143: Chapter 143 Knowing What's Going On

Li Xin had indeed been having a great time these past few days, but what he didn't know was that during his happy, carefree period, one person was feeling quite melancholy.

That person was Mr. Hassan. Ever since learning that Li Xin had a large amount of good items, he had been feeling restless every day, dying to get his hands on them immediately. He had cooperated with Li Xin several times before, and each time he had made a fortune.

He didn't want to miss out this time, but he had dropped hints to Li Xin several times, and Li Xin hadn't given a definitive reply, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable now. He didn't want to push too hard, either, so he had spent these past few days in agony.

Finally, he couldn't resist calling Li Xin again.

At this moment, Li Xin was eating breakfast when he saw Chen Hu walk in.

"Boss, Mr. Hassan has called again. He asked when you'll be free; he wants to come over for a chat. He sounded quite urgent."

Li Xin took a bite of bread and nodded helplessly. "All right. It seems our friend is getting impatient. Let's arrange to see him this afternoon; I have things to do this morning."

"Understood, Boss. I'll go reply to him now." Chen Hu walked out after saying this.

Li Xin finished the rest of his bread, wiped his hands, and went upstairs.

He lay on the sofa and opened the system panel.

"AI System, are you there?"

After waiting for more than ten seconds.

[AI System: Zhuzi, what is it now? I'm in the middle of fixing the system. If you have nothing to do, go find somewhere cool to stay! If you really can't, go play with the girls.]

"..." Li Xin had black lines all over his head. This guy's temper was getting bigger and bigger, but he couldn't do anything about it, fearing it might crash if they disagreed.

"Oh~ Help me count all the treasures found during this period. Just make a list, categorize them, no need to be too detailed."

[AI System: Don't you already have a list? You want me to redo it now? Do you think I'm very free?]

"Hehe~ Please, the current list hasn't been categorized in a long time; it's really a mess. Help me reorganize it by major categories. Gold, silver, gemstones, crowns, statues, and so on."

[AI System: Fine~ Just wait. I really am the most miserable system, bar none.]

"Hehe..." Li Xin just chuckled cheekily. The AI System was becoming more and more human-like these days. It wasn't easy to fool anymore.

After about a minute, a list popped up on the system panel.

Li Xin read it from beginning to end.

Gold: 6903.1057 tons

Silver: 1108 tons

Gemstones: 1 Koh-i-Noor diamond, 1 Darya-i-Noor pink diamond, thousands of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, etc., and a batch of raw gemstones.

Crowns and Scepters: 3 Sassanid crowns, 7 Scythian crowns, 1 gold scepter, 2 gold thrones.

Gold Masks and Armor: 6 gold masks, 4 sets of gold armor.

Statues and Buddhist Items: 5 gold-faced statues, 108 pure gold Maitreya statues, 78 Gandhara Buddhist amulets, 12 bronze statues, 15 Lorestan bronze mythical beasts.

Ancient Books and Scriptures: 300 volumes of Tang Dynasty palm-leaf manuscripts, 30 volumes of ancient Persian gold scrolls, 3 ancient navigation charts, 12 fragments of Han Dynasty silk.

Coins: Approx. 50,000 gold coins, approx. 50,000 silver coins, approx. 8,000 copper coins.

Other Artifacts: Approx. 150 bronze wares, approx. 500 pieces of porcelain, approx. 300 pieces of pottery, approx. 400 weapons, approx. 180 ivory carvings, approx. 11,240 tributes from various countries, approx. 1,600 religious artifacts, approx. 3,310 sacrificial ritual vessels.

[AI System: Zhuzi, all of these are treasures and national-level artifacts, totaling about 20,000 items. There are too many other top-tier treasures, and most of the gold coins that didn't have collection value were directly smelted into gold. There are too many other top-tier artifacts—about 100,000 pieces. I've calculated the value for you: over 270 billion USD in gold, over 500 million in silver, and over 330 billion in non-gold treasures. Adding it all up, it's over 600 billion USD. That's over 4 trillion RMB.]

Li Xin stared at these numbers, speechless with excitement for a long time.

[AI System: What's wrong? Were you scared by such a terrifying number? Look at how little composure you have!]

"Hahaha~ I was indeed shocked. I only had a rough idea before; I didn't realize I was already this wealthy." Li Xin's voice trembled slightly.

[AI System: Little guy, we've only just begun! Keep working hard; there are still so many treasures waiting for your visit!]

"Okay, hahaha... Why do I want to laugh? ...Hahaha..." Li Xin's mouth twitched from laughing several times.

"But then again, with so many things now, it's really hard to handle!"

[AI System: Don't you already have a plan? Find Pierre and De Wilde for the artifacts and jewelry. Give the silver to Mr. Hassan, and give him some of the gold too, wouldn't that work?]

"The plan exists, but there are some troubles with the specific operations. I have to think about it more."

[AI System: Then take your time thinking. I'll help you categorize the items first and pick out some for your own collection.]

"That would be best. I was just worrying about which treasures to keep! Tell me, which treasures should I keep?"

[AI System: The Koh-i-Noor diamond, the Darya-i-Noor pink diamond, the Sassanid crowns, the gold thrones, the gold-faced statues, the palm-leaf manuscripts, the gold scrolls, and the bronze mythical beasts—these must be kept. If you sell them, you'll never be able to buy them back.]

"Hmm~ Very good, that's what I thought too. What about the others?"

[AI System: I'll help you pick a batch of good ones to keep, about 400 or 500 pieces. The rest can be dealt with.]

"That's good. Help me mark them and set them aside first, so I don't take the wrong ones later."

