Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 120, Section 119: Faith and Wealth, Paris Auction House

Seeing Fang Wen's actions, Lin Shuiwang also came over and pretended to pray.

But he whispered:

"Sir, you believe in this too?"

Although he spoke softly, the person in front of him still noticed.

Some people stopped first, and others realized the situation and stood up one after another.

However, this led to the formation of three groups.

People on both sides were watching Fang Wen.

"You knew there were sacred objects here all along?" Indiana asked.

The Weimar officer, who spoke English, also chimed in: "Is this the treasure you're looking for?"

Fang Wen nodded.

"No." Both sides refused almost in unison.

This is the difference in how Eastern and Western cultures view faith.

Western faiths emphasize dedication and loyalty to one's beliefs.

The East is more practical; I can worship this god today and another tomorrow, as long as the gods can grant my wishes.

Whether Catholic, Protestant, or a follower of other denominations, people have a special feeling about the True Cross.

Fang Wen, from a later generation, with a perspective different from that of people in this era, is able to understand the current situation.

He deliberately feigned surprise.

"why?"

“I will take it back to the Cologne Cathedral, back to where it belongs, to be worshipped by believers,” the Weimar officer replied.

Fang Wen looked towards Indiana.

Indiana gave a similar response: "Trinity Church in Manhattan is its best home. We can give it the best protection than the impoverished Weimar Republic."

The argument resumed, but this time, both sides' weapons were in the hands of Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang, so there was no need to worry about it escalating to the point of shooting someone.

Having already obtained the real treasure, Fang Wen acted as a peacemaker.

“If you really want this treasure, I’m willing to give it up. My suggestion is to move everything to the dock first, otherwise it might be discovered by daybreak.”

Fang Wen once again played a buffer role; without him, it would have been impossible to transport the goods back to Europe from Türkiye, and both sides were willing to listen to him.

Besides, what if tourists come to the island tomorrow during the day and discover something amiss?

Immediately, everyone put aside their argument and began moving the items.

But they were still worried about the Holy Cross, so they left a German officer, Roberto Kerr, a telegraph operator from Indiana, and Lin Shuiwang to guard it.

The rest of the people began to move the treasure.

They cleaned out the rotten and broken leather armor and scabbards, and removed the gems and gold ornaments from them.

He took all the remaining intact gold and silver that had changed color, as well as various kinds of jewelry, with him.

During the day, large boats rented from the lake to pull iron rings became the best means of transporting treasures.

Because the wooden chests containing the treasure had all rotted, everyone took off their coats, filled them with the treasure, and happily ran outside.

Driven by the allure of wealth, everyone worked with great enthusiasm, making two round trips to load the kingdom's treasures from a thousand years ago onto the deck of the large ship.

The last one left is the True Cross.

They dared not touch or desecrate something that might be a sacred object.

Instead, they wrapped the exposed parts of the arms with clothing before carefully moving them.

Lifting the massive cross out of the underground tunnel was no easy task.

Although the passageway is designed to allow passage through the cross, it doesn't leave much space on either side.

The porter can only exert force at the front and back ends, and four people in the middle need to carry and support the load.

Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang did not participate in this dangerous and sacred activity; one led from the front and the other from the rear, directing the operation.

Seven officers, Roberto Kerr, and Indiana became the laborers transporting the True Cross.

They would stop every twenty meters and have four people take over at the foot of the cross. This stop-and-go process took them more time than carrying any other treasures before they reached the uphill section of the passageway.

That's also the most dangerous place; if the people in the middle and at the back can't hold it up, the cross will slide backward.

To solve this problem.

Two officers left the passageway and brought in the ropes they had previously used to pull the iron rings.

The ropes were carefully tied to both sides of the crossbar, and then five people pulled hard from the outside while four people supported it from below. With their combined efforts, this sacred relic from a thousand years ago was finally brought back to light.

Afterwards, the entrance to the passageway was covered with stones and soil. This time, the cross was placed on the large ship, and under the cover of night, it returned to the dock.

Inside the wooden hut at the dock, a large amount of treasure was piled on the floor.

To prevent it from leaking under the floor, a sheet was laid out, and the cross was placed upright on the north side of the room.

Everyone was present, and Fang Wenlai presided over the temporary treasure redistribution meeting.

