A large group of people were incited and began mocking Jacob.Jacob said coldly, “You people really don't know what you're talking about. How could I not have any fine artwork? It's just that some of the artworks are too exquisite and it’s not convenient for me to take it out!”At this moment, Jacob had already imagined himself as the client mentioned by Charlie.When the others heard Jacob boasting, they sneered disdainfully and did not take him seriously at all. Jacob did not say much and placed the cylinder containing the painting directly on the large desk used for display and appraisal in the Calligraphy and Painting Association, and he said, “Here, I’ll let you see a piece of ancient painting that I picked up today!” “Pfft…” The disdain on the faces of everyone present was even more apparent. Calligraphy and painting were not easy to preserve, and the paper used for traditional Oskian painting, although diverse, was almost never as tough as Western canvases. It could be
After all, Madam Jenson’s ancestor lived to be a hundred and thirteen years old, which was almost unheard of among ancient people. Moreover, Madam Jenson’s ancestor himself didn't understand cultivation. Instead, he spent most of his time practicing painting. He surpassed the vast majority of painters by a long shot just in terms of his skill alone.Furthermore, for the latter half of his life, Madam Jenson’s ancestor had been waiting for Marcius to return. He painted portrait after portrait of Marcius for decades, reaching a level of mastery that no one else could match. This particular painting was his favorite. He had practiced the brushwork thousands of times without making a single mistake, achieving absolute perfection.Another person approached and carefully examined the details of the painting with a magnifying glass, before he exclaimed excitedly, “This painting… This painting is indeed an ancient silk painting! You can tell it's an old item just from its texture at first
With the approval of the well-respected man, the portrait of Marcius immediately caused quite a stir in the Calligraphy and Painting Association. Jacob finally regained some recognition and stood a little straighter. Mr. Bay hurried over when he heard the news and found that the painting was indeed extraordinary. So, he quickly instructed his secretary to shoot a video, capturing the details of the painting and posting it on the official account of the Calligraphy and Painting Association on the short video platform to increase the influence of the calligraphy and painting exhibition.Soon, Charlie saw the introduction of this painting on the official short video account of the Calligraphy and Painting Association. In the video, the cameraperson used a cell phone to capture many details of the painting, especially the lifelike portrait of Marcius and the inscription by Charlie himself.This video caused a great sensation among the circle of fans of the Calligraphy and Painting As
So, he focused on all the private jets and cargo planes flying to the northern hemisphere first, paying attention to all their routes. Once this video went viral, if a certain plane turned back over the ocean and flew back to Argentina, that plane would almost definitely be the plane that the three elders were on.Meanwhile, on the edge of Antarctica, Fleur was also closely monitoring every move in Aurous Hill.A cargo plane dispatched by the Central Military Governor Office this morning had just flown over Aurous Hill an hour ago. The plane's destination was Lisken, near Aurous Hill. Just as it passed over Aurous Hill, it lowered its altitude according to air traffic control requirements, and it happened to capture the terrain of Aurous Hill very clearly.The photos taken on the plane were quickly transmitted back to the Qing Eliminating Society’s headquarters. Fleur immediately discovered a circular blank area with a radius of hundreds of meters in a valley near Willow Manor.She
Fleur was in disbelief. After living for four hundred years, she never thought that she would see the name ‘Marcius Stark’ again! He was her master who had already passed away more than three hundred years ago!She quickly picked up her phone again and tapped on the push notification with trembling hands. The phone immediately redirected her to the short video app and started playing the video from the Calligraphy and Painting Association.In the video, Marcius was wearing a robe as he stood on the edge of a cliff with long hair and a white beard that fluttered in the wind, giving off an extraordinary aura that inspired awe.Fleur instinctively covered her mouth, and her eyes filled with fear. She was in a state of panic as she murmured to herself, “How could Master's portrait appear in Aurous Hill? But Master has been gone for more than three hundred years, so who painted this portrait of him?!”Her heart seemed to be struck by a heavy hammer, and she anxiously thought to herself,
It had been over three hundred years since Fleur had felt such fear as she did today.That unfamiliar feeling of fear surged into her mind like a flood, giving her the sensation as if she was on an accelerating descent. Despite living for four hundred years and growing stronger with time, her courage seemed to diminish as she aged. Over the years, she had feared two things the most: growing old and dying, and that her true identity would be exposed.Thus, even though there were many members in the Qing Eliminating Society, very few actually knew the true identity of its leader.Apart from the four great earls, all the rest were the Griffin family members. Those Griffin family members were all descendants of Fleur as well, and they relied on her for their luxurious lifestyles, so their loyalty to her was extremely high.As for the rebellious few among the Griffins, Fleur never showed them any mercy. If they deserved to die, she made sure they did, and she showed no hesitation in e
