"What leads have you gotten on Big Gold Tooth recently?" Zhang Tian asked, confused.
"I don't know. When we went shopping this morning, Big Gold Tooth was acting all secretive and said he had something special to tell you," Hu Bayi shook his head.
Because their newly bought house had no furniture, the two of them went to buy some. Unexpectedly, they ran into Big Gold Tooth scamming a foreigner. After a few brief exchanges, the following events unfolded.
"It should be Professor Chen and his team," Zhang Tian thought of the original plot. If there wasn't a significant deviation, it should be Professor Chen. However, Zhang Tian didn't believe the deviation would be minor, especially since he had already discovered the Prince's Tomb on Hell difficulty. Perhaps the Jingjue Ancient City would be on Devil difficulty.
"Alright then, we'll go visit Big Gold Tooth later. By the way, Fatty, have you been sleeping comfortably lately?" Zhang Tian asked with a smile.
"Absolutely! Now Fatty is like a peasant who has overthrown the landlord and started singing! Princesses, carriages, all of them bow down to Fatty!" Fatty said proudly. Recalling how the princess had been obedient to him last night when he transformed into the Emperor, Fatty's lips curled into a grin. It was simply too satisfying.
"Haha, Boss, Fatty turned into the Emperor yesterday, it was hilarious! For the past few days, he was like an ox or a horse, but yesterday the princess was in a good mood for once, haha," Hu Bayi chuckled. In front of familiar people, he was a bit more lively.
Well, from Fatty's dream, Zhang Tian knew the princess's mood lately.
"The princess's strength is too low right now, she can only bully Fatty."
"However, she should have absorbed a lot of yin energy when we entered the tomb before. Her level should have increased, and hopefully, she'll be useful when we go to the sea." Zhang Tian mused. He had high hopes for the princess.
"Alright, I'm done messing around with you guys. Let's go, we should sell these things," Fatty glared at Hu Bayi, speaking with evident resentment. The memory of being like an ox or a horse made Fatty uncomfortable.
The three of them got up and headed towards Big Gold Tooth's shop. The reason Zhang Tian didn't keep these items was twofold: firstly, it was better not to bite off more than one could chew, and secondly, Big Gold Tooth was a valuable source of information. Knowing him would undoubtedly lead to plenty of news.
They moved quickly, heading straight for Big Gold Tooth's shop.
Meanwhile, at the Wu family's residence.
Wu Sansheng was looking at a map.
"Uncle, I heard some experts have arrived recently, saying they're going to search for some kind of underwater ancient tomb. Is this reliable?" Wu Xie asked, sitting beside him.
"From Fatty's perspective, how can there be a tomb underwater? It must be a fake, a false news report," Wang Fatty chimed in, banging his fist on the table.
Wu Sansheng frowned slightly. Could the ancient tomb they were referring to be the one discovered by the exploration team years ago? Back then, despite facing immense danger, they had found very little. They hadn't even managed to enter the depths of the tomb. Now, with this tomb reappearing, Wu Sansheng didn't want those people to get an opportunity.
He glanced at Wu Tianzhen. This time, he didn't intend to bring Wu Tianzhen along. Wu Sansheng preferred to go alone; at least, if he was full, the whole family wouldn't starve, and he wouldn't have to bring Wu Tianzhen. Wu Tianzhen was a generation trained and whitewashed by the Wu family, and he didn't want to guide him too deeply into this life.
"We don't need to worry about these things. Where the experts go has nothing to do with us. I think, Tianzhen, you should prepare for the auction," Wu Sansheng said. Wu Tianzhen nodded, looking a bit curious.
"Uncle, if you say that, are you not planning to attend the auction?" Wu Tianzhen asked.
"Mm, Uncle has other matters. Alright, we won't talk much more today. Go play with your grandfather," Wu Sansheng said, turning to leave. In this world, the old matriarch of the Wu family was still alive. After all, with cultivation, Zhang Tian could live for hundreds of years, so a long life for her was normal.