"Gentlemen, the treasure has now been retrieved. Judging from its weight, it will probably take two trips to transport it back. But the problem now is that you have disagreements about the distribution of the cross. A resolution must be reached before the transport can begin. I understand your special feelings for the cross. Here I declare that I am voluntarily relinquishing my right to the distribution of the cross and will instead use other treasures. Now, please state your opinions."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he sat down. He was the host of this meeting, but also an outsider, and he wanted to see what the outcome would be.

Since everyone is unarmed, it doesn't matter if there's a fight.

Roberto Kerr was the first to speak up: "I think it should be decided based on everyone's faith. I am a Baptist."

At his suggestion, everyone shared their religious affiliation.

Indiana is an Episcopal Church member, so he chose to send the cross to Trinity Church in Manhattan, New York.

The Weimar soldiers were not all from one sect; some were Catholic, while others were Protestant.

It's fair to say that this suggestion was not good; in fact, it made things more complicated.

Subsequently, a heated argument broke out between the two sides.

The debate remained unresolved, with neither side willing to give up.

Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang watched from the side.

Lin Shuiwang said in a low voice, "It's really not easy to decide where a deity should settle down. In my hometown, inviting a deity is not something to be done haphazardly."

Fang Wen had a sudden thought: if nowhere is good, why not build a new church and enshrine it there?

He voiced his idea.

The argument immediately stopped.

This suggestion seems feasible.

Following his own train of thought, Fang Wen continued, "If you are all so devout in your faith, why not build a church together and put the True Cross inside? It doesn't represent any particular sect; it's a sacred relic left behind by Jesus, so that those who believe in Jesus can all venerate it. If you agree, I'm willing to give up 10% of the profits to invest in the construction of this church."

Everyone fell silent, then began to discuss amongst themselves in hushed tones.

Indiana stated, "Roberto Kerr and I agree to donate ten percent of our share." The Weimar officer echoed this sentiment: "We also agree to donate ten percent to build a church to house the True Cross. The question is, where?"

The discussion was about to continue.

Fang Wen quickly stopped him: "Gentlemen, where to build it is something you need to discuss later. I must return to Europe as soon as possible, and after the profits are distributed, I will return to Asia. What we need to do now is find some bags, pack everything up, and tonight I will transport the first batch of treasure back to Paris."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The goods would only be truly obtained once they reached Europe; talking too much now would be pointless.

Therefore, after daybreak, some people went to the nearby city of Van and bought back a large number of canvas bags.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning, sorting, and packing.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was also inspecting the Ford three-engine aircraft and filling it with fuel.

Evening arrived before we knew it.

Fang Wen and Lin Shuiwang removed the cover from the Ford III engine.

Others carried canvas bags out of the room one by one.

First, weigh the bag and record the weight and number on the label at the top of the canvas bag.

After completing the boarding process, I carefully placed it in the cabin.

The items in each bag were different, and their weights were also different. Lin Shuiwang calculated the total weight in the cabin, and once the weight limit of the aircraft was reached, he immediately reported to Fang Wen.

"Sir, it already weighs 2000 kilograms."

The Ford Tri-Engine has a payload capacity of 2.5 tons, and the remaining space is needed for two escorts.

Fang Wen spoke up to stop the loading: "That's enough. How much is left?"

Indiana ran back to his room, then came out to tally the numbers: "Only three bags. The problem is, how are we going to get the crosses back on the next trip?"

This is indeed a tricky problem; the cross is much wider than the boarding gate, so it simply won't fit.

Fang Wen replied, "After we get back, I'll spend money to have the hatch modified and the seats removed, so don't worry about that. Now, who's going back with me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Roberto Kerr and the Weimar officer who spoke English stepped forward.

They were ready long ago.

Immediately, the two followed Fang Wen into the plane, and the Ford III accelerated on the road, laboriously climbing into the air.

At takeoff, the weight reached a critical point, which seemed a bit risky, but once in the air, it didn't have much of an impact.

Under the cover of darkness, the plane flew northwest.

The journey from Lake Van to Paris is 3000 kilometers.

This time, it will not land in Istanbul, but will fly directly over the Black Sea, passing through Bucharest in Romania and Budapest in Hungary, before landing at a farm south of Vienna.

It took 10 hours to arrive in Vienna at 3 a.m. local time.

