Artifact Reading Inspector

“What do you mean? The man we met works for Mizno Toru?”

“Yes, he works for Mizno Toru. He is quite an important person.”

Hiccup…

The man started to hiccup. He gulped down some cold water and urgently stood up.

“I am sorry, but I have to go.”

“Oh, it is late, right? Thank you for the good deal.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

He quickly put on his jacket and left in a hurry.

He couldn’t drive as he was drunk, so he called the chauffeur. When the chauffeur was being late, he ditched his own car and left in a taxi.

Byeongguk laughed at seeing that.

“Hahaha! He is in big trouble now.”

“Yes. Now all that is left is to wait for the two of them to fight.”

“However, a fake that delicate is hard to prove as a fake… what if they never get to prove it until we die?”

Byeongguk’s worry made sense. However, judging from the past Haejin had seen through magic, they hadn’t done that much.

“If Mizno Toru sends a piece of the porcelain to Oxford, England, the result will prove it. I think they haven’t pulled any tricks good enough to fool TL (thermoluminescent) sensors.”

“Oh, really? That’s good…”

Examining with eyes can never tell if the porcelain can fool TL sensors or not. However, Byeongguk didn’t know that much. Haejin said so and he just bought it.

“So, you must do something more.”

“What? You need a rumor about the porcelain being fake?”

Byeongguk already knew what to do.

“Yes, it should have arrived at Busan Port by now, and it will be in Japan by tomorrow morning. Spread the rumor after that. That the Moon Porcelain he bought is a fake.”

“That is easy. He will be outraged.”

“And you should add one more thing.”

“That it was Ando Hadake…”

They were almost reading each other’s mind.

“But, won’t there be a problem? I mean, you were in the middle of the deal.”

Haejin smiled.

“I don’t even know the guy who bought that porcelain and never contacted him. It’s not like I guaranteed its authenticity. You were in the middle. If something happens, it will happen to you, so…”

“What?”

Byeongguk got mad.

“Haha, I was joking. He knew what kind of man you are, so he brought his own appraiser.”

Haejin had lit the fire between Ando Hadake and Mizno Toru, but he had a lot more things to do.

The thing he cared about the most was learning scuba diving. Pointing the spot to excavate was not hard, but to recover the artifacts at once, he had to tell the exact location to the workers.

He was confident about diving as he had the magic that would allow him to hold his breath for a long time but, to his surprise, diving was not just about holding your breath for long.

It required considerable strength, patience, and mental power so, except for the time he worked on excavation plans with Yuseong, he put all his efforts into learning scuba diving.

A few days later, before the first diving session in the sea of Taean, Byeongguk hurriedly came into the new gallery where the interior construction was getting the final touch. He looked urgent.

“Have you heard the news?”

“You are the only source of news I have. Oh, I have entrusted a white porcelain to an auction, and it will be on the preview next week. Do you want to see it?”

“Why should I look at your porcelain. Go with my Sujeong.”

“Then, I should go with her, unless she is not too busy. But, what is all the fuss?”

“Minzo Toru found out that the porcelain is fake.”

“What? Already? He shouldn’t have had enough time to send a piece to England…”

Haejin had thought it would take some time for Byeongguk’s rumor to work.

It was a fake of high-quality, so some evidence was needed to conclude it as a fake.

“There was someone who knew that porcelain.”

“What? What is that about?”

“It turns out that the man who brought that porcelain to Korea knows Mizno Toru. So, after Mizno Toru bought it, he told him it was the porcelain he had set in Korea. They have great trust between them, so Mizno got mad without sending it to England.”

“So? Him getting mad cannot be the end.”

“As the man who brought that porcelain is close to Mizno Toru, he already knows that Ando Hadake is behind all that without me spreading any rumor. Things are tense between Osaka and Tokyo now.”

“Tokyo must be Ando Hadake’s territory… I guess Osaka is Mizno Toru’s?”

“Yes. Artifacts smuggling involves huge money. Of course, the yakuza is in it. No, strictly speaking, both Ando Hadake and Mizno Toru are yakuza bosses. Mizno Toru may look like a normal businessman, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is a smuggler and