[AI System: Alright, I get it. Stop bothering me; I'm going to fix the system.]

Li Xin turned off the virtual panel and slowly got up to walk to the window.

Outside, the scorching Dubai sun shone brightly, and the light was exceptionally intense. Several yachts were drifting slowly with the waves on the sea.

After a moment of contemplation, he picked up his phone and dialed Chen Hu's number.

"Chen Hu, has anyone from back home contacted you?"

"Boss, there's no news yet. The current word is that they need time to study it." Chen Hu shrugged helplessly.

"Oh? Still holding meetings to study it? 5,000 tons of gold at an 80% discount—such a good deal, what else is there to study? That shouldn't be!"

Chen Hu was silent for a moment. "Boss, I feel like maybe they don't quite trust us. 5,000 tons of gold is not a small amount. They have to confirm the authenticity of the news before they can report it to their superiors."

Li Xin thought about it. "That's true, then let's wait. There should be news soon."

"By the way, Boss, there's one more thing."

"What is it? Go ahead." Li Xin said indifferently.

"In Geneva, Pierre asked how much stuff you're planning to bring this time. He said it would help him arrange manpower."

"Tell him about 500 pieces of treasure. They are all top-tier, and there are even quite a few rare and divine-grade items."

Li Xin said this in a calm tone. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was talking about 500 pieces of scrap metal.

"Understood, I'll reply to him now."

Hanging up the phone, Li Xin walked back to the sofa and lay down.

He was calculating in his mind.

5,000 tons of gold to sell to the state. The remaining nearly 2,000 tons of gold to be released slowly.

Artifacts to be divided into five batches; the first batch goes to Geneva. Jewelry to be divided into three batches; the first batch goes to Monaco. Silver to be divided into two batches, all for Mr. Hassan.

The timeline spans three months; can't be rushed, can't be crowded.

He turned over and stared at the ceiling.

His phone vibrated; Qiang Zi sent a message.

"Brother Xin, when are you coming back? I'm bored to death here."

Li Xin smiled and replied: "Why are you so impatient? Wait for your brother to come back and save you. Wait another month, and then I'll take you out for a back scrub. I'll arrange Technician No. 88, Xiao Fang, for you."

Qiang Zi replied instantly: "Really? Just for No. 88, Xiao Fang, don't talk about one month; I'll wait two months."

"That's a definite promise. I'll get it all arranged for you then." Li Xin smiled and replied to him.

"Hahaha~ Deal! Then I'll sit back and wait for the boss to return so I can enjoy myself."

The two chatted casually for a while. Li Xin put his phone aside and closed his eyes to rest.

In the afternoon, Mr. Hassan came.

Today he was wearing a light blue shirt, his hair neatly combed, and he was carrying a paper bag in his hand.

"Li, my friend, it's a pleasure to see you again. I brought you some dates; try them."

Li Xin responded very warmly, "That's very kind of you, my friend. You specifically thought of me; these dates look delicious."

Li Xin opened the paper bag and took a look. The dates were large, and the color looked very pleasing. He picked one up and took a bite; it was very sweet.

"They are all grown on my own trees; the taste is exceptionally pure." Mr. Hassan smiled, sat comfortably on the sofa, his expression full of enthusiasm and joy.

"Li, I came here today not just to visit you, but also to finalize the matter of that batch of silver with you."

Li Xin nodded calmly: "That's no problem, feel free to speak."

"First of all, thank you very much. I want to confirm, are you really giving all 1,100 tons of silver to me?" Mr. Hassan asked cautiously, confirming again.

"Yes, don't you trust me? We've cooperated so many times, and it's always been a pleasure working with you. This batch of silver is yours."

"Haha~ Li, thank you so much!" Mr. Hassan leaned forward slightly and pressed, "Then I wonder when we will settle and deliver this batch of silver?"

"No rush." Li Xin said with an indifferent expression. "Wait until I return from Europe; I'll deliver it in a month."

"Hahaha, good, then I'll make preparations on my end in advance. By the way, how will this batch of silver be priced?"

Li Xin leaned back on the sofa, his tone calm but firm: "Just follow the London spot silver price. You don't have any objections to that, right?"

Mr. Hassan laughed and said: "I have no problem with that."

The two chatted for a while longer. Mr. Hassan asked about the artifacts.

"Li, I heard you have a batch of artifacts. I wonder if there are any from the Arab world?"

Li Xin nodded: "Naturally, there are. There are some from the Persian Sassanid Empire, as well as the Abbasid Caliphate."

Mr. Hassan's eyes lit up with interest, and he quickly asked: "May I have the honor of seeing them?"

Li Xin shook his head and replied: "Unfortunately, Mr. Hassan, the items are not in Dubai; they are in Europe. If you want to, you can go there. We can arrange the auction there."

"Understood, I will attend." Mr. Hassan was a little disappointed.

After sending Mr. Hassan off, Li Xin returned to the living room and sent a message to Chen Hu.

"Help me book a flight to Geneva the day after tomorrow."

"Understood, Boss."

He sent another message to Pierre: "Mr. Pierre, I'll arrive in Geneva the day after tomorrow. I'll contact you when I arrive."

Pierre replied instantly: "I will arrange a car to pick you up."

Li Xin put down his phone and walked to the terrace. The sea breeze brushed against his face, making his thoughts chaotic. Gold, artifacts, friends and family, the motherland, and that 105-carat giant diamond—all surged into his heart.

He smiled.

He never even dared to imagine these things before.

Now, they were all his.

Tomorrow, rest for one more day, and then fly to Geneva.