No one dislikes having their ho complinted by a guest, especially when the castle before them is a historic European fortress.
However, if the Albert Earl knew that while he was enthusiastically introducing his residence to this Eastern lady, she was actually thinking of how to find his collection room and how to steal his treasures unnoticed, he probably wouldn’t be so composed.
The Albert Earl was very hospitable; the lunch prepared with steak, foie gras, and caviar was top-notch, and he even opened a bottle of thirty-year-old red wine.
Furthermore, after a round of conversation, Huo Sining was surprised to find that Mr. Earl was not the shallow person she thought he was. On the contrary, the old gentleman genuinely understood Huaxia culture, and his understanding and analysis of Huaxia antiques were even on par with hers.
This discovery left Huo Sining astounded. By the end of the al, her original impression of this gentlemanly Earl had completely changed.
"Dear Huo, it was wonderful talking to you. I enjoyed this experience imnsely. This al was the most delightful I’ve had in over a decade!"
Similar to Huo Sining’s feelings, the excitent and joy in Adrian’s eyes were unmistakably evident. In just one al, he had co to regard Huo Sining as a kindred spirit, feeling a deep sense of regret for not eting sooner.
"Mr. Adrian, thank you very much for your hospitality, but as you know, I am a treasure appraiser. The joy of touching a beautiful piece of art is much more fulfilling for than a al."
"You have been so sincere, so I will not conceal the truth from you. To be frank, my visit with Mr. Li Jun was not for your so-called high society banquet. It was because Mr. Li Jun ntioned that you have many long-held Huaxia antiques in your ho."
"I hope to use this opportunity to closely interact with the relics in your ho. If you don’t mind, I would even like to make a detailed inventory. I believe that would contribute greatly to the civilization of Huaxia and hold imnse significance and value."
This Earl was not the hypocrite Huo Sining imagined him to be and had a reverence for Huaxia’s civilization that even Huo Sining lacked. This made Huo Sining’s emotions inexplicably complex.
Originally, she wanted to pull off another spectacular heist, but the Earl’s naivety and enthusiasm made her hesitate.
So, Huo Sining pushed back her plans and tentatively opened up, trying to probe this English Earl’s intentions.
However, what Huo Sining never expected was that the Earl, upon hearing her words, was not angry at all but instead laughed happily.
"Miss Huo, I appreciate your honesty. I’m also well aware that if not for these collections, you wouldn’t be making this effort to visit my castle. However, you need not feel apologetic. The one who should apologize is , as what you thought is actually what I wanted to discuss with you."
"Even though I didn’t attend the treasure appraisal conference in New York, I watched the CBS live broadcast. Your performance at that ti moved greatly. You are soone who truly loves Huaxia antiques and a perfect patriot. Therefore, I invited you to my castle precisely because of these antiques."
"My ancestors once invaded Huaxia and took countless treasures from Huaxia Country. This is an undeniable history I cannot rewrite. The artifacts displayed in the underground collection room of my castle are proof of that history."
Adrian said these words earnestly as he looked at Huo Sining, which shocked both Huo Sining and Li Jun, making them gaze at the old Earl in disbelief.
Adrian didn’t mind at all and continued:
"I know that saying this might make you think I am being hypocritical since eventually, the beneficiary of these antiques is , but I wanted to express my true thoughts."
"Unlike my ancestors, the more I understand Huaxia’s culture, the more I am impressed by the wisdom and creativity of this ancient civilization."
"I’m not a penny-pincher. In fact, as soon as I learned that the antiques owned by the Albert family were stolen, I proposed returning these items to Huaxia Country."
"But my proposal was directly rejected by the family. You know, Albert is a huge family, and even though I have inherited the title of the Albert family, I am not the sole decision-maker in this household. Returning the antiques to Huaxia Country would affect too many interests within the Albert family. If I really did that, I would beco a sinner of this family."
"Moreover, I privately researched your country’s situation. Forgive my directness, but I once doubted whether, even if I returned these artifacts, they would be properly preserved. I feel that Huaxia Country’s approach to handling relics is just too crude."
Adrian paused when he reached the word "crude", as if thinking about his phrasing, finally picking a less hurtful term.
But these words made Huo Sining blush instantly.
Huo Sining clearly understood that the old gentleman’s words were not exaggerated. They were even rather polite. The current situation in Huaxia, especially in the field of antique relics collection, is indeed chaotic. Many people do not truly understand how to protect artifacts and have entered antique collection just for their appreciation potential. Few genuinely understand the history of those artifacts.
Even Huaxia Country’s museums are rife with chaos, with greedy officials lining their pockets, internal personnel abusing power, swapping out genuine items to pocket kickbacks, and many such issues are rampant.
If Adrian were to really return these artifacts, even Huo Sining wouldn’t dare to guarantee they’d be properly preserved, as even saying so would make her feel guilty.
For the first ti, Huo Sining understood the exhaustion, helplessness, anger, and injustice felt by her predecessors, Zhou Shitao and Huang Zhenlong.
These people work tirelessly to protect cultural relics, pour their heart and soul into it, using every ans possible, yet the artifacts they recover end up feeding so parasites. How could anyone not hate such situations?!
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