Shen Feng and Xu Xing’s gazes were both drawn to the items on display in the exhibition vehicle. Eager to discover what this national treasure was, they scrutinized everything. As the lights inside the vehicle were switched on, countless beams illuminated the object within, revealing three paintings.
"Mr. Shen, Miss Xu, if you can understand, what I have here is what you proudly call a national treasure, the 'Nü Shi Zhen Tu' (Admonitions of the Instructress). It was originally collected in the Qing Palace, then sent to the British Museum. During the doomsday, it was moved to North America. Fortunately, I managed to acquire it, otherwise, such a precious famous painting would have been destroyed. Now, I will use your national treasure as a trade. Mr. Shen, if you wish to obtain this national treasure, it is best to trade with me!" Tom said with a smile.
"This is our national treasure, and now you want to use it to trade with us. What kind of logic is that?" Xu Xing was immediately angered upon hearing the explanation.
Xu Xing was extremely angry. The reason for her anger was that she had just heard an incredibly outrageous matter, and she could no longer contain her fury. It was something left by their ancestors that was stolen a hundred years ago, and now it was being used as an item for trade, with the person deliberately acting magnanimous. How could she tolerate this?
Xu Xing was already contemplating taking action to snatch back this national treasure. After all, it was originally something from her country, and now that it was abroad, it was the perfect opportunity to bring it back during these chaotic times. Even if they were on someone else's territory and couldn't win, they still had the City Lord to back them up.
However, Shen Feng stopped Xu Xing, saying, "Don't be impulsive. You can't be reckless now!"
When Xu Xing heard Shen Feng say this, she looked at him in shock and then said, "Brother Shen Feng, this is our national treasure. It cannot be used for trade!"
Shen Feng certainly understood Xu Xing's meaning. The 'Nü Shi Zhen Tu' displayed here was an absolute national treasure of China. However, during the hundred years of China's decline, it was stolen. The armies of eight nations appeared in the Old Summer Palace, seizing a large number of precious treasures. The 'Nü Shi Zhen Tu', in particular, suffered irreversible damage. Eventually, during the doomsday, it was brought to North America and became an item that could be traded at any time. This was clearly their country's treasure, yet they had to redeem it, which was a humiliation!
But things in the world were not that simple. Shen Feng could have directly snatched the national treasure back, but it would certainly have caused public outcry later!
Seeing Xu Xing's expression, Tom explained, "Miss, you are too agitated right now. You need to calm down. This matter cannot be handled with emotion. Your hatred has now shifted to me, which is emotional. Only by calming down can you handle this transaction correctly!"
Xu Xing's expression did not improve. Instead, she stared fiercely at Tom and said, "You are now treating our national treasure as an item for trade, and you tell me not to be emotional? You speak too easily!"
Tom then said, "Please sit down first. This item is definitely genuine. If you agree to my trade in the end, then this treasure will still be yours!"
Shen Feng said sternly to Xu Xing, "I am telling you to sit down now. Violence cannot solve problems."
Xu Xing desperately wanted to act. After all, it was her country's national treasure right before her eyes. Now that she had seen it, she had to take it back. However, after hearing Shen Feng's command, she still chose to calm down and slowly sat on the chair, though her eyes still held a look of hatred.
Tom also wanted to give Xu Xing a reasonable explanation, so he directly said, "Miss Xu, you must feel that your country's treasure was stolen, so you believe it should be taken back, right?"
Xu Xing did not hide her feelings and said, "That's right. That's exactly what I think. When China was weak, foreigners stole our treasures and shamelessly displayed them in museums. How could I forget such hatred?"
Tom immediately explained, "If this matter is only viewed with passion, then it was indeed stolen. But you must also know one thing: this treasure has been lost abroad for a long time. Without people protecting it, it would have been destroyed by now! Moreover, after this 'Nü Shi Zhen Tu' was lost abroad, it first fell into the hands of a bandit, then was purchased and collected by the British Museum. Later, as the doomsday approached, countless collections were scattered, and I bought it again. From this perspective, I have contributed to the protection of cultural relics, haven't I?"
Xu Xing was momentarily speechless, but she continued to argue, "But tracing back to the past, it was still stolen! This item should be returned to its rightful owner."
"If we trace back everything, then what is the use of rules? Since the cultural relic has been lost for a hundred years, the identity of the owner has undergone various changes. If you want to rescue the cultural relic, then you should buy it. If the owner refuses to sell, you cannot simply snatch it. Otherwise, what is the difference between your actions and those of bandits over a hundred years ago?" Tom asked.
Xu Xing did not know what to say after hearing the other party's explanation, because it seemed to make sense. If they snatched it back, there might be a valid reason, but the method would be no different from that of a bandit. If they wanted to take the cultural relic away, then trading was the only option.
"Alright, let's eat first. We can discuss other matters after the meal," Shen Feng quickly interjected to ease the situation when he saw that Xu Xing had no retort.
Xu Xing nodded and stopped talking. Instead, she lowered her head and ate silently. However, her appetite was not good, and she put down her chopsticks after eating only a little.
