After determining that the next clue left by Count Salwen might be beyond the Tanghauser Gate, Captain Yu Lian once again systematically reviewed various historical records of the Tangheisser Duke's family.
This was indeed a historic and prominent imperial family, whose ancestors included Chief Ministers of the Privy Council, Marshals, Star Realm Knight Commanders, and Elders. However, due to some historical reasons not particularly relevant to our story, they had been sidelined in recent times, even having to return their territories within the Imperial heartland to the Dawn Royal Family because they couldn't afford the tribute. If they hadn't managed to retain two planets in the Luna Star System, they might have even lost their noble status.
Fortunately, the successive divine rulers of the Dawn Royal Family were quite tolerant on matters not involving practical issues. Since the Tangheisser family had surrendered their homeland territories, instantly falling into the role of 'countryside lords,' the Imperial family didn't mind them retaining the noble title of 'Duke.'
The famous Count Salwen and the 'countryside local lord' Tangheisser Duke seemed to have no direct connection. Thus, Yu Lian directly accessed the Imperial College of Arms' database and began to peruse its vast local gazetteers.
Anyway, this information wasn't classified; Imperial citizens could access it just by paying a small fee.
Although Yu Lian wasn't an Imperial citizen, as a great… rogue, wasn't it quite reasonable for him to misappropriate one or two Imperial citizens' identity information?
During Count Salwen's lifetime, there were three different Tangheisser Dukes. One of them, named Karlsa II, was similar in age to Count Salwen and was a very reputable local lord, a capable and resourceful industrialist. He was also a somewhat well-known art collector and critic.
Such a background easily led to speculation, so Yu Lian carefully examined the life of this Duke Karlsa. It was said that this Duke had shown signs of being a psionic sensitive when he was young, but unfortunately, he botched the awakening ritual and not only failed to become a superman but also ended up half-crippled, unable to join the military or officialdom.
However, this Duke Karlsa II was indeed a very inspiring person. Despite his disability, he persevered and was admitted to the Empire's top-tier Holy Dawn University, entering in the same year as Count Salwen…
This was the extent of Karlsa II's overt connection with Count Salwen. It's worth noting that the former majored in business, while the latter was in biology and environmental studies. They were completely different fields; at most, they might have exchanged nods at student gatherings.
After graduating, the young Duke returned home to manage his estates, and he indeed did a very good job of running the two planetary territories. The famous seaside resort on New Seville, which is somewhat known throughout the galaxy, was founded by him.
As for Count Salwen, he naturally continued his rapid advance down the path of a cultured dilettante, excelling in everything he tried, and from then on, he was unstoppable.
A 'countryside' lord of no great renown and Count Salwen, a galactic luminary of his time, theoretically had no special connection. Oh, right, Karlsa II published a monograph on art criticism. In it, there were indeed a few articles specifically praising Salwen's paintings, stating that the latter was a true genius who, if he focused more, would be enough to be immortalized in the art history of the universe.
Above, that is all the connections found between these two so far.
You think I'd believe that? Yu Lian's gaze swept across the study, lingering for a few minutes on a large oil painting hanging behind the desk.
The painting depicted a magnificent building, as if from an ancient temple, and it was one of the most famous structures in this galaxy, a landmark of the Imperial capital, Sky Domain: the Grand National Assembly Hall.
Within the Empire's sphere of influence, it was even referred to as "the pantheon" by many vassal states, with expressions of both fear and longing.
The painting technique was exceptionally skilled, so at first glance, the entire painting looked like an architectural photograph.
Yu Lian pondered for a moment, deep in thought. Just as he was about to let his psionic energy expand, he felt the approaching, slightly shuffling footsteps behind him.
He turned his head and saw an elderly gentleman. His hair was white but meticulously combed; his figure was somewhat gaunt, but his formal attire was impeccably neat, without a single wrinkle.
The old man's face held a slightly reserved yet benevolent smile as he said, "That is a painting personally left by His Grace Karlsa II... Captain, if you are interested, you are welcome to step closer and take a look."
