Liu Xing’an’s expression grew serious. "These silks and trinkets are not the most important things in this small kingdom. Legend has it that the kingdom's most precious treasure is a stone that fell from the sky."
Qin He nodded. "A meteorite? Meteorites aren't considered that valuable."
Meteorites were common on Earth, but considering that the Wanfanglun was a book from the Song Dynasty, the gold thread patterns were in the interlayer and showed no signs of later alteration.
It seemed ancient artisans had put in a lot of effort, and these gold thread patterns must have been very important to them.
Liu Xing’an chuckled. "Perhaps it was a meteorite, but the stone is said to be incredibly magnificent and shimmered with all sorts of colors."
Qin He found it increasingly mythical the more she heard. "And then?"
"Then it's said that the stone could cure all diseases, and the king of the small kingdom lived to be over a hundred years old thanks to this stone."
Liu Xing’an smiled. "In an era where the average lifespan was forty to fifty years, this wasn't just longevity; it was practically a legend."
Qin He chuckled. "Why would anyone believe such a legend?"
Liu Xing’an pointed to the side, to the drawings Qin He had copied. "It's a legend, but after seeing these drawings, do you really think it's just a legend?"
Qin He fell silent.
Rumors about meteorites curing cancer, curing all diseases, had been circulating online for years.
She had a strong feeling that this was something the museum curator had fabricated.
"Then this pattern is—"
Liu Xing’an nodded. "It's said that the small kingdom met with disaster because of this treasure and was attacked by a larger power at the time. The king of the small kingdom hid the stone, and to make it easier for his descendants to find it, he left behind these patterns."
Qin He paused. "I still think the museum curator made it up."
"It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, but I only saw this pattern once back then and thought it was too bizarre to pay much attention to."
Liu Xing’an mused, "Until I saw you drawing this pattern again, and considering what's been happening to you lately, He'er, have you gotten into trouble because of this?"
Qin He pursed her lips. "No."
"The museum's description said this meteorite was both auspicious and inauspicious. It was a stone, yet incredibly magnificent. And its texture was unlike stone; it seemed alive, very soft, and could be stretched and deformed. It was said to cure all diseases, yet the small kingdom was destroyed because of it." Liu Xing’an sighed.
Qin He frowned deeply. She didn't believe in myths, but now she was sure of one thing: the Lev organization must be after this stone, and that's why they wanted to obtain the gold thread patterns from the Wanfanglun. These gold thread patterns were the clue to finding the miraculous meteorite.
Qin He looked at Gu Qichen. "What do you think?"
The man pursed his lips. "Mythical stories have never been in short supply throughout history."
They stayed at the Liu family's for a while before Qin He excused herself, claiming a date with Gu Qichen.
Exiting the Siheyuan, Qin He got into her car. Gu Qichen had Yu Jing drive his car away and got into Qin He's car as well.
"Shen Yizong doesn't seem like a foolish person. How could he possibly believe such a story?" Qin He frowned, looking at Gu Qichen. Lost ancient kingdoms did exist, but they were rare. Yet, countless rumors had been fabricated on the internet.
Gu Qichen pursed his lips. "Perhaps such a place did exist. After all, the patterns are there. But the supposed predecessor of the small kingdom might have just been a city or county in present-day Hua Nation."
Qin He thought the same. She smiled. "A lost ancient small kingdom, a meteorite, a long-lived monarch, a nation destroyed for possessing a treasure – I find this story preposterous, but what exactly made Shen Yizong believe it? Or perhaps, what made Cang Ying believe it before, and Shen Yizong still didn't give up later. There must be something we don't know here."
Gu Qichen nodded. "With a story, at least there's a trail to follow."
Qin He remembered her master saying that the meteorite was as large as a tiger, which was why it seemed alive. Its texture was soft, and it could be stretched.
Something flashed through Qin He's mind like lightning, and she froze. "Gu Qichen—"
"En?"
"Do you know of Californium?"
Gu Qichen frowned slightly. "What is that?"
Qin He felt she was getting closer to the truth. Cang Ying and Shen Yizong didn't believe in myths at all. Like her, they had obtained another piece of information through the myth. The information gap between ancient and modern times allowed them to recognize that the so-called stone that fell from the sky was a piece of Californium as large as a tiger!
Qin He pursed her lips. "Someone once estimated Californium at two hundred million per gram."
Silence fell in the car. If it were such a stone, at two hundred million per gram, what would a piece of Californium as large as a tiger represent? Both of them were shocked!
Qin He continued to Gu Qichen, "Californium is an extremely rare element. It can indeed be used to treat cancer. Californium can also be synthesized artificially. The price of artificial synthesis, converted to Hua Nation's currency, is about one hundred and ninety million per gram. The global reserves of this substance are currently very low. It usually appears in uranium ore. Californium is formed after some decay of uranium."
Gu Qichen frowned slightly. "Why do you suspect the meteorite is Californium?"
Qin He took a deep breath and looked at Gu Qichen. "Californium is insoluble in water, and the state of this element changes in different environments. But when it's pure metal, its texture is very soft and can be stretched!" This perfectly matched Liu Xing’an's description of it seeming alive. Ancient people seeing a stone behave like that, with such magical properties, would naturally consider it a living divine stone. Although there was a mythical aura, Qin He still clenched her fist. This stone containing a massive amount of Californium probably existed in reality! Otherwise, where would the patterns come from?
A tiger weighs around three hundred kilograms, and the density of stone is several times that of a tiger. And when Californium prices were at their peak, they were once hyped to ten billion dollars per gram. Although it's not that exaggerated now, at two hundred million per gram, a thousand to two thousand pounds would indeed be like a myth.
Qin He's voice trembled slightly. "Does such a thing really exist? Two hundred million per gram, two hundred billion per jin, and if it's a thousand jin—"
Qin He and Gu Qichen exchanged a look. This would explain why the Lev organization was willing to take such a huge risk, even offending the Qin, Gu, Xu, and Ming families— Forty trillion— The richest person in the world's net worth is only over seven hundred billion. The total deposits of all people in Hua Nation are around two hundred and thirty trillion. Qin He felt she was going mad. "If it's truly such a large piece of Californium, only a major country could afford it."
Qin He looked at Gu Qichen. "Do you think it's possible?" The astronomical figure made their hearts pound. Both of them fell silent. The Lev organization's actions and their purpose became clear.
Gu Qichen said, "It might not be the stone you're describing."
Qin He closed her eyes. "But it's too similar, the description is too accurate." Forty trillion, and the description is eighty percent similar, which is worth a gamble. Binding together the Qin, Gu, Ming, and Xu families, all their companies combined, wouldn't be as valuable as this stone.