mtl008 Chapter 4591 The Day of Brightest Day (5)
Chapter 4591 The Day of Brightest Day (5)
Chapter 4591 The Day of Brightest Light (50)
Michigan, located in the Great Lakes region of the United States, faces Canada across the lakes and is also known as the "Lake State." The famous city of Detroit is located in Michigan, while Midway, situated east of Sault Ste. Mary and on the south bank of the St. Marys River, is a picturesque town. Because of its abundance of water, it is also called an "island in the Great Lakes," renowned for its beautiful natural scenery and cultural heritage.
Midway City consistently ranks among the top tourist destinations in the Great Lakes region. Besides its abundant waterways, making it a paradise for anglers, it also boasts the Midway Museum's vast collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts, particularly those from the 19th Dynasty—one of the most prosperous dynasties in ancient Egypt. Numerous research institutes and groups have been established around the museum, making significant contributions to the investigation and analysis of ancient Egyptian history.
When Deathstroke first heard this argument, he was speechless. You steal someone's artifacts and then claim you've contributed to the investigation of their history—isn't that a bit too shameless? But later he learned that many ancient Egyptian artifacts scattered around the world weren't necessarily stolen; some were given away voluntarily.
As is well known, the ancient Egyptians are long extinct. Modern Egyptians are neither related to nor inherit their culture. Modern Egypt belongs to Arab civilization and practices Islam. However, much of ancient Egyptian history and culture is inextricably linked to mythology. This results in very limited historical and cultural research that can be conducted within Egypt itself.
The ancient Egyptian civilization left behind so much history and artifacts, leaving a profound mark on human history, that countless scholars want to study this period. However, Egypt's current situation is contradictory: it needs ancient Egyptian culture to attract tourists, yet religious restrictions prevent its public promotion. Therefore, they devised a solution: collaborative research.
The ancient Egyptians had a great love for recording things and were also highly accomplished in the arts, resulting in an abundance of ancient Egyptian artifacts—a rare treasure trove in human history. Therefore, the Egyptian authorities frequently lend these artifacts to others for research. This allows them to cultivate good relationships with scholars from various countries, strengthen their international influence, and avoid criticism from the Arab world—a rather effective solution.
Scholars from different countries also have different research focuses. Clearly, American scholars prefer to study the 19th Dynasty, arguably one of the most glorious dynasties of ancient Egyptian civilization. Ramses the Great was a brilliant military strategist, lived a long life, and was deeply loved by the ancient Egyptians. Because of its global influence, the United States received the largest slice of the pizza.
The center for the study of ancient Egyptian culture in the United States is located in Midway City, Michigan. No wonder Diana sent Deathstroke there. A street sign near the Midway City Museum fell down, hitting ten people; nine of them would be experts on ancient Egyptian artifacts.
Deathstroke's feelings were complicated. On one hand, he felt a sense of schadenfreude: "Serves you right for forging artifacts, you've run into a real expert!" On the other hand, he was worried that Schiller would be exposed. Because, as Schiller had said, things had come to this point, the artifacts had to be genuine, otherwise everyone's efforts would have been in vain, including Deathstroke himself.
It's worth noting that Deathstroke also contributed to retrieving the mural. Although Diana didn't explicitly say so, her attitude clearly showed she appreciated the favor. Otherwise, it's hard to expect a superhero to have a friendly attitude towards mercenaries who kill for money. This was the first time Deathstroke had received such a positive response from members of the Justice League.
But if the whole thing gets exposed, Deathstroke will become an accomplice, causing trouble for the Justice League when they were most anxious, and they'll definitely hold a grudge against him. It will be difficult for him to operate in the United States again in the future.
Deathstroke began to consider whether to secretly assassinate the expert. However, there were other experts around; killing one would only create a bunch more. This situation was truly difficult to manage.
He decided to observe Dr. Hall first, hoping to find some leverage against him. If he could threaten him into changing his story, that would be ideal. If not, he'd have to think of other methods.
Deathstroke's anxiety didn't last long. As he reached the balcony outside the second-floor window of the Midway City Museum, intending to observe the manager's office, he saw a strangely familiar figure walk into it.
"Good afternoon, Dr. Hall." Schiller, dressed in a light yellow-green casual suit with his hair neatly combed back, stepped forward and shook hands with the man in front of him.
"You're finally back." The man addressed as Dr. Hall was tall, dark-skinned, and had a resolute face; he looked more like a warrior than a doctor. He shook Schiller's hand firmly and led him to the sofa in the reception area. "Was the plan going smoothly?"
"Of course. Those damned thieves should have learned their lesson. However, your old nemesis Haivin is too cunning. He resigned as director of the Cairo Museum and ran away during the chaos of Cairo's reopening."
“That’s enough,” Dr. Hall said, resting his hands on the armrests and crossing one leg. “Over the years, he has destroyed and sold countless ancient Egyptian artifacts. If we don’t teach him a lesson, he will become even more unscrupulous. Mr. Rodriguez, if it weren’t for you, we would have been in real danger this time.”
