Half an hour later, Tatsuya arrived at Lucci's house with his suitcase and rang the doorbell.
This was a high-end residential complex with good security; Lucci's home occupied one floor, and Tatsuya had visited many times.
Lucci opened the door, dressed in casual loungewear, his hair a bit messy, his face showing the fatigue of poor sleep and obvious agitation.
"You're finally here!"
Lucci pulled him inside, his eyes scanning him, as if trying to discern something.
He led Tatsuya to the study and closed the door.
He locked the door behind him, his expression a mix of worry, curiosity, and lingering anger.
"Can you tell me now? What exactly is going on?"
Lucci lowered his voice, his eyes sweeping over Tatsuya, seemingly trying to figure out what he had been doing these past few days. "Don't tell me you actually went and did something that could get your head chopped off!"
Tatsuya didn't explain much, simply placing the seemingly ordinary, even somewhat old, suitcase flat on the thick carpet of the study.
"The items are inside here."
He said, crouching down and opening the combination lock on the suitcase.
With a click, he unlatched the lock and lifted the lid of the case.
In an instant, even under the soft light of the study, the neatly arranged, gleaming, heavy gold almost dazzled the eyes.
Lucci's questioning "What the hell?" got stuck in his throat, his eyes widened abruptly, his mouth slightly agape, and he stood frozen as if struck by a paralysis spell.
Several seconds later, he finally seemed to find his voice, letting out an uncontrollable gasp: "I... holy crap!"
He lunged towards the case, almost frantically grabbing a large gold coin, slightly smaller than his palm, thick and heavy. The weighty feel in his hand made his heart leap again.
He turned it over and over, his fingers tracing the exquisite casting patterns, even subconsciously lowering his head to try biting it to test its purity—
Tatsuya reached out and stopped him, speechless: "Don't bite it. It's real, very high purity. You won't get anything from biting it, and it's dirty."
Lucci snapped back to attention, putting down the gold, but his eyes remained fixed on the box of gold, his breathing growing heavier. He looked up at Tatsuya, his eyes filled with disbelief: "Tatsuya! You... you goddamn... did you go tomb raiding?! Which prince's tomb did you dig up? This purity... this weight... how much is in this box?!"
After the shock, he looked at Tatsuya's overly calm face, and suddenly, an indescribable emotion welled up.
This wasn't a few hundreds or thousands, not even tens or hundreds of thousands; this was an entire box of gold!
Its value was incalculable!
Tatsuya had brought it to his house so defenselessly, placing it right in front of him.
This was completely inconsistent with the calm, shrewd, and even somewhat aloof and calculating Tatsuya he knew.
"You..." Lucci's voice was a bit hoarse, "You just brought it over like this? Aren't you afraid I..."
"You're my brother."
Tatsuya interrupted him, his tone still calm, but carrying an undeniable weight.
He trusted Lucci. This trust stemmed from years of understanding and from Lucci always lending him a hand at critical moments without expecting anything in return.
Moreover, the power he now possessed gave him enough confidence to deal with most potential contingencies, though he knew Lucci would never do such a thing.
Lucci swallowed, then vigorously wiped his face, as if trying to suppress the sudden surge of emotion.
When he looked at the box of gold again, his eyes had changed, becoming serious and focused, entering the state Tatsuya was familiar with when he handled important matters.
"The source..."
Tatsuya looked at him, reiterating seriously, each word clearly articulated.
"Absolutely clean, not illegal. But the specific details, Lucci, I really can't say. Just consider it something I exchanged from a certain... closed channel, using some kind of... 'information asymmetry' and exclusive 'technology'."
Part of what he said was true.
The information gap of the era, the technology of modern medicine and knowledge, and the transaction with the Demon Slayer Corps.
Lucci stared intently into his eyes, seemingly trying to find any trace of guilt or evasiveness.
But he only saw a bottomless calm and candor.
After a long while, Lucci let out a heavy sigh, as if having made up his mind: "Alright, you don't say, I don't ask. I trust you."
He no longer dwelled on the source, instead focusing entirely on the gold itself.
He roughly counted the number of large gold coins in the box, weighed them a few times, and rapidly calculated the current gold price and the potential premium for such antique gold ingots.
"Damn it..."
He cursed softly, with an incredulous gasp.
"Preliminary estimate, based on the current gold price and this purity and weight, this box... is definitely worth over twenty million! No less!"
Twenty million!
That number seemed to make the air in the study momentarily still.
Tatsuya had already anticipated it, but hearing the exact figure, his heart still couldn't help but beat faster for a moment.
His sister's medical expenses, the family's debts, the heavy burden on his parents' shoulders... he could truly see a glimmer of hope for a solution.
"We can't sell it all at once, it's too conspicuous and will cause trouble."
Lucci quickly calmed down and began to plan.
"We need to do it in batches, through absolutely reliable channels."
Tatsuya nodded: "You arrange it. A portion goes to you, as well as the subsequent channel fees."
"We'll talk about that later."
Lucci waved his hand, clearly unconcerned.
He picked up his phone, scrolling through his contacts, and simultaneously told Tatsuya: "My dad has an old comrade-in-arms, surnamed Wang. After retiring from the military, he's been in the precious metals and jewelry business. He has extensive connections, is absolutely reliable, and keeps a tight lip. I'll contact him now."
The call connected, and Lucci put it on speaker so Tatsuya could also hear.
"Uncle king, it's me,Lucci ." Lucci's tone became familiar and polite.
"Hey, Lucci, what made you think of calling your Uncle King?" A strong, laughing voice came from the other end.
"I have something I'd like to trouble you with. I have a close buddy, his family... well, let's say some old items passed down from his ancestors, a batch of large gold bars, excellent purity. He's in urgent need of money now and wants to sell them in batches. Do you have any connections on your end?"
"Large gold bars? How much? What's the purity like?" The voice on the other end became more serious.
"The quantity isn't small, and the purity is impeccable, top-notch goods. As for the specific amount... we'll sell a portion first to test the waters, roughly..." Lucci reported a cautious figure.
"Hmm... this quantity... alright. Is the source of the items clean?" Uncle Wang asked cautiously.
"Uncle Wang, don't worry, absolutely clean. I guarantee it with my integrity!" Lucci's tone was firm.
"Haha, I still trust your integrity, kid. Alright, then bring the items over for me to see. As long as the items are right, the price is negotiable. Tax and safety are covered. I'll find reliable clients to take them, ensuring no future problems."
"That's great, thank you, Uncle Wang! Shall we set a time?"
"How about tomorrow afternoon? Come to my shop to discuss the details."
After hanging up, Lucci looked at Tatsuya, his eyes sparkling with excitement: "It's settled. Uncle Wang is reliable; with him handling it, it's safe. I'll go with you tomorrow."
Tatsuya nodded, a heavy weight in his heart slightly lifting.
...
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