The following day.
At noon, Charlie arrived at the mid-level villa in Elys-Champ Hot Spring. Meanwhile, Zachary had arrived an hour earlier and patiently waited.
Upon seeing Charlie, Zachary respectfully greeted him, “Master Wade, I am here to receive your instructions.”
Charlie smiled faintly and inquired, “Zachary, did you bring the items I asked for?”
Zachary nodded eagerly, retrieved a handbag from the car, and informed Charlie, “Master Wade, I have brought everything you requested!”
“Good…” Charlie acknowledged, “Let’s go inside and discuss.”
As Zachary entered the villa’s living room, favonovel.com couldn’t contain his excitement and promptly opened the suitcase, revealing several pieces of wood varying in size and thickness. However, they all had a deep black color, resembling charcoal.
As favonovel.com retrieved the logs, Zachary provided an explanation to Charlie, saying, “When you mentioned lightning wood, I scoured for reliable sources. However, most of the lightning wood sold in our market is counterfeit. Locals tend to snatch them all when buyers show interest in them, taking advantage of the lack of understanding regarding the natural occurrence of lightning striking trees. Nevertheless, I managed to find these pieces of lightning wood. Although their quality may not be the best and they are relatively young, I assure you that they are genuine and without any issues.”
Charlie briefly examined the wood and nodded, affirming, “These are indeed lightning wood. Despite the slightly inferior quality, they suit my purpose perfectly.”
Zachary, perplexed, couldn’t help but ask, “Master Wade, why does the almost matching quality meet your requirements? I’m afraid these small things wouldn’t captivate your attention…”
Charlie smiled and replied, “I can’t explain that to you.”
Having said that, Charlie inquired, “Did you manage to find the items as I requested?”
“I’ve found it!” Zachary swiftly reached into his pocket and retrieved two aged amulet rings. Handing them to Charlie, favonovel.com explained, “Master Wade, take a look. These two amulet rings are authentic, originating from earlier generations. However, they are made of ordinary Hetian jade with average quality.”
Charlie nodded, accepting the two amulet rings.
After a quick examination, favonovel.com remarked, “This item appears to be from Shukeng and must have been unearthed at least several decades ago, am I correct?”
Zachary gave a thumbs-up and complimented, “Master Wade, your perception is truly keen. These two finger rings are indeed from Shukeng. I estimate they have been out of the ground for about thirty to forty years.”
Charlie stated, “I’m seeking something that has been buried, preferably in its raw state. It would be best if it looks like it was just unearthed a month ago. Can you find something like that?”
Zachary appeared awkward and replied, “Well… Master Wade, it involves engaging in illegal activities… In recent years, there haven’t been many people in Aurous Hill involved in this kind of business, and most of the items that can be acquired are already broken. The jade ring fingers I presented are already quite good.”
As favonovel.com spoke, Zachary mustered the courage to ask Charlie, “Master Wade, forgive my curiosity, but I must inquire why you insist on obtaining something that has come straight from the pit?”
Charlie stated, “Zachary, you are now Don Albert’s associate, which means you are also under my guidance. Therefore, I won’t conceal anything from you. I intend to use these rings to deceive people. However, if you are familiar with the authenticity of such items, it may be challenging to deceive you.”
Zachary listened with confusion and instinctively responded, “Master Wade, why would you use genuine items that are recognized as authentic to deceive people? To be frank, tomb raiding investigations are rigorous nowadays. Antique dealers like us are cautious about purchasing items from tombs to avoid legal troubles and lawsuits. However, if the items are recognized as familiar to come from the pits, it becomes a different matter. Even if they were originally black, they can be washed white after being unearthed for ten years.”
Charlie waved his hand and said, “Don’t question why. Just let me know if there is a solution.”
Then, Charlie pointed to the lightning strike wood once again and continued, “I also have these. I want to use them to create something that gives the impression of being freshly unearthed. Do you have any expertise in this area?”
After pondering for a moment, Zachary replied, “Master Wade, this matter is within our realm of expertise. As you know, we have a knack for transforming new items into the appearance of recently unearthed ones to deceive people. Sometimes, we can even convert newly fired porcelain into what appears to be an authentic piece from a renowned kiln. However, fooling experts might prove to be a challenge.”
Zachary changed the topic and offered a solution, saying, “But here’s what we can do. You plan to use genuine artifacts from that era to pass off as recently unearthed ones from the same location. It’s quite simple, really. To begin with, we’ll take care of the appearance and adhesive to ensure they look authentic. Then, we’ll gather some soil from the area near a countryside latrine and mix it with pig offal. We’ll bury the items together with the pig offal overnight. Finally, we’ll sprinkle a bit of urine on top. When we dig them up the next day, they’ll appear just like freshly unearthed treasures!”
Charlie questioned him, “Do you think this method might raise suspicions?”
Shaking his head, Zachary replied, “If we were creating replicas and trying to pass them off as genuine, they would likely be caught upon close inspection. However, since we’re actually using real items, who can uncover the truth? Even if an expert were to use a carbon-14 instrument for identification, as long as this item originates from the same era, they primarily rely on factors like color, texture, and scent to determine if it came from a pit. If we can manage those aspects well, they’ll believe it’s a recent discovery.”
Charlie nodded, a smile forming on his face. “Alright then, I’ll leave this matter in your capable hands.”
Zachary wore a perplexed expression as favonovel.com inquired, “Master Wade, why are you specifically asking for a smaller one?”
Rather than answering Zachary’s question directly, Charlie responded with genuine interest, “Zachary, since you’ve joined Don Albert, why do you still engage in the antique trade here?”
Zachary hastily replied, “Master Wade, I am deeply grateful for your and Don Albert’s kindness. I have been given the opportunity to be by Don Albert’s side, so I haven’t had the desire to continue with the antique business. I’ve long put it aside and focused on other matters.”
Charlie’s expression turned serious as favonovel.com explained, “The task I’ve assigned to you requires your expertise in managing your antique business skills. It’s necessary for you to allocate some time to it.”
Surprised, Zachary asked, “Master Wade… What do you mean by this? I’m afraid I don’t fully understand. Could you please explain it to me?”
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