Chapter 38 The Yongle Encyclopedia

At the second-hand market, you never know what you'll come across!

And, of course, you never know what new skills you might unlock!

Porcelain, artworks, bronzeware...

"The recent reproduction of Western Zhou bronzeware, accelerated by immersion in the urinal..."

The prompt from the system nearly made Li Yi'an drop the bronze ware in his hand.

It was actually soaked in a urinal!

But even so, the seller still considered it precious.

"Just 100 packs of Camel cigarettes, sir! Only 100 packs. These were bought by my father in China several decades ago. This is an antique from thousands of years ago!"

Damn...

His old man must have run into someone who specialized in deceiving foreigners. Thanks to a TV drama he watched before, Li Yi'an knew that since the day China opened its doors, there had been many experts specializing in making fake antiques to deceive foreigners. According to them, if they didn't deceive those clueless foreigners, they would dishonor their ancestors.

"Sorry, I don't have that many cigarettes. It's a nice piece, but..."

Shaking his head in regret, Li Yi'an didn't reveal the truth. Having spent half a day at the second-hand market, he had already made quite a haul. Apart from the Picasso painting, he had also acquired over twenty porcelain pieces from the Ming and Qing dynasties, all for just a few dozen packs of cigarettes.

Though the system didn't provide an estimate for these items and he didn't gain any experience points from the transactions since the system was assisting him with appraisals, Li Yi'an was still satisfied.

After all, he now had family heirlooms.

"Even just that vase would be worth something in a few decades!"

Contemplating the treasures scattered throughout the second-hand market, Li Yi'an, who had already made some decent acquisitions, left from another direction. Just as he was about to leave the park, he suddenly halted.

His 5.0 vision came in handy. He stared at a pile of books. Despite their yellowed covers, the densely packed English text stood out conspicuously among them. Normally, Li Yi'an wouldn't have spared them a second glance, but now, he stood frozen in place.

Without moving, he fixed his gaze on those several books with yellowed covers. In a moment of disbelief, he hurried toward the book stall run by the British old lady. However, he intentionally slowed his pace as he approached, so as not to reveal his eagerness.

Approaching cautiously, Li Yi'an forced himself to remain calm as he picked up one of the books. Though he seemed composed on the surface, inwardly, he was excited, even to the point where his hands might have been trembling slightly.

"The Yongle Encyclopedia."

As he picked up the book, he immediately activated the system. The information displayed by the system confirmed that these books were original copies of the Yongle Encyclopedia!

Before coming to the second-hand market, he never imagined he would find this book here, let alone not just one but over thirty volumes of them!

The thick stack of books made one question their own eyesight!

"Sir, you're Chinese, aren't you? These were brought back by my husband from China over forty years ago when he served in the military..."

At this moment, the old lady's voice reached his ears.

Military service!

Damn Eight-Nation Alliance!

No... it's your daughter!

The bespectacled old lady looked at him and continued, "If you're interested, it's two pounds for each book!"

Hearing this, Li Yi'an simply tossed the book aside.

"Ma'am, these are just a few books! And they're even incomplete..."

"Sir, if you're interested, I have some more at home... about... a whole box, yes, a Chinese-style wooden box. I never understood what Adam was thinking. While others brought back porcelain and gold from China, he brought back a whole box of books. Does he even understand those characters? If you want them, I can sell them all to you for just two hundred pounds."

What, a whole box?

All of them are Yongle Encyclopedias?

Wait, how is that even possible?

This can't be some kind of trap, can it?

As it turned out, Li Yi'an was overthinking. When he followed the old lady to her home, he wasn't even invited inside. She led him straight to the yard, where there was a small wooden shack. Only when she pointed at the Chinese-style wooden box beneath the firewood did he understand that he had been worrying for nothing. Until then, he had even kept his hand in his pocket, ready to grab his gun.

"It's all here, a whole box, filled with these books..."

Seeing the wooden box placed next to the firewood, Li Yi'an seriously doubted that if he hadn't shown up, these books might have been turned into firewood by the old lady this winter or the next!

What a waste of valuable resources!

This was definitely a waste of valuable resources!

Although he felt somewhat angry inside, he was more grateful. Grateful that he had come here.

Especially when he opened the box and saw the books packed inside. Yes, they were Yongle Encyclopedias. Most were even stored in boxes. Who would have thought that the treasures future generations would lament and long for would be right here? Even though it wasn't a complete set, there were at least six to seven hundred volumes!

In his excitement and gratitude, Li Yi'an said, "Ma'am, these books definitely aren't worth two hundred pounds, but I have..."

As he spoke, he took out four packs of Camel cigarettes from his bag.

"I still have these four packs of Camel cigarettes. I can exchange them for it if you're willing..."

Before he could finish, the old lady couldn't wait and hurriedly said, "Deal!"

It's a well-known fact that Camel cigarettes are more useful than pounds in the market. Especially four packs! Even when the books were being loaded into the car, the old lady kept saying, "Adam finally did a good thing in his life..."

Yes, you did a good thing too!

Li Yi'an couldn't help but feel fortunate. Even when he left in his car, his heart was still filled with excitement. He was well aware of the value of those books, which couldn't even be described in terms of money anymore.

"What kind of books are those! Clearly national treasures!"

Filled with joy, he even secretly decided that he would come to Britain more often in the future. Not for anything else, but just to browse through the second-hand market. Who knows what treasures he might come across here?

There are plenty of treasures in the hands of the British...

This was no longer just about picking up bargains; it was about reclaiming lost national treasures...