Chapter 139 Into Gold Artifact
It was evident that the gold wares found were a testament to the skilled craftsmanship of the time. It was highly probable that these pieces were intended for shipment to Southeast Asia for sale.
Yong couldn\'t help but express his admiration as he carefully cleaned one of them.
"The exquisite workmanship is simply remarkable!" he exclaimed,
"It\'s astonishing to think that such a craft existed eight or nine centuries ago."
Liu Yong meticulously wrapped each gold object in bubble film, layer after layer, to ensure their safekeeping.
The two large wooden boxes were brimming with over a hundred gold wares, weighing tens of kilograms, with the heaviest piece estimated to be over a kilogram.
He then tied up and wrapped each piece in plastic before placing them all in a large basket, which he ensured was securely fastened with cable ties. After checking that nothing was missing, he sent the basket out of the sunken ship and onto the open space outside.
Liu Yong then picked up another basket and swam back into the sunken ship, making his way to a warehouse where he discovered an abundance of porcelain.
"A compartment full of china!" he exclaimed in excitement.
The porcelain had initially been stacked neatly and secured with straw ropes and mats, but with eight or nine hundred years having passed, the straws and strings had rotted away, leaving the porcelain scattered and some even damaged or broken.
Liu Yong carefully inspected each piece, using his flashlight to determine which ones were in good condition. He placed the undamaged porcelain into a plastic basket and the damaged or broken pieces into another.
He worked for over two hours, carefully removing over a hundred baskets of intact porcelain from the cargo hold.
The damaged porcelain, however, held little value and was dumped in the space near the sunken ship.
Liu Yong realized there was still a substantial amount of porcelain left in the cargo hold, more than he had initially anticipated.
Although he wasn\'t tired, he had run out of plastic baskets. He had already used up all 300 extra-large plastic baskets.
"It looks like I underestimated the quantity of porcelain in this shipwreck," Liu Yong mused. "I\'ll have to bring at least five hundred baskets here tomorrow."
The realization that each basket of porcelain was worth tens of millions of dollars and that it took only three to five minutes to process each one filled Liu Yong with enthusiasm. He felt that there was nothing more profitable than this work.
Swimming out of the sunken ship, Liu Yong couldn\'t help but feel extremely satisfied with the fruits of his labor.
He wished he could do this daily, relishing in the excitement of finding valuable treasures such as these porcelain pieces.
"I don\'t feel fatigued, and I don\'t need to surface for air," Liu Yongnong thought as he examined his surroundings, confident that he could remain submerged for another two or three hours.
Each porcelain basket was carefully sealed with cable ties and then wrapped with several layers of plastic bubble film to protect the delicate contents.
After nearly two hours of work, Liu Yong proudly inspected the over a hundred tightly-wrapped baskets. He then swam up to the surface and climbed aboard the waiting speedboat.
As he gazed at the carefully packaged porcelains, he knew that the second trip, including the gold wares and Song Dynasty coins, would be successfully transported back after Bawang completed this trip.
"Where is Overlord?" he wondered.
"Advancing rapidly, maintaining a speed of around 170 knots," he observed in amazement. He had already covered most of the distance in just a few hours and estimated that he would reach Huahai City in two or three hours.
"What an impressive vessel!" he exclaimed.
He checked his watch and realized it was already past 6:00 pm and decided it was time to head back. He started the speedboat and made his way back to the hotel at a fast pace.
Upon arriving at the hotel, he found Huang Guang waiting for him in the lobby. "Brother Yong!" Huang Guang greeted him eagerly.
Liu Yong waved in response and said, "Come, let\'s eat together."
On the way to the restaurant, Liu Yong messaged Huang Guang on WeChat, suggesting that they chat over dinner. Huang Guang readily agreed.
Liu Yong cordially ordered an extensive array of dishes and a bottle of red wine worth tens of thousands of dollars, demonstrating how hungry he was after a strenuous day.
He had only devoured something on the speedboat during noon, so he was ravenous by dinnertime. Meanwhile, Huang Guang was also present, and this evening\'s meal could be seen as a way of catching up on old times.
Huang Guang was elated as he watched the lavish spread of dishes and the expensive red wine. "Brother Yong, this is way too extravagant, it must have cost you a fortune."
Liu Yong replied with a casual wave of his hand, "It\'s alright, it\'s just a meal."
Huang Guang couldn\'t help but admire his friend. Brother Yong was undoubtedly wealthy and influential, and this meal alone was worth several months of his salary.
However, Huang Guang did not envy Liu Yong but was genuinely happy for him.
"Cheers, let\'s drink to our reunion."
Liu Yong raised his glass and clinked it against Huang Guang\'s. Taking a sip of the red wine, he encouraged his friend to indulge in the food, "Help yourself, pick whatever you like."
Huang Guang sipped his wine and used his chopsticks to select some dishes. He then asked, "Brother, what is the name of your company, and how big is it? Can you tell me about it?"
If Hu Guangqiang or any others had posed this question, Liu Yong would have dismissed it as a bit of a startup with no significant prospects.
However, he did not attempt to hide anything from Huang Guang and briefly recounted the story of Universal.
Huang Guang was shocked as Liu Yong disclosed that the company had billions of assets in 10,000-ton ocean-going ships.
"Brother Yong, you\'re amazing!" exclaimed Huang Guang, giving a thumbs-up and almost falling off his seat in astonishment.
Liu Yong grinned, "How about you, how have you been?"
Huang Guang replied, "After graduation, I moved to SY City, hoping that the pressure would be less and that there would be more development opportunities.Unfortunately, it turned out to be the opposite. I\'m still just a lowly employee. The promotion I was promised to a supervisor position was snatched away by someone else."
He sighed disappointedly,
"It\'s not easy to get ahead anywhere nowadays. The competition in today\'s society is simply too fierce."
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