Sky Curtain: A Review of Historical Foes and the Secrets of Ministers

This was a top-secret auction destined to be recorded in the history of the global collecting world.

The location is neither in New York, nor in London, nor in any of the prestigious top hotels in Victoria Harbour.

Geneva, Switzerland.

It is a secluded place in the heart of the Alps, dozens of kilometers away from the shores of Lake Geneva.

This was once an ultra-deep underground air-raid shelter built during the Cold War to withstand nuclear attacks.

Today, this underground fortress, buried hundreds of meters beneath granite layers, has been taken over by the world's top security groups.

In the darkness, a series of unlicensed black full-size SUVs drove like ghosts onto the hidden mountain road, eventually disappearing behind a huge alloy camouflage door.

Just three days ago, a tiny group of people at the very top of the global pyramid—the Middle Eastern oil tycoons who control the world's energy lifeline, the heads of centuries-old European wealthy families, and the top financial giants hidden behind the scenes in China—received an invitation almost simultaneously.

There was no signature, no organizer, and not even an auction catalog.

For these tycoons whose net worth is often in the hundreds of billions, the vast majority of luxury goods, mansions and yachts in the world have lost their appeal.

For them, money is really just a string of boring numbers.

What excites them are only those unique items that can be recorded in the annals of human civilization.

In an effort to uncover the truth behind this black gold invitation, major conglomerates used virtually every connection they had to find out in advance what the items to be auctioned that night would be.

However, the result was a blank, with no news or clues whatsoever.

It is precisely this extreme sense of mystery that has raised the expectations of all the bigwigs to an extremely high level.

The core area of ​​the underground fortress is a giant auction hall that has been transformed into the circular structure of the ancient Roman Colosseum.

The layout here is extremely sophisticated, with no open seating areas in the lobby.

The entire circular wall is inlaid with dozens of individual private rooms.

The glass in the private box is made of the highest-grade one-way transparent bulletproof material, allowing people inside to have a clear view of the entire auction stage, while those outside can only see a deep, dark expanse.

Even more extreme, in order to conceal their identities, many of the top businessmen who entered the private rooms even wore medieval brass masks.

The undercurrent is surging.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of top-quality cigars.

Although the internal communication devices in each private room were turned off, the whispers on the chaebols' private encrypted satellite channels never stopped.

"Have you found out? Which lunatic organized this scheme?" Inside VIP box number one, the Middle Eastern crown prince, wearing a solid gold Rolex, asked his aide in Arabic in a low voice.

"Your Highness, we have absolutely no clue. But it is said to be... a priceless treasure from an ancient Eastern country."

"The East? Could it be that Qin Shi Huang's Imperial Seal has been unearthed? If so, I will spare no expense to place it in my desert palace."

In VIP room number six, an elderly Chinese man with a full head of silver hair, dressed in a custom-made Tang suit, was gently turning two walnuts in his hands with his eyes slightly closed.

"Playing tricks." Old Chen sneered. "I'd like to see what kind of earth-shattering show this is going to put on tonight."

It was exactly 8 p.m.

As a huge crystal chandelier on the dome slowly went out, a powerful spotlight instantly shone on the auction stage in the center of the auction hall.

An elderly British man, dressed in a tailcoat, with gray hair but a sprightly demeanor, came forward.

Anyone familiar with the international auction scene would recognize him immediately as Mr. William, Sotheby's legendary former chief auctioneer, known as "the Hand of God."

He had been retired for ten years, and what could bring him back to the public eye must be an extraordinary and groundbreaking achievement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight's witnessing moment."

William's voice carried clearly through the speakers to every corner of the private rooms. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he went straight to the point.

"There aren't many lots tonight. Before we get to that final miracle that will drive you all crazy, our mystery seller has prepared a few exquisite appetizers for you."

William turned slightly to the side, and two tall, heavily armed security personnel pushed a bulletproof glass display vehicle covered in black velvet onto the platform.

Inside the vehicle, a thick stack of banknotes with an antique sheen lay quietly.

The big shots in each private room picked up their high-definition binoculars, and when they saw what it was, many of them let out a series of puzzled hisses.

"What's that? Paper?"

"These appear to be ancient Chinese coins?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look at the big screen." William pressed the remote control in his hand, and an ultra-high-definition macro image of the stack of banknotes immediately appeared on the big screen.

"The Great Ming Dynasty Circulating Treasure Notes." William's voice carried a hint of undisguised amazement. "These are paper currencies issued during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty in China. Guests familiar with history should know that the Great Ming Dynasty Treasure Notes experienced extremely severe inflation in the later period of history due to their unlimited over-issuance. As a result, although there are quite a few of them still in existence, the economic value of a single note is not top-tier in the antique world."

William paused, then his tone suddenly rose, "But! Please examine its condition carefully!"

The camera on the big screen continued to zoom in.

Sitting in VIP box number six, Old Chen's previously casual gaze suddenly froze the moment it swept over the large screen.

The century-old walnuts in his hands collided with a clatter.

"This...how is this possible?!" Old Chen stood up in disbelief.

The Ming Dynasty banknotes displayed on the screen were so perfectly preserved, from their fiber texture to the seals printed with cinnabar, that it was outrageously accurate.

There wasn't a single trace of insect damage, mold, or creases from the process of distribution.

This doesn't look like an artifact that has been eroded by more than 600 years. It looks like it was just printed yesterday in the Ming Dynasty and sent over across time and space overnight.

This perfect state of preservation, which defies the common sense of physics, endows it with extremely terrifying value for the study of the dating of cultural relics.

"Starting price: $100,000. Bids increment: $10,000. Bid now open!"

For these billionaires, $100,000 isn't even a fraction of what they spend on a meal, but this bizarre "new antique" successfully piqued their curiosity.

"Two hundred thousand!"

"Three hundred thousand!"

"Eight hundred thousand!"

Ultimately, this stack of Ming Dynasty banknotes, originally worth only a few thousand dollars, was acquired by a European collector with an extreme passion for Ming Dynasty history for a staggering $1.2 million due to its almost supernaturally perfect condition.

Subsequently, several more antiques were auctioned off, which were also exquisite, but only slightly heated up the atmosphere at the scene.

The patience of the wealthy is finite. The Middle Eastern crown prince was even impatiently preparing to have his bodyguards question the organizers.

William gently picked up the mallet from the table and struck it once.

"Yes."

All the lights instantly dimmed, plunging the entire auction stage into darkness, leaving only a spotlight shining on the display stand in front of William.

William didn't speak, but slowly took off his white gloves and put on a brand new pair of specially made silk gloves that had no static electricity.

Two security personnel came up on stage again, this time with a slow pace.

The brocade box was carefully placed on the display stand.

"Gentlemen," William's voice trembled slightly, "that was merely a small appetizer for tonight's meal."

"Our mystery seller tonight is a great being capable of touching miracles."

"The next item up for auction is a painting."

"A masterpiece that should have been buried forever in the long river of Chinese history, thirteen hundred years ago, at Zhaoling Mausoleum."

William suddenly raised his head and said, word by word.

"The original manuscript of the 'Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion' by Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Calligraphy from the Jin Dynasty!"

"boom!!!"

The entire venue fell into an eerie silence.