Chapter 6

The Bund, the Oriental Pearl. This era's playground for adventurers, the City of Magic.

Walking along the Huangpu River, Gao Yang looked at the river flowing quietly beside him and suddenly thought that the Whampoa Military Academy should be opening soon, which was a big event. Lost in thought, Gao Yang subconsciously walked to the city park. As he raised his head, his face darkened.

"No Chinese or dogs allowed." The large characters made Gao Yang squint his eyes. Having lived in modern society, Gao Yang had never encountered such a situation before. Although he had heard of discrimination at foreign airports, this was the first time he had faced it.

Gao Yang's chest heaved violently, and he said coldly to Origin, "Activate combat ability." His face was red with anger, having never experienced such blatant humiliation from childhood to now.

The Indian guard, holding a police baton, felt his legs go weak at the sight of the furious Gao Yang. Since middle school, Gao Yang had been on the school football team. Although he wasn't a professional athlete, his imposing presence and 1.8-meter height intimidated the Indian guard, who hoped he was just passing by.

Indians were always good at bullying the weak and fearing the strong; they never understood what face meant.

Unfortunately, the Indian guards had not consulted the almanac today, even though they didn't know what an almanac was. Gao Yang charged straight at the Indian guard. The one closest to him opened his mouth but didn't get a chance to say anything before a size 42 shoe sole landed on his face.

With one kick, Gao Yang split the sign in two, exhaled a deep breath, and felt much better seeing the Indians groaning on the ground. Some of the surrounding Chinese cheered, while others ignored it. Gao Yang didn't have the mood to care; he needed to leave before the armed police arrived. Although he had an energy shield ring, he didn't want to waste energy points unnecessarily.

In the City of Magic, as long as you had money, there was almost nothing you couldn't do. Gao Yang bought a two-story villa on Xiefei Road in the French Concession as his base in the City of Magic.

The next evening, in a high-end private room at the Shanghai Paramount, Gao Yang smoked idly. He had no interest in the performances outside, and the songs were not as good as listening to rock music with headphones.

The door opened, and a well-dressed comprador accompanied a white-bearded old man into the room.

"Good evening, Mr. Luger," Gao Yang said with a smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Gao," the old man named Luger extended his hand.

After exchanging pleasantries, they got straight to the point. "Mr. Luger, I invited you here to ask for some assistance from Lihe Trading Company," Gao Yang said, lighting a cigarette.

"What can we do for you, Mr. Gao?" Luger also lit a cigar.

"I want to order a batch of weapons from your company. Additionally, I would like to commission your company to recruit a group of mercenaries from your country," Gao Yang said with a smile.

"Who are you representing, Mr. Gao? Lihe Trading Company must follow the foreign policy of our government and cannot sell weapons arbitrarily. As for mercenaries, noble German soldiers would never work as mercenaries for the Chinese," Luger said proudly.

Gao Yang blew a smoke ring and stared at Luger for a moment before bursting into laughter. Under Luger's angry gaze, Gao Yang's expression turned serious, and he pointed at Luger, saying, "Is your head filled with wood from the forest? Foreign policy? A defeated Germany has no diplomacy; the German economy is worse than worthless paper. As for noble soldiers, even Belgium dared to invade Germany. Have you lived all these years on the back of a black dog?"

Luger clutched his chest, his other hand trembling as he pointed at Gao Yang, his beard moving as he struggled to speak. The comprador beside him was stunned, having never seen anyone dare to be so bold with a foreigner.

Before the furious Luger could throw the coffee cup in front of him at Gao Yang, Gao Yang pulled out a check from his pocket and pushed it to Luger. Looking at the check, Luger's beard stopped trembling, and his face lost its redness. "This is the deposit," Gao Yang's words made Luger's hand tremble again.

"Selling weapons can bring foreign exchange to your country, increase factory production, and reduce unemployment. Mercenaries can provide income for unemployed veterans to support their families and stabilize social order. Any country would jump at the chance with a check like this. How did you get to this position? Are you Polish?" Gao Yang said disdainfully.

Everything returned to normal, as if the anger had never happened.

"The mercenaries are easy; there are many hungry soldiers in the country. However, the weapons are really difficult; the British are watching closely," Luger said, getting into the mood.

"200,000 rifles can be sent to Ireland; can't you handle this small matter? Smuggling, you know," Gao Yang said, then took out a document and handed it to Luger, continuing, "This is the list. Follow this for the first shipment. Recruit more non-commissioned officers; money is not a problem." Gao Yang leaned back in his chair and picked up his coffee.

Luger took the list: 720 P08 Luger pistols, 26,000 Mauser 98K rifles, 220 Maxim machine guns, 114 76mm mortars, 36 105mm howitzers, and 58 75mm field guns. All ammunition for 70 bases.

"Everything else is fine, but these artillery pieces..." Luger's words were cut off as Gao Yang, holding his coffee, said, "For a businessman, there is no problem that money can't solve."