"Grandpa hasn't been paying attention to me lately, sigh," Wu Tianzhen sighed, feeling a pang of sadness remembering being discovered by his grandfather while tomb raiding.
The people around didn't say much more. Wu Sansheng, however, was contemplating something.
At Big Gold Tooth's shop.
Zhang Tian, Hu Bayi, and Fatty were sitting on chairs.
"This is a jade from the Jin Dynasty. It was generally used on children, said to nourish the body and cultivate the character. This is a good item."
"I can offer you a hundred thousand," Big Gold Tooth said. Zhang Tian nodded. The price of this jade was around one hundred and thirty thousand. Thirty thousand was Big Gold Tooth's commission, which was normal. After all, it was a matter of having the item but no buyer, and being able to sell it was a skill.
"This golden bowl is also good, also from the Jin Dynasty. May I be so bold as to ask, Young Master Zhang, did you perhaps dig up a Jin Dynasty royal tomb?" Big Gold Tooth asked in a low voice, looking particularly cunning.
Zhang Tian didn't evade. Big Gold Tooth was very shrewd. In fact, from these few items, it was clear that their current actions were merely proof.
"Young Master Zhang, you're amazing. In such a short time, you've made another discovery. I, Big Gold Tooth, have also managed to get a bite of the pie," Big Gold Tooth said, giving a thumbs up, filled with admiration.
"Brother Jin, let's be frank. How much will you buy this bowl for?" Zhang Tian cut to the chase.
"This bowl was likely used by someone of status during that period. It has carvings on it. I can offer one hundred thousand," Big Gold Tooth replied again. Zhang Tian nodded without further comment. Two hundred thousand was a windfall for Fatty. In the old North, he could be considered a wealthy individual.
"Alright, deal. A pleasant cooperation," Zhang Tian said, standing up. They shook hands, and Big Gold Tooth's smile stretched from ear to ear. Zhang Tian had given him a discount of sixty thousand, so how could he not be happy?
"By the way, Young Master Zhang, recently, several expert teams are planning to conduct archaeological expeditions and are recruiting capable individuals. I think you're a good fit," Big Gold Tooth said, with a smile on his face. Zhang Tian nodded in satisfaction, thinking that Big Gold Tooth was indeed somewhat useful.
"Good, I understand. We'll consider it," Zhang Tian said. Big Gold Tooth nodded.
"They are currently at Panjiayuan. You can go and take a look," Big Gold Tooth said. Zhang Tian exchanged a few more pleasantries with him before taking their leave.
Holding the money, Fatty's heart pounded. Two hundred thousand in less than ten days was something he wouldn't even dare to dream of.
"Boss, I wouldn't even dare to dream of this at night, for fear of drooling, but I never expected to actually get our hands on something real today," Fatty said, touching the money and licking his lips. Despite the previous experience, Fatty was still Fatty.
"Boss, should we go to the experts now?" Hu Bayi looked at Zhang Tian. Hu Bayi had seen Zhang Tian show some interest earlier, so he directly asked.
"Mm, let's go take a look. I also want to know what those experts are looking for," Zhang Tian said. "Besides, cooperating with them will be beneficial for our subsequent efforts to go legitimate." In the world of tomb raiding, tomb raiders and the Old Nine Gates had all begun to legitimize their operations later on. It was evident that no one liked operating in the shadows, engaging in such clandestine activities.
"Good heavens, Boss, you're so sharp! You even thought of that. Boss, do you have an extra two brains compared to others?" Fatty chuckled playfully. Zhang Tian kicked him away. "Get lost!"
They bantered all the way and soon arrived at Panjiayuan, the place Big Gold Tooth had mentioned. Indeed, in a room there, some experts were looking at something. Zhang Tian's arrival attracted their attention.
"Hello, we're here to apply," Zhang Tian said, his voice steady and unhurried.
"Apply? Let me tell you our requirements. You need to be able to swim, possess special tomb-finding skills, and pass an assessment," a young man said.
Zhang Tian frowned slightly. Why would they need to swim for the Jingjue Ancient City? Could it be that the queen's burial place was in a heavily waterlogged area???