Chapter 34: Search

The reason Liang En agreed to accompany Pierce to Scotland this time was quite straightforward. Apart from the mutual help between friends, the most significant reason was his impression that Scotland held several hidden treasures.

So, this time, he had decided to take the opportunity to conduct an on-site investigation while he was there, to see which treasures remained unearthed in this world.

After arriving in Edinburgh and finding accommodation at a hotel, Liang En headed straight for the Scottish Museum to begin his exploration.

After a brief tour, he realized, just as he had imagined, that the differences between the two worlds meant that several of the more famous treasures had not been discovered. He also came across a few items of value from his past life that he had never heard of before.

As he reached the final stop of his tour, in front of the transparent glass cabinet containing the Gallois treasure, Liang En slowly summarized and organized his findings. He then consulted his memory to determine his next target.

However, before proceeding, the most important task was to gather a sufficient quantity of Victorian-era furniture. According to Pierce, this business was set up by a recently arrived American super-wealthy individual in London.

This wealthy figure, frequently seen in television and newspapers, had purchased a luxury residence in London's Knightsbridge and required some antique furniture to adorn his new home.

The next morning, Liang En and Pierce entered the old city of Edinburgh and began knocking on the doors of various aged row houses, one by one, in search of those with antique furniture. They inquired with the homeowners if there were any such items in their possession.

While most homeowners rejected their requests, some even shutting their doors in their faces before they could finish speaking, there were still a few who welcomed them in and allowed them to inspect their possessions.

Unfortunately, for ordinary individuals, distinguishing between different types of furniture was quite challenging. Thus, many times, the items recommended enthusiastically by the homeowners as Victorian-era furniture turned out to be nothing more than items styled in the Victorian fashion.

Nonetheless, throughout this process, Liang En and Pierce gathered a considerable amount of information, significantly narrowing down the scope of their search.

"Our next step can be to visit the residence at 207 on this street," Liang En said to Pierce as they exited one of the houses.

"Several people on this street mentioned that the old man who lived there previously had a penchant for collecting various old items. When his children inherited the estate, they didn't take most of the things inside the house with them."

As a result, the two of them quickly arrived at the front of that house. Unlike the other houses on the street, this one had its windows boarded up with wooden planks, and the doorway appeared a bit dirty.

Observing that there was no one around, Liang En and Pierce took turns using a ladder to climb onto the windowsills on either side of the front door. They then peered inside through the cracks between the wooden boards.

Fortunately, probably due to the wooden planks nailed to the window frames, the curtains inside the windows had not been drawn shut. Thus, through the gaps in the window, they were still able to catch glimpses of the interior of the room.

Overall, the interior of the house appeared to be in relatively good condition. Though some cupboard doors and drawers were ajar, and there were some scattered items on the floor, it seemed fairly intact as a whole.

What's more, according to Pierce's judgment, the coffee table in the living room and the cabinet on the side should all be Victorian-era furniture, and they were well-preserved.

After inspecting the room, the two of them began searching for a way to contact the homeowner. Soon, after cleaning a dirty plank that was nailed to the door, they found the contact information written on it.

The phone rang only three times before it was answered. A middle-aged man picked up the call. Upon learning about Liang En and their purpose, he said he would come over to discuss the matter promptly.

Ten minutes later, an electric car quietly stopped at the house's entrance, and a middle-aged man in a suit and tie stepped out of the car.

"Nice to meet you. I am the lawyer responsible for this property," the man said after shaking hands with Liang En and the others. "Regarding this matter, the owner of this house has entrusted me with full authority to handle it."

With that, the lawyer presented a document to them as proof of his authority and then inquired about Liang En and Pierce's intentions.

After Liang En and Pierce indicated their interest in purchasing antique furniture, the lawyer made a few phone calls and quickly came to a decision.

"As long as you're willing to pay 2000 pounds, everything in the room belongs to you. You have two days to take whatever you want from inside, and you don't need to clean up the place either."

"Deal," Liang En immediately extended his hand and shook hands with the lawyer upon hearing that they didn't need to clean up. After all, time was limited, and their wallets were somewhat padded lately. Spending a little more money would save time and increase efficiency.

After both parties exchanged money and keys, Liang En used the key to open the door that hadn't been opened for years. Fortunately, the previous lawyer had been responsible, so the lock hadn't rusted shut.

Because they had a full two days to work within the duplex row house with an attic, Liang En and Pierce didn't rush to move the furniture into their vehicle. Instead, they started inspecting the house.

"Let me see what good stuff we've got." While Pierce rummaged through boxes and cabinets on the first floor, Liang En climbed to the second floor. He estimated the layout of the rooms, stood on a small corridor, and used his skill "[Detection (N)]".

In an instant, the entire room was enveloped by this power, within the range of his card's detection. Then, Liang En felt a 3D map of the whole room appear in his mind, with a light marking the location of the attic.

"So, this is how they mark targets outside of my line of sight." Liang En observed the target in his mind with curiosity, revealing an expression of understanding. This indicated that he had gained some knowledge about the use of his special ability.

After climbing the slightly rusty iron staircase to the attic, Liang En felt like he had stepped into a junkyard. The attic was filled with a large number of items, leaving only a narrow path for people to walk through.

Judging from the layer of dust accumulated on the plastic bags and on the floor, it seemed that no one had been here for several years.

After taking a general look around the attic, Liang En retrieved a filtering mask and gloves from his bag and put them on. He then took out an iron clamp and a hooked iron rod.

This was advice from seasoned experts in the field, as many had inadvertently injured themselves in the past when dealing with similar items, which often contained hidden iron nails, shards of porcelain, or needles.

Fortunately, the attic's overall condition wasn't too bad, and there weren't too many hazardous items inside.

Thus, with great caution, Liang En carefully opened the large cloth bag that contained their target. Soon, he set aside the tools and began using his hands to clear the contents of the package.