With a death on the premises, the auction had to be suspended.
The scene descended into chaos, but Qin Xiao showed no hesitation in heading straight backstage at Christie's.
In full view of numerous Christie's staff, he transferred the funds and took the beast head.
As for the remaining mysterious item, it would have to wait for Christie's next auction.
Having settled the matter, Qin Xiao needed to leave quickly. He wasn't afraid of killing, but he preferred to avoid direct confrontation with the police. It was best to keep these matters low-key.
Just as Qin Xiao was about to leave with Natasha, his eyes fell on something lying on the floor.
His pupils dilated instantly.
An ancient-looking golden coffin lay quietly on the ground.
When he'd entered earlier, a cart laden with other items had been parked nearby, blocking his view. But during the transfer, the staff had moved the cart away.
The coffin itself was simple, with no elaborate carvings.
The lid of the coffin had four raised corners, resembling the eaves of ancient Chinese houses.
Qin Xiao remembered proposing this idea when he commissioned the coffin. After all, it was for a wedding, and he wanted to add a playful touch.
A momentary whim...
"Impossible..."
Qin Xiao took a step at a time toward the coffin, muttering to himself.
"Mr. Qin, you're also interested in this piece? We spent a long time acquiring it. It's very ancient, but unfortunately, most of the symbols on the front have been worn away, leaving only a small portion at the top. We don't know what they originally depicted, otherwise it would have had much greater archaeological value."
Qin Xiao followed the attendant's gaze and indeed found a horizontal stroke on the coffin's front, followed by a left-falling stroke and another horizontal stroke. Beyond that, only a faint, slanted mark remained; the rest had been worn down to nothing.
"These aren't symbols, they're part of Chinese characters! 'Centuries of Good Fortune' (not a typo)!"
Qin Xiao stared intently at the residual characters on the golden coffin, his expression focused.
His heart was already churning with a tempest of emotions.
"Qin, should we go? What happened?" Natasha asked, her concern evident. She had barely reacted when he publicly murdered someone earlier, but now he was like this. What could have happened?
Qin Xiao, uncharacteristically ignoring Natasha, stood up and turned to the Christie's staff member.
"Is this coffin being consigned here by a third party, or is it part of the auction house's own inventory?"
"This... this is our company's. Mr. Qin, is there a problem?" The staff member was visibly intimidated by Qin Xiao, especially after witnessing the earlier murder.
"How did you acquire this item? Tell me!"
"I... I don't know... Mr. Qin, I'll have to call headquarters to inquire properly."
"Then call right now!"
"But... but it's the middle of the night there! No one will be working!"
"Where's the auctioneer?"
Qin Xiao turned to find the auctioneer still on site.
"You were about to auction this item today. Didn't you know its provenance?"
"We only know it belonged to the owner of an ancient castle, who sold it to our auction house. As for how he acquired it, he claimed his family had collected it since his grandfather's time, and the origin had long since been lost to history. That's all the company told me, Mr. Qin. If you want to know more, you'll have to wait for our colleagues to come in tomorrow!"
The auctioneer remained composed, stating the facts clearly and adding a reassuring note: "However, Mr. Qin, our company usually doesn't conceal the provenance of artifacts from auctioneers. You know how it is with historical relics—if they lack a compelling story, we'd practically invent one. So, unless there's an unexpected complication, I'm confident that even after consulting the company, you'll find the explanation satisfactory."
"Whoosh~~~~~!"
Qin Xiao took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The situation was too bizarre; he needed to steady his nerves.
After a moment of silence, he immediately dialed Ancient One's number.
Less than a minute later, a portal opened on-site. Qin Xiao, carrying the coffin, and Natasha stepped through the portal.
Before leaving, Qin Xiao turned back to the auctioneer and said, "I must take this item. Have your company make an offer and contact me later!"
***
New York Sanctum.
Natasha found it incredible to have traveled through a portal and arrived directly from France back to New York.
But seeing Qin Xiao's expression, she knew something was weighing on his mind.
She discreetly began exploring the Sanctum on her own, leaving Qin Xiao and Ancient One with enough space.
"What exactly happened? Why did you bring a coffin here?"
Qin Xiao had spoken so urgently earlier that Ancient One hadn't asked for details.
"Can you determine the origin of this object?"
"Where it came from, when it appeared, why it's here... Supreme Gu Yi, I know you can use the Infinity Stones to observe the future and even the past. I don't know what the cost might be, but if it's within your capacity, please tell me. This matter is... absolutely! vital!"
Qin Xiao emphasized the last few words with deliberate force.
Ancient One glanced at him in surprise but remained silent.
Instead, he circled the coffin, then gently placed his hand on it.
The Eye of Agamotto on his chest emitted a faint green glow.
His entire form began to flicker inexplicably in the space.
After a long moment...
Ancient One grunted and abruptly exited that state.
"How is it?"
Qin Xiao stepped forward, supporting Ancient One and asking anxiously.
Ancient One's face was filled with a strange expression. He waved his hand at Qin Xiao, signaling he was fine.
Ignoring Qin Xiao's eagerness for an answer, he gripped the coffin again, and the green light on his chest flared once more.
After a similar duration, Ancient One let out another muffled groan and snapped out of his trance.
"Impossible! This is impossible!"
Ancient One's disbelief surpassed even Qin Xiao's when he first saw the golden coffin.
Forgetting Qin Xiao entirely, he sat cross-legged on the ground, sandwiching the Eye of Agamotto between his palms as he formed hand seals.
He plunged back into the temporal viewing state.
This time, it lasted an incredibly long time.
Natasha checked in twice, saw the scene, and left again.
Just as Qin Xiao was about to lose his patience and kick Ancient One to snap him out of it,
Ancient One suddenly coughed up a large mouthful of blood, then slowly opened his eyes.
"What exactly did you see?" Qin Xiao asked anxiously as he helped Ancient One sit down.
"Our timeline... has been severed!"
-----------------------
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