"A stone was hollowed out, an object was hidden inside, and then it was completely sealed up again."

Wang Guan analyzed, "But because the craftsmanship of the object was poor, and it had been sitting in a high noble's collection room, it was never truly valued, so everyone assumed no one could detect the flaw."

"More importantly, the method of concealment was extremely clever."

Old Qian commented, "If it hadn't been for the baptism of long years causing the concrete powder to change and begin showing a grainy texture, I wouldn't have easily discovered the flaw."

"However…" At that moment, Old Qian expressed surprise, "The object isn't even unwrapped, how are you so certain it contains a rare treasure? It might just be ordinary gold or silver bricks."

"Intuition."

Wang Guan didn't hesitate, "The moment I discovered the flaw in the object, I had a strong premonition that something valuable was hidden inside. It was this feeling that made me unable to hold back, coupled with my own reluctance to linger in a foreign land, that made me run back directly."

"Impulsive," Old Qian shook his head slightly, though without blame. Instead, he motioned for Wang Guan to bring tools, preparing to pry open the base plate to see what was concealed within.

Wang Guan considered this and went directly to fetch a power drill.

The stone was quite hard, so smashing it was out of the question; cutting it made angle control difficult, so drilling seemed the best approach.

After securing the object, Wang Guan began drilling holes around the edges.

As the drill spun, dust flew, and the results were remarkably effective. In moments, the concrete granules covering the base plate naturally fractured.

Knowing this was the critical juncture, he dared not be careless, carefully and meticulously cleaning away the broken particles.

Soon, Wang Guan saw something wrapped in coarse cloth. Because the object was sealed, the fiber structure of the cloth had not decayed and still retained some resilience. Wang Guan tugged, and the coarse cloth did not break; instead, it slowly helped him draw the object out piece by piece.

"Old Qian, look."

Despite having an inkling of what it might be, seeing the object in his hands brought a joyful smile to Wang Guan's face. He quickly handed it over, inviting Old Qian to appraise it personally.

"You can do it yourself…" While saying this, Old Qian still accepted the object. He composed himself slightly, then steadily peeled back the coarse cloth with his palms.

After unwrapping two or three layers, the concealed item was finally revealed in its entirety before their eyes.

"Ah!" Upon looking, Old Qian was greatly astonished.

The object was a cup—a Western-style cup with a round rim, a deep, long bowl, and a very tall foot, clearly distinct from Chinese cups. However, setting aside the shape, the material was the main point.

Old Qian gently touched it and felt the material was not pottery, nor porcelain, nor metal, but stone. Yet, the stone cup did not carry the weight he expected; on the contrary, it felt somewhat light. Furthermore, as he handled it, Old Qian found the stone cup exceedingly fine, completely lacking any roughness, instead possessing a warm, jade-like smoothness that surprised and intrigued him.

"Old Qian, what do you think of this cup?" Wang Guan asked simultaneously. "It feels like a Communion chalice from the Church."

The Eucharist is an important rite for Christians. The Bible records that on the night before his crucifixion, Jesus shared the Passover meal with his twelve disciples; thus, Communion is observed to commemorate the Lord Jesus’ death, involving the sharing of bread and wine. The bread and grape juice symbolize the Lord’s body and blood; to eat this bread and drink this cup signifies participating in the Lord's body and blood and receiving all his benefits in grace. In any case, it was a religious ritual Wang Guan had witnessed, and the chalice seemed very similar to this stone cup.

"Communion… cup." At that moment, Old Qian frowned slightly, falling into unconscious thought, his hands unconsciously turning the cup over. A moment later, he seemed to detect a clue. His hand, which had been touching the cup, paused, and then he deliberately flipped the base over.

"Ah!" After a glance, Old Qian started, then his eyes showed a mixture of confusion and disbelief, as if encountering something inexplicable.

"Old Qian, have you found something?" Wang Guan quickly inquired.

"…Quickly." Old Qian snapped out of his momentary stupor, running his fingers over the bottom of the cup, and urgently signaled, "Wang Guan, call Yi Zhi immediately. Oh, and make sure he brings Director Jiang along…"

"…Understood." Wang Guan blinked, then immediately turned to make the call. He knew Director Jiang—the other Vice Director of the Palace Museum, specializing in Western artifacts. Calling him now was highly appropriate.

A moment later, the call connected. Before Wang Guan could speak, Old Qian impatiently took the receiver, his voice tinged with urgency: "Yi Zhi, I have something here… I don't quite know how to describe it, but it's extremely precious. If you have time, bring Director Jiang over to consult with me."

"A precious object?" Old Qian sounded surprised. "Why didn't you mention this when we had tea yesterday?"

"It wasn't here yesterday; Wang Guan brought it over today," Old Qian explained.

