69novels Chapter 51 Jewelry Showcase
Chapter 51 Jewelry Showcase
After the kidnapping, Luo Qiu finally had a few days of peaceful life.
Most of the time, he stayed at 108 Lockston Street, watching Smith explain security work to a group of new recruits.
Occasionally, after returning to the investigation bureau, he would go and check on the pebble to see if it was still in the same place.
Alicia's existence and the information he obtained from the kidnapping case made him realize that the supernatural world was now much more complicated.
Originally, after seeing the church's luxurious decorations, he thought this world was still the one where the Free Alliance overthrew the church order. But those three extraordinary individuals clearly stated that they were working for the 'Academy'.
If the hunting team belongs to the "Academy," then in a sense, the Academy should be the force behind Fog City.
Fog City is the center of federal power, so the academy is very likely...
In addition to the 'Academy' and the Free Alliance, the Church should also be an independent force. The force represented by Alicia is also likely an independent party, and probably has little connection with the Church.
Of course, these are all his analyses. And even if he guessed them all correctly, it wouldn't help his current situation.
He won't encounter someone like Bias in the Freedom Alliance, and even if he did, he most likely wouldn't choose to join.
Other factions are probably not a good choice either.
If he chooses to go it alone, he still lacks some means to conceal himself. It would be too dangerous for someone above Sequence 3 to notice something is wrong.
Unfortunately, the "cell phone" does not offer any magic for concealing oneself.
After considering it for a few days, Luo Qiu decided to wait for the right time.
If what those three people said is true, the extraordinary seeds in Fog City will become active in a little over a month, and then he might have a chance to fish in troubled waters.
As for now...
"Senior, time's up."
"what?"
Luo Qiu was lounging on the sofa in the exhibition hall's rest area, legs crossed, thinking about something, when she suddenly heard someone speaking in her ear.
Looking up, he saw someone beside him—it was Smith.
"The jewelry for the exhibition hall has arrived. You said you would let me know."
"Oh, I see. Let's go take a look."
It was already the fourth day that Luo Qiu had assisted with security work.
The showroom renovations were completed two days prior, and the security training was barely passable thanks to Smith's diligent efforts.
Today's plan is to await the arrival of Livep's guests and witness together the moment when the jewelry is placed in the display case.
Luo Qiu followed Smith to the center of the exhibition hall and immediately spotted Mr. Hammond. The guest hadn't arrived yet; instead, he was surrounded by several burly men in black, one of whom was carrying a safe.
The alloy box was not yet opened, but it was safe to assume that it contained the three million worth of jewelry.
"Mr. Hammond?"
"Detective Luo Qiu, we're counting on you now. This batch of jewelry will be here for the next two weeks."
Upon seeing Luo Qiu, Hammond approached him, patted him on the shoulder, and then whispered in his ear:
"Just to be on the safe side, I'm posting this on the black market; I'm sure someone will be interested."
"Oh?"
……
"Let me introduce this star sapphire brooch, a latest creation from the Sebastian Jewelry Workshop. The highest level of gem cutting technology available today ensures that the star lines are in the exact center of the gemstone. Moreover, to create a floating effect, micro-pave setting is used, making the prongs almost invisible."
"Worth 4.5 kroner."
Hammond put in a lot of effort for this exhibition. The first blue box was taken out of the safe, and before it was even opened, he fluently introduced what was inside.
The Sebastian Jewelry Workshop—the name must be quite famous in the gem world for it to be mentioned on this occasion.
Even if some of the onlookers didn't understand, they still understood what the number 4.5 represented.
The moment the brooch was revealed, the light from the ceiling shone on it, making the sapphire shine brightly, and the people around couldn't help but nod in agreement.
Of course, this does not change the fact that a crowd was gathered at the entrance of the exhibition hall.
Walk four meters from the entrance of the exhibition hall, and the first inconspicuous display case you see is where this brooch will end up.
Luo Qiu was also in the crowd. After glancing at the brooch, she began to quietly observe everyone's behavior.
Those who gather here are either jewelry merchants or jewelry collectors, or at the very least, they have some connection with the precious metals industry.
In Luo Qiu's view, some of these people should have some connection to the extraordinary. He wanted to gather more information about the extraordinary world, so he naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass him by.
Unfortunately, none of them behaved abnormally.
Agent Smith, who was standing to the side, blushed when he saw the brooch.
Some of the young detectives couldn't resist the allure of money.
"...The fourteenth exhibit is a gold pocket watch from the Poli Kingdom, with an openwork surface and inlaid enamel paintings. Judging from its craftsmanship, it was made during the height of the Poli Kingdom's history, but unfortunately, its provenance has been lost, and there is no clear indication of which family it came from..."
"Worth 300,000 roncos."
Half an hour later, Hammond led the group to a location near the center of the exhibition hall.
The pocket watch, worth 300,000 langs, was clearly not the highlight of the exhibition, but many people had already lost their composure and started whispering among themselves.
The gold pocket watch, from the Poli dynasty, is worth 300,000 now, and in a few years, it might be worth 400,000.
This kind of item has enormous potential for appreciation, and there's absolutely no inflated value; it's not like the kind of thing that opened high and then plummeted in value. Seeing this, many customers have already believed in Livermore's sincerity.
However, when Hammond opened the combination lock on the display case and carefully placed the gold pocket watch on the display stand, Luo Qiu was stunned.
He accidentally saw the red light again.
It was a pocket watch, and the red light was clearly very strong, a concentration that could boost his mental strength by more than 4 points.
Upon seeing the red light, Luo Qiu frowned.
This task is difficult.
Another extraordinary event has occurred; things are unlikely to remain peaceful afterward.
In addition, he began to look at Smith with suspicion.
There seems to be something wrong with my partner. How many extraordinary events have I encountered since we started working together?
Could it be...
"Ladies and gentlemen, having seen this far, I believe your impression of Livep should have changed. But now, please allow me to introduce the most important exhibit of this show..."
While Luo Qiu was deep in thought, Mr. Hammond had already stood next to the central display case.
The safe had been taken away by the bodyguards, and the guests gathered a meter away from the display case, looking at the box Hammond was holding up.
The next moment, the box opened, and an even more intense red light flashed in Luo Qiu's pupils.
"A ruby worth a million rank, from the crown once worn by Ambrosius III during the reign of King Northumbria..."
……