These people are experts and scholars from all over the world who came to participate in this academic exchange conference. Many of them are wealthy individuals, and they all showed great interest in this treasure map, which may or may not contain any treasure.
However, Zhuang Rui first summoned renowned scientific researchers with great international prestige, including Professor Zhou from Peking University, to conduct an appraisal of the two treasure maps in a small meeting.
Zhuang Rui wasn't worried that these people could remember the crooked lines on the treasure map. Even if they did, they wouldn't know the location of the island, so he could still ensure the fairness of the auction.
Without a doubt, after more than half an hour of authentication, the two treasure maps made of parchment were unanimously identified as genuine by the experts, who also signed their names on the authentication certificate.
"This thing is an antique, shouldn't we find a shill to inflate the price?"
Holding the certificate of authenticity and two treasure maps in a box, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but let his imagination run wild.
If it weren't for the fact that the pirate island blocked all modern communication signals, Zhuang Rui would have even wanted to take it over and develop it into a tourist destination.
"Mr. Zhuang, isn't this auction being conducted far too hastily? Ever since you released the news, my phone hasn't stopped ringing; everyone's asking to participate in the auction..."
Zhuang Rui had just stepped out of the small conference room when he was stopped by Huangfu Yun. He was still dizzy from the phone call. Not only people from abroad, but also many wealthy people in China were very interested in this treasure map.
Zhuang Rui glanced around and whispered, "I'm just diverting trouble, aren't I? To avoid people having designs on me. Brother Huangfu, there's a limit to fame; we can't go too far..."
Huangfu Yun was still a little unwilling and advised, "What if there really is a treasure? Wouldn't we be selling it at a loss? President Zhuang, why don't we cancel it and go and explore it ourselves?"
"One shouldn't be too greedy, Brother Huangfu. Let's do as I say..."
Zhuang Rui smiled. No one knew better than him whether there was a treasure, but after hearing Huangfu Yun's words, Zhuang Rui felt a little uneasy, as if he had forgotten something.
"Damn, that was a huge mistake..."
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered something, slapped his thigh hard, and quickly called out to Huangfu Yun, who was turning around to arrange the auction, saying, "Brother Huangfu, you're right. Many people don't know about the treasure map now, so we can't maximize profits. How about this, the treasure map auction will be held a week from now, hosted by a professional auction house." "Tch, doesn't that mean there's still an auction? Fine, never mind, I'll go arrange it..."
Huangfu Yun curled his lips. In his opinion, it would be best if Zhuang Rui handed over the coordinates and treasure map to him, and then the curator Huangfu would lead the team to carry out another archaeological excavation and exploration that would shock the world's scientific research community. After Huangfu Yun went out and told everyone about Zhuang Rui's decision, everyone could understand. After all, it was already a rare thing for Zhuang Rui to be willing to put the treasure map up for auction. It was understandable that others wanted to maximize their profits.
However, no one noticed that Zhuang Rui had already entrusted the academic exchange meeting entirely to his mentor, Professor Zhou, to handle the experts from all over the world. Zhuang Rui himself had quietly slipped out of the museum and returned to the courtyard house. ...
"Peng Fei, you almost made a huge mistake by having to make this trip again..."
Upon finding Peng Fei recuperating at home, Zhuang Rui recounted the entire incident, urging Peng Fei to immediately travel to Pirate Island to help him resolve Muta's problem.
Zhuang Rui had meant well by burying Muta on the beach, but the traces of the burial were impossible to miss from the eyes of those professional explorers. If Muta's body were dug up, he would probably face accusations of murder.
Zhuang Rui was filled with regret; he wished he had thrown Muta's body into the sea.
"Brother Zhuang, don't worry, I'll take care of it. I'll fly to the Virgin Islands first, then rent a boat and go out to sea. It'll only take three or four days to get this done..."
Upon hearing this, Peng Fei immediately agreed. Neither he nor Zhuang Rui expected that someone else would one day set foot on that mysterious island.
Chapter 856 Reputation
"Take the satellite phone with you and stay in touch with me. Also, have Hao Long accompany you on the way; it'll be good for yourselves."
The ocean is vast and full of unpredictable dangers. If it weren't for the extremely important matter, Zhuang Rui wouldn't want Peng Fei to make that trip again.
"Okay, Brother Zhuang, don't worry, there won't be any danger..."
Peng Fei nodded. This was not the time to show off. Although he had been recuperating for a while, his physical strength had not yet returned to its best. Having someone accompany him would make things much easier.
"Xiao Rui, I couldn't get through to you on the phone earlier. So you're at home?"
While Zhuang Rui was talking to Peng Fei, Ouyang Wan pushed open the door and walked in. She had originally intended to have her godson go find Zhuang Rui, but she did not expect Zhuang Rui to be here.
"Godmother..."
