Chapter 140: Harvest
Chapter 140: Harvest
Liam was startled by the scream and also looked into the box. When he saw what was inside, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap."
Because inside the box was a person; more precisely, a skeleton. A skeleton wearing a golden helmet and covered from head to toe in gleaming golden armor.
No wonder Hermione had screamed. Even in the bright sunlight, a skeleton in a wooden chest would be enough to scare a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl.
The skeleton lay flat on a cushion of shock-absorbing cotton wadding, a blue velvet cloth beneath it. In its right hand, it held a gilded ceremonial spear. The fact that it hadn't fallen apart suggested that the skeleton had been specially fixed and was once displayed in a standing position.
The skeleton was encased in a full set of knight's plate armor, adorned with intricate relief carvings and gilded patterns, and decorated with a profusion of gems. Strangest of all, the chest plate, which should have been the thickest part, had two large holes, exposing the skeleton's ribs.
Additionally, the arm and leg plates had numerous openwork sections, revealing the bones inside. The visor on the helmet was pushed up, exposing a face covered in gold plates studded with numerous gems, even on the cheeks and around the mouth. The eye sockets were adorned with jewelry woven from gold thread and encircled by pearl flowers, with a large sapphire set in the center.
Even more extravagant was the sight of gold threads and jewelry wrapped around every bone, visible through the gaps in the armor.
On the gauntlets, each finger was adorned with a ring set with a large gemstone. Around the neck hung a thumb-thick gold chain, also studded with various gems, the largest of which was as big as a thumb.
In short, it was a jewel-encrusted skeleton, with such an abundance of jewelry that it was hard to find a single bone without any adornment.
"What is this?" Mr. Granger asked in surprise. The three women present, however, looked somewhat disappointed. Jewelry was certainly appealing, but jewelry directly embedded in a skeleton was off-putting, no matter how beautiful it might be.
Mr. Lambert, who had been researching for his adventure novel, had come across information about such objects. He quickly answered Mr. Granger's question: "In the late 16th century, bones from the 2nd to 5th centuries AD were excavated. During the Reformation, the church, in an effort to bolster its authority, mistakenly believed these bones belonged to early saints. These skeletons, known as 'Reliquary Skeletons,' are distinguished from standard skeletons by their lavish 18th-century royal attire and jewelry. The church held annual memorial ceremonies for these gem-encrusted skulls."
However, due to sectarian differences, such relics were rare in Britain and Northern Europe. In an era without the internet, obscure knowledge like this was generally unknown unless specifically sought out. It was understandable that the Granger family couldn't recognize it.
"The person who made this must have been incredibly wealthy", Hermione remarked.
Indeed, there are likely thousands of gems on this artifact, including the smaller ones used for edging. The larger gems number in the hundreds. Particularly noteworthy is the pigeon-egg-sized red spinel embedded in the chest of the armor, which is not much smaller than the one on the queen's crown. A quick thought reveals its substantial value.
Just by looking at the jewelry embedded here, it's clear that the person who made this was both wealthy and powerful. Finding a jeweler capable of this level of craftsmanship is no easy feat.
"This must belong to the church. Let's see if there are any clues", Mr. Lambert said. Hermione responded, "This is likely from France. Look at the golden fleur-de-lis on the blue velvet beneath the skull. It represents the former French royal family. We saw similar things during our summer vacation in France."
"Here's another clue", Liam said, pulling a wax seal from the box of silver and gold items. The seal bore a French word: Reims.
Since many British people choose French as their foreign language, everyone present could understand the word. Mr. Lambert said, "Liam, you mentioned that the ghost told you this was brought here about two hundred years ago. I suspect it was during the Napoleonic era when France was in chaos. Some French people must have transferred these valuable items to Britain, and for some reason, they never returned. These treasures were left here. Reims, being the place where French royals were crowned, it makes sense that the church there would possess such treasures."
Now, the question is how to handle this. Although everyone agreed to split the proceeds 50/50 according to the law (British private land finds are shared equally between the finder and the landowner), the challenge lies in how to sell them without attracting unwanted attention from the French.
However, after a brief discussion with Mr. Granger, Lambert quickly came up with a solution. Back in London, Liam noticed his father starting to call journalists.
Since his father had a plan, Liam resumed his normal holiday routine. It wasn't until this weekend, while he was studying in the library, that Hermione walked in and placed a newspaper on the table.
"The Sun? When did your taste change to this?" Liam asked, glancing at the newspaper curiously.
"Look at page four", Hermione said succinctly.
Liam flipped to page four, pretending the other pages didn't exist. He was surprised to see a photo of his father and Mr. Granger standing in front of a silver cross.
The caption read: A dentist and a writer from London have discovered extremely valuable artifacts in England. They have decided to return these artifacts to the French, who have agreed to pay them over two million pounds as a reward.
"This is great news", Liam said, sounding excited.
"Indeed", Hermione agreed. "It's a shame the wizarding world has such strict regulations on exchanging Galleons; otherwise, I could buy those expensive books."
Scholars always think differently, Liam thought, reflecting on the pile of money that had just appeared in his mind.
That evening, upon returning home, Liam saw his parents happily discussing how to use the money for a world trip and to fulfill their dream of owning a farm, which they had cherished since their wedding. Liam's face lit up with a smile. He felt genuinely happy to see his family benefiting from his efforts.
(End of Chapter)
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