At this time, Charlie had already returned to Providence.Claire attended her class on time as usual while Charlie stayed in the presidential suite of the hotel alone as he waited for news from Merlin.Although Charlie was the benefactor who had saved Merlin’s life, he admired Merlin from the bottom of his heart.He admired Merlin’s careful thinking as well as his meticulousness and ability to find breakthroughs in places that no one else thought of. It was this ability of his that created his reputation as a famous Oskian detective. His idea of trying to use the clues from huge natural disasters to gradually locate the location of the dead soldiers was indeed very practical, in Charlie’s opinion. Therefore, he believed that after Merlin met 547 in Syria, it would not take long for Merlin to gradually clarify the clues. Merlin did not disappoint Charlie either. His phone call to Charlie instantly lifted Charlie’s spirit. After answering the phone, Charlie’s first question to
With that said, Charlie added, “They would never dream that this logistics company as well as these six planes have been exposed, and this is the biggest advantage that we currently have in our hands.”“As long as they don’t notice the exposure, these six planes will continue to serve this organization, and since aviation information is public, every time they transfer planes in the future, it will be useless in front of us no matter how well they cover it up.”“What we have to do is to monitor the movement of these six planes closely. Once their planes move, it means that they must be transferring personnel or materials, then.” “So, keep a record of when and where each plane takes off, and then track the plane’s destination.”Merlin immediately said, “No problem, Young Master Wade. I’ll monitor the movement of these six planes closely, and I will notify you as soon as possible if they make any movements!” Charlie smiled slightly and said, “Let Porter arrange for someone to do t
“Northern Europe?”The first thing that came to Charlie’s mind when he heard the two words ‘Northern Europe’ was Helena, who had just been crowned as the new queen not long ago. So, Charlie asked Porter, “How far is Bergen from Oslo City, which is the capital of Northern Europe?”Porter replied, “About four hundred kilometers.”Charlie felt slightly relieved when he heard this. Four hundred kilometers. It seemed that the target of the mysterious organization’s operation this time had nothing to do with Helena. He then spoke up and said, “Since it took off from Cyprus, there is a high probability that it has nothing to do with where 547 was stationed. It may be another group of dead soldiers.”With that said, Charlie asked Porter, “Porter, how long does it take for a Boeing 777 to fly from Cyprus to Bergen?”Porter hurriedly said, “Please wait a moment, Mr. Wade. I’ll check the map.”After saying that, Porter checked on the computer for a moment and said, “Mr. Wade, the flig
Therefore, out of caution, Charlie planned to let Helena, who had already secured her position as the Queen of Northern Europe, lend him a helping hand.Although Helena and the Northern Europe royal family supporting her were just mascots of the people of Northern Europe, the royal family was still the royal family, after all, and the royal family should still have some privileges even if it was already a constitutional monarchy.Therefore, Charlie planned to fly himself and the soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies to Oslo City first before asking Helena to use the royal channel to secretly send him to Bergen and to also send the soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies along with him if necessary.This way, all the official records of them going to Bergen from Oslo City could also be concealed, and the clues could be completely disconnected. This should not be difficult for Helena. So, Charlie hung up the phone and called Helena. At this moment, Helena, who was located in Northern Europe
Due to the fast speed of the Concorde and the fact that the other party’s plane had applied for a route that would take off four hours later, Charlie guessed that they intended to wait until late at night before arriving in Bergen in Northern Europe. So, he was not in a hurry to leave immediately. He asked Albert and Isaac to transit from New York to Providence with the Concorde and to wait at Providence Airport.As for himself, he waited until Claire came back from school to tell her that he would be going to New York tonight on the grounds that there was an accident at his client’s construction site in New York and his client had asked him to head over to help him to check out the Feng Shui. Claire did not want him to be so tired at first, but Charlie told her that the other party had used a lot of connections to rescue her mother, Elaine, from prison, so she owed the other party a big favor that had to be paid back. Therefore, Claire could only agree reluctantly. Charlie subs
“Change of heart?” Helena suddenly stopped pacing, and she had a serious expression as she said to the old queen, “Grandma, my feelings for Charlie is unlikely to change in this lifetime.”The old queen pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment before she said, “Helena, you must know very well in your heart that it’s very difficult for you and Charlie to be together. It’s not just because he’s already married, but you’re the Queen of Northern Europe now, and your future husband can only be a European royal family or a patriarchal noble. Otherwise, the people will not be able to accept it.”Helena said firmly, “Grandma, I’ve already expressed my stance on this matter a long time ago. If I’m really lucky enough to be with Charlie, I will be willing even if the people of Northern Europe see me as a sinner.”The old queen asked helplessly, “Don’t you care about the image of the royal family?” Helena shook her head and said firmly, “I’ve already made two plans for my future a long tim
