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 74
Chapter 74: Louvre Abu Dhabi (3)
“The prince has high hopes for you.”
Of course, he did. And Mat Vellin probably did too, as much as his prince.
“You are working with me, right?”
“Of course. Without you, I might have fainted from all the overworking.”
Mat seemed to be very happy about getting an unexpected coworker. They were also not alone. In
the room, there were dozens of people with iPads in their hands to check something.
“Are they checking the basics?”
“Yes, they are. They are checking the most basic factors like the paint and the age of the canvas.”
“I thought you had already done that.”
“To be honest, the paintings in this room have been through at least twice basic checks. Nevertheless,
we keep checking because we cannot damage those historical paintings. Appraisal has its limits as
well. We cannot take samples of all the paints. We’ve done all the non-damaging tests like the
ultraviolet ray test. The only method left is the human eyes.”
“Oh…”
Haejin started to regret his decision. After all those tests, the most accurate appraisal method would
be his magic, but he could use it only twice a day, even with his increased mana.
Even if he used magic on the paintings of the best quality, it would take at least two weeks.
“At first, I didn’t really care about my reward, but with all this, you really have to pay me well. I don’t
know if you know this, but I take 1% of the appraised price as my fee. I just got six hundred thousand
dollars just for appraising Anthony’s paintings.”
Actually, Haejin wanted to mention this. He was worrying that the prince would not be paying him after
this huge workload.
Mat could feel Haejin’s anxiety. He laughed.
“This is about the reputation of the royal family, so he will reward you well. Of course, 1% of all these
paintings would be too much, but you won’t be disappointed.”
Haejin was not planning to ask for 1% of the total price of all the paintings in that room. That was
absurd.
“Good. I hope you are right. Then, I can start working without worries, right?”
“Of course.”
They finished their conversation and started to appraise. As Eric went far away alone to watch the
paintings, Haejin went through the paintings alone.
“Oho… this is here?”
Haejin was so surprised that he talked to himself. It was Edouard Manet’s The Fifer.
The characteristic of this painting is that it is flat with a clear outline, so it didn’t get much attention
when Manet brought it to the salon.
It was said to not be three dimensional and it had no background. If you think about it, time is
necessary for all the artifacts to be truly appreciated.
Haejin watched it for a long time and moved again to resume his appraising.
One hour, two hours… at first, Haejin was delighted to get the chance to closely see precious
paintings with a historical value but, as he had to discern fakes from real, he got tired.
He received a great lunch and dinner, he then kept appraising. He used magic on two of the paintings,
but it was in vain.
He spent day after day fighting with the artifacts in the museums. After four days of appraising and
using magic twice a day, he could finally stand in front of a historical painting.
“Did a member of the royal family buy this painting?”
The painting in front of it depicted Jesus. Its title was Salvator Mundi, Savior of the World.
“No, not our royal family. Prince bin Parhan al Saud, the aide of the Crown Prince Mohammad bin
Salman of Saudi Arabia, bought this painting at 450 million dollars.”
450 million dollars… that would be more than enough to buy a company.
However, this painting was really worth 450 million dollars. It was from Leonardo da Vinci.
Salvator Mundi was sold at the highest price, it was even more expensive than Picasso’s Les
Femmes d’Alger which was sold at 180 million dollars in New York’s Christie’s auction. Haejin didn’t
expect it to be in the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The painting was drawn on a walnut wood plate. At first, it was not recognized as da Vinci’s painting.
It had suffered great damage and the paint over it was crude.
Getting rid of them and turning it back to itself again required a large amount of time and effort.
At the time, other Dutch artists also often painted about Salvator Mundi. Louis XII of France then
asked da Vinci to paint it.
However, as da Vinci’s apprentices and other artists imitated his style, many imitations of this painting
were made. Then, the record about the real painting disappeared.
Later, it appeared again in the list of Charles I of England’s collection. It went from person to person
and disappeared again for more than a century.
When Frederick Cook, a collector in England, bought this painting in 1912, he didn’t think it was da
Vinci’s painting.
Unfortunately, it was sold at 45 pounds on an auction after he died. It was later recognized as da
Vinci’s painting only in 2011.
Frederick Cook must be crying in his afterlife because of regret.
“That’s a huge sum of money.”