The deal was completed again with the people at the farm, and the oxcart, carrying large tanks of fuel, refueled the plane.

After being filled with fuel, the Ford three-engine engine took off again.

They flew from the darkness of night to the rising of the sun.

Six hours later, the plane appeared over Paris and landed on the runway of the Farman aircraft manufacturing plant on the outskirts of the city.

The Farman executives, who had been arranged in advance, came to greet us and rented a truck on our behalf.

After loading thirty canvas bags onto the truck, Fang Wen drove it while the other two climbed into the cargo bed, and they drove into Paris.

The truck drove straight into the Île-de-France region in the heart of Paris.

It is a gathering place for many art collectors and the art trading center of Paris.

It boasts the best personal effects safekeeping companies, as well as agencies that offer on-site appraisals and auctions.

The truck stopped outside a classic house, and Roberto Kerr entered the house accompanied by an English-speaking officer, while Fang Wen stayed in the truck to wait.

After the two went inside for a while, Roberto Kerr used the contact information Indiana had given him to find an auction house manager.

This auction house also operates a private valuables safekeeping business, which allows it to complete the valuation and safekeeping of items, as well as the signing of insurance contracts.

Subsequently, ten auction house security guards came downstairs and, under the watchful eyes of Roberto Kerr and the Weimar officers, carried 30 canvas bags to the second floor.

Once everything was moved, the auction house appraisers began to open the canvas bags one by one and examine the items inside.

The moment the first canvas bag was opened, the appraisers gasped in surprise.

They put on special microscopes, carefully examined each object, and gave their evaluations.

“This is an antiquity in the Byzantine style, and my goodness, it even has the mark of Emperor Basil II on it.”

"There are also Armenian-style decorations, which are quite rare."

The auction house manager said eagerly, "If we can auction these items at our auction house, it will definitely attract a lot of collectors' attention. These items are very rare. We can reduce some of the storage fees."

Fang Wen and the other two exchanged glances and reached a tacit understanding: it's best to convert wealth into cash; holding onto it for too long can lead to unforeseen problems and it's also difficult to preserve.

They came with this intention in mind.

But not yet; the auction can only proceed once all members have returned to Paris.

Therefore, an agreement was made with the auction house to hold the event a week later. Previews can be conducted now, but the provenance of these auction items must be kept confidential.

In response, the auction house manager patted his chest and guaranteed that there would be no leaks, as their business relies on credibility.

Storage and insurance fees were paid, and all items were moved into the vault under the supervision of a third party, the insurance company.

With the matter settled, Fang Wen and two others drove back to the aircraft manufacturing plant in a truck, carrying a stack of documents.

There, Fang Wen discussed with Farman executives that he was willing to pay a considerable fee to convert the boarding doors of the Ford Tri-Engine into sliding doors, so that the opening of the boarding door could pass through the cross. In addition, all the seats in the cabin would be removed.

For an old aircraft that was about to be phased out, as long as there was money to be made, there was no problem. The people of Farman readily agreed and immediately arranged for workers to modify it.

During this time, Fang Wen and his two companions grabbed a quick bite to eat inside the factory and then rested in the hangar.

Half a day later, with a hefty reward, the workers completed the renovation of the hangar door.

Fang Wen was also woken up to conduct the inspection.

The sliding door can be opened to a width of 3 meters from left to right, almost creating an opening on one side, and all the seats inside have been removed.

This width is enough to fit a cross, and with the Ford's three-engine internal structure that is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, the cross can even be laid flat in the cabin.

With this modification, there shouldn't be any problems with subsequent transportation.

After nightfall, the plane took off again and returned to Lake Van along the original route.

After returning to Lake Van, the treasure-hunting team members, who had been waiting all day, asked their teammates about what they had seen and heard in Paris. When they learned that the auction would take place in a week, they were overjoyed.

It's time to rest and wait during the day again.

At night, everyone wrapped their hands in cloth and carefully carried the cross out of the room and into the cabin.

This time, everyone will go back together. To ensure the carrying weight, all the supplies brought, including diving suits, will be sunk into the lake to destroy the evidence.

Then, everyone carefully climbed onto the plane, crouched down in the four areas separated by the cross, and flew to Paris, the land of hope and wealth.

(End of this chapter)