Although it was summer, the night in Oslo City was still a little chilly. Nevertheless, Helena was wearing a strapless court dress which made her look as beautiful and perfect as a noble tulip. When Helena saw Charlie getting out of the car, the temperament of a queen that Helena had recently cultivated gradually disappeared, and it was replaced by a young girl who was in love and was happy and excited when she saw her beloved. She held up the hem of her dress and ran toward Charlie. The royal butler subconsciously wanted to follow her but found that he could not catch up to her at all.The old queen’s legs were not so agile, so she walked out unhurriedly. She shook her head helplessly and sighed softly as she watched Helena’s figure dash away. Helena rushed to Charlie, and her pair of deep eyes were filled with joy as she said excitedly, “It’s been a long time, Mr. Wade!” Charlie smiled slightly and said politely, “It’s been a long time, indeed.”The old queen also came to t
After nearly two hours of flight, the helicopter slowly landed at the Northern Europe royal family’s palace in Bergen, which was the second largest city in Northern Europe. The royal palace was located in the suburbs and occupied a large area. However, due to the decline of the Northern Europe royal family in recent years and the parliament’s continuous cutting down of the royal budget, the palace also appeared to look a little dilapidated due to the lack of repair. The Northern Europe royal family’s own financial situation was not optimistic either. Although they had assets of more than one billion euros, most of them were locked in real estate which the Northern Europe royal family could not sell in this lifetime. For instance, the palace in the capital city of Oslo City as well as the palace in Bergen were valuable, but once the Northern Europe royal family reached the point of selling their ancestral property, they would definitely be shunned by the citizens of Northern Europe.
While Jacob was feeling delighted after pulling off his con, Raymond had posted details of the bronze sculpture online.The website he was using was the biggest platform for antique collectors and the antique trade where each user could set a favorite tag in the antique category and era. If a user who preferred canvas art pieces of the Tudor dynasty set that label as their favorite, they would immediately be notified with text or desktop notifications in regards to any item with the same label.As medieval bronze sculptures were rare in the first place, most who were interested had already set that label on their favorites and were immediately notified soon after Raymond posted pictures of the bronze sculpture online.The collectors were naturally eager to check it out as gilded sculptures of the medieval era were really rare, and most collectors would go a lifetime without picking one up for their collection.On top of that, the seller had even listed a major flaw and was only ask
"Nope," Jacob chuckled. "We were both working separately and just happened to get back in at the same time."Then, he immediately became smug and excited, "Guess what, dear? I made 200 thousand out of the deal! In net profits!""For real?!" Elaine gaped. "200 thousand in just one night?! That's amazing! How did you do that?"Claire was surprised to hear that too, and she came over to ask, "What deal was it, Dad?"Jacob grinned, "Oh, it's nothing to brag about. It's just that I managed to pick up a nice antique item thanks to my wisdom and then sold it for 200 thousand."Pausing, he then sighed in dismay, "However, the buyer wasn't too rich—I would have squeezed him for 400 thousand, but he couldn't afford more, so I had to settle for less."Elaine quickly exclaimed, "Shit, we're talking about a loss of 200 thousand! People would work a year and still never earn that much…"She trailed off for a moment before asking, "By the way, dear—are we still flying out first thing tomorrow?
Jacob laughed. "Put that issue behind us? Sure, but we're not becoming friends. Hell, I can't even hold a grudge now that you're shit out of luck."Then, his tone changed sharply and suddenly became icy, "But you see, Aurous Hill is not a place you can stay just because you want to. No… After this, you're not going to be able to make a living in the antique trade.""If I were you, I'd be running a thousand miles away, far away from Aurous Hill where no one would know my face to start over. That way, you just might be able to make a living."Raymond simply kept smiling, "You need not be concerned about how I'm going to survive here, Mr. Wilson. I'd be very grateful if you'd cease any form of harassment once you leave my premises."Jacob pursed his lips, staring at Raymond in disappointment. "I'm plenty magnanimous, so I won't stoop to such pettiness. Just do whatever you like!"Clicking his tongue, he huffed, "Tut, tut… And here I'd thought you're tough, but you're just yet another
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!
Soon, the video of Mick's staged act was uploaded to the online group, and everyone eagerly watched it as soon as it was done uploading.Mick certainly set a new bar with his acting as none of them could see that it was an act.Moreover, everyone could see that the bronze sculpture looked like the real deal, and they might have been swindled if it were them.As such, they couldn't help being impressed as Mick had easily seen through Billy's con, and he was the definition of a pro in that video.No matter how Billy had packaged it, there was no tricking real experts like Mick Crane. Just a quick glance and he had seen through that it was a postmodern replica, matched with a base from the Renaissance era to misdirect and beguile.With that, many fellow antique dealers changed their opinion of Mick.After all, Vintage Deluxe's business had been declining after Mick took over as manager, and people were presuming that his skills were lacking.But now, they were all shown that he had
"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade