167: A commission from England: the whereabouts of the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor!

Lin Feng tore open the wax seal.

The letter was written on heavy parchment, and the handwriting was not printed, but written in a smooth and elegant English copperplate script using a retro dip pen.

Between the lines, there was an air of old-school aristocratic elegance and restraint.

"Dear Mr. Lin Feng:

Please forgive my presumption. My name is Elizabeth Cavendish. I believe you may have heard of my ancestor's name—the Duke of Devonshire."

Wang Dalong poked his head over from the side, and seeing the name, he sucked in a breath of cold air.

"My god! The Cavendish Family? One of the top old-money ducal families in Britain! They're way more impressive than Downton Abbey in the movies! What does this old lady want with you? Is it... a cross-border blind date?"

Lin Feng shot him a sharp glare, and Wang Dalong immediately shut his mouth.

He continued reading.

The content of the letter was simple, yet incredibly heavy.

Lady Elizabeth said in the letter that her father, Howard Cavendish, was not the heir to the dukedom, but a scholar enamored with Eastern culture, as well as a skilled craftsman of clocks and precision instruments.

At the end of World War II, just before the retreat of Nazi Germany, a mysterious Schutzstaffel squad broke into their castle and took Howard away, along with several Eastern antiquities from his collection.

From then on, he was gone without a trace, neither seen alive nor found dead.

"...It has been over seventy years. I have searched through all the declassified archives and used all my family's connections, but I have never been able to find my father's whereabouts. Until recently, I learned from an anonymous informant that you possess an extraordinary insight and have found many lost treasures in a short period of time."

"I know this request is absurd, but you are my last hope. I do not have much time left, and I only seek to know where my father's soul rests before I close my eyes."

"I beg you to help me find him, or his remains."

At the end of the letter, the old lady offered terms that were impossible to refuse.

"First, as a reward. That Schutzstaffel squad back then took not only my father but also a large amount of gold and artwork plundered from various European countries. According to intelligence, their final hiding place is likely within the UK. According to our country's Treasure Act, any unclaimed treasure discovered on British territory belongs entirely to the finder in terms of its full value. I guarantee in the name of the Cavendish Family that this wealth will belong entirely to you personally."

"Second, and this is my true sincerity. If you can complete the commission, I will inform you of the whereabouts of something. My father once told me it was the most shocking divine object he had seen in his life, the true 'origin' of Chinese civilization. He called it—"

"'The Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor.'"

Boom!

Seeing this line, Lin Feng's eyes narrowed!

The nine tripods!

According to legend, Yu the Great divided the land into the Nine Provinces and ordered the governors of those provinces to contribute bronze to cast the nine tripods, with each tripod symbolizing a province. Since then, the nine tripods became the national treasures of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, the ultimate symbol of the 'Mandate of Heaven'!

Their historical status was even far above that of the imperial seal of china!

The imperial seal represented feudal imperial power, while the nine tripods represented the source of Chinese civilization!

Hadn't this thing... completely disappeared as early as the wars at the end of the Qin Dynasty over two thousand years ago?

Lin Feng's heart pounded. He forced himself to calm down and continued reading the last paragraph.

"Third, I know your discoveries have already attracted the attention of certain... people. I cannot tell you who they are, but I can assure you that as long as you accept my commission, the protection of the Cavendish Family during your time in Europe will ensure those hyenas in the shadows dare not easily show their fangs to you."

At the end of the letter was an encrypted satellite phone number.

Wang Dalong was already dumbfounded.

Nazi treasure... the Nine Tripods of the Yellow Emperor... mysterious organizations... this amount of information was more exciting than a Hollywood blockbuster!

"Brother Feng... is this... is this for real? It's not some new kind of telecommunications scam, is it?" He swallowed, feeling like his brain couldn't quite keep up.

Lin Feng didn't answer.

He walked to a deserted corner, took out the encrypted phone specially issued to him by Zhou Zhenguo, and directly dialed that familiar number.

The phone rang once and was picked up. Zhou Zhenguo's steady voice came through.

"Speak."

Lin Feng calmed his emotions and recounted the contents of the letter in the most concise language possible, including the Nazi treasure, the nine tripods, and the warning about the mysterious organization.

There was silence on the other end for a full half-minute.

Lin Feng could imagine that this high-ranking general's mind was racing right now.

"We will verify the other party's identity within an hour," Zhou Zhenguo's voice sounded again, carrying an unprecedented gravity. "But the content, especially regarding the 'nine tripods' and that 'mysterious organization,' has an intelligence level that is too high; we cannot judge its authenticity."

"So, what do you mean?" Lin Feng asked.

"What I mean is," Zhou Zhenguo said word for word, "the state will not give you any official instructions regarding this matter. Whether to go or not is for you to decide."

He paused, his tone softening slightly.

"Lin Feng, remember, you found the imperial seal of china for the country; you are a hero. You are not a prisoner of the state. You are first and foremost yourself, a free citizen."

"Whatever decision you make, as long as it does not harm national interests, we will provide you with all necessary support within the scope of the rules. But you must also think clearly: once you leave the country, many things will be beyond our reach."

"Take care of yourself."

The call disconnected.

Lin Feng stood amidst the noise of the construction site, holding his phone, lost in thought.

Zhou Zhenguo's words seemed like he was passing the buck, but in reality, they were a highest-level trust and authorization.

If you go, you are a lone hero, and you bear the consequences yourself.

If you don't go, no one will blame you, and you will still be that 'Great Emperor Lin' who discovered the imperial seal.

On one side was immense wealth and unimaginable historical mysteries; on the other side were unknown dangers and conspiracies beyond the state's control.

How should he choose?