"Mr. Curator," the security guard objected in a not-too-forceful tone, but the old man waved his hand, "Captain Yu Lian is a Central Special Envoy, here specifically to tour the memorial hall. Would he steal cultural relics?"
What a kind-faced old man! Although it was their first meeting, they should have known each other for a long time. Yu Lian subtly sized up the other party, then nodded and smiled, "Indeed! If I truly liked it, I would simply demand to buy it."
The old man, referred to as "Curator," paused slightly, then chuckled, "You are truly an upright person, quite different from the others before. I recall that the last Central Special Envoy who came here took a fancy to a jade ornament left at the Duke's mansion, but didn't even pay for it."
The two security guards had recovered from their momentary daze, probably startled awake, and immediately looked uneasy.
"Heh heh, I'm just joking..." The old Curator directly opened the railing at the entrance and gestured, "Then, please come over and take a look. To be honest, the entire museum is too noisy; only this place still retains some of the atmosphere of that era. I welcome all guests interested in the history of those times."
Yu Lian looked at the old gentleman, who appeared to be on the verge of entering the grave at any moment but still tried his best to maintain his composure, and decided not to refuse his kind offer.
The old man introduced himself as Berulf Manton, the curator of this independent museum. However, at his age, he was no longer suited for heavy work, and the entire museum's operations were now overseen by a government-appointed vice-curator.
It was just that old Berulf was a somewhat renowned historian and also had some popularity in New Seville, so he had remained in his position until now. During the Imperial rule, he had served as an assistant butler at the Tangheisser Duke's mansion, making him arguably the person most familiar with this large estate among those still alive.
Alright, this indeed counted as an old loyalist. But after all, he was an old man on the verge of death and was acting very friendly, so Yu Lian decided to continue being polite.
The old Curator then enthusiastically explained, "His Grace Karlsa was a very insightful art critic, but this is the only work he left behind, and it has been hanging in this study ever since... In fact, the painting's quality is average; the technique is almost perfect, but that's all there is to it—it lacks appeal and isn't valuable!"
Yu Lian agreed. "Painted like a photograph" is, in some sense, not a compliment.
"And precisely because of that, it has remained hanging here, untouched by anyone," old Berulf added.
"However, his, and the successive Dukes' collections, do contain quite a few excellent works! If you're interested in those, you've come to the wrong place. Some of them were sent to Earth, and a small portion are in the annex on the east wing. I've specially converted that into a small art gallery."
His face was old, but his eyes were remarkably bright, showing an expectant expression.
Yu Lian looked at the two security guards, seeing their "as expected" expressions, then tried his best to maintain a poker face that showed he saw nothing and heard nothing. He roughly guessed what was going on, and immediately decided to go along with it: "Then, I'll trouble you."
The old Curator did not lead Yu Lian along the third-floor corridor to the art gallery in the adjacent east wing annex, but instead went directly to his own office.
The old man's curator's office was very simple: a desk, cabinets, and a few small decorative items with a scholarly flair. The only slightly incongruous item was a full-length mirror placed in one corner of the office, directly facing the desk.
However, considering the old Curator was an impeccably dressed old gentleman, he probably needed to adjust his attire at any time, so a mirror was not surprising.
After Yu Lian took his seat, the old man first poured Yu Lian a glass of good quality red wine, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then took out a small scroll from a nearby cabinet.
His face twitched slightly, as if in pain, but he still held it up with both hands.
"This is..." Yu Lian had roughly guessed something like this would happen, but he truly hadn't expected it to be presented in this way.
"'Dragon Wings Offshore,' a masterpiece by Salon, 246," he replied.
He didn't even need to look to know that this should be one of the collection pieces here.
Of course, out of politeness, he still opened it and glanced inside. What immediately caught his eye was a Titan ship cruising through the star river, with a composition and use of color that were quite impactful, making it indeed a masterpiece.
"So, what does this mean?"
"Of course, it's a small token of appreciation from the people of New Seville to you," the old man chuckled.
