Zombie Bodyguard
Chapter 686 - 683: Luminous Pearl

"You should come and see for yourselves," Lin Tian said, unsure how to express his feelings at the moment.

The reaction of Lin Tian was so unusual that it didn’t seem to indicate danger; this prompted the three Heavenly Master Girls to approach curiously.

Lin Tian’s expression was indeed strange, as the scene inside the sarcophagus was completely beyond his expectation. He had always thought that coffins should be gloomy and terrifying, but this stone coffin was not like that at all.

The space inside the entire sarcophagus was very large, big enough to fit several people, and the inner walls were covered with a layer of gleaming gold leaf. At one end of the sarcophagus, a Luminous Pearl was embedded, emitting a soft glow.

"Wow, what a beautiful Luminous Pearl," Kikuchi Mika exclaimed in amazement.

Originally frightened by the coffin, Kikuchi Mika was so taken aback by its inner decorations that she temporarily forgot her fears, illustrating just how unexpectedly stunning the coffin’s interior was.

The Heavenly Master Girls and Ning Luoxi laughed and shook their heads, truly not expecting this. If it had been just this, they wouldn’t have been surprised, but the luxury of the sarcophagus did not stop there.

At the bottom of the sarcophagus, there was even a complete tiger skin laid out! Wild tigers are a protected species today, making it uncertain whether this skin was from long ago or modern times.

"Do you see this Luminous Pearl? Doesn’t it resemble the one described in historical records?" Ning Luoxi asked, her voice filled with surprise.

It was rare for something to surprise Ning Luoxi; Lin Tian, who had been examining some books, now focused his attention on the Luminous Pearl as well.

The Luminous Pearl, the size of a chicken egg and embedded in the sarcophagus wall, emitted a gentle, faint green light. Ning Luoxi reached out, took the Luminous Pearl off the wall, and gently split it in half.

The Luminous Pearl, once split into two halves, suddenly stopped shining, which startled everyone. Ning Luoxi then put it back together, and the soft green light was emitted once again.

"I really guessed it right, this is the historically lost Luminous Pearl," said a somewhat excited Ning Luoxi.

Lin Tian also recalled a passage from the historical records: "Luminous Pearl, the size of a chicken egg, split into two parts, a transparent sphere without light, coming together emits a green light, visible at a distance of a hundred steps at night, this pearl can prevent a body from decaying for a thousand years."

He recited this passage, and Ning Luoxi along with the Heavenly Master Girls nodded in agreement with Lin Tian’s words.

"It’s said that this Luminous Pearl was worth over ten million taels of silver back in the day," said the Heavenly Master Girl.

Lin Tian made a rough calculation and said, "Based on current silver prices, that would be worth over three hundred million RMB, even more when taking into account the depreciation of money. That’s still not the full value, its historical significance is what truly makes it priceless, and it could definitely fetch a billion or even two in a sale."

Ning Luoxi pulled off the scarf from her face, looked at Lin Tian solemnly, her expression hesitant as if she wanted to say something but was too shy to speak.

Looking at her, Lin Tian understood Ning Luoxi’s intentions and openly said, "I know what you want to say, do you want to donate the Luminous Pearl to the country?"

Ning Luoxi shyly nodded, tacitly confirming his words. She indeed felt embarrassed; historically, countless ancient jewels and antiques have been lost overseas, and even if their current holders are known, it’s impossible to reclaim them.

This Luminous Pearl was also such a case, unknown who had stolen it and it ended up in Japan; realistically, it was impossible to retrieve it. But as a public servant and a Huaxia person, Ning Luoxi felt it her duty to raise the issue.

She had already decided in her heart, the best outcome would be if Lin Tian agreed, but she could also accept it if he didn’t.

The Heavenly Master Girl and Kikuchi Mika both looked at Lin Tian, they kept silent because they knew that Lin Tian essentially led this operation, and he had the most right to speak about how to handle this Luminous Pearl.

Lin Tian smiled and casually said, "Do as you say, I have no objections."

"Thank you," Ning Luoxi said solemnly.

"This is what a Huaxia person should do, it has nothing to do with the value," Lin Tian said very seriously, then he added, "However, don’t mention me as the donor, you can write your name, or the Beautiful Sky Master’s, I just don’t want to be in the spotlight."

"Once this Luminous Pearl is revealed, it will definitely become the focus of the entire world. As the donor of the Luminous Pearl, you can also enjoy supreme honor, your reputation will surely be at its peak. Are you sure you want to donate anonymously?" Ning Luoxi asked inquiringly.

Because of its historical value, the honor from donating the Luminous Pearl was something Lin Tian was certainly aware of, and Ning Luoxi’s description of being at the peak was not an exaggeration.

This Luminous Pearl involved too much: the historical academia, collector’s circles, jewelry trade, media, business sector, and archaeology, and because of the mystery of its luminescence, the scientific community would also be involved. Even due to historical reasons, the political sphere as well, it touched so many areas, this Luminous Pearl was no longer just a matter of how much money it was worth.

"I’m not a person with great ambitions, getting rich quietly, romancing beautiful women, these are my life goals," Lin Tian said nonchalantly.

Ning Luoxi gave a sardonic smile and said, "With such honor, are you worried about not having beautiful women? I think many would throw themselves at you."

"Among these beautiful women throwing themselves at me, does that include Miss Luoxi?" Lin Tian said with a shameless smile, teasing her.

"You..." Ning Luoxi stuttered, then gritted her teeth, "Keep dreaming."

To make Ning Luoxi, this stoic Berserker, angry was not an easy feat, and Lin Tian quite enjoyed this sense of accomplishment.

"Alright, anonymity is a must, and when it comes to romancing beautiful women, it’s better to do it on one’s own," Lin Tian said.

"Brother Lin, you are so great," Kikuchi Mika said, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Enough of that, I don’t want to be called great. Let’s just look at these books, I think these books are more precious," Lin Tian said, and he meant it.

To him, the Luminous Pearl was just prettier, not practically valuable, not even as good as an electric lamp for illumination, it was just for show at home, utterly useless, all talks about taste and substance, all bullshit.

On one side of the coffin, many books were neatly placed, some bound with thread, some as scrolls, all of them looking very ancient.

Among them, a few books were wrapped in animal skin, only a corner showing, wrapped so well, Lin Tian thought they must be valuable books and picked them up first.

The outer wrapping of animal skin looked quite ordinary, Lin Tian hadn’t paid much attention to it at first, but when he began to unwrap it, the moment his fingers touched the animal skin, his heart skipped a beat, the texture, the feel of it, he was all too familiar with it.