What appeared on the auction stage was an ancient Chinese artifact—a complete set of bronzes!
This... is clearly an ancient Chinese artifact. How did it end up in a European castle? Something just doesn't seem right.
Lin Jicheng was extremely shocked and quickly began to carefully examine the bronze artifacts on the platform—
At the very center is a bronze ding (鼎), its ancient shape simple yet solemn and mysterious. This was an ancient vessel symbolizing power and hierarchy—its belly is carved with cyclical dragon patterns, the ancient mythical beast exuding unparalleled majesty, seemingly radiating scorching heat. To the left is a bronze gong (觥), an ancient wine vessel. The lid is carved with a ferocious tiger devouring a man, vivid and menacing, its body covered in intricate and beautiful coiled dragon patterns, possessing an eerie and mysterious aura. To the right is a bronze gui (簋), its belly carved with magnificent spiral and dragon patterns, elegant and orderly, its overall imposing presence conveying a sense of opulent beauty…
Furthermore, all the bronze artifacts were inscribed with numerous characters inside. The auctioneer on the stage deliberately pointed the camera at the interior of these artifacts so that everyone could see the inscriptions on the large screen. Among them, the words were clearly written—
These utensils are important traditional Chinese ancestral temple artifacts, used for worshipping heaven, earth, and ancestors, and are national symbols representing the state and its people!
The moment he realized all this, Lin Jicheng's breath hitched—
These bronze artifacts carry a profound historical aura. They should have been buried deep in the soil of their homeland or enshrined in any museum in China, but they should not have appeared at this auction in a foreign land!
Lin Jicheng's mind was in turmoil. At that moment, the auctioneer on the stage was still eloquently introducing the long history and exorbitant prices of these treasures:
"These artifacts are over two thousand years old, and the starting bid is ten million euros!"
Seeing Lin Jicheng's unusual expression, William McKinley, sitting next to Lin Jicheng, took the initiative to introduce them, his tone brimming with blatant superiority—
"Miss Lin, what do you think? Aren't these bronze artifacts quite nice?"
Lin Jicheng opened her mouth, her voice becoming incredibly hoarse:
"Indeed, these bronzes are exquisite... but your auctioneer just said that these bronzes are thousands of years old and deserve to fetch a very high price. How did you determine that these bronzes are all genuine? Or where did these bronzes come from?"
"Haha, Miss Lin, the provenance of these cultural relics is absolutely guaranteed!"
William McKinley laughed heartily, patted his chest confidently, and assured Lin Jicheng:
"This is because these are precious souvenirs that my great-grandfather personally brought back from China more than a hundred years ago!"
Lin Jicheng's body stiffened, but William McKinley, oblivious, continued smugly:
“At that time, my great-grandfather—who was also named William McKinley, from whom I derive my name—”
“Our McKinley family has a long tradition of serving in the military. My great-grandfather, William McKinley Sr., was a great adventurer and a great explorer. Naturally, he joined the army and traveled all over the world, including to many places in China!”
"He acquired quite a few treasures there... many of which he personally carried out from various palace-like places! These things have been carefully preserved in our McKinley family for so many years, and I can guarantee that they are absolutely genuine!"
William McKinley spoke with pride, clearly very confident in his family's long history, and explained everything to Lin Jicheng in an almost boastful tone.
These words pierced Lin Jicheng's body like poisoned needles, making her tremble all over. A surge of burning grief and indignation rushed to her head, and Lin Jicheng felt a rare sense of humiliation and heartache that transcended time and space...
More than a hundred years ago... foreign troops... stole precious treasures from a Chinese palace...
Is William McKinley some kind of descendant of those Eight-Nation Alliance soldiers?
Lin Jicheng's fingertips were trembling slightly. He opened his phone and quickly sent several messages to Alfred, while William McKinley was still giving his long-winded introduction:
"Speaking of which, not everyone can appreciate these souvenirs from the East like my great-grandfather did... To distinguish between the artifacts he brought back from the East and those from the West, my great-grandfather even built two separate warehouses to store them separately..."
"Our Western artifacts are very popular, but our Eastern art collections are often deserted... But seeing Miss Lin today, I know that an elegant Eastern lady like you will surely appreciate their beauty..."
As William McKinley spoke, he even elegantly blinked his bright blue eyes—the kind of charming weapon he used to win people over in social situations…!
Unexpectedly, Lin Jicheng was focused on the messages on his phone and didn't see them at all. William McKinley was initially a little disappointed, but then Lin Jicheng suddenly looked up from his phone, as if he had heard some key words:
"Oriental Art Warehouse...?"
"Mr. William McKinley, are you saying that you have many cultural relics from China in your home? So many that you even built some special warehouses for them?"
"After all, William McKinley was so fond of adventure, he must have damaged more than just this one artifact, right?"
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