While eating, Shen Feng was contemplating whether or not to agree to the trade. If he wanted to bring the national treasure back, the only way now was to reach a deal with the other party. However, agreeing to the deal meant he had to kill a large number of locusts to obtain the national treasure.
Shen Feng did not want to stay in North America for too long. After all, the insect swarms in various places had mutated. If a great danger occurred in China and he could not return home, his home could suffer significant losses.
As Shen Feng was seriously weighing the pros and cons, Tom spoke, "Mr. Shen, please enjoy the delicacies in my home. We have fine wheat bread, which tastes good with maple syrup spread on it. Additionally, every dish on the table has been inspected and is guaranteed not to contain any excessive heavy metals, bacteria, or viruses."
After hearing Tom's introduction, Shen Feng also began to eat with concentration, but he was still thinking about whether to strike this deal while eating.
Maple syrup is a characteristic delicacy in North America. This syrup is extracted from the sap of maple trees, and it can only be extracted once a year. After extraction, the maple trees need time to recover. If the maple sap is extracted multiple times in a short period, it will lead to the death of the maple trees.
However, this syrup is expensive but also very delicious. It has a unique fragrance of maple trees when eaten, which is much better than ordinary syrup. The only drawback is its high price, which most people cannot afford to eat too much of. During the doomsday, only the rich can afford it.
Xu Xing then said to Shen Feng, "City Lord, we must bring back this national treasure that has been lost abroad. Only then will we not be ashamed before our descendants!"
"You speak quite well, but I want to ask you a question. You don't plan to get married, so where will your descendants come from?" Shen Feng replied casually.
"My mother must have said a lot to you, which is why you are deliberately saying this. But none of that is important. We must bring the national treasure back!" Xu Xing said seriously.
"I understand, I understand! Since you have said so, I will have to fulfill your request. However, in the upcoming battle, you had better perform exceptionally well! We do not have much time in North America," Shen Feng said to Xu Xing.
"Don't worry, I will perform actively in the upcoming battle. I will definitely eliminate those damned locusts in the shortest possible time!" Xu Xing quickly said to Shen Feng.
Having heard Xu Xing's words, Shen Feng then said to Tom, "Then I accept your trade. However, I must state clearly that I can only work for you for one month at most. After one month, I will leave! At that time, I will need to receive news about the aliens, and I will also take this precious national treasure with me."
"Only one month? That's fine, it's enough. Because I know that you, Fengshen, can summon typhoons! One month is enough to clear an area infested with locusts!" Tom agreed after thinking for a moment. He could see that Shen Feng's biggest concern was time.
"After eating, tell me quickly which area needs the locusts cleared so I can get started. However, I don't see any locusts around New York!" Shen Feng said seriously.
Tom nodded and said to the butler beside him, "Go and take good care of this treasure. Make sure not to get it dirty. Also, arrange a room in the manor for the two of them to stay!"
"No, it's two rooms!" Shen Feng quickly said.
Upon hearing this, Tom quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I guessed wrong. I thought that since you two appeared in North America together, you must be a close couple. It turns out you are friends. Butler, arrange two rooms!"
Xu Xing glanced at Shen Feng and said nothing.
Next, the butler quickly took the exhibition vehicle away from the room and turned off the lights on the vehicle, which would better protect the painting, as light exposure could cause irreversible damage to it.
Tom then said to Shen Feng, "The areas that need to be cleared next are around the Great Lakes. There is abundant water resources around the Great Lakes, as well as many plains suitable for farming. However, these areas have recently been occupied by locusts and must be cleared. Otherwise, we won't even be able to feed ourselves."
"Since these areas need to be cleared, there's no time to delay. When do we depart?" Shen Feng said impatiently.
"There's no rush for this matter. You should rest for a while. In the next few days, I will discuss the deployment of troops with other consortiums. I will definitely call you then," Tom said quickly. It turned out he had not even communicated with other consortiums yet.
Shen Feng and Xu Xing had no choice but to rest in the manor.
The room where Shen Feng and Xu Xing were staying was very exquisitely decorated. Even the bedding had clean and tidy down quilts, and there was a precious carpet on the floor. Inside, there was a separate bathroom and toilet. If no one disturbed them, this was indeed a suitable place to live.
After learning that Shen Feng and Xu Xing were not a couple, Tom arranged for a maid to serve Shen Feng, seemingly intending to use seduction to tempt Shen Feng. Unfortunately, Shen Feng was not swayed and directly sent the maid away.
While Shen Feng and Xu Xing were staying in the manor, Tom contacted the consortiums in the entire New York region, asking them to mobilize soldiers to the Great Lakes region to clear the locusts. The consortiums quickly supported this plan after hearing it, as they saw the benefits it would bring, and they would surely gain a large amount of grain in the future.
There is a saying in a war-torn country: "When war begins, politicians provide the goals, the rich provide the money, and the poor provide the children. When the war ends, politicians get the country, the rich get more wealth, and the poor can only search for their children's graves."
Therefore, the consortiums did not care about spending money because they believed that after the plan succeeded, they would earn more. As for the war, it was hell for the poor, but these poor people had no other choice but to send their children to the battlefield to survive.