This made Fleur think of Mr. Chardon, who had already died in the explosion. She couldn't help but say, “That’s right! Mr. Chardon found a magical instrument as soon as he arrived in Aurous Hill, and it could even summon heavenly thunder. Now, it seems that this was definitely not Mr. Chardon's luck but rather a trap set up by the other party targeting him in advance!”“If that's the case, he must have been waiting to kill the people I sent! He knew that I would definitely send experts proficient in Reiki, so he deliberately used the magical instrument as bait to lure my people into the trap!”With this in mind, Fleur no longer cared to sort through the countless clues and possibilities in her mind. She just wanted to call the three elders back quickly. After all, if the other party wasn't afraid of even Mr. Chardon’s self-detonation, the three elders might not be his match either.If these three people were to arrive in Aurous Hill and be completely killed in the trap set by the ot
Charlie instantly felt that the situation was turning around when he saw that the three elders’ plane had turned around. Although he was at a clear disadvantage when facing the Qing Eliminating Society, he had repeatedly emerged victorious in several encounters with them. At present, the Qing Eliminating Society had not only lost an entire dead soldier base and three great earls, but more importantly, his strategy to present a bold front and conceal his weakness had begun to make Fleur wary.Charlie had speculated on Fleur’s inner thoughts. Although he had never met her, he could sense several key traits of this woman. She was naturally suspicious and extremely cautious. If she weren't naturally suspicious, she would never have employed nepotism, with the core of the Qing Eliminating Society being controlled entirely by the Griffins. If she weren't extremely cautious, she wouldn't have been constantly hiding her identity out of fear that outsiders would find out about her.Theref
Charlie also had to agree that this was an opportunity to formally reconcile the Wades and the Ackers.While he couldn't reveal himself just yet, the Wades and the Ackers had been in-laws for years. Even if they had had a dispute for the longest time, restoring good relations made sense now that the Ackers had come to Oskia, and it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.That was why Charlie agreed to it without hesitation, even making a mental note to invite his paternal grandfather, Jeremiah, to Aurous Hill.The old geezers could meet up and clear the air while deciding on the partnership.Yolden was prepared to resign as a professor as well so that he could help the Ackers and Charlie fully develop their automotive company.With a general direction planned, he asked everyone, "Since we're creating a new brand, has anyone come up with a name?"No one was feeling inspired at that moment, but that was when Lulu, who had been silent throughout, said, "Since Charlie and our family are worki
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove
Charlie smiled. "Who, me? You'd laugh at me, but it was only after Steven found me that I learned to drive. I never bought my own car either and only had the two supercars gifted to me, and I only drove those a handful of times at best. Even now, I'm driving the BMW 5-series I bought for my father-in-law."Then, he remembered Marianne Long and said, "I did drive a friend's Tesla back to Hong Kong, but it was only for a short time, and I didn't manage to look into their so-called assisted driving system."Yolden thought about it and smiled, "But y'know… how would I describe the car, specifically? Have you heard of Mario Balotelli, the soccer player?"Every man present aside from Keith nodded—Mario had been a philosopher on the soccer field, and even those who didn't watch soccer were familiar with his name.Nodding, Yolden continued, "The way I see it, Mario has been a player with top-class hardware but third-rate software. Give him Messi or Ronaldinho's intelligence, and he'd be a
Kaeden then asked, "Well, professor, how do you suppose we overtake the competition at turning points? Or indeed, what qualifies as succeeding in that respect?"Yolden thought about it, formulating his words before explaining, "My personal understanding of the matter isn't simply to aim for turning points. Instead, it's things like staying on the inner lane of the race track and reaching the finish line faster by going where no other race car had gone before—or indeed where people never thought to go before."That's the case for new energy cars. Our fossil fuel energies have constantly lost to other countries and would always come up short. But with new energy cars, we can change the rules altogether."We can't catch up to their engine tech? Then we won't—there's no way they are masters in electric-powered engines, are they? They've spent decades on internal combustion engines and haven't the first clue about electric-powered engines."So, while everyone hasn't turned all their foc