I changed the world.

Page 245

As Joryn surveyed the building, he mentally assessed the economic situation of its owner.

The gentleman he was to meet today was a local art collector and real estate businessman in St. Fosse. Apparently, he was facing some minor business difficulties and needed to raise funds, so he was willing to sell a batch of his private collection.

Trainee investigator Lofler Federer obtained this information through his previous work channels. After sending the list of items provided by the other party back to headquarters, just yesterday, Jorian received an email from headquarters informing him that a gentleman was interested in one of the items and authorized him to conduct further negotiations. The task was marked as "priority".

Within the foundation, tasks marked as "priority" mean temporarily setting aside other work and focusing on them. This was Joryn's first such incident since joining the company, and he was determined to handle it well.

After pressing the doorbell, a voice quickly came from the door.

Joryn then replied, "Hello, we are from the 'Historical Relics Foundation' and have an appointment with Mr. Wheeler."

Chapter 458 Grand Branch in Action II

Soon someone opened the door, and behind it stood an elderly man dressed as a butler. He quickly glanced at the guests outside and bowed slightly, saying, "Good evening. Are you Mr. Joe and Mr. Loeffler?"

“Yes.” Jon Ryan nodded.

"Please come in, His Excellency the Lord is already waiting for you two." The old man quickly stepped back, gestured for them to enter, and then led the two towards the main house.

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In the main building's living room, Joryn met the owner of the place—Mr. Wheeler Madden, though he preferred to be addressed as His Excellency the Lord or His Excellency Wheeler.

This is a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a short, stout build. He is wearing a well-tailored suit with exquisite accessories, all of which are vintage items, showing that the owner has a good sense of aesthetics.

After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, the guests and hosts took their seats. Jo Ryan introduced himself first, although they had communicated to some extent beforehand, but that was over the phone.

Because the Historical Heritage Foundation had relatively low visibility in the industry at the time, it was necessary for Jo Ryan to provide a more detailed explanation.

According to Joryn, the foundation is a powerful and professional foundation, privately founded, headquartered in Linzhou, Zhao Empire.

The Zhao Empire in this world is different from a certain major Eastern power in Zhang Jing's previous life. It did not experience the century of humiliation in modern times. Therefore, in the eyes of Westerners, it has always appeared as the leader of the Eastern world, a mysterious and wealthy powerful nation.

In particular, private foundations are a common means for the super-rich to avoid taxes in any country. Therefore, after Jon Ryan's introduction, Lord Wheeler's attitude became noticeably more enthusiastic.

After the introductions, the two sides didn't get straight to the point. Instead, they discussed the current economic situation in light of recent news. As for Loeffler, he sat to the side, mostly remaining silent except for occasionally offering a joke, perfectly playing the role of an attendant.

As they chatted, Joryn carefully observed his conversation partner. Although the other person seemed very engaged, eloquently offering his economic outlook, the heavy bags under his eyes suggested he hadn't been getting enough rest lately.

Before coming here, he had conducted a thorough investigation. This Lord Wheeler was not a traditional nobleman, but an honorary lord. To put it bluntly, he had paid some powerful nobles with the authority to bestow titles to him to purchase a lordship. A lordship is the lowest rank of nobility, also known as a "knight".

Of course, this title was merely an honorary one, without any fiefdom. However, although there were no economic benefits, becoming a nobleman still attracted many wealthy merchants and tycoons. After all, even without holding any official position, one could still be addressed as "Your Excellency."

His current financial problems are not difficult to understand. Reportedly, he is developing a real estate project in the suburbs. However, due to recent news of a breakthrough in human space travel, real estate prices around the world have declined to varying degrees. The investment community now generally has a strong expectation for space exploration, while real estate investment is considered by many to be an outdated investment.

As a result, the sales of real estate projects seem to be less than ideal, and banks have reportedly been withdrawing loans from real estate projects recently. This series of changes is probably the reason for the funding gap.

Through skillful conversation and probing his suspicions, Joryn gradually gained more confidence in the deal, realizing that the other party had a strong desire to close it. In transaction negotiations, the party with a stronger desire to complete the deal usually means they are willing to accept more concessions.

As time passed, the conversation gradually shifted from economics to the collections that Lord Wheeler was looking to sell.

It's clear that Lord Wheeler is quite fond of and loves his collection, knowing each piece intimately and expressing a deep sense of reluctance to part with it.

