Chapter 96: The Tiger's Fang and the Porcelain Statue

Compared to the previous rifles, this pair of 1875 William Moore-Gray centerfire flintlock pistols, which fired 0.577-inch round-nosed bullets, manufactured in London, featured a plethora of decorations on their original design.

Such embellishments were not uncommon in civilian weapons, especially for individuals of noble status or considerable wealth. Naturally, they desired their weapons to stand out, and thus, they were willing to spend extra money to adorn their firearms.

Due to these decorative enhancements, the value of the double-barreled flintlock pistols Liang En and his companions currently beheld surpassed that of the standard version by a considerable margin, rendering them even more valuable.

"If these were mass-produced, these two pistols combined would cost around £2,500. However, given the intricate sculptural work on these pistols, the price is not cheap. If there are no issues, they could probably be sold for around £4,000," Liang En promptly provided an appraisal.

"Meaning that just these firearms here are worth over £10,000," Miss Blake exclaimed excitedly upon hearing Liang En's valuation.

"Yes, but that's the market value, not my acquisition cost," Liang En chuckled. "After all, by tradition, I have the right to claim 40% of it, so if I were to purchase them, I could only offer £6,000."

"Of course, Mr. Liang, that's only fair," Miss Blake smiled and nodded, then continued, "However, we believe it would be best to make a decision after we've examined the contents of the last box."

The box Miss Blake referred to was the one Liang En had previously found in the hidden compartment behind the cabinet, wrapped in a thick layer of wax.

Liang En had encountered this preservation method several times before, typically employed to safeguard various precious items. Thus, facing this box nestled in the compartment, curiosity naturally welled up within everyone.

"Inside is a book and a necklace." After retrieving tools from his bag, removing the wax from the box's exterior, and opening it up, Liang En revealed the contents within.

The necklace was a simple silver chain, its design quite unassuming, seemingly composed of metal rings interlocked in a straightforward pattern. However, the necklace bore an unusually distinctive pendant.

"What kind of animal's tooth is this?" Observing the pendant on the necklace within the box, Miss Blake's expression turned intrigued. The centerpiece of the necklace was a pair of massive teeth, half embedded in a silver base.

"It should be a tiger's fang," after a brief examination, Liang En remarked. "Considering the shape of the tooth, it likely comes from a species of felid carnivore. Among these animals, only tigers possess such large teeth."

Given that the person who left behind the firearms was evidently a colonial-era officer who frequently hunted in India, it was quite reasonable for them to fashion a piece of jewelry from their trophy.

"This tooth is quite large," as Liang En explained, his companion Fan Meng pulled out a small tape measure and began taking measurements. He quickly determined the dimensions of the tooth. "16.6 cm. Seems like that tiger from back then was quite a beast."

"Let me have a look—" prompted by Fan Meng's remark, their client, Miss Blake, also became intrigued and immediately pulled out her phone to search. Swiftly, she found content related to Indian tigers.

"You're right, it definitely is a big one," Miss Blake recited aloud from her phone, "In India, people usually hunt Bengal tigers, and the canines of a Bengal tiger are generally around 136 millimeters. But this canine is obviously much larger."

"Additionally, the largest tigers are Siberian tigers, but those animals are mainly found in Siberia in Russia, the Korean Peninsula, and the northeastern part of China. So, it's impossible for this British officer stationed in India to have encountered this type of tiger."

"It seems we can understand it this way," Liang En said, looking at the necklace with the tiger fang pendant. "Clearly, Lieutenant Potter hunted a tiger that was larger than the average ones. Hence, he took the tiger's tooth as a decoration."

"Considering that tigers are protected animals globally now, and also due to the fact that this fang is much larger than typical tiger teeth, I believe that with the right buyer, this necklace could fetch around £3,500 to £3,700."

After removing the silver necklace, Liang En put on white silk gloves and carefully took the book from the box, then proceeded to examine its contents.

It wasn't a typical published work; it was a journal. After flipping through several pages, Liang En realized it was Lieutenant Potter's diary, chronicling his experiences as a British officer stationed in India.

"If all of these items were bundled together for sale, I think they could fetch around £35,000," after examining everything, Liang En provided a straightforward estimate.

"Of course, I mean bundling these items together. Since there's a connection between these pieces, they can be seen as a unified collection and sold for a better price."

"Uh, I think it would be more useful for me to keep this stuff," Miss Blake said after a moment of thought. "I could gift them to my grandfather, and that way, I could resolve my property tax issue."

Evidently, for this wealthy young lady, it was entirely feasible to offer such a gift to her elder family member. It was indeed the most appropriate course of action for her. However, the problem was that, in doing so, she would owe Liang En £14,000.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the cash right now," Miss Blake naturally realized that, given her current circumstances, it wouldn't be suitable for her to go into debt. So, she quickly presented a solution. "However, if you're willing, I can offer something else as payment."

"Sure, you can name your price for everything, but we retain the right to choose," after a brief conversation in Chinese with Fan Meng, Liang En outlined the conclusion they had reached.

Since both of them believed that this young lady with means might offer handbags or jewelry as items to settle the account, even though these objects might be secondhand and have some wear, they were easy to sell and could be quickly turned into cash.

The outcome that surprised them, however, was that after waiting downstairs for 15 minutes, Miss Blake not only brought down a variety of luxury items but also a collection of evidently antique items.

"These are things I bought before. If you're interested in any of them, you can take them," Miss Blake said, simultaneously opening the boxes one by one.

"This is—" just as the other party opened a wooden box that originally held wine, Liang En's gaze suddenly intensified. That was because he saw a bicolored brown and green statue inside the box.

This statue depicted a bare-chested, smiling monk, with a benevolent expression, a warm smile, and an air of tranquility. In the statue's left hand, there was a strand of prayer beads, while the right hand held a cloth bag.

The entire sculpture employed the technique of "revealed porcelain," using a reddish-brown color achieved through "revealed porcelain" firing to depict the skin's texture. Additionally, the facial features and expressions were meticulously carved. As for the clothing, it utilized thick, glossy celadon porcelain to convey a smooth and supple texture.

In summary, the statue emanated an immediate sense of inner peace upon a first glance. This aspect aptly demonstrated just how valuable an art piece it truly was.