Synopsis and Starting Chapter Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121 - Portrait Of Titus (2)
Chapter 122 - Visitor From The Desert (1)
Chapter 123 - Visitor From The Desert (2)
Chapter 124 - Visitor From The Desert (3)
Chapter 125 - Visitor From The Desert (4)
Chapter 126 - Rookie Of Boston Red Sox (1)
Chapter 127 - Rookie Of Boston Red Sox (2)
Chapter 128 - Buddhist Scripture Written With Gold (1)
Chapter 129 - Buddhist Scripture Written With Gold (2)
Chapter 130 - Buddhist Scripture Written With Gold (3)
Chapter 131 - Chaebol, Painting, And Happy Tears (1)
Chapter 132 - Chaebol, Painting, And Happy Tears (2)
Chapter 133 - Chaebol, Painting, And Happy Tears (3)
Chapter 134 - Enemies Are Everywhere (1)
Chapter 135 - Enemies Are Everywhere (2)
Chapter 136 - More Paintings (1)
Chapter 137 - More Paintings (2)
Chapter 138 - To Florence, Italy… (1)
Chapter 139 - To Florence, Italy… (2)
Chapter 140 - To Florence, Italy… (3)
Chapter 141 - People Who Are After The Masterpiece (1)
Chapter 142 - People Who Are After The Masterpiece (2)
Chapter 143 - People Who Are After The Masterpiece (3)
Chapter 144 - The Medici And The Aristocrats (1)
Chapter 145 - The Medici And The Aristocrats (2)
Chapter 146 - The Medici And The Aristocrats (3)
Chapter 147 - The Medici And The Aristocrats (4)
Chapter 148 - The Medici And The Aristocrats (5)
Chapter 149 - Drawings In The Charity Auction (1)
Chapter 150 - Drawings In The Charity Auction (2)
Chapter 151 - Drawings In The Charity Auction (3)
Chapter 152 - Drawings In The Charity Auction (4)
Chapter 153 - Drawings In The Charity Auction (5)
Chapter 154 - Now, To London… (1)
Chapter 155 - Now, To London… (2)
Chapter 156 - Now, To London… (3)
Chapter 157 - Now, To London… (4)
Chapter 158 - Seeing The Light Again (1)
Chapter 159 - Seeing The Light Again (2)
Chapter 160 - Seeing The Light Again (3)
Chapter 161 - Seeing The Light Again (4)
Chapter 162 - Uninvited Guest (1)
Chapter 163 - Uninvited Guest (2)
Chapter 164 - Uninvited Guest (3)
Chapter 165 - Uninvited Guest (4)
Chapter 166 - Dark Shadow (1)
Chapter 167 - Dark Shadow (2)
Chapter 168 - Dark Shadow (3)
Chapter 169 - Change And Progress (1)
Chapter 170 - Change, And Progress (2)
Chapter 171 - Change, And Progress (3)
Chapter 172 - Appraiser Talks Through Appraising (1)
Chapter 173 - Appraiser Talks Through Appraising (2)
Chapter 174 - Appraiser Talks Through Appraising (3)
Chapter 175 - Appraiser Talks Through Appraising (4)
Chapter 176 - Appraiser Talks Through Appraising (5)
Chapter 177 - Inheritance Left By The Parents (1)
Chapter 178 - Inheritance Left By The Parents (2)
Chapter 179 - Inheritance Left By The Parents (3)
Chapter 180 - Inheritance Left By The Parents (4)
Chapter 181 - Star Appraiser (1)
Chapter 182 - Star Appraiser (2)
Chapter 183 - Star Appraiser (3)
Chapter 184 - Terms Of Return Of Artifacts (1)
Chapter 185 - Terms Of Return Of Artifacts (2)
Chapter 186 - Terms Of Return Of Artifacts (3)
Chapter 187 - Terms Of Return Of Artifacts (4)
Chapter 188 - Terms Of Return Of Artifacts (5)
Chapter 189 - Artifact From North Korea (1)
Chapter 190 - Artifact From North Korea (2)
Chapter 191 - Artifact Match (1)
Chapter 192 - Artifact Match (2)
Chapter 193 - Artifact Match (3)
Chapter 194 - Artifact Match (4)
Chapter 195 - Artifact Match (5)
Chapter 196 - What Happened In Austria (1)
Chapter 197 - What Happened In Austria (2)
Chapter 198 - What Happened In Austria (3)
Chapter 199 - What Happened In Austria (4)
Chapter 200 - Bait To Catch The Big Fish (1)
Chapter 201 - Bait To Catch The Big Fish (2)
Chapter 202 - What The Depressed Man Left (1)
Chapter 203 - What The Depressed Man Left (2)
Chapter 204 - Where The Faith Leads Him To (1)
Chapter 205 - Add Painting To Painting (1)
Chapter 206 - Add Painting To Painting (2)
Chapter 207 - Add Painting To Painting (3)
Chapter 208 - Finally, To There… (1)
Chapter 209 - Finally, In There… (2)
Chapter 210 (End) - Epilogue
Categories Genre: All, Completed, Fantasy, Supernatural Status: Completed ______
Total Chapters in book: 210
Estimated words: 468205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 2341(@200wpm)___ 1873(@250wpm)___ 1561(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 468205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 2341(@200wpm)___ 1873(@250wpm)___ 1561(@300wpm)
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LIST OF LAST 10 CHAPTERS:
Page No. 210 Page No. 209 Page No. 208 Page No. 207 Page No. 206 Page No. 205 Page No. 204 Page No. 203 Page No. 202 Page No. 201 Page No. 200 Chapter 128 - Buddhist Scripture Written With Gold (1)
Chapter 128: Buddhist Scripture Written with Gold (1)
Eric was waiting outside. Haejin then came out, looking somewhat happy.
