Chapter 44: Celebration

The Viking's (SR) card brought more to Liang En than just physical enhancement.

After examining his own body, Liang En once again cleaned himself up in the bathroom, then walked out and sat on the bed, beginning to explore the other aspect of power provided by this card.

After all, the silvery glow that the card transformed into not only remodeled his body but also infused a substantial amount of knowledge into his mind.

This knowledge included not only proficiency in reading, speaking, writing, and understanding Old Norse, but also a wealth of Viking epics. With this knowledge, apart from not being able to play musical instruments, Liang En could almost be considered a true Viking skald (poet and storyteller).

"This gain is simply amazing." Turning off the lights and lying down on the bed, Liang En immediately displayed a radiant smile. "I hope to have such good luck on the next treasure hunt."

Early the next morning, Liang En got out of bed and went straight to the Emerald Antique Store, ready to inquire about the status of the items he had brought back from Edinburgh a couple of days ago.

"The situation is quite favorable. Since we were the quickest team to take action, aside from the dressing table that they didn't want due to mismatched style, they purchased the other items."

At this point, Pierce took out a check from the drawer. "These items were sold for a total of £17,500, and according to our prior agreement, £7,500 belongs to you."

"Thanks." Liang En accepted the check with a smile. After all, Pierce had orchestrated this business, so based on their previous arrangement, Pierce was naturally entitled to a larger share of the money from selling the furniture.

"By the way, the book you found and the coffin I acquired will be auctioned at the auction next weekend." After Liang En accepted the check, Pierce mentioned.

"It's a small-scale private auction within the upper echelons of society, so there won't be much in terms of auction fees. However, they have strict requirements for the items, only allowing things that pique their interest to enter the auction."

"It seems like this is one of the benefits of your previous breakthrough into high society, right? Being able to get good prices for the items we find?"

"Not just that." Pierce said, taking out two bottles of beverages from the cabinet and handing one to Liang En. "Most importantly, only they would buy strange things, like that coffin."

"You're right, I've heard about things like that before." Liang En twisted open the bottle, took a sip, and then continued. "For instance, there's a viscount in London who likes to collect various mummies, and he's gathered seven or eight Egyptian mummies alone."

"Ah, I've heard about that person too. Honestly, I respect everyone's hobbies, but some hobbies are really hard for normal people to comprehend."

After taking a sip of his drink, Pierce joined in with some joking. "At least if I tried to bring something like that into my house, my mom would definitely kill me—"

After chatting for a while, the conversation quickly shifted to the new company Liang En had started.

"Brother, didn't you find the name you gave your company a bit odd?" Pierce placed his empty drink bottle on the counter and remarked.

"What's odd about it?" Liang En countered. "I think 'Panda Exploration Studio' is a pretty good name. It not only reflects the business I'm engaged in but also showcases my unique traits, and it carries a positive wish."

"I thought you might name it something like 'Chinese Dragon Exploration Club'." Pierce muttered under his breath. "At least from the name alone, pandas are far less cool than dragons, and it feels more like a fast-food joint."

"Um... it does kind of sound like an American-Chinese restaurant." Liang En shrugged helplessly after Pierce's remark. "But after all, I am a businessman, so naming the store 'Panda' is more approachable than 'Dragon'."

Moreover, in our Chinese folklore, many people consider pandas to be associated with the mythical creature Pixiu. A legend that brings wealth and fortune, so naming the store with this name is also a rather auspicious sign."

"Alright, if you think it's fitting, then it's fine." Pierce tossed his empty drink bottle into the trash can and then walked out from behind the counter. "After all, it's your store."

To celebrate the grand opening of the new store, Liang En and Pierce went to a nearby chain supermarket and an Asian grocery store to purchase a load of ingredients. They then returned to the makeshift kitchen in the antique store's warehouse to prepare lunch.

The Asian grocery store they visited was owned by a Chinese immigrant who had come from France. However, due to his ancestors working as laborers during World War I and their subsequent intermarriages with Caucasians, there were hardly any visible traces of Chinese heritage apart from the surname.

When Liang En went in to buy cooking wine, he was asked to show his driver's license to confirm he was over 18 because the seller couldn't determine his age precisely from his Asian appearance.

Growing up on a farm since childhood, Liang En possessed considerably better self-sufficiency skills than the average person in this world. As a result, he was capable of cooking some home-style dishes.

After their shopping, he cleaned and sliced the pork loin into pieces, marinating them in a bowl with salt, cooking wine, and pepper, among other seasonings.

During the marination period, Liang En prepared a smashed cucumber dish and a cold carrot slaw as vegetable sides.

Subsequently, he coated the marinated pork with egg wash and then flour. He deep-fried the pork in oil that had reached about 70% of its heating capacity until they turned golden before removing them from the pot.

Once the pork was ready, Liang En made a thick sauce by simmering tomato sauce, sugar, cooking wine, and white vinegar. He then chopped up the green and red peppers he had bought earlier, mixed them with pineapple chunks from a canned pineapple, and the fried pork. He stir-fried everything in the sauce.

Suddenly, a blend of savory and sweet fragrances, tinged with oiliness, filled the entire warehouse. As Liang En plated the sweet and sour pork, Pierce had also finished grilling his black pepper sauce lamb chops.

"Haha, you actually made sweet and sour pork this time." Seeing the plate of reddish meat Liang En was holding, Pierce became unexpectedly excited.

"I've had this dish before in Chinatown. Honestly, that tangy and sweet flavor is just perfect for my taste—"

In reality, different regions have their own culinary preferences, so the notion of one country's cuisine dominating others doesn't really hold. However, sweet and sour pork indeed aligns with British dietary habits, as people in this country have an extraordinary fondness for sweets.

While eating, Liang En recounted how he had earned £1 million after parting ways with Edinburgh, a story that naturally stirred envy in Pierce's eyes.

"You're incredibly lucky. It seems naming your company 'Panda' truly brought you good fortune." Hearing Liang En talk about how he followed his instincts and found a gold necklace in the forest park, Pierce spoke with exaggerated tone.

"A whole million pounds! Due to legitimate tax avoidance, you'll be able to pocket over £800,000 or even close to £900,000. If you add the money you've earned here and there, you've become a millionaire adventurer within half a year."

"Yeah, that's why I spent the whole night yesterday fantasizing about luxury cars and villas. But then I realized I genuinely love searching the world for treasures."

Swallowing a mouthful of lamb chop, Liang En continued, "So, I think this money should be used for preparing for the next adventure. For instance, buying transportation or treasure-hunting items that were previously out of reach."