81: Chapter 81 Heavenly Treasure Enters the Treasury

The collection room was located at the back of the studio, a space he had specifically partitioned off. Spanning nearly 2,000 square meters, all four walls were lined with custom display shelves and pedestals. The lighting had also been specially calibrated; as the warm yellow light shone down, the entire space possessed a quiet, refined texture.

Yet for now, these shelves and pedestals were entirely empty. The light shining on the vacant racks instead revealed a strange sense of desolation.

Hu Tian stood at the doorway for a glance before walking inside and coming to a stop in the center of the room.

He thought for a moment. Since Zhou Waner was interested, he would leave the research to her; she was more meticulous and patient with this type of work than he was.

As for his side, he could take advantage of this time to handle the matters regarding the collection room.

He closed his eyes for a moment, his consciousness sinking into the System Space.

The interior of the System Space was a 150-cubic-meter expanse, yet the items brought out from the Heavenly Kingdom Holy Treasury were neatly arranged there. Each piece was enveloped in a faint halo of light, like some silent marker.

Hu Tian scanned the contents, then withdrew and began taking them out.

Hu Tian took out the silver first.

There was no need to keep the boxes, so he dismantled the wooden chests directly within the System Space, leaving only the silver ingots themselves.

He moved them out one ingot at a time, stacking them in the corner of the collection room. The silver ingots were arranged neatly, piling higher and higher until they formed a small mound nearly waist-high. As the warm yellow light hit them, a silvery luster spread out, brightening the entire corner.

He stepped back to take a look and estimated the weight. He had a rough idea in his mind without calculating it precisely, then turned to retrieve the antique calligraphy and paintings.

This batch of items had been well-preserved when retrieved from the Heavenly Kingdom Holy Treasury, and with the protection of that faint halo in the System Space, not a single piece was damaged.

Hu Tian took them out one by one, placing the calligraphy and painting scrolls first, followed by the porcelain ornaments, arranging them on the wall-mounted display racks in order of size and category.

The scrolls took up too much space when unfurled, so he did not open them all. He selected a few with suitable dimensions and placed them horizontally on special scroll racks, while the rest were stood upright in the rack's compartments, to be examined in detail later.

He placed the porcelain pieces on the pedestals one by one. With each one, he instinctively flipped it over to check the reign mark on the bottom. There were a few pieces he had already noticed in the System Space, but now, under the lights, he could see them even more clearly—the glaze and body were both top-tier, and they were certainly of significant age.

As the shelves were filled row by row, the once-empty collection room began to take shape.

Hu Tian stood in the center of the room and looked around. That strange sense of desolation had largely dissipated, replaced by an indescribable sense of fulfillment—like a place that had been vacant for a long time finally beginning to house the things it was always meant to contain.

Hu Tian stood before the display racks, looked over the calligraphy, paintings, and porcelain he had already arranged, took a deep breath, and sank his consciousness into the System Space once more.

Those few heavy treasures had always been kept separately, at a distance from the rest of the items, as if even the System Space itself knew the weight of these objects and had automatically reserved a place for them.

He first took out the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Golden Books of Nobility.

There were twelve volumes, one after another. Each volume was wrapped in bright yellow brocade, with the edges trimmed in gold thread. The pattern on the surface of the brocade was of two dragons playing with a pearl; despite the passage of time, the colors remained vibrant, without the slightest sign of fading.

He carefully took out the twelve volumes one by one and laid them flat on the wide table in the center of the collection room, which he had specifically left empty, arranging them in a row. As the warm yellow light fell upon them, the luster of the gold thread spread along the patterns of the brocade, making the entire table look as if it were burning with a low, smoldering fire.

He was in no rush to open them; he simply straightened the position of each volume, kept the spacing even, stepped back to take a look, and then proceeded to retrieve the next item.

The second item was the handwritten unique copy of the "Land System of the Heavenly Kingdom".

He was exceptionally cautious with this one. After taking it out, he did not place it on the table but instead carried it directly under the light to examine it carefully for a moment.

The unique copy was bound in the traditional thread-bound style. The cover was a dark blue hard cloth, with traces of fine thread stitching along the spine. The handwriting was in cinnabar, with every stroke exuding a stern, powerful energy. Having survived the ravages of war and displacement, the pages were surprisingly well-preserved, with not even the corners frayed; one could imagine the immense effort the original collector had put into preserving it.

Hu Tian placed it separately on one side of the table, leaving enough space and ensuring nothing was stacked on top of it.

Next was the complete set of Nine-Dragon Battle Armor, commissioned by the Heavenly King.

When he retrieved the armor from the System Space, it took some effort, and he had to carry it out in several trips.

This was a complete set of armor: helmet, neck guard, breastplate, arm guards, battle skirt, and greaves—not a single piece was missing. Each piece featured Nine-Dragon patterns engraved upon it. With a gold background, the dragon bodies were outlined in red lacquer. Over the long years, the lacquer color had deepened slightly, which instead lent it an air of solemnity.

Hu Tian found a spot next to the display racks and hung the pieces of armor onto a special stand one by one. The helmet was placed at the very top, and the rest were arranged downward in the order they would be worn. Once the whole set was displayed, even without anyone wearing it, a sense of majesty rushed toward him, as if a silent warrior had suddenly stepped into this collection room.

He adjusted the position of the armor, stepped back two paces, and studied the battle armor for a good while before going to retrieve the next item.

