"No need to talk about the assets I already have. Just the shares I own in Jiangshan Era, if I put them out for sale right now, don't you think I could easily get tens of billions?"
Professor Zhou usually looked calm and gentle, like a polite scholar. No one expected him to argue with Elder Zhou.
"Alright, alright, Old Zhou, she's one of our own," someone nearby stepped in to calm things down.
Sophia and Amelia both opened their eyes wide and looked at each other.
Amelia just found out that her teacher was one of the shareholders of Jiangshan Era.
Since younger people were present, the two elders didn't continue arguing.
Elder Zhou turned his back, still upset. Professor Zhou calmly adjusted his glasses.
He looked at Sophia and said in a peaceful tone, "I'll offer one point five billion."
"I'll offer one point six billion," said Elder Qin.
Professor Zhou was determined. "One point eight billion."
The bidding was now in the billions. Besides Elder Zhou, no one else could casually increase the price like that.
After Professor Zhou spoke, no one else raised the price.
One point eight billion was not just the highest price for a painting. It was even higher than the most expensive antique ever sold in the country, which was only one point two billion.
This offer was at least three to five hundred million more than the actual value.
Professor Zhou really liked the painting. He didn't care as much about its value.
He had once tried to buy a plum blossom painting by Wang Quanan, but he hesitated and missed the chance.
This time, he was going to make sure he got it.
The next paintings were also rare and lost works.
Everyone unknowingly stopped eating and focused on the paintings.
It took almost two hours to finish bidding on all eleven paintings.
Besides Professor Zhou, Elder Zhou bought every painting he liked, no matter who else wanted it.
Elder Zhou bought five paintings in total, spending two billion. Elder Qin bought two paintings for seven hundred million. The others each got one painting, costing one point eight billion, three hundred million, three hundred sixty million, and four hundred ten million.
Professor Zhou's painting was clearly overpriced, making it the highest of all. Otherwise, he might have bought more.
Right then, the buyers arranged to transfer the money to Sophia.
Sophia earned a total of five point five seven billion from selling the eleven paintings.
She had already guessed the number while half-listening to their conversations, but she was still surprised that it was even higher than she thought.
Right now, she really wanted to send a message to General Yves and tell him, if he needed anything, just let her know.
Everyone got what they wanted and looked satisfied, but they also looked tired.
"Sophia, it's getting late. We should go back to the hotel and rest. If you're free tomorrow, let's have a meal together."
Sophia thought about it and nodded.
She got up to walk them out.
After they left, she contacted her bank manager and asked if he could recommend a company that installs security systems.
She wanted to set one up in her three-story villa.
She planned to store all the valuable things there.
She also wanted to install a simple one in the warehouse next to it.
Sophia had already taken a shower and was lying on her massage chair, enjoying herself while replying to messages.
When the bank manager sent her the contact information, she finally got up and went to bed.
General Ulric led his men out of the city, riding fast and checking the map that General Yves had given him.
They were heading to a deserted land near the border of King Chen's territory.
They followed the map, and General Ulric quickly led his men to a flat open field and into a cluster of trees and shrubs.
"The sun is strong now. Everyone, find a place and rest here for a bit," he said.
They had been marching since early morning, and by now, the sun was high above them. General Ulric ordered the group to stop and take a break.
The soldiers were more than ready. They eagerly took out food from the bags tied to their horses.
They all sat down on the ground, holding the food and water they had been given, unsure how to open them.
Watching General Ulric tear the packaging and twist open a bottle cap, they followed his lead and soon figured it out.
"General, were these food and water given to us by the Celestial Lord?" one of the cavalry officers under Ulric asked.
Many had heard stories about how the Celestial Lord protected their nation, and how, during the country's hardest times, he had sent food, water, and many other supplies. Some even said he had once saved the life of the Commander.
But there had never been clear answers, and today the lower-ranked soldiers finally had the chance to ask.
Before Ulric could respond, those who had already opened the compressed biscuits and started drinking the water began praising them.
"This stuff tastes like soybean residue, but it smells even better."
"It's better than the pastries from Guihua Workshop!"
"This water tastes sweet!"
"The Celestial Lord is too good to us!"
"General Ulric, do you know which god is watching over us? Why haven't we heard of him before?"
Hearing these words, General Ulric felt deeply moved.
"Yes, the Celestial Lord gave us these gifts. Back during the battle in Chu, we ran out of supplies. We had fought deep into enemy territory, and the people of Chu had hidden all the food. Our Commander was seriously wounded then, with a high fever that wouldn't go down. The army doctors tried everything, but nothing worked. Just then, the Celestial Lord sent us a medicine."
"It was just a tiny pill. But after the Commander took it, he woke up within half an hour."
As he spoke, Ulric's eyes showed reverence—almost a kind of worship.
The others became quiet as they listened.
"General, I heard the Commander even sent water back to our capital?"
"That's true," Ulric nodded. "The water we sent is enough for the capital to use for a while."
These men were far from home, fighting in a war where their lives were always at risk. Most had accepted that they might never return. The only thing they still cared about was their families back home.
Hearing that the Commander had sent water back to the capital made them all emotional. Their eyes turned red, and they knelt on the ground, bowing toward the direction where General Yves was.
"Thank you, Celestial Lord! Thank you, Commander!"
They ate the salty, fragrant compressed biscuits and drank water. Even though they didn't eat much, they felt full.
They all carried limited rations and dared not eat too much.
"These compressed biscuits are really strange. Normally, I need three big bowls of rice to feel full. Today, just one tiny piece made me feel stuffed."
"Yeah, I thought I was the only one!"
The group started talking and laughing about it.
Some said it casually, but others took note. Hearing everyone say the same thing made General Ulric remember it.
After the meal, they found some shade to rest in.
About half an hour later, both the people and horses had rested enough. They set off again.
As they moved forward, General Ulric had someone record the surrounding terrain.