The next evening, at Baron Sassoon's villa on Hongqiao Road, the lights were bright and the wine flowed. A party was being held. Gao Yang, holding a glass of wine, smiled and excused himself from the group of middle-aged women with thick layers of flour on their faces.

In a secluded corner, he made the wine glass disappear and quietly sneaked towards Baron Sassoon's collection room.

Gao Yang was in a good mood because this was a new task from Origin: "Baron Sassoon has two Van Gogh paintings. These two paintings are part of a series depicting a young girl in the four seasons, 'Eugenie's Spring Song' and 'Eugenie's Autumn Dance.' These two paintings disappeared in the City of Magic during World War II and have never been seen since." Origin paused and continued, "However, they are now in Baron Sassoon's collection room."

Gao Yang was really happy. The two masterpieces could not only earn him 2,000 energy points but also be sold in the original timeline for the substantial funds he needed. Such a good deal was rare.

The security in Baron Sassoon's collection room was undoubtedly high, but that was for the 1920s. For someone from 90 years later with the help of the super-tech Origin, it was a breeze.

Putting the two paintings into the storage space, Gao Yang rubbed his nose, feeling a bit awkward. Although he was stealing, it was to complete a task. However, the large pile of gold next to the paintings made him hesitate for five seconds. "Should I take it, or take it, or take it? Damn, why keep gold in a collection room? Is gold an art piece?" Other artworks in the original timeline had no market.

Holding his wine glass, Gao Yang came out and wandered around the party for a while before leaving. He didn't know Baron Sassoon and had only paid someone to bring him in.

The next day, the major newspapers in the City of Magic reported the bizarre theft at Baron Sassoon's villa. By then, Gao Yang had already returned to the original timeline and arranged a meeting with Sotheby's manager Rong to head to Frankfurt.

When Gao Yang took out the Van Gogh paintings from the flat leather case, the Sotheby's reception room fell silent. After a while, Rong, with a hoarse voice, said to the staff, "Please invite the president and Mr. Marco."

Rong had expected Gao Yang to bring ceramics or something similar, but never Van Gogh's works. Rong's expertise was undeniable; as a reception manager, he had seen countless top-tier artworks. He knew these were genuine Van Gogh pieces, and more importantly, he had no memory of these two paintings!

Soon, President William and the chief appraiser of Van Gogh works, Marco, arrived.

William accompanied Gao Yang for coffee and conversation, even having lunch together. The appraisal work continued until evening.

"Confirmed, these are 'Eugenie's Spring Song' and 'Eugenie's Autumn Dance' from the 'Four Seasons Song.' I never thought I would see these missing paintings in my lifetime; it's a great honor," Marco said with a slightly excited voice to William.

"Mr. Smith, on behalf of Sotheby's, I would like to offer you a sincere suggestion," President William said, lighting a cigar for Gao Yang. "Sotheby's can hold a private auction for these two paintings, inviting interested and wealthy individuals to bid. The matter of these two paintings will not be publicized."

"I don't care who buys them; tell me how much they are worth," Gao Yang said, leaning back on the sofa.

William smiled and said, "Mr. Smith, the other two paintings from the 'Four Seasons Song' disappeared in Germany before the end of World War II. If all four appeared together, they would certainly fetch a world-shocking price. Individually, each is worth at least 50 million euros, and together, they are worth at least 130 million euros."

Gao Yang, smoking his cigar, said to William, "Like last time, I will pledge these two paintings to Sotheby's and receive 130 million euros. The final price will be settled after the auction."

"No problem, Mr. Smith. We look forward to more of your artworks for auction. It's a pleasure to work with you," William stood up and extended his hand.

After returning to the country, Gao Yang, with a deposit certificate from a Swiss bank, applied for an investment immigration visa at the Swiss embassy. He then returned home to celebrate the Spring Festival with his parents, telling them that he had broken up with his girlfriend due to emotional incompatibility. After receiving their comfort, he relaxed and enjoyed the holiday.

The seven-day holiday passed quickly. After bidding farewell to his parents and returning to the capital, he checked out of his room and went to Bern to resolve his identity issues. He then returned to 1924.

Coincidentally, it was also the Spring Festival in 1924. Gao Yang enthusiastically observed the Spring Festival in the City of Magic, until Manager Luger summoned him.

In the reception room of Lihe Trading Company, Luger lit a cigar for Gao Yang and said, "Mr. Gao, our company has gathered weapons from various locations in Asia, except for the 105mm howitzers, all other weapons are ready, but we only have 28 bases of ammunition." Looking at Gao Yang's face, he continued, "The head office is gathering the remaining supplies, which will be shipped with the recruited mercenaries, expected to arrive in the City of Magic by early July."

After finishing, Luger nervously asked Gao Yang, "Mr. Gao, can we settle the final payment now?"