The imperial dragon robe used by Hong Xiuquan.

He had noticed this item in the System Space. When he took it out, he used two layers of soft cloth as padding. He laid it flat on the table and unfolded a corner. The bright yellow satin surface seemed to glow under the light. Nine golden dragons coiled upon it, their claws extended and whiskers flying. The robe featured a cloud pattern as the base, and within each cloud, the patterns of the Eight Immortals were embroidered. The stitches were so fine that the thread traces were almost invisible. As the entire robe was spread out, the overwhelming sense of preciousness it exuded made one almost afraid to look at it for too long.

He refolded the dragon robe and placed it in the most prominent position on the table, leaving ample space around it.

Finally, there was the scepter.

It was the symbol of power for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Heavenly King, Hong Xiuquan. The staff core was made of ebony, entirely encased in gold. The head of the staff was a ruby the size of a pigeon's egg, its deep red luster flowing under the light like solidified flames.

There were inscriptions on the staff. The script was the style commonly used by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, with strong, vigorous lines, carved extremely deep. Each character was filled with cinnabar; even after a hundred years, the color of the cinnabar remained vivid.

Hu Tian placed the scepter horizontally in the center of the table, alongside the Golden Books of Nobility, the dragon robe, and the unique copy, forming the core display of this specifically designated area.

He stood before this area and watched for a long time.

The warm yellow light illuminated the heavy treasures on this table, making every piece shine. The brocade of the Golden Books of Nobility, the satin of the dragon robe, the gold base of the armor, and the gemstone of the scepter each emitted its own light. Combined, the entire corner felt heavy, as if something from the distant past was pressing into the air, refusing to dissipate.

Hu Tian silently scanned them over. That sense of accomplishment slowly spread from his chest—solid, steady, and more real than receiving any amount of cash.

This was the true meaning of finding lost treasures.

Those items had slept underground, in secret chambers, and in the ruins after the ravages of war for over a hundred years. Countless people did not know where they were; countless people had searched for them but could not find them. Yet now, they were here in front of him, resting quietly, as if they had finally waited for the person they were meant to wait for.

He stood in the collection room for a while.

The last piece.

He murmured to himself in his heart before reaching his hand in.

The weight of the imperial seal of the ming dynasty was something he had not anticipated. It was not a light, airy weight, but a nearly heavy, substantial feeling in his hand. It felt as if it was not just the weight of a piece of jade, but something much heavier attached to it—the passage of dynasties, the displacement of war, and the life-and-death struggles of countless people, all condensed within this small square, pressing into his palm.

He carefully lifted it out with both hands, without using any cloth padding, holding it directly like that.

The imperial seal of the ming dynasty.

The jade was high-quality Lantian white jade, warm and moist in color. Under the reflection of the warm yellow light, it shimmered with a faint, cool glow. The entire piece was free of a single crack. Although the edges and corners had weathered the years, they remained distinct, without the slightest sign of wear or dulling. The seal knob was in the shape of a coiled dragon-like creature; the creature's head was slightly raised, and every scale was clear, so detailed that one could almost count them.

He carried the imperial seal of the ming dynasty to the sliding transparent display case—a spot he had specifically reserved for this item. It was surrounded by empty space. Inside the case was a layer of dark velvet, and the lid was a single piece of transparent glass that slid open without a gap.

He placed the imperial seal of the ming dynasty steadily inside, its base landing on the velvet with a very light sound.

Then, he gently slid the lid shut.

The light shone down through the glass, illuminating the ten characters on the face of the seal.

"By the Order of Heaven, the Treasure of the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty."

The script was the standard nine-fold seal script, with winding strokes where every character interlocked. The direction of every stroke was so rigorous it bordered on rigid, yet it inexplicably exuded an unquestionable, awe-inspiring aura. That aura did not come from the characters themselves, but from what this seal had carried—from every moment it had been held high, and from the blood shed by countless people to obtain it.

Hu Tian stood there just like that, without moving.

The light behind him illuminated the entire collection room, making it warm and quiet. Every treasure was in its rightful place: the Golden Books of Nobility, the unique copy, the battle armor, the dragon robe, the scepter, and before him, the imperial seal of the ming dynasty. All were silent within their own halos of light, as if a vigil spanning a hundred years had finally come to an end.

He stared at those ten characters for a long time, so long that the light itself seemed to grow heavier.

How many years had this object been lost? How many hands had it passed through? How many people had searched for it, and how many had thought it had vanished into the dust of history? Yet now, it was here, right in front of him, resting quietly.

Hu Tian slowly exhaled and stepped back half a pace.

The collection room was so quiet that only the warm yellow light remained.

He stood for a while longer, then turned and walked out, preparing to check on Zhou Waner's progress.

He stood at the doorway for a moment, then turned and walked back toward the studio.

Zhou Waner was still at the computer. Several windows were open on the screen: maps, a literature database, and a page that looked like a local gazetteer.

The notebook by her hand was already filled with dense notes covering several pages. Beside it sat a glass of water; it looked like she had gone to pour it herself.

Hu Tian walked over, stood behind her, and glanced at the screen. "Any progress?"

"There are a few candidates," Zhou Waner said, tapping a few lines in the notebook with her pen. "I'm currently checking the specific details of these islands. Two can basically be ruled out, leaving three that need to be investigated further."