Chapter 420: Meeting Duke Again!

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

In the evening, just after finishing dinner and preparing to go for a stroll, Zhou Chao received a call from Xiao Yang.

“Brother Yang, it’s probably early morning in China now. Why aren’t you resting?” Zhou Chao checked his watch on his left hand and inquired.

“Rest? I want you to rest! You’ve kept us busy with your one sentence and a group of pictures. You better think about how to compensate us for this when you come back!” Xiao Yang’s angry voice came through the phone.

“Uh… let’s talk about it when I get back. How’s everything going?” Zhou Chao quickly changed the topic.

“We have no other choice. We have to negotiate, but it won’t be us representing. It’ll be you in person!”

“Me in person? What if I mess it up?”

“If the negotiation falls apart, so be it. At that time, we’ll figure out a way to bring the items back and exhibit them in our own museum,” Xiao Yang said nonchalantly.

“I can’t believe you’re informing me right now. It doesn’t seem appropriate,” Zhou Chao expressed his confusion.

“This is the most reasonable choice we came up with after discussing it. When the time comes, you can play it cool, and if it falls through, so be it. After all, you’re an entrepreneur, and you don’t mind a little humiliation…”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but feel like giving Xiao Yang a piece of his mind. What did he mean by not minding a little humiliation?

After some thought, Zhou Chao realized it could be a viable strategy. After all, they wouldn’t dare to harm him. If they sent someone from his family, they would have to consider their reputation. However, in Zhou Chao’s case, these concerns didn’t apply. He could negotiate however he wanted, and if he couldn’t reach an agreement, they would have to approach the people behind him.

Having figured it out, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, “He’s really good at playing strategies!”

“Alright, 1 know what to do now. The key is, who should I contact? Ordinary people might not understand these matters.”

“Don’t worry, we’ve already contacted the Embassy in London. Someone will get in touch with you when the time comes!”

“Got it!” Zhou Chao hung up the phone.

Looking at the bustling street outside, Zhou Chao abandoned the idea of going out for a walk. He asked Lin Wu and the others to return to their rooms to rest. Zhou Chao lay down on his bed.

A night passed without any words.

The next day, Zhou Chao got up early. After all, representatives from the embassy would come to discuss with him, and he also needed to do some research to understand how many national treasures were scattered in the Eagle Country. He didn’t want to embarrass himself later.

While eating breakfast that Lin Wu had brought, Zhou Chao opened his phone to check. To his surprise, when he checked, he was shocked.

China had lost as many as 1.67 million cultural relics, which were now stored and exhibited in 47 museums around the world. Among them, the Eagle Country’s Great Eagle Museum had the largest collection of lost Chinese cultural relics, spanning various categories of Chinese art and the entire history of China.

Among them, the 33rd exhibition hall of the Great Eagle Museum was the most prominent, where many exhibits were left in the open air without any glass protection. Some murals were even pieced together. Zhou Chao grew angrier the more he looked.

Last time he visited, he only saw a portion of it, and many precious cultural relics were not on display.

“Darn it, I’ll make sure you return all of them sooner or later!” Looking at the images, Zhou Chao’s face turned cold.

“Knock, knock, knock!” A series of urgent knocks on the door were heard.

“What’s going on?” Zhou Chao said as he opened the door, seeing Lin Wu standing there.

“Boss, someone from our country is looking for you!”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chao immediately realized that the embassy personnel had arrived.

“You can bring that person in, but everyone else should leave!”

Lin Wu hesitated briefly before departing. Soon after, a middle-aged man, sporting a unique half-black and half-white hairstyle and dressed impeccably in a suit, walked into the room with a square-shaped face.

“Hello, Mr. Zhou, 1 am Guan Ze, the Ambassador to the Eagle Country.” Guan Ze gave a friendly welcome, all the while sizing up Zhou Chao who was responsible for his country’s call and the request for his assistance.

“Hello, Mr. Guan, please have a seat,” Zhou Chao responded calmly.

“Mr. Zhou, I have already arranged it. You will meet with Duke Somerset tonight!”

“Hmm? Duke Somerset? Is he from the Moses family?” Zhou Chao felt a sense of familiarity when he heard the name.

Guan Ze was somewhat puzzled by Zhou Chao’s words and asked, “Do you know him, Mr. Zhou?”

“We’ve crossed paths before. We had a brief chat when I attended Queen Charlotte’s Ball,”

“Excellent, this Duke holds considerable influence in the Eagle Country. You probably have an idea of what to expect.”

“Well, don’t worry. I think we’ll be fine.”

They went on to discuss the specifics, studying potential scenarios and strategies to handle them. They were engrossed in their conversation, and it wasn’t until their stomachs growled that they snapped back to reality.

“Mr. Guan, let’s have a meal first. We got carried away in our discussion and lost track of time!” Zhou Chao didn’t give Guan Ze a chance to decline and promptly got up to arrange a meal delivered to the room with Lin Wu’s assistance.

The hotel acted swiftly, and within half an hour, a table full of dishes arrived. Most of the dishes were beef and salads, but it didn’t dampen their dining experience.