“However, it is worth it. What do you think? Isn’t it magnificent?”
Mat was in a daze now, absorbed in the painting’s beauty. As he said, it was magnificent. However, it
was also somehow awkward.
It was not overwhelming enough to be worth 450 million dollars. It was great, but… there was
something that puzzled Haejin.
“Have you checked the production year of this wood plate?”
“Of course. It was made in the early 16 th century. Although we couldn’t check all the paints, we took a
small sample of black from the background to check that the paint was also from that period.”
“Hmm… I see.”
“What is it? Is there something wrong?”
Mat Vellin’s face hardened in an instant. He was getting nervous because of Haejin’s strange reaction.
He was nervous because if there was something wrong with this Salvator Mundi, the price of the
painting wasn’t the problem. A dispute could occur between the royal families of Saudi Arabia and the
Arab Emirates.
“I need a magnifying glass…”
“Oh, please wait for a moment.”
Haejin asked for magnifying glass that he didn’t even need to make Mat go away. Once he was gone,
Haejin looked around and used magic with his saliva.
“Huh…”
The birth of the painting he saw through magic made him moan. That painting was less than three
years old…
“Here…”
Mat came back and gave Haejin the magnifying glass he brought. Haejin took it, pretended to
examine it, and returned it.
“How is it?”
Mat had a bad feeling because of Haejin’s grave expression. His face was also serious, and his fists
were clenched.
“I don’t think this is real.”
“For what reasons?”
Mat’s voice shook very slightly. He was doing his best to stay calm, but it wasn’t easy.
“As you must know, da Vinci was great at describing transparent spheres. However, this painting’s
crystal sphere is… what should I say? It is a little crude. Although da Vinci’s unique method of
describing blue clothes with an extremely soft texture was used in this painting, if you look closer,
there’s this little stain here.”
Haejin pointed at it with his finger. Mat stared at that point and tried to argue.
“That’s… because it was made in the early 16 th century…”
“I think this stain was made on purpose with olive oil.”
“Huh…”
A hollow smile. Mat couldn’t even guess how to solve this case.
“I do not believe what you said 100%, but I get there might be a problem. I will report it to the prince
right away.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. If this is really fake, it won’t end with just me getting fired. Clearly, we will have to pay
450 million dollars to the royal family of Saudi Arabia.”
No matter how much the royal family of Arab Emirates spent, it wasn’t Haejin’s business, but the
switching process he had seen through magic was not right. He couldn’t just let it go.
“Isn’t it strange? Making imitation with such a perfect texture and touch of the brush is almost
impossible, even with photos.”
“Yes. That’s why I didn’t even imagine this might be fake.”
If Haejin hadn’t used magic, he wouldn’t have found out, either.
“I’m saying the artist saw the real painting.”
“What?”
Mat couldn’t understand that for a moment. Haejin asserted again.
“The artist had the real painting when he made this. Without that, this kind of quality cannot be
produced. You know what I mean.”
Mat Vellin understood now. His jaw dropped in shock. Of course, he understood. It’s just he couldn’t
think straight as the matter was too important.
“You’re saying the royal family of Saudi Arabia might be involved in this?”
“That, I do not know. However, what you must know is that this painting was concluded as Leonardo
da Vinci’s only in 2011. So, before that, no one had a reason to make a fake of this quality.”
“Then, this fake was made 7 years ago at most.”
“Whether the royal family of Saudi Arabia had this fake made, I don’t know. However, what is clear is
that this quality cannot be made with just photos. Salvator Mundi has never been exhibited in a
museum. It only appeared in auctions. If the royal family of Saudi Arabia isn’t behind, then it is
possible that this fake was drawn when the real painting’s previous owner still had it.”
Haejin was just saying that. When he saw the past through magic, the forger was painting inside a
magnificent palace. With the real painting next to him.
“Hmm… there hasn’t been much dispute between Saudi Arabia and the Arab Emirates. We have
been fine till now and we believe that will continue. Why would they do such a thing?”
“I don’t know about politics. I just gave you my most reasonable theory as an appraiser.”
“Although I also agree on that reasonable theory, I find it hard to accept.”
“Then, why don’t we solve this matter without offending Saudi Arabia?”
“How?”
“By finding the real piece.”
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)
______