away from the courtyard they were just in.
After the police officer had finished questioning Liang En, they were inspected from head to toe by a person in a hazmat suit before being allowed to leave. They were informed that they could return after 3 PM.
From their subsequent conversation with the police officer, Liang En learned that the iron box contained mustard gas used for training soldiers during World War II. If it were to accidentally leak, it could cause significant harm.
This was also why the police took some time to arrive after receiving Liang En's photo. They needed to coordinate with specialists from the Bolton-Tang Laboratory who dealt with such biochemical weapons before coming over together.
"You're right. And we've been fortunate. At least those canisters didn't leak," Pierce remarked after swallowing a bite of his steak. "So, what's our plan now? Do we wait until after 3 PM to go back in for exploration?"
"That's for sure. After all, the police mentioned that this gas is meant for training, and the quantity inside the canisters isn't significant. Even if it did leak, if we smell it and run, we'd at most get injured," Liang En pondered for a moment and replied.
"More importantly, these gas canisters wouldn't be distributed in large quantities at the training site. So, the ten canisters in that box are probably all the gas they had here."
"True, let's go back in the afternoon then," Pierce nodded. "By the way, I noticed you were staring at that rundown building earlier. Is there something inside the dilapidated building?"
"I suspect there might be some valuable things hidden inside that building that haven't been taken away," Liang En looked around at the other diners who weren't paying attention to their conversation, then lowered his voice. "I noticed multiple signs of renovations on that house."
"What's unusual about that?" Pierce's face showed confusion. "Since it was abandoned, it was used once during World War I, then operated as a headquarters until the 1930s. It was used again during World War II."
"Before each use, this building underwent comprehensive repairs. Even the two-story structure at the side was built before World War II. Otherwise, where do you think the electrical wires for the light bulbs in an old building came from?"
"But generally, during renovations, people wouldn't dig into load-bearing columns, right?" Liang En took out his phone and showed some pictures he had taken earlier to Pierce.
"That does seem odd," Pierce frowned as he looked at the clearly different patch of cement on the load-bearing column. It was evident that this spot had been dug up in the past and then refilled with cement.
"What do you think could be hidden here? It better not be more damn gas bombs," after studying the picture for a while, Pierce suddenly remarked. "If there's another gas bomb, we're in real trouble."
"It's unlikely. Those previous gas bombs were clearly discarded haphazardly. You know, during wartime, management in secondary areas like this might not have been as strict as in the frontlines. That's probably why hazardous materials were carelessly disposed of."
"But if they wanted to discard something, they could just dig a hole in the courtyard and bury it," Liang En pointed at the marks on the column in the photo. "There's really no need to dig holes in solid columns."
"Good point." Pierce enlarged the photo while speaking, but unfortunately, when Liang En took the picture, he was in a hurry, so the details on the top were barely visible.
"While we can't discern what's inside at the moment, this suspicion is enough to make the two of us thoroughly search that place," Pierce sighed and set down his phone in resignation.
Around 3 PM, the police officer who had previously called Liang En and the others rang again, informing them that the yard had been cleared and they could return now.
Upon receiving the call, Liang En and the other person in the bar, who was sipping a non-alcoholic drink, finished their beverages, then headed back to the militia training camp in their car.
Unexpectedly, the person who had been in charge at the construction site along with a middle-aged man in a suit were waiting at the entrance of the training camp. When they saw Liang En and the others arrive, they came forward to greet them.
The middle-aged man turned out to be the supervisor of the construction site. He had come specifically to express his gratitude to Liang En and the others for helping eliminate this hazard. Apart from verbal thanks, he returned the £150 they had been paid earlier and gave them an additional £500 as a token of gratitude.
"It seems our luck has been quite good. At least we managed to exchange that useless thing for some money," Liang En said, splitting the £650 and handing half of it to Pierce after bidding farewell to the construction site personnel.
"I don't want another stroke of luck like this," Pierce shook his head after taking the money. "If we had used a bigger shovel and exerted more force, we'd probably have spent these days in a hospital."
Upon entering the main building, the two of them began tapping and knocking suspicious walls and pillars with their tools. After more than an hour, they discovered three hidden compartments within walls or pillars in one of the rooms.
All these compartments had been carved out of the original building structure and sealed with red bricks and cement, followed by a coat of paint.
Honestly, these concealed spots built within the building itself were indeed hard to find. If not for the different colors of cement that had appeared due to decades of weathering and damage to the entire structure, nobody might have discovered these places even after a few more decades.
The first one they managed to open was a secret chamber in the basement. Judging from its size, this chamber appeared to be the largest. Regrettably, after laboriously breaking through the bricks, all they saw inside was a long green wooden box.
"Ha—We've found a weapons crate," Liang En said after the two of them managed to haul the crate out. He rapped his fingers on the wooden box. "Guess what kind of guns are inside?"
"It's probably a heap of wooden guns. You know, during the Dunkirk evacuation, even regular soldiers didn't have many real guns left, let alone many of the militia who were probably left with just wooden guns during training," Pierce guessed while shaking the box, producing a clinking sound from within.
"Training with wooden guns? Are you kidding me?" Liang En found it a bit hard to believe. After all, his homeland was an agricultural country at the time, which meant they had to face formidable enemies with rudimentary weapons. But the United Kingdom was a well-established industrial nation.
"Regular soldiers still had guns, albeit barely, but this is the headquarters of the Home Guard," Pierce explained somewhat helplessly. "At that time, only half of the Home Guard members were armed, and most of them had civilian firearms."
"These civilian firearms were brought by the Home Guard members themselves, so it's highly unlikely they would have left them here. Later, when the supplies became sufficient, they were issued professionally numbered weapons, which the higher-ups would definitely reclaim."
"So, you think this thing contains wooden guns? But I thought I heard the sound of metal clashing when we were moving it just now," Liang En said, taking out a pry bar to open the wooden crate. "I'll bet you a pound that there are real guns inside."
"I'll take that bet. I'm sure there are training guns made of wood inside," seeing Liang En prying open the crate, Pierce took out a pound coin from his pocket and stated."What exactly is this?" The box that had been dug out from the basement wall wasn't particularly sturdy, so Liang En easily pried open the lid with a crowbar.
To his surprise, the box didn't contain wooden training guns or actual firearms. Instead, there were a dozen or so hollow steel pipes, each with a dagger blade inserted at one end.
"It seems neither of us guessed right, but what is this? Spears, perhaps?" Taking out one of the hollow steel pipes with a thin layer of rust on the surface, Liang En's face displayed a puzzled expression. "When did the Empire on which the sun never sets equip such a weapon?"
Clearly, this weapon assembled from steel pipes and dagger blades should have been a standardized design. The dozen or so spears in the box were almost identical, and the dagger blades were all standard military issue.
"Wait a moment, I recognize this thing." After seeing the spears in the box, Pierce was initially stunned for a few seconds before suddenly speaking up. "These are indeed the weapons of the Homeland Guard."
"Just as I mentioned earlier, after the Dunkirk evacuation, Britain suffered significant losses of light weapons. So, while prioritizing the regular army, it was difficult to provide sufficient arms to these militia-like Homeland Guard units."
Pierce also pulled out a spear and held it upright for examination. "That's why Prime Minister Churchill at the time suggested that efforts be made to arm the members of the Homeland Guard, even if it meant each of them getting a spear."
"Wait, this should be a kind of rhetorical device." Upon hearing Pierce's explanation, Liang En widened his eyes in surprise. "Similar to how we say being armed to the teeth doesn't mean putting titanium braces on teeth and going to bite people."
"You're right, but the British logistics department actually did just that." Pierce shrugged. "They produced a quarter of a million spears made from steel pipes and dagger blades and distributed them to the Homeland Guard."
"Well, that indeed sounds like something the British would do." Thinking of the famous TV series "Yes, Minister," Liang En felt that the British bureaucracy was capable of such actions.
Fortunately, although around 250,000 of these were produced at the time, most were collected after the war. So, not many have survived to the present day, and each one can now fetch around thirty to forty pounds. It made the ten minutes or so they spent digging worthwhile.
As for the second location, the mezzanine on the ground floor turned out to be a complete waste of effort. After digging it open, they only found a tangle of dense electrical wires inside. So, if their guess was correct, this place likely used to be a simple distribution box.
"I suppose they sealed this off because dismantling it would have left an eyesore right by the door," Liang En said unhappily, after all, those useless electrical wires inside were really worthless.
"So, let's hurry and check the next place." At this point, Pierce's impatience was evident. He wanted to head upstairs to the second floor to see what was there. Compared to the previous two locations, the mezzanine that Liang En had discovered on the second floor seemed much more valuable.
The reason for this assessment was the remnants of wooden baseboards and the rather attractive wallpaper they saw in the room. Clearly, these features wouldn't have been meant for ordinary soldiers or even junior officers.
"Just think about it—a hidden mezzanine in the captain's room." Pierce said excitedly, while hammering away at the load-bearing wall. "There might be the former captain's personal stash of money inside."
"But hiding money wouldn't require plastering the wall with cement, would it?" Liang En countered as he chipped away at the cement blocks with a chisel. "How would he retrieve the money that way?"
"Um—" Asked this way by Liang En, Pierce momentarily froze in his tracks, but he quickly found what seemed like a reasonable excuse.
"Perhaps the person hid something in there before being dispatched to the battlefield, planning to retrieve it after the war when the house was abandoned. But then they never came back from the battlefield."
One had to admit that Pierce's reasoning was rather plausible. Judging from the remnants of wallpaper on the walls, this mezzanine seemed to have been built during World War I.
During that brutal war, the British military lost over 900,000 soldiers in combat, particularly the regular forces were decimated. So, it wasn't surprising that someone who hid something couldn't retrieve it, given the circumstances.
Unlike the previous two mezzanines, the third one had an additional layer of wooden boards covered in sheet metal, apart from the outer layer of disguised red bricks.
This fact indicated that, compared to the hastily sealed mezzanines below, this mezzanine had clearly been carefully camouflaged. It was highly likely that it concealed something significant.
Clearly, just a thin layer of sheet metal-covered wooden boards couldn't deter two treasure hunters armed with specialized tools. Ignoring the darkening sky, they retrieved two LED headlamps from their car, then proceeded to dismantle the final barrier.
A shoebox-sized wooden box lay quietly in the small opening, looking rather dark. After taking the box out, Liang En realized that the black surface was covered in a layer of slightly dirty wax.
After carefully inspecting the opening and ensuring there was nothing else inside, Liang En and Pierce returned to their car with the item.
Twenty minutes later, they were back at the warehouse of the Emerald Antique Shop. They gingerly removed the layer of wax from the box on the workbench, then opened it.
"Is this a set of nested dolls?" Looking at the iron box inside the wooden box and the letter placed on top of the iron box, Pierce couldn't help but make a sarcastic comment.
"Let's read this letter first." Liang En put on gloves, then used tools to open the envelope. After unfolding the letter, the somewhat disorderly handwriting transported both of them back to a night a century ago, when the fires of war raged:
"On March 17, 1917, clear weather. Our entire regiment is about to be dispatched to the European mainland, into the trenches to fight the Germans. According to the higher-ups, we will be back home before Christmas this year."
"But no one in the regiment headquarters believes this, because this statement has been repeated since the beginning of the war until today. Yet, one Christmas after another has passed, and the war has not ended."
"Even worse, the faces of the young men show expressions as though they are about to be led to the execution ground. The camp is as silent as a morgue."
"There were numerous issues when receiving supplies, and even though we are about to head to the front lines, the canned beef allocated to the regiment has been swapped for salted beef, and the quantity is only half—"
"Almost all the veteran soldiers in the regiment at the start of the war are now lying in graves. Only a group of new recruits, who have had at most a month of training, remain. Among them are many unfit for service and children who haven't reached the age. Taking them to the battlefield is no different from sending them to die."
"Well, let's complain up to here. Tomorrow, I will be leading this motley crew into the meat grinder. I hope I can come back alive."
