70: Chapter 70 Geneva - Private Sales

Leaning against the window in first class and looking outside, just as they flew over the Mediterranean, looking at the clear, deep blue of the sea, Li Xin felt exceptionally calm.

In his mind, he was recalling his struggle last night over how to sell these 851 cultural relics. He had searched through a lot of information, but still hadn't found a good channel.

"What if I choose an auction house? Auction houses require registration, appraisal, and proof of origin—every step is a risk. With such a large quantity, and the origin of these cultural relics and antiques being unclear, this path won't work."

"What if I find private collectors? Finding them one by one is too troublesome and too slow, and it's easy to get exposed."

"What he needs right now is a channel that can take hundreds of items at once, ask no questions about their origin, and leave no trace." Li Xin couldn't help but feel anxious.

The system suddenly popped up a notification.

[Ding... Seeing that the host is so anxious about handling the antiques and cultural relics that his hair is about to fall out, which would affect the city's appearance, this system cannot bear to watch and is providing you with a good channel.]

[It is recommended that the host go to Geneva. It is the global center for private antique sales, with top-tier private brokerage channels where large batches of cultural relics can be traded at once.]

[A senior Geneva antique broker has been found for the host, named Pierre Dupont. He has been in the industry for thirty years, specializing in high-end private sales, with clients including European royalty, Middle Eastern royal families, and top American collectors.]

[Communication has been established, feel free to contact him.]

[Note: This channel is not public, not filed, and not registered. The entire batch will be packaged together, with settlement in cash/anonymous accounts.]

At this thought, the corners of Li Xin's lips curled into a faint arc, and a subtle smile spread across his eyes.

Geneva was almost there. He picked up his champagne and took a sip.

The plane landed smoothly at Geneva International Airport.

Dressed in simple casual clothes, Li Xin went through customs carrying a backpack, his expression calm.

Walking out of the airport, he took a deep breath. The air in Geneva was slightly cool, completely different from the heatwave in Dubai. In Switzerland in September, the temperature was under twenty degrees, and the wind blowing on his face was very refreshing.

Li Xin called a car and headed towards the villa. It was a secluded private villa in the old town that he had Chen Hu rent in advance.

The outer walls were made of light beige stone, and a few pine and cypress trees were planted in the yard. The gate was inconspicuous, and the location was hidden. The neighbors on both sides were far apart, offering quiet in a noisy city—perfect for a secret transaction.

Entering the villa, Li Xin took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then sat on the sofa, picking up his phone to contact Pierre Dupont.

However, there was no phone number, only an email address.

He thought about it and drafted an email:

"Mr. Pierre, introduced by a friend. I have a batch of cultural relics to handle. The quantity is relatively large, and I only accept private sales for the entire batch. I hope to meet in person. Li."

He didn't mention the quantity, the origin, or the price.

This was the rule. In the first contact, one only states their intention and does not discuss details.

After sending the email, he waited for ten minutes.

There was no reply.

He put down his phone and went to a lakeside restaurant. He ordered a steak and a glass of red wine, eating slowly. Halfway through, his phone vibrated.

Pierre Dupont had replied to the email.

"Mr. Li, tomorrow at three in the afternoon, at the private apartment by Lake Leman. We will talk in person."

An address and a phone number were attached at the end.

Looking at this email, the corners of Li Xin's mouth curled up slightly.

He didn't ask about the quantity, the origin, or anything else.

Directly scheduling a meeting was the style of an expert, which was very reassuring.

At noon the next day, Li Xin locked all the doors and windows of the villa, went straight to the living room, and muttered in his mind:

"System, take out all 851 cultural relics and arrange them by category."

[System: Confirmed. Retrieving...]

Objects began to appear on the floor.

First were the bronzewares. One, two, ten, fifty. They were neatly arranged on the floor, classified by size and type. Bronze tripods from the Shang and Zhou dynasties, bronze swords from the Warring States period, bronze mirrors from the Han dynasty—each piece carried the marks of time, with mottled patina and exquisite patterns.

Then came the porcelain. Celadon and white porcelain from the Tang and Song dynasties, blue-and-white, famille-rose, and doucai porcelain from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Plates, bowls, bottles, and jars appeared one after another, their glazes gleaming softly under the light.