Upon seeing Ouyang Wan enter, Zhuang Rui and Peng Fei both stood up.
"Mom, what did you want to see me about?"
Zhuang Rui asked, "When holding a press conference, Zhuang Rui naturally has to turn off his phone."
"It's about the white lion. It hasn't eaten since yesterday and won't let us near it. Maybe it's sick. Why don't you go check on it..."
Bai Shi had lived with Ouyang Wan and the others since he was a tiny child, so he was considered part of the family. That's why Ouyang Wan was a little anxious.
"Okay, I'll go check right away. Peng Fei, get ready, we'll leave tomorrow morning..."
Zhuang Rui looked at Peng Fei.
“Brother, no need. I’ll call Zhang Qian later and leave tonight. We need to get this done as soon as possible.” Peng Fei shook his head. He knew the dictator’s status in Africa. If suspicion really fell on Zhuang Rui, who knows when a suicide bombing might occur in Beijing.
"Xiao Rui, what are you and Xiao Fei doing? He's not fully recovered yet, why are you running around again?"
Ouyang Wan looked at her two sons suspiciously, wondering what they were talking about.
"Mom's fine. He'll be back in a few days. It's business..."
How could Zhuang Rui dare tell his mother about Muta? Although he didn't kill Muta himself, the blame could still fall on him and Peng Fei, especially the fact that Peng Fei had slashed Muta more than two hundred times. If he said that, everyone in the yard would be shocked.
Pulling Ouyang Wan to the backyard, Zhuang Rui immediately saw the white lion lying in front of the door. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Since returning from the sea, Zhuang Rui had been busy settling King Kong and spending time with his family, and had had much less interaction with the white lion.
On the ground in front of the white lion was a bowl of minced meat mixed with scrambled eggs, but the white lion did not seem to have eaten it. Ouyang Wan only discovered it when she came to bring food to the white lion.
Although the family members are growing, the white lion, who was the first to follow Zhuang Rui, still holds the highest status.
"Waaah..."
Seeing Zhuang Rui approach, the white lion stood up from the ground, bared its teeth at Ouyang Wan as if warning her, then rubbed its big head against Zhuang Rui's head before lying back down at the front door.
"Why are you showing your teeth to my mom, you brat? You heartless bastard, don't you even know who feeds you every day..." Zhuang Rui slapped the white lion on the head in annoyance.
"Woo woo," after being reprimanded by Zhuang Rui, the white lion's gaze towards Ouyang Wan softened slightly.
"White Lion, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
Zhuang Rui patted the white lion's big head and used his spiritual energy to groom its body. In his memory, this guy had never been sick and had never missed a meal.
"whimper……
The white lion groaned comfortably, looked back into the house, and let out a low growl, as if telling Zhuang Rui something.
"Where's the snow mastiff? Why isn't it eating?"
Zhuang Rui was taken aback. Ever since he brought Xue'er back from the snow mountain, the white lion couple had always been inseparable. It was quite rare to see the white lion lying at the door sunbathing by itself.
"Damn, you actually kept it a secret?"
Zhuang Rui scanned the white lion's den with his spiritual energy and discovered that there were several fluffy little lumps under the snow mastiff. He immediately realized that the white lion had become a father.
Tibetan mastiffs are extremely protective of their cubs. Even the owner doesn't dare to approach the mother mastiff during her labor. However, Zhuang Rui didn't care about that. He gave the white lion a hard knock on the head and turned to walk into the room.
"Waaah..."
Upon seeing someone enter, the Tibetan Mastiff, which was lying in its warm nest in the corner, immediately tensed up and let out a warning growl. Not daring to look closer and see that it was Zhuang Rui, it immediately relaxed and lazily lay back down.
"Oh, really, it's a Tibetan Mastiff that gave birth to puppies?"
As Ouyang Wan followed Zhuang Rui into the house, she immediately spotted several puppies lying under the Tibetan Mastiff's membrane and excitedly barked.
“One…two…” “Four, Mom, the Tibetan Mastiff had four puppies…”
Zhuang Rui had Xue'er lift her body up, and found four little creatures in total. The little creatures that Zhuang Rui was playing with made weak whimpering sounds.
Tibetan Mastiffs usually live in litters of six to eight, but the birth rate of purebred Tibetan Mastiffs is not that high. This litter of four puppies was already a pleasant surprise for Zhuang Rui.
The puppies were all of the Snow Mastiff breed. Because they were newborn, their fur was a bit grayish. As they grew older, their fur would turn pure white. Looking at these tiny creatures, no bigger than the palm of his hand, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but recall the time when he took in the white lion.
"Mom, bring me a basin of warm water, I want to wash them..."
The puppies were still a bit stale, but after Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to cleanse their bodies, they all fell asleep comfortably.
