"Hello."
Lu Yuan picked up the phone and answered.
"Is this Mr. Lu?"
A deep voice came from the other end: "I just got off the plane, all the procedures are done."
"Yes, the pass at Christie's has been sorted, and the hotel is booked. There's enough money on the card. Remember, no matter what, make sure to get the item. Contact me if there's any issue."
Lu Yuan's voice was calm as he relayed a lot of information in one go.
Christie's.
One of the most famous auction houses in the world.
The auction items are a collection of rare artworks from around the globe.
And this auction happened to have something Lu Yuan needed.
So he hired a professional to go abroad and acquire the item.
"Yes, Mr. Lu."
The other side responded, asked a few more questions, and then hung up.
Lu Yuan sipped some red wine, opened his phone's photo album, and browsed through several photos.
The photos showed a yellowing ancient Chinese book, but the text wasn't ordinary Chinese characters; it was oracle bone script from Ancient Times, suspected to be related to the Tao Te Ching written by Laozi, dated to over two thousand years ago, as assessed by foreign experts.
Unearthed in China a hundred years ago, it later flowed overseas due to war, and after several transfers, ended up at Christie's.
Recently released information stated it would be among the items in the upcoming auction.
Originally.
The appearance of such an item would certainly cause a stir in China.
However, Chinese experts thought it was likely a forgery by ancient people, as both the character count and chapters differed significantly from the famous Tao Te Ching; apart from its age, it wasn't considered of much research value.
But only Lu Yuan knew that the one at Christie's was the complete edition of the Tao Te Ching.
The world believes this book only has eighty-one chapters.
But in fact, it has one hundred and eight chapters.
The version passed down in China is merely a fragment with the most crucial parts long missing.
In the past life, after the global transformation, when Lu Yuan had already become a minor character, he had heard that there were powerful beings who comprehended the complete Tao Te Ching, refining their body and soul to the utmost, capable of shaking stars and connecting with the divine, walking within the Star Realm. It was a truly supreme scripture, as valuable as the Ancient Bodhi Tree of India!
Since he had decided to make up for regrets in this lifetime and reach the peak.
The complete Tao Te Ching was an indispensable part of the plan.
"The Ancient Bodhi Tree cost nearly one billion, a trip to Christie's is at least tens of millions; it's something an ordinary person can't handle." Closing his phone, Lu Yuan couldn't help but sigh.
Just like before his rebirth.
He was still a second-generation rich kid.
His parents died in a car accident a year ago, leaving behind a fortune worth billions.
The difference is, in the last life, after inheriting the family business, he only focused on squandering without any thought for the future.
Although this wealth was enough to support him carefreely for a lifetime, when the global transformation happened, where power was supreme and the weak were prey, even all that money became worthless, with no use whatsoever.
In the last life, Lu Yuan fell from being a free-spirited second-generation rich kid to a minor character.
Even though he had some opportunities, they didn't allow him to change anything.
After experiencing that era where the strong preyed on the weak.
Where dignity was trampled at will.
He clearly knew how important strength was, without power, one was bullied.
So after coming back to life, Lu Yuan began planning for the future immediately, selling off various family properties, cashing out frantically, even at low prices, not hesitating at all. The mysterious wealthy person from Hu City on the news who sold large amounts of stocks and real estate was precisely him.
This action seemed extremely foolish to outsiders, as his parents had left only profitable assets.
Selling them meant losing at least millions per day.
But Lu Yuan didn't care.
A month later, the global transformation made much of those assets useless.
In the new era, it was not about wealth, but self-reliance.
For example, the villa he currently lived in was one of the inheritances, purchased initially for peace and quiet.
After rebirth, he renovated it as a base to quietly prepare for the upcoming time.
"Now that the Ancient Bodhi Tree is in hand, and there should be no surprises with the complete Tao Te Ching, the next step is to get other Divine Artifacts needed after the transformation." Lu Yuan calmed his mind, his brain swiftly conjuring up one plan after another.
That's right, these two items alone were not enough.
He aimed to collect all the supreme Divine Artifacts he knew before the transformation.
By doing so, he could be prepared for any crisis after the new era arrived.
Then, with a step ahead, lead every step, staying ahead of everyone!
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
At this moment, his phone suddenly vibrated, interrupting Lu Yuan's thoughts.
Glancing at it, he saw it was his college class group chat.
Li Sisi: It's almost the first anniversary of our graduation, our class hasn't gathered for a long time.
Wang Zibo: Yeah, @Li Hansheng, Class President, do you have any plans?
Li Hansheng: Of course, I already booked rooms at the Cloud Hotel, full-package of food, entertainment, and fun. Everyone must come.
Li Sisi: Wow, isn't that the best five-star hotel in Hu City? A few thousand per day, Class President, that's quite a spending.
Chen Song: @Li Hansheng, so Class President, do we have to contribute money?
Li Hansheng: No need, Zhou Yunqiong will also be there this time, and the Cloud Hotel is her family's business. She's already informed, so just have fun.
Wang Zibo: What, what? The goddess Zhou Yunqiong is coming? I definitely won't miss it.
Chen Song: Me too, long time no see to our classmate Zhou.
Zhang Wei: I will definitely be there!
Zhao Pengfei: +1.
Qian Gang: +1.
A lot of male classmates: +1.
Li Sisi: Look, hearing that Yunqiong will come, all of you guys are showing your true colors.
Li Hansheng: Li Sisi, what are you saying? The most excited shouldn't be us, but someone else for sure.
Wang Zibo: At this point, @Lu Yuan.
A crowd of classmates: At this point, @Lu Yuan...
Li Sisi: Yeah, classmate Lu liked Yunqiong for four years; he's probably ecstatic now, isn't he?
Li Hansheng: @Lu Yuan, stop hiding, say something about whether you'll attend or not!
Seeing the long string of messages on the phone.
Lu Yuan shook his head and tossed the phone aside.
If in the previous life, he would have been interested in such matters and would have eagerly responded, now he doesn't care at all, as time is precious, and the so-called class reunion holds no significance to him.
As for the girl he liked, after experiencing the global transformation and various bloody battles.
Lu Yuan no longer cared about such feelings.
So there was no need to reply.
But soon, just when he was about to get up and leave, a thought crossed his mind.
He promptly picked up the phone again, opened the chat app, and slowly typed a single word: "Yes."
The reason for changing his mind was simple, he remembered that there was something he needed related to this class reunion, so he had to go.
After doing this.
Lu Yuan stopped thinking.
He turned around and headed straight into the villa's gym, starting his workout.
With a little over a month left until the global transformation, he had many things to do before then.
For some Divine Artifacts, you couldn't just buy them from home; you had to go in person, and some places were dangerous, so Lu Yuan needed a strong physique.