“What happened? What did you talk about?”
“It went well. He promised to return some artifacts within this year. It is so much better than 200 thousand dollars. I should thank him.”
Each Korean artifact in the Metropolitan was valuable.
Haejin had to bring it back if possible, even if it cost 20 million dollars instead of 200 thousand, so he kept smiling.
“What, did he write down that promise or something? But he would never do such a thing!”
“He didn’t, but he will keep his promise. He has to.”
Eric stared at Haejin with shock, then he nodded and smiled.
The painting wasn’t the only thing Howard wanted. If ‘that’ also got out, his political life would end, and he would have to stand in court.
“That makes no sense, but I guess there’s a good reason? And you’re not going to tell me, right?”
“It can be a little… sensitive.”
“Okay. I’m just glad to hear it all went well, but you must be always careful with politicians. They can threaten you with a bomb anytime. You have Princess Hassena of Abu Dhabi behind you, so he won’t be able to mess up with you easily but be careful.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Haha! Then let’s go to have a drink.”
They returned to Eric’s hotel. Haejin then looked at the catalog of Sotheby’s auction which Hassena had given him to make the time pass faster.
Eric had left, saying he had another urgent business, and Hassena was to stay in her room until the auction, so Haejin had nothing else to do.
“Hmm… was it called vestigium?”
The symbol on the brooch that Hassena had argued they had to get was really strange.
She knew that the symbol of the organization and the symbol that gave magical powers were different. Haejin could guess she had studied a lot on her own.
He wanted to talk to Hassena more about it, but there were eyes watching them. It was a shame.
The other objects that would be on the auction were magnificent, all worth at least billions of dollars.
There were even a few that were about to be sold at tens of billions, and among them, Haejin spotted the one that would be sold at the highest price.
It was a painting of Gustav Klimt. It had been sold at over 90 billion won, so Haejin wondered if it would be sold at over a hundred million dollars or not.
Even Haejin was interested, so the participants must have been putting great effort into the preparation to get that painting.
By preparation, it meant people were trying to find out in advance what kind of people would bid for it and how much would they bid.
Although it usually takes more for an expensive artifact to be sold, the time given to bidders to bid and the time needed for the auctioneer to settle the winning bid are the same with those of the artifacts that were worth only a few thousand dollars.
In short, bidders are not given more time to think.
They have 5~7 seconds to bid more or stop. They bet billions in that short moment. So, preparations are necessary.
Of course, most of the time, that preparation is no good. And as Hassena was about to take place in this auction, other rich people would get headaches.
If Hassena had been right next to Haejin, he would have immediately asked if she was going to bid for Klimt’s painting. He was that curious, but he had to keep that question until the auction.
However, a Buddhist scripture written with golden ink in the middle of the catalog drew his attention. It was assumed to have been made in the Ming period of China.
It was about Kṣitigarbha speaking to Buddha.
The handwriting was beautiful and yet lively. Haejin wondered whose handwriting it was.
However, it strangely looked familiar. Haejin had remembered all good handwritings he had seen until now, but this time, he couldn’t recall no matter how hard he tried.
“Well, whatever!”
Eventually, he gave up and lay on the bed. He fell asleep quickly.
Two days later, in the morning, Haejin arrived at Sotheby’s in Manhattan, New York. He hurried to go up to the seventh floor, where the auction was about to take place. Then, he looked for Princess Hassena.
The crowd was even bigger than usual as there were many valuable artifacts. Haejin went through them and went to the front. Hassena was sitting in the front row.
“I am a little late.”