However, this further proves that the economic problems it is currently facing are quite thorny, to the point that it has to sell its collection to make up for the losses.

After chatting for a while, Lord Wheeler led Jon and his companion to his collection room to view his collection, especially the piece they showed some interest in.

The collection room is located in the basement of the entire building and is extremely spacious. The basement is filled with display cases of various sizes, containing a variety of collectibles. On the walls of the collection room, there are also some specimen heads of ferocious beasts hanging.

"These are all spoils from the hunt on the Black Continent. Look... that lion was a huge beast; it almost bit one of our guides," Lord Wheeler said proudly, pointing to the specimens on the wall.

“What an amazing collection…” Jon Ryan nodded in admiration as he looked around the collection room. He quickly realized that the items Lord Wheeler had previously announced he would sell were not actually all of his collection.

“Lord Wheeler is truly a remarkable collector…” Joryn followed behind Wheeler, looking at the displayed collection while subtly exchanging a glance with Lofler beside him. If they could persuade Lord Wheeler to allow them to photograph all the items in this collection room, they should be able to meet a significant portion of the performance targets required by headquarters.

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“Mr. Qiao, please look at this precious collection. I acquired it from an antiquities dealer in the New World. It is said that the cave where this mural was discovered was once used as a place of worship by an indigenous tribe,” Wheeler said with a smile, pointing to a large-scale mural hanging on the wall.

Today, due to the political correctness advocated by certain racial equality activists, the media generally refers to the native inhabitants of the New World and the Black World as "aboriginals" rather than the derogatory term "native." However, in private, many gentlemen from the "civilized world" still frequently use "native" to refer to these people, which actually reflects a sense of racial superiority.

Of course, Joryn didn't care about these things. In this world, no one would regard a citizen of the Zhao Empire as an inferior race. As the leader of the Eastern world, the Empire undoubtedly belonged to the "civilized world".

Chapter 459 Grand Branch in Action III

"This painting, 'The Crimson Sacrifice,' depicts a grand sacrificial ceremony. The person holding the staff is likely the priest, while the people kneeling on the ground, linked together, are probably prisoners of war or slaves. It's evident that this was an unusual blood sacrifice; you can see that the bright red patterns are probably blood. The people singing and dancing around them are likely the indigenous tribes participating in the sacrifice... What a barbaric and primitive custom..."

As Lord Wheeler eloquently described the mural, Jorian stepped forward to examine it closely. It was a mural that had been peeled off from its original location, with a background behind it. The paint used to paint the entire painting was unknown, but even after so many years, it still retained its vibrant colors. What was particularly remarkable was that although the technique of the painting was quite primitive, even somewhat abstract, it still had a strangely lifelike quality.

The abstract human figures kneeling on the ground in the mural have distorted faces, as if they are wailing. If you look at them for a long time, you can even feel the desperate cries of those kneeling people in the painting, which form a stark contrast to the excitement and joy brought by the equally abstract onlookers around them.

Looking at this primitive painting, Jon Ryan felt a grotesque and overwhelming impact...

"Mr. Qiao?"

"Mr. Qiao??"

"Ah? Oh... I'm sorry, I was so engrossed in looking at it. It's a truly impressive work..." Hearing Lord Wheeler's question from the side, Jon Ryan finally realized that he had been staring at the painting in a daze for a while.

I couldn't help but feel a little guilty; this action was disadvantageous to our side, which was currently negotiating the price.

As expected, Lord Wheeler showed no displeasure. On the contrary, he said with great admiration, "Mr. Joe is truly a gentleman of taste. I had the same reaction when I first saw this painting. That's why I collected this mural. I think it has high aesthetic value... You see, the tension in the lines has a postmodern sense of conflict, containing strong emotions..."

“Your Excellency, I personally agree with your point of view; I have always maintained a passion for painting.” Jon Ryan cleared his throat and said, “However, given my client’s position, that esteemed gentleman is unlikely to pay beyond market value for mere aesthetic reasons…”

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Just as Joryon and his group were touring the collection room, a van was quietly parked on the street corner not far from the house at 117 8th Street.

The truck was painted with the blue stripes commonly seen on local delivery companies. Sitting in the driver's seat was a man wearing a baseball cap and a delivery uniform, with a mask on and the brim of his cap pulled low.