Next were the Buddha statues. Gilt-bronze Buddha statues, stone-carved Buddha statues, and wood-carved Buddha statues. The large ones were half a person tall, while the small ones were the size of a palm. They were in various poses—some sitting, some standing, and some with their hands clasped in prayer.

Then came the paintings and calligraphy. Scrolls, bundle after bundle. The system automatically categorized them—landscapes from the Tang and Song, flowers and birds from the Ming and Qing, and some that Li Xin couldn't name.

Finally, there was the jewelry. Goldware, silverware, jadeware, and gemstones. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and a few crowns studded with gems.

The entire process lasted about five minutes.

At three in the afternoon, Li Xin arrived alone at a high-end apartment complex by Lake Leman.

From a distance, Li Xin saw a man in his sixties standing at the entrance. His hair was gray and meticulously combed, and he wore a dark gray suit without a tie. He wasn't tall and was thin, but he was in high spirits. His eyes were light blue, and he looked at people with great focus.

"Hello! Mr. Li, it's a pleasure to meet you!" His English had a French accent, but it was very fluent.

"Me too, Mr. Pierre," Li Xin said with a smile.

"Mr. Li, please." Pierre made a very gentlemanly gesture of invitation.

Li Xin walked in.

The apartment was very large, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room directly facing Lake Geneva. The lake was very blue, and the fountain in the distance sparkled in the sunlight. There wasn't much decoration in the living room—just a few sofas, a coffee table, and an oil painting hanging on the wall that Li Xin didn't understand but felt was not cheap.

Pierre invited him to sit down, poured two glasses of red wine, and handed him one.

"Li, you said you have a batch of cultural relics to handle." Pierre sat down and crossed his legs. "Could you tell me how many pieces there are?"

"More than eight hundred pieces."

Pierre's hand holding the wine glass paused.

He looked at Li Xin and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Eight hundred pieces?"

"To be exact, eight hundred and fifty-one pieces, Mr. Pierre." Li Xin smiled and nodded with certainty. "The entire batch is packaged together, no splitting, no selling individually."

Pierre put down his wine glass and leaned back on the sofa.

"What types of cultural relics?"

"Bronzewares, porcelain, Buddha statues, paintings and calligraphy, and jewelry." Li Xin took a sip of red wine. "The origin is very clean. My ancestors handed them over to foreign friends for safekeeping during the war, and they were only returned in recent years. There are no receipts; it's pure family inheritance."

Pierre stared at him for a few seconds.

Then he smiled.

"That's a very good story." He raised his glass and clinked it against Li Xin's. "I don't need to ask about the origin, and you don't need to make one up. We only look at the goods."

Li Xin also smiled.

"Where are the goods?"

"At the villa."

"You brought them?"

"I brought them."

Pierre nodded, stood up, walked to the desk, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Have Jacques and Philippe come over. Bring the equipment."

Hanging up the phone, he turned around. "My two appraisers. They've worked with me for twenty years. Reliable."

Li Xin nodded.

"Where are we meeting to view the goods?" Pierre asked.

"The villa. I'll take you there in a bit," Li Xin said with a smile.

"Alright."

Twenty minutes later, the two appraisers arrived.

Jacques, in his fifties, balding, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a gray sweater. Philippe, in his early forties, The Tall Thin Man, holding a black leather suitcase in his hand.

"Pierre, your people are all here, right?" Li Xin confirmed when he saw them arrive.

"Yes, Li. Please lead the way and show us."

"Alright, get in the car and follow me."

Pierre smiled and glanced at him. Without asking why, he got into the car and followed.

Pushing open the front door of the villa,

Pierre froze slightly, standing completely still.

Jacques and Philippe also stood there, their eyes wide with shock.

The room was so quiet that they could hear their own heartbeats. All they could see were various kinds of antiques and cultural relics placed throughout the villa, an incredibly spectacular sight.

"Let's begin," Li Xin said calmly.

Jacques was the first to move. He squatted down, picked up a bronze tripod, and turned it over to look at the bottom. He took a magnifying glass out of his pocket and carefully examined the patterns, the patina, and the inscriptions.

Philippe opened the leather suitcase, which contained a portable detector. He picked up a piece of porcelain, used the detector to Scan it, his eyes staring at the data on the screen.