“It’s okay. The auction hasn’t started yet.”
“But Saliyah is…”
Saliyah was always with Hassena, but now, she was nowhere to be seen. Haejin looked around and asked about her. Hassena then pointed at the back.
“She left, saying she had to make a call. She will be here soon.”
“And your bodyguards?”
The buffy bodyguards were not there, either. Hassena smiled.
“A few of these people are my guards.”
“Oh…”
“Actually, although Saliyah assists me, she is only one of my many attendants. Those who are guarding me in the shadows have also watched over me for more than a decade. You sitting right next to me and talking is in fact quite dangerous.”
“Are you saying Prince Sahmadi will hear about this?”
“They won’t tell him. They are my people that my father gave me. But if something happens, they will have to share my fate.”
Haejin gulped hard. He only thought about avoiding this danger, but it was more serious than he had thought.
“If you don’t marry me…”
“They will get executed or punished severely for not protecting me well.”
Haejin wanted to curse, but he didn’t. What could he do? The rules of the royal family were firm…
“Then I won’t be able to live well if I don’t marry you. Many will blame me…”
“Apart from that, we have a mission to do. Things to protect. You and I have been chosen, it is inevitable.”
Hassena looked toward the front after that.
Haejin was agitated. The auction started soon and Saliyah sat next to her princess. She looked at Haejin, but he pretended to not feel that gaze.
He then suddenly recalled the painting he had seen on the catalog yesterday. He asked, “Are you planning to bid for Gustav Klimt’s painting?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because I am curious. Will its price go over a hundred million dollars… and would the lady next to me bet that much money…”
Hassena smiled and took out an ID card from her bag.
“Louvre Abu Dhabi has given me the rights to buy artifacts for it.”
Next, she said something to Saliyah in Arabic. She then turned to Haejin again.
“Louvre Abu Dhabi is showing interest in Klimt’s painting. We have enough money.”
You would think billionaires would spend the most on auctions, but that’s not it. Museums and galleries with huge funds spend even more.
Museum owned by the country used art funds and surplus funds to demonstrate power in auctions.
Additionally, when buying artifacts with great historical value, they don’t hesitate to pay much more than the market price. Museums in the US and the Middle East have the biggest money.
In conclusion, Hassena was a rich collector of the museum, she was about to spend the most in this auction.
A few objects passed, and the golden brooch finally came out.
Haejin thought Hassena would get it without a problem, but the tension was rising as an unexpected opponent appeared.
“2.2 million! 2.25 million! It’s on the phone! The princess from the desert bid 2.3 million!”
Hassena’s bright smile was long gone, she was calmly raising her paddle.
It wasn’t supposed to go over 1.5 million, but someone was as persistent as Hassena. It was strange.
Eventually, Haejin pretended to go to the bathroom and tried to find who it was.
“2.4 million! How far will this brooch go?”
There he was, a white man in a black suit. He was probably in his 30s or 40s. His red beard was very impressive.
He kept looking at the auctioneer and then on the iPad on his lap again, but something about him caught Haejin’s eyes. Haejin kept looking at him and then saw a small tattoo on his palm as he raised the paddle.
‘Vestigium!’
Hassena wasn’t the only one who knew about the brooch. That strange organization had sent someone to buy it.
Haejin was worried. He wasn’t worried about Hassena spending more money, but the artifact’s price had soared up so high that it could draw the attention of the others.
He didn’t know if the organization would care about it, but there was no reason to draw the world’s attention to New York. Especially when Hassena was involved…
“4 million dollars! Is there 4.1 million?”
Collectors in the room started to look with doubt already. They were wondering if there was something they didn’t know. It got even hotter.
It couldn’t go on any more, but how was Haejin supposed to stop that man? He couldn’t use magic. If things went wrong and the existence of his magic was to be discovered, it would be the worst.
He just kept thinking of a way, but the man with the red beard suddenly put his paddle on his lap and didn’t move as if he didn’t have more money.
Haejin couldn’t understand what was going on. However, the man looked back and talked to someone. Then, he stood up and left.
Haejin couldn’t see who he talked to, but the brooch was Hassena’s now. That was enough.
Haejin returned to his seat. Hassena mentioned that he was about to get more power, but he kept thinking about the red-bearded guy and the mysterious man.
After that, Hassena bought Klimt’s painting at 110 million dollars. And…
“A Buddhist scripture from China. Written with golden ink. It has a great historical value. The auction starts now.”
Total Chapters in book: 210
Estimated words: 468205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 2341(@200wpm)___ 1873(@250wpm)___ 1561(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 468205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 2341(@200wpm)___ 1873(@250wpm)___ 1561(@300wpm)
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