"Also, the box contains spoils recently obtained from suppressing a rebellion. I hope I can have a chance to retrieve them alive, then exchange them for money to bring some solace to the families of those who lost their fathers, husbands, and sons."
"Darn executioners!" After reading the letter, Liang En hadn't even managed to express some of his thoughts on the brutal war before Pierce erupted in anger.
"This unit took part in suppressing the Dublin Uprising," seeing the puzzled expression on Liang En's face, Pierce pulled out his phone, tapped a few times, and then opened a webpage.
"Look, these are records." Despite being of British nationality, Pierce considered himself an Irishman at heart, much like how Liang En always identified as Chinese.
So, when it came to the British military forces that participated in suppressing the 1916 Irish Easter Rising, Pierce didn't harbor much sympathy.
Even though the Irish and the British were neighbors and essentially spoke the same language, their relationship was comparable to that between China and Russia. Their conflicts and contradictions had endured for centuries.
The British rule over Ireland originated from the invasion and occupation of Ireland by Cromwell's forces in the 17th century. Under the British sword, out of the mere 1.5 million people on the island at the time, 400,000 lost their lives.
Afterward, the British engaged in large-scale plunder of the most important production resource of the Irish: the land.
At that time, the British confiscated and auctioned off 11 million acres out of the total 20 million acres of cultivated land in Ireland. Through this direct plunder, the British seized over half of the Irish land.
Moreover, under the guise of invaders, they carried out extensive land consolidations. In 1648, Irish Catholics still owned 59% of all Irish land, but by 1751, they retained only 5% of the land.
The British misdeeds in Ireland went beyond land plunder. Under their orders, the Irish were denied the right to vote, the ability to employ more than two apprentices, the opportunity to study abroad, and the possibility to apply for degrees and scholarships at universities.
They couldn't hold public office, serve as jurors, lawyers, or teachers. They were excluded from attending Parliament, prohibited from purchasing land, and even their personal property values were restricted – for instance, they couldn't own horses valued over £5.
The British even had complete control over the imports and exports of the Irish island, compelling the Irish to export grain cheaply to Britain while being limited to consuming higher-yield crops like potatoes.
This monoculture eventually led to one of the most devastating famines in Irish history. From 1845 to 1849, the Irish population dropped from 8.17 million to 6.55 million, whereas it should have grown to around 9 million under normal circumstances.
Among the lost population, 1.5 million emigrated to the Americas, while another 1 million died of starvation. Ironically, during these years, the island continued to export grain to mainland Britain.
In this context, the Irish naturally launched multiple uprisings in response to British aggression. The 1916 Easter Rising was one such instance.
Regrettably, due to internal disputes among the rebels and insufficient weaponry, the uprising only lasted for five days before being declared a failure.
Initially, the Irish weren't wholeheartedly supportive of the uprising. However, over time, the British suppression gradually ignited Irish patriotism and nationalism.
Thus, after World War I ended in 1921, the newly independent Irish Free State acknowledged these rebels as pioneers of the Irish independence movement. Of course, the British troops that arrived to suppress the uprising were seen as ruthless colonial forces.
"Let's see what's inside this tin box," having expressed their resentment towards the British invaders' savage behavior, the two individuals cautiously opened the metal box.
Because the tin box was also wrapped in a layer of wax on the outside and tightly sealed with the interlocking pillar, not even a speck of rust could be seen on the box's surface. Consequently, the contents inside the box remained perfectly intact to this day.
"It's... gold!" After unwrapping a newspaper bundle, a golden metal ingot, about the size of a petrol lighter, fell onto the table. It made a "clink" sound as it collided with the iron surface.
Recognizing gold wasn't a difficult task – the weighty feel and the muffled sound produced when the metal hit the iron surface were telltale signs.
"Indeed, those British robbers grabbed whatever they could find," Liang En muttered to himself as he gazed at the sand-like texture on the surface of the gold bar.
Soon, both Liang En and Pierce unwrapped bundle after bundle of newspapers, revealing a total of 28 metal ingots.