White Lion also entered the house, looking at his children with tenderness in his eyes. Only Zhuang Rui could get so close to the little mastiff. If it were Ouyang Wan, White Lion would not allow it. Whether it is a human or an animal, the love for one's offspring is the same.
"Sigh, where am I supposed to find mates for your children in the future?"
Zhuang Rui took the warm water his mother brought and carefully washed the dirt off the pups before placing them back under their mother's belly. The pups, awakened from their slumber, hadn't opened their eyes yet, but instinctively found their mother's milk and began to drink.
"Mom, look at these little guys, should we raise them ourselves, or..."
It's estimated that the white lion will give birth to a litter like this every year. If they are kept, he could probably open his own mastiff kennel in a few years. So Zhuang Rui is a little unsure about what to do with these mastiff puppies.
"Xiaojun has been saying he wants one for a while, and Dachuan wants one too, so let's keep the remaining two for ourselves..."
Looking at these fluffy little guys, Ouyang Wan also liked them very much. If her nephew hadn't asked, she wouldn't have been willing to give them to them.
"Well, these two guys certainly know how to take advantage..."
Zhuang Rui nodded in agreement. If he were to sell such a small Tibetan Mastiff, he would ask for at least ten million if he encountered someone like Fatty Ma. This was the purest second-generation Tibetan Mastiff.
Upon hearing the news of the snow mastiff giving birth, Liu Chuan, who had just returned to Pengcheng, rushed back overnight. Ouyang Jun also treasured it dearly, to the point that even the famous Xu was a little jealous, as he had never seen his own son treated with such care.
Since Zhuang Rui wouldn't agree to let them take the puppy for another month, these two guys, in order to deepen their bond with the puppy, actually neglected their son and settled down in the courtyard. Every day, Zhuang Rui's courtyard was a chaotic mess, with eagles flying and dogs leaping about.
Peng Fei, who had left Beijing, called back on the fourth day. He said he had taken care of the matter and was on his way back. Zhuang Rui could start auctioning the treasure map at any time.
Meanwhile, the academic seminar on the Klaus Treasure, chaired by Professor Meng, was also coming to an end. Zhuang Rui had not participated in it at all; he was still a little lacking in the skills for this kind of purely academic discussion.
However, the significance of this academic symposium is self-evident. The discovery of the gold mask indicates that there are other undiscovered ancient Egyptian tombs besides those in the Valley of the Kings, allowing for a deeper study of the history and culture of ancient Egypt.
Many of those medieval gold and silver coins are rare and unique coins that have never been seen before. Through the study of these gold and silver coins, experts have gained groundbreaking insights into the monetary policies and social structures of various Western countries at that time. In particular, experts who study the ancient monetary systems of Western countries have benefited greatly.
After a week-long symposium, all the participating experts gave the conference extremely high praise. Some experts even said that the conference solved many mysteries of the Middle Ages and was a major archaeological discovery of historical significance.
Major media outlets around the world, such as The Times of London, National Geographic of the United States, and Le Monde of France, have given it extensive special features. Reports of this major archaeological discovery have appeared in various media outlets in more than 100 countries around the world.
Domestic newspapers spared no effort in giving special reports on the discovery and academic discussions surrounding the treasure, and even CCTV produced a special program about it, giving the Dingguang Museum a lot of exposure.
Among these reports, the phrases that appeared most frequently were "Dingguang Museum" and "pirate treasure..."
As a result, the Dingguang Museum, with its golden mask and pirate exhibit, has become one of the most sought-after museums among foreigners, its reputation rivaling that of the world's most famous museums, such as the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fame naturally brings profits. Riding on the popularity of the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean," almost all Chinese and foreign tourists visiting Beijing for tourism and work chose to visit the Dingguang Museum as their first choice, bringing them extremely rich returns.
The auction of the treasure map attracted the attention of many explorers from all over the world, and it was eventually won by an American explorer for a high price of nine million US dollars.
Chapter 857 Layout (Part 1)
The weather in Beijing was getting hotter day by day. By early June, the temperature had reached over 30 degrees Celsius. Compared to the courtyard houses in the city center, the manor in the suburbs with its lush greenery was more popular. Even the White Lion family moved there, preparing for a long stay.
The Dingguang Museum has now become the first large-scale museum in China that integrates Chinese and foreign artworks, attracting tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world every day. The sketches of Picasso, the most respected art master in the world, and the mysterious and strange ancient Egyptian gold mask have added many highlights to the Dingguang Museum.
Riding the wave of popularity of the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean," the pirate exhibition hall has become a must-visit for tourists. The magnificent golden anchor, the glittering gold coins, the mysterious treasure map, and the ancient jewels that sparkle with brilliance have deeply attracted the attention of tourists.
Even the Palace Museum, the leading museum in China, has set aside its pride and negotiated with the Dingguang Museum multiple times, requesting to exchange exhibits on a small scale.