"Wait for me, I'll be right there…" Old Qian abruptly hung up the phone; his tone suggested he was about to rush over.

"Wang Guan, it seems your reputation is quite effective," Old Qian said, having calmed slightly, now in the mood for a joke.

"Old Qian, you’re trying to set me up for a fall," Wang Guan quickly shook his head, changing the subject. "Old Qian, can you tell me now what secret this cup holds that has you so agitated?"

"Still playing coy, didn't you prompt me?" As he spoke, Old Qian's composure wavered again, his voice trembling slightly: "This is a Sa—a Communion cup."

Hearing this, Wang Guan felt slightly speechless; Old Qian was clearly teasing him. However, from the tone, he could sense Old Qian’s excitement, as the elder seemed to largely agree with his initial assessment. The two were playing a silent game—a riddle where the answer was known to both but difficult to articulate. It wasn't feigned mystery, but rather a reluctance to speak before absolute certainty.

While the two were examining the object, Old Qian and Director Jiang hurried in.

Upon entering the hall, Old Qian immediately said without ceremony, "Ling Xi, where is it? Bring it over quickly so I can see it."

"Old Qian!" In contrast, Director Jiang was more humble. He was only in his early fifties and had only been promoted to Vice Director in the last couple of years; in front of such an elder, he dared not put on airs.

"Sit down and talk, have some tea first…" Now that the people had arrived, Old Qian was no longer in a rush, greeting them with a broad smile.

"We'll drink tea later. Is this the object?" Old Qian's eyes were quite sharp. As soon as he sat down, he spotted the item on the table. After a quick look, he frowned: "A cup?"

"What about a cup? Can't a cup be a treasure?" Old Qian chuckled. "Remember not long ago you tried to seize the Holy Ceramic Cup for research."

"You mean…" Old Qian's eyes flashed. "This thing is on the same level as the Holy Ceramic Cup?"

"I didn't say that; I was just making an analogy. Whether it is or not will be up to your judgment." Old Qian smiled. "I'm getting old, my eyes aren't as good as they used to be; I might miss a thing or two…"

"Stop," Old Qian interrupted irritably. "Don't play games. If your eyes aren't good, there probably isn't anyone with clear sight left in this world. Finding us now isn't about asking for our appraisal. You intend to use us as props."

As he spoke, Old Qian gently picked up the cup, and after a slight examination, he looked puzzled: "A stone cup? The style isn't very common in China. It should be Western…"

"It looks a bit like a cup used for church gatherings," Director Jiang commented from the side. As expected of an expert specializing in Western artifacts, he reached the same conclusion as Wang Guan with just one glance.

"Mm." Old Qian nodded, continuing his examination, even lightly touching the inside of the cup with his finger. He grew even more perplexed. "This material is quite peculiar. If you say it's stone, it isn't heavy; it's more like a river pebble washed smooth by water for centuries—very slick and fine, even possessing the texture of jade. But I am certain it’s not jade…"

"It isn't jade to begin with." Old Qian nodded, then prompted, "Not only is the material strange, but you might want to check the base of the foot; there might be a surprise waiting."

"A surprise?" Old Qian paused, quickly flipping the cup over to examine it. Staring intently, his eyes revealed confusion, then recognition seemed to dawn, and his pupils contracted sharply. His expression shifted to sudden dread, delight, and bewilderment: "This is…"

"…Impossible." Simultaneously, seeing Old Qian’s agitated reaction, Director Jiang grew curious and couldn't help but lean closer to look. When he clearly saw the situation at the cup's base, he gasped in shock and disbelief.

Beneath the foot of the cup was an inscription of letters. Wang Guan couldn't make out the specific letters, but Old Qian and the others seemed to know them very well, especially Director Jiang, who kept shaking his head upon seeing the inscription, his eyes full of doubt.

"…It seems to be a replica," After a pause, Director Jiang recovered and stated quite confidently, "Yes, it should be a replica."

"A replica?" Old Qian mused, nodding slightly. "That’s not impossible; after all, the provenance of this item is too significant; the emergence of a replica wouldn't be surprising."

"Impossible." Old Qian refuted this immediately. "Think about it. Given the dogmatic, supreme authority of the Western Church, how could they allow replicas to exist? Anyone who dared to copy such an object would surely be deemed a heretic, and the consequences would be grim."

"That makes sense," Old Qian agreed, then indicated, "Which is why it was hidden, and hidden deeply, making it hard to detect."

"If it were precious, it would be hidden. If it were ordinary junk, why not just smash it? Why conceal it?" Old Qian countered dismissively. "That doesn't align with human nature…" (To be continued) 〖Book Net ∷ Fast Update ∷ No Pop-ups ∷ Pure Text ∷ www.〗RT