"Well, this is actually a task assigned to this old man by the system government and the Command HQ of the Security Force. You, after all, represent the will of Earth, and the local military and political officials need you to have a pleasant term here. Some people love money, some love women, some... are more cultured."
"You can just say I'm a pretentious aesthete!" Yu Lian laughed.
The old man smiled wryly, "...So, for different special envoys, there are different ways of dealing with them, which have already become established practices."
"Hmm, how many of my type have there been? Is there still enough stuff here?" Yu Lian asked again.
"To my knowledge, only three times, and I've given out ten items in total. Don't worry, the Duke's family collection is quite rich, and it can still be maintained for now." At this point, the old man smiled bitterly, "Now you understand why I had to create an art gallery, don't you? By displaying some important pieces, it becomes harder for those above to take them."
"When the Duke was still alive, he often took some valuable collections to Sky Domain... to participate in social events."
The old man, having been a retainer of the Tangheisser Duke, managed not to use the phrase "seeking official positions."
"The great nobles in Sky Domain, at least, genuinely possess appreciation and aesthetic sense, and the ability to maintain masterpieces. But those big shots from Earth... Heh, never mind. Giving it to you is better than giving it to others, at least. At least, I can see that you are a truly cultured and refined Knight of taste. The former Dukes would probably be happy too."
It's understandable for old loyalists to reminisce about the former dynasty; they always manage to find so-called theoretical justifications.
"How do you know that I am the 'cultured and refined Knight of taste' you speak of?" Yu Lian asked.
The old man countered, "Then, are you?"
Yu Lian remained noncommittal, maintaining a polite and proper, but seemingly uninformative, smile.
"I think you definitely are!" Old Berulf stated emphatically, "If you weren't, the military and political officials here would be very uncomfortable. And then, this museum, its staff, and I, this old man who only hopes to preserve as much as possible before I die, would be even more uncomfortable."
Yu Lian calmly tucked the scroll into his left hand, and it vanished with a 'biu' sound.
Facing such an unscientific scene, the old Curator couldn't help but show a shocked expression: "Uh, what you have there..."
Yu Lian looked at his hand; on his left index finger was a thimble-like "Pamino Ring," and on his thumb was an unknown metal thumb ring.
"A psionic artifact I picked up from the black market. The only function discovered so far is storage. After all, I am also a Central Special Envoy, so I need to be mindful of my image. You should understand that, right?" Yu Lian asked.
The old man nodded, still staring at Yu Lian's ring, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"I heard you're also a very discerning appraiser? How about you help me take a look?"
Old Mr. Berulf was truly not at all polite; he actually took the ring, played with it for a while, and then returned it to Yu Lian's hand.
His hands, and the ring in his hands, never left Yu Lian's sight throughout the process.
"I always feel like I've really seen it somewhere before... When the old Duke was still alive, he collected some psionic artifacts, hoping to find an opportunity for himself or his descendants to awaken. After all, I'm just an ordinary person; how could I truly understand artifacts?" The old Curator looked at it for a long time, but ultimately shook his head: "...However, the patterns on this artifact do resemble the totems of the Luminar people. You might want to investigate that direction."
Three times! Yu Lian told himself, but verbally expressed gratitude: "Thank you very much!"
Yu Lian walked out of the office, subtly opening his terminal, and found that five minutes had passed. He shrugged, feeling his mischievousness and ill intentions about to overflow, but managed to suppress them and walked away with a light step.
He was actually excited about getting a famous painting worth at least 10 million! Really!
I really don't have any drafts saved. This morning, I took the kid to check out kindergartens, and then this little rascal, whom I've raised since he was 2 years and eight months old, saw the ball pit at the kindergarten and didn't want his dad anymore! I was so heartbroken that I couldn't write a single word all morning...
Well, actually, I only managed to sneak away to write in the afternoon after leaving the kid with his grandparents, and I just barely finished it!
Also, tomorrow morning, I have to take the kid for vaccinations, and in the afternoon, I have to take him to Happy Valley (it's already arranged). If I don't update tomorrow, it means I genuinely didn't have time to write, so consider it a leave of absence.
Wuwuwuwu~~~~