Inside the enclosed trunk, there were no packages, only four men dressed as deliverymen organizing their equipment. Each held various weapons, including long and short firearms, as well as some unidentified items. They spoke quietly, their hands moving quickly, and soon all the equipment was inspected and packed into bags bearing the logo of the delivery company.

"Pliers, do you think those things can really sell for that much money?" a short, stocky, bald man asked.

"Don't worry, I've already found a buyer. We'll take the goods to Klara to lay low for a while. It's a new continent, and the Grandes won't be able to find it. After a month, when things have calmed down, I'll contact a buyer to sell the goods." The reply came from a thin, brown-haired man.

"Is that buyer reliable?" another person interjected.

"Just be careful and everything will be fine. We have the goods. If he's not sincere, we'll find another company... At least we can ensure you brothers will be set for life..."

“Everyone gets at least this much, but brothers, you have to keep your mouths shut. From now on, this matter will remain a secret…”

"Do not worry……"

"Don't worry!" The others around him agreed when the brown-haired man said that.

"Damn it... these big shots in Grand are really rich. The brothers fight to the death and still don't even have a fraction of their money..." The bald man seemed to be thinking of something, and while touching a raised, hideous scar on his forearm, he cursed bitterly.

"Just a reminder to everyone, be careful during the operation and try not to harm Lord Wheeler, he is a nobleman."

Upon hearing the word "aristocrat," some people muttered something under their breath, but did not express their refusal, clearly understanding the gravity of the situation.

After all, the pursuit involved in robbing someone of their property is completely different from that involved murdering a nobleman.

After tidying up their equipment, these people sat in the car and chatted idly, discussing how to spend their money and how to evade capture.

After a while, the bald man's watch suddenly vibrated, and everyone immediately stopped talking. Then, everyone tacitly put on hats and masks. The bald man waved his hand, the back door of the carriage opened, and four people quickly got off the train, carrying their own handbags, dressed in a hurry.

They walked towards house number 117, which was not far away...

"Dagger, when I call for the door to open in a moment, you cut the cable, understand?"

"Okay, don't worry."

Then they saw the bald man walk straight to the metal door and ring the doorbell, while the others hid around him.

A moment later, a voice came from the loudspeaker on the door asking a question. The man calmly answered from the doorway, "Courier number 117."

A short while later, the door opened, revealing an elderly man dressed as a butler. However, before he could say anything, a dark gun barrel appeared before him…

Just then, the lights that had been brightly lit throughout Building 117 flickered and then went out all at once.

“We have some things to discuss with Lord Wheeler. Now, lead the way, if you don’t want to get shot…” The bald man deliberately spoke in a hoarse voice, looking at the old man’s terrified eyes.

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"Deal! Mr. Qiao is truly a master negotiator. I'm also willing to become a friend of your foundation. So, this painting will be sold at the price Mr. Qiao quoted..."

Chapter 460 Grand Branch in Action 4

Inside the collection room, Lord Wheeler was shaking hands with Jorian with a broad smile. After some heated debate, Jorian finally settled on a deal for the mural at the equivalent of 230 million Imperial Scrolls, about a third less than the initial offer. The remaining amount would be finalized once both parties signed an art transfer contract.

It's clear that both parties are quite satisfied with the transaction. From Lord Wheeler's perspective, he also wants to maintain a good relationship with this relatively unknown but powerful foundation, and even recommend a few more pieces from his collection to them. After all, for him, the funds from this transaction alone are not enough to fill his current funding gap.

From Jon Ryan's perspective, while the deal was done and he had given headquarters an explanation, he also wanted to take advantage of the current positive atmosphere to make some further requests.

"By the way, Your Excellency, I have another favor to ask..."

"Please speak, Mr. Joe," Lord Wheeler said hastily, slightly taken aback. He was somewhat worried that the deal they had just reached might encounter some unexpected changes.

"That's right. As I mentioned before, our foundation is currently building the world's largest and most comprehensive database of ancient artifacts, aiming to create archives for artifacts found around the world. To be honest, the main purpose of establishing branches around the world is to build good cooperative relationships with some well-known museums, artifact collecting institutions, collectors, and artifact dealers in various countries to promote the progress of this project."

"Just now, I saw that you have a lot of exquisite items in your collection, some of which meet the entry requirements of our database. Therefore, we hope that you can allow us to create archives for these cultural relics."