Schiller chuckled and lowered his head. He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said, "Actually, I'm quite surprised that you agreed to this plan."
"Why?" Dr. Hall asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I know you’re a true scholar who values historical research. Forging artifacts is still a bit…”
“Oh no, my friend,” Dr. Hall shook his head and said, “Why is it that those guys who have no respect for history and culture can steal everything by despicable means, while we can’t deal with them with some little tricks? In any case, no real artifacts were damaged, and Haivin has already learned his lesson. That’s enough.”
“This is all thanks to you,” Schiller said. “I only came up with a plan. It was you who used your expertise to create the incredibly realistic ‘Serpent of Frini,’ otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to fool Haivin.”
“Ha, that guy.” Dr. Hall’s tone was full of disdain. “Back in the University of Zurich, he was a good-for-nothing scoundrel. I dare say he couldn’t even tell you how many pharaohs there were in Egypt. He would treasure anything that looked like an ancient Egyptian artifact. It’s the easiest thing in the world to fool him.”
“I certainly witnessed firsthand how unprofessional he was on this trip,” Schiller said, shaking his head. “That Hessinger was quite capable; he tricked him and took the mural. Guess where he hid it?”
"Oh, where is he hiding?" Dr. Hall seemed very interested.
"Tutankhamun Exhibition Hall!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
After Schiller finished speaking, Dr. Hall burst into laughter. He patted the armrest and said, "That arms dealer knows him quite well. The last time this guy inspected the exhibition hall was probably the year he took office, at least 15 years ago. Putting the murals in the upstairs exhibition hall was a brilliant scheme. If you don't go looking for them, he won't find them even if he searches until the next century!"
The two men teased Haivin for a while longer. Dr. Hall recounted many embarrassing incidents from his university days, then added, "What happened to that French arms dealer?"
“You know I can’t do anything to him,” Schiller said, shaking his head. “He’s backed by France’s largest arms manufacturer and the French government. Otherwise, how could he have secured so many cultural relic transfer contracts in such a short time? But thanks to him, our plan was able to proceed.”
“This is all thanks to you, Mr. Rodriguez, and your extensive experience. I couldn’t find someone like you anywhere,” Dr. Hall sighed. “Our operation will at least quiet the field of ancient Egyptian artifact research for a few years. But only a few years.”
“We didn’t pay any price, did we?” Schiller said. “Aside from the time it took to make fake artifacts and the fact that going to Cairo delayed some of my business, it wasn’t a very high price to pay. A few years of peace and quiet in return is already quite good.”
“You’re right. I’m being a bit sentimental,” Dr. Hall said. “I think you can understand. I’ve spent most of my life working with these artifacts, each one carrying a fascinating history. I don’t want any of them to be harmed, but there are always people like Haivin…”
"Have you considered that perhaps this plan could be taken to a more advanced level?"
"Oh?"
“We simply created a fake artifact that looked convincing, and with your endorsement, even seasoned veterans like Hessinger and Haivin were fooled. This proves that professionals like you are a minority; most people lack the ability to distinguish the real from the fake.”
Dr. Hall narrowed his eyes: "Tell me more."
“Look, you professional scholars need real artifacts for historical research. But those who hire antique dealers to steal artifacts only need them to decorate their collections. They don’t care about the authenticity of the artifacts, they only care about how much money they are worth, don’t they?”
“I understand,” Dr. Hall said. “They want artifacts, so we’ll give them artifacts, as many as they want.”
“That’s right. This project proves that creating a fake artifact that can fool them is not difficult at all. As a world-renowned expert in ancient Egyptian artifacts, as long as you give some hints, even a fake can look real. Let them play with those modern handicrafts, while you keep the real artifacts for research. That’s the best approach.”
Dr. Hall tapped his hand lightly on the armrest. He said with a hint of worry, “It’s unethical to use my expertise for this, but I’m really fed up with those greedy antiquities dealers! Like I told you before, antiquities theft has become increasingly rampant in recent months; the Midway Museum alone had 16 cases in one month. When will this ever end!”
"Doctor, the key to this matter isn't morality. Like you said, why can they use dirty tricks to steal cultural relics, while we can't fight back?"
"So you think the key lies in..."
"There are risks in passing off fakes as genuine," Schiller said. "Laymen like us simply can't tell which is real and which is fake. While mixing fake artifacts in might attract their attention, what if it affects the research on cultural relics..."
"You don't need to worry about that. I can tell which one is real and which one is fake at a glance."
"Of course I'm not worried about that. But cultural and historical research is a long-term endeavor. After you pass away, where will we find an expert like you to distinguish cultural relics? Won't we be unable to tell the real from the fake by then?"
“You don’t need to do that…” Hall seemed to want to say something, but suddenly stopped and changed his words, “I mean, I can pass on my knowledge to my children. They will become experts like me. We will always have the ability to distinguish between genuine and fake artifacts.”
Schiller nodded and said, “That makes things easier. However, whether this plan will remain effective remains to be seen. Starting large-scale mass production directly is probably too risky. Perhaps we should start with the ‘Snake of Frinier’ first.”
"what do you mean……"