Pierre didn't move. He stood to the side, hands in his pockets, watching the two appraisers work busily.

Li Xin leaned against the wall, watching them.

Time passed minute by minute.

After finishing with the bronzewares, Jacques went to look at the Buddha statues. After testing the porcelain, Philippe went to test the jewelry. Neither of them said a word, only continuously examining, testing, and recording.

About two hours later, Jacques stood up, walked over to Pierre, and whispered a few words.

Philippe also walked over and said a few words.

Pierre nodded and walked up to Li Xin.

"156 pieces of bronzeware, one hundred percent authentic. Mostly from the Shang, Zhou, and Warring States periods, in top-tier condition. A few are national treasure-grade, rare even in museums."

"189 pieces of porcelain, covering the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Both imperial and folk kilns are present, all in pristine condition. There are a few Ru ware pieces from the Song dynasty, which haven't appeared on the market in twenty years."

"188 Buddha statues—gilt-bronze, stone-carved, and wood-carved. The eras span from the Northern Wei to the Ming and Qing dynasties; though the span is wide, every single piece is authentic."

"42 paintings and calligraphies, from the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. They require further study, but preliminary judgment suggests at least half are masterpieces."

"276 pieces of jewelry—goldware, silverware, and jadeware. Extremely high value."

Pierre paused.

"For the total valuation, I'll give a preliminary figure." He looked at Li Xin. "850 million USD. Packaged as a whole batch."

Li Xin did not speak.

850 million USD. It was close to the system's valuation.

"1 billion USD," he said.

Pierre shook his head. "900 million USD. That is the highest price I can offer."

"950 million USD, Pierre. This is my bottom line," Li Xin said with a firm expression.

Pierre fell silent for a few seconds, then smiled and reached out his hand. "Deal at 950 million USD. I've definitely made a friend in you."

Li Xin looked at him and smiled as well.

"950 million USD. Pleasure doing business with you." He shook Pierre's hand.

Pierre smiled too.

"Mr. Li, what channel will the funds go through? A Swiss anonymous account? Cash? Or an offshore trust?"

"A Swiss anonymous account."

"No problem." Pierre took a plain white bank card with no markings other than a string of numbers from his bag, and gently slid it over to Li Xin.

"Li, this is a one-time bearer numbered account from a Swiss private bank. There are no names, identities, or any registration information. Only this string of account numbers exists in the system."

He lowered his voice, speaking steadily and confidently:

"You can transfer the funds right now. Once the money is transferred, this account will immediately lock. It can only be transferred out, and cannot be recalled or traced.

After the transaction is completed, the account will be automatically closed, leaving no trace of transaction history."

Li Xin picked up the card, his fingertips moving quickly on his encrypted phone.

In just a few short minutes.

The encrypted satellite phone in Pierre's pocket vibrated slightly.

He looked down, then looked up at Li Xin and nodded slightly.

"The funds have arrived."

"Pleasure doing business with you."

Li Xin's expression was calm, with no unnecessary words.

The money was pocketed, the goods delivered—clean, efficient, and silent.

"Li, you are an interesting man." Pierre patted his shoulder. "If you have goods in the future, contact me directly. No need to go through a middleman, I'll give you the best price."

"Sure, no problem!" Li Xin replied with a smile.

Pierre did not stay any longer, having his men carefully load all the cultural relics into the vehicle. He turned and drove away. Watching the departing vehicle, the corners of Li Xin's mouth curled up uncontrollably.

The villa returned to silence once more. A top-secret transaction had finally settled.

Li Xin turned and walked back into the villa. As soon as the door closed, he slumped onto the sofa and let out a long breath.

851 cultural relics, 950 million USD.

It was secured.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Chen Hu: "Help me set up a meeting with that jeweler in Monaco. Tell him I have a batch of jewelry, over a ton, for 6.44 billion USD, packaged as a whole batch."

Chen Hu replied instantly: "Understood."

Li Xin slipped his phone into his pocket and looked at the night view outside the window.

The night in Geneva was very quiet, with occasional lights flashing in the distance.

He closed his eyes.

851 cultural relics, all sold.

Cleanly, leaving no trace.

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