After the meal, they continued their conversation for another half hour. Guan Ze had to leave due to other commitments, leaving Zhou Chao to contemplate his actions for the evening.

“Lin Wu!” Zhou Chao called out loudly.

“Boss, what’s the matter?” Lin Wu entered the room upon hearing the summons.

“Go and buy a high-quality Polaroid camera, the best one available that can take clear photos.”

“Boss, why do you need that? You don’t even like taking pictures!” Lin Wu looked puzzled as he asked.

“I told you to go, so just go. Don’t ask so many questions!” Zhou Chao scolded him, visibly annoyed.

Yes, boss!” Seeing his boss’s serious expression, Lin Wu turned and left.

It didn’t take long for Lin Wu to return with a brand-new Polaroid camera.

Zhou Chao was surprised when he saw the camera and asked, “Where did you buy it? And so quickly!”

“Hehe, I asked the hotel staff to get it for me!”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you to be so resourceful,” Zhou Chao didn’t expect Lin Wu to come up with such a trick.

Taking the new Polaroid camera from him, Zhou Chao examined it for a moment, and then, holding the camera, he walked towards his bedroom.

He had taken only a few steps when he turned back to look at Lin Wu and said, “Tell anyone to enter to wait, no matter who he is!”

Lin Wu’s expression tensed, and he quickly replied, “Yes, boss!”

Zhou Chao nodded and entered his bedroom, casually locking the door behind him.

He took Victoria’s scepter, crown, and paintings from the storage and carefully placed them on the bed. Then, he used the Polaroid camera to take pictures.

After about twenty minutes, he managed to capture four photos that he was extremely satisfied with. After examining them closely and finding no flaws, he stored the precious artifacts and the photos in the system’s warehouse.

With a triumphant look on his face, he waved the photos in his hand.

“I’ll rely on you tonight!” He stored the photos safely and tossed the Polaroid camera into his suitcase.

When he opened the bedroom door and stepped outside, he saw Lin Wu and Todd standing there with serious expressions. Todd had even placed his hand under his clothing.

“What are you two doing?”

“Boss, you said not to let anyone in, so I brought Todd here to keep watch!”

Hearing this, Zhou Chao felt his head buzzing and looked at Lin Wu, saying, “Does that mean there are other security personnel in the hallway outside?”

Lin Wu and Todd exchanged glances and nodded dumbly.

Seeing their reactions, Zhou Chao massaged his temples.

“Alright, have them all leave. Let them go back to their rooms and rest!”

Todd hurriedly exited the room.

“You and Todd should also go back to your rooms and rest. We might have a long night ahead, so it’s best to be fully prepared.”

“Yes, boss!” Lin Wu said before turning to leave. Todd, who had just entered, was also led away by Lin Wu.

As the evening approached, Zhou Chao and his team headed to the designated location.

It was a familiar place, the same hotel where they had hosted the banquet last time.

Following the hotel staff, they arrived at a private room. Zhou Chao pushed the door open and walked in. He saw Guan Ze and Duke Somerset chatting merrily. When the door opened, both of them turned their gazes towards it.

“Hello there, Duke Somerset. We meet again!” Zhou Chao greeted first.

“Hello, young man. I didn’t expect to see you so soon!” Duke Somerset replied with some surprise. After all, when Guan Ze had initially contacted him, he had only mentioned a wealthy individual who wanted to meet him. He hadn’t anticipated meeting someone he knew.

Zhou Chao walked over and took a seat next to Duke Somerset. Seeing this, Guan Ze promptly summoned the hotel’s waitstaff to start serving dishes.

The three of them engaged in a conversation, with Duke Somerset being the main focus of attention. They discussed the history of their respective families, with Zhou Chao understanding that most of it was for his benefit.

In his mind, Zhou Chao couldn’t help but think, “They’re talking about their family histories to me? I feel like giving them a crash course on China’s five thousand years of history!”

Although he couldn’t help but inwardly complain, Zhou Chao maintained a pleasant smile as he listened.

Soon, beautiful waitresses entered the room, carrying trays of delicious food, and Duke Somerset’s attention began to wander.

Zhou, what’s the reason for inviting me out today?” After they had finished most of the meal, Duke Somerset finally asked.

It’s not a big deal, really. I heard that Duke Somerset is an enthusiast of cultural relics, and I happen to have a few collectibles from my country. I thought it would be nice to show them to you and see if they’re genuine.”

“That depends on the country they originate from. If they’re from the Grand Eagle Empire, I’m sure I’d be quite familiar with them,” Duke Somerset said confidently.

In that case, could I trouble Duke Somerset to help me authenticate them?” Zhou Chao smiled and took out several photos from his bag, handing them to Duke Somerset.

Of course, I’d be delighted!” Duke Somerset eagerly accepted the photos.

As he looked at the first photo in his hand, Duke Somerset suddenly stood up with a surprised expression. He didn’t even notice when his rotund belly bumped into the table.

This…. this is Victoria’s scepter!”