50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 808 The Secret You Couldn't Guess Even With the Boldest Guesses
Preliminary estimates suggest that this temple treasure contains over 10 items, and even if 100 appraisers were to begin their appraisal simultaneously, it would still take more than half a month.

This order for the temple treasure is the largest order Christie's has ever received, and even the Asian division is unable to handle it alone.

When the news reached Christie's European headquarters, the company took over the order and then mobilized appraisers from auction branches around the world.

Starting the next day, Christie's began to gather appraisers from all over the world on Hong Kong Island.

Given that there was so much treasure that even Christie's underground vault couldn't hold it all, there was simply no way to move it.

So Christie's, with its deep pockets, simply rented the entire C section of the Victoria Harbour warehouse district where the treasure was located.

More security teams began to move into Warehouse C, and at the same time, a tent camp was set up in the warehouse for the appraisers to live in temporarily.

Many appraisers have experience working in the field, so they are not averse to it.

Christie's made such a big fuss, involving a large number of people, and the location was in the crowded Victoria Harbour. Although they tried their best to keep it secret, news of the treasure still got out a few days later.

Sun Zhiwei hadn't expected to keep it completely secret; he just wanted Christie's to keep his existence a secret.

That's not a big problem. There are no more than 10 people in the entire Christie's who know about the existence of this treasure's owner, most of whom are appraisers. They are all currently working on the appraisal in Warehouse C.

The first to break the news was a Hong Kong entertainment tabloid.

It is well known that renowned reporters in Hong Kong are willing to risk their lives for a big news story. If there is no news, it is not surprising that they would risk their lives to create a big news story.

This entertainment tabloid didn't actually have any information; in fact, their report was entirely fabricated.

Christie's business is very simple; their big move is simply taking on a large order, which is easy to guess.

So, the tabloid reporters made a bold guess, and the truth turned out to be pretty close to the truth.

Soon after, several photos taken from a distance in a high-rise VIP room at the Peninsula Hotel confirmed the veracity of this speculation for the first time.

This photo is an aerial view of Warehouse Area C in Victoria Harbour, taken from a high vantage point using a long-range camera.

The photo shows a large number of heavily armed guards and appraisers in white coats going in and out of a warehouse.

Sun Zhiwei truly admires those entertainment reporters; they are really willing to invest heavily.

The Peninsula Hotel's high-floor rooms are not cheap, costing tens of thousands of dollars a night. Would anyone really be willing to spend that much money for a news story?

Sun Zhiwei genuinely didn't notice when this photo was taken; his attention was focused more on the warehouse area.

The warehouse was crowded with people and eyes, and the 20-odd Pinkerton soldiers he sent there to supervise were already stretched thin.

If Sun Zhiwei hadn't set the tone beforehand, opening one box at a time after the previous one was completed, dozens of them really wouldn't have been able to supervise it all.

Soon, as the news spread, the entire Hong Kong Island was in an uproar, and all sorts of outrageous rumors flew around.

Some say it was a treasure worth millions sent by a Middle Eastern prince, others say it was a treasure worth tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars unearthed from underwater in the South China Sea, and various ancient treasure legends are all trying to fit the bill.

Unfortunately, none of the rumors were true.

Even the most daring person could never have guessed that the value of the treasure in Warehouse C was beyond the limits of ordinary people's imagination.

By this time, it was the seventh day since the appraisal began. The 110 appraisers, drawn from all over the world, were working day and night with great excitement. However, only the eighth of the 40 containers had been opened, and the most astonishing golden elephant had yet to appear.

However, more than 32,000 artifacts were already unearthed from the first seven containers alone. If we calculate it this way, the total number of artifacts in the 40 containers is far more than 100,000.

These 32,000 treasures, after being appraised by experts, are valued at over $20 billion.

This news has shocked Christie's headquarters, and the company's president and chairman are already on their way from Europe.

They can no longer afford to ignore it; according to current estimates, the total value of this treasure exceeds Christie's total market capitalization.

If something goes wrong, even selling the entire Christie's company wouldn't be enough to cover the compensation.

Now they also understand the true situation of Robert Company behind Sun Zhiwei.

In particular, they learned of the recent bombshell news that a division of the Pinkerton Company, a subsidiary of the Robert Company, had directly dispatched warships to destroy a country's port through secret channels.

In short, this Mr. James was a big shot they couldn't afford to offend, not just a wealthy man as they had initially thought.

Christie's has seen plenty of wealthy people over the past century, and the only people in the world they truly take seriously are those with power.

Anyone who dares to launch missiles and artillery shells at the port of a sovereign nation wouldn't care about an auction company.

Fortunately, both the Asian branch and the European headquarters treated Mr. James with great respect in the early stages, and there were no instances of inappropriate behavior.

For Christie's now, this order is no longer just about making money.

When news of the treasure spreads in the future, it will become a legend that people all over the world will remember for a hundred years, and Christie's will forever stand at the center of this legend.

In the short term, the anticipated surge in the company's stock price alone represents a staggering profit.

This long-term positive influence is something that no amount of advertising can match.

Although they had already signed a cooperation agreement with Sun Zhiwei, Christie's CEO Fenrir Mitchell and Chairman John Carlson still decided to come to Hong Kong Island in person to oversee the operation.

They must do everything in their power to ensure the smooth progress of this transaction.

On the eighth day after the assessment began, Sun Zhiwei was getting bored staying in the hotel, and he had almost worn out the daily entertainment newspapers.

The only news that interests him now is that the Queen is about to arrive in Hong Kong for a technical visit.

The grand welcome preparations made by all sectors of Hong Kong Island have already overshadowed the rumors of Christie's treasure.

In 1953, a large-scale parade lasting two days was held on Hong Kong Island to celebrate the Queen's accession to the throne.

The celebration parade at that time had a strong Chinese flavor, with dragon and lion dances taking place directly in the streets, and even the band members wearing long robes and mandarin jackets.

The parade lasted for two full days, from Happy Valley to Central and then to Nathan Road in Kowloon.

This is the Queen's second visit to Hong Kong, and the scene is sure to be even more spectacular.

(End of this chapter)