However, contrary to expectations, only six of these were gold bars. The remaining 22 were silver bars that had started to tarnish.
Yet, whether gold or silver, none of them bore the standard purity and weight markings of genuine precious metal ingots. On the contrary, they appeared extremely rough, with some even showing traces of jewelry or dental work.
It was reasonable to assume that during the chaos of the war, a significant number of these crude gold and silver bars were cast. The owners of these gold and silver were unlikely to have willingly parted with their treasures.
Pierce, beside him, had a noticeably dark expression after taking in these precious metal ingots. Clearly, he too understood the significance behind these objects.
"There seems to be something underneath," amidst this awkward atmosphere, Liang En noticed that the box hadn't been fully cleaned and quickly changed the topic.
After clearing away the newspaper bundles that encased the precious metal ingots, what remained at the bottom seemed to be a wooden board. But, simply looking at the depth inside the box compared to its outside depth revealed that this wooden board was merely a partition.
However, the internal compartment was also covered in a layer of black wax, creating an illusion of color that initially caused both individuals to overlook this layer.
Prying open the wooden board revealed a piece of green silk, still carrying the scent of gunpowder but faded with age. It displayed bullet holes and torn marks from external force. On top of this piece of silk was a small notebook covered in cowhide.
"This is an album." After dimming the light from the table lamp, Liang En, wearing gloves, slowly opened the notebook. Inside were ten thin, stiff pages made of paperboard, each side adorned with black-and-white photographs.
These black-and-white photos appeared somewhat blurred; after all, though portable cameras had become available a century ago, the photographic technology of that time could only achieve this level of clarity.
"This seems to document the process of this unit suppressing the uprising in Dublin," turning page after page of the photos, Liang En muttered softly.
Through these black-and-white photos, Liang En and his companion were transported to the brutal battles of a hundred years ago. The photos depicted British soldiers cooking around campfires in the wilderness, charging barricades in the streets, the burning ruins of central Dublin buildings, and a group of people standing in front of a white cross, heads bowed in mourning.
"War, war never changes." Liang En shook his head as he looked at these ancient photos, then recited the famous line. He felt that only this phrase could capture what he wanted to convey.
"This item is..." Just as he finished reflecting on the brutality of war, Liang En turned to the last page of the weathered album, unexpectedly discovering some marks left behind by the unit's commander from that era.
The final photo depicted a group of people in various attires exiting a fortress, surrendering their weapons. Behind them stood a three-story building in the style of ancient Rome. If the deduction was correct, this should be a picture of the last batch of rebels surrendering.
However, unlike the previous photos, this one had a black circle highlighting the position of the rooftop flagpole, accompanied by a short sentence written in black ink.
"We got it—what does this mean?" Staring at the three-word sentence, Liang En furrowed his brows. He then noticed Pierce staring intently at the photo.
"Do you see something?" Liang En turned his head and inquired.
"A flag, an Irish flag is in this box," Pierce quickly blurted out in an excited tone after Liang En's question.
"You mean, a flag?" Liang En realized this upon Pierce's revelation and looked at the faded green silk.
The Irish flag was composed of green, white, and orange, so the faded green silk stacked there was likely the flag that hung on that building back in the day.
"This building seems somewhat familiar." Clearly, if it was just an ordinary flag, there would be no need for someone to mark the photo. Liang En quickly shifted his attention to the photograph.
"It's the General Post Office in Dublin." After staring at the photo for several seconds, Liang En retrieved information related to this image from his memory.
"The headquarters of the rebels were located here, and it was also the place where the first Irish flag of the uprising was raised. Wait, you're saying this flag might be..."
While he said it was just a guess, Liang En was quite certain that the flag before him was indeed the first Irish flag hoisted during the Easter Rising.
In that moment of realization, four cards with different-colored glows materialized in his mind, confirming his speculation.
Among the four cards, two were [Identification (N), one was [Detection (N), and there was also a silver SR card. Unfortunately, this time the card was an item card.
[Irish Rebel's Flag (SR): "Oh, as the night falls, the rifles crack and the British soldiers hide everywhere. Rain of bullets fills the sky, and tongues of fire illuminate the bayonets—"
Just like the Irish ballad "Mist-Covered Mountains" sings, countless Irish sons and daughters took up arms to lead the forefront of the uprising, sacrificing their lives to break free from British colonial rule.
This flag represents those rebels and even the indomitable spirit of the entire Irish nation. Therefore, this item card can bestow some of the nation's strength upon its holder.
As long as one possesses this flag, it can generate additional goodwill when negotiating with fellow Irishmen. Furthermore, once a day, the flag can be used to inspire courage within a 100m radius of all Irish people, urging them to battle.]
After grasping the specifics of this flag, the warehouse fell into silence, as this flag was markedly different from the East German tanks or hummingbird pistols they had previously dealt with.
"How should we handle this... thing?" After a minute or two of silence, Pierce was the first to break it. "With that album, we can basically discern the specifics of this flag. But—"
"But, indeed, it's not easy to handle something like this." Liang En continued, "Setting a high price might earn us the reputation of opportunists, while setting a low price would undoubtedly feel like a loss no matter how you think about it."
"Most importantly, whether selling the flag or these gold and silver bars to wealthy individuals, I'd feel somewhat uneasy," Liang En said and suddenly came to a realization.
After all, Liang En had nearly a million pounds at his disposal, and Pierce ran a very successful shop. So, they were not currently short on funds. In this situation, they naturally had the resources to pursue something on a higher level.
"We can take this item to where it belongs," Liang En said to Pierce, "Of course, this might reduce our earnings a bit this time, but in the long run—"
Several days later, in the pitter-patter of rain, the hall of the Irish National Museum in Dublin was packed with people.
Among them were infants held by their mothers and elderly individuals with snowy hair. There were even a few soldiers donning uniforms. Every single one of them wore a green shamrock pin on their chests.
After waiting for a few minutes, two ceremonial guards wearing replicas of the uniforms from the early days of the Irish Republic Army entered from the door.
Behind them, two other guards carried a large glass frame. Within that frame lay the tattered and aged Irish flag.
As the small military band at the door played the Irish national anthem, everyone in the room paid their respects to the flag. With all eyes fixed upon it, the framed flag was securely hung in the museum's hall.
After the soldiers left the hall in formation, Liang En and Pierce, following the crowd, placed a green wreath the size of a lifebuoy beneath the flag, at the foot of a small monument, and then left the museum.
During the transfer ceremony, Liang En realized that the item card related to the flag in his mind had also disappeared. This indicated that the item cards were indeed linked to the items he possessed.
Due to the recent ceremony, the atmosphere in the car felt somewhat solemn. Eventually, Liang En, who was driving, broke the silence within the vehicle. "I suddenly feel that everything we've done was worthwhile."
Liang En held the steering wheel and continued, "And I didn't expect everyone to take this matter so seriously."
"The only downside is that we didn't become as famous as we imagined," Pierce shrugged and remarked, "After all, we acquired this item in London, UK. If we were to publicize this fully, it might not be beneficial for us."
A week earlier, after realizing the historical significance of the flag they had found, Liang En and the others decided to take the flag back to Ireland and donate it to the National Museum.
Because the flag originated from an abandoned British military camp, in order to avoid diplomatic disputes, Liang En and Pierce's full names and the process of how they found the flag couldn't be disclosed.
Even on the small bronze plaque beneath the flag, now serving as a memorial, only their surnames were recorded, not their full names.
This didn't mean that they gained nothing. On one hand, while they did donate the flag along with the accompanying letter and photographs, the gold and silver bars originally kept in the box were sold to the museum at the market price for high-purity gold and silver.
Although this transaction didn't yield as much profit as selling all the items, each of them still received 13,000 euros.
On the other hand, after this donation, they effectively established a connection with the museum. In the future, when the museum and the community jointly organized activities, they naturally became preferred partners.
This kind of connection with the museum might not have many immediate uses, but it invisibly elevated their social status.
For example, if you had a long-term cooperation with the museum, people's perception of you would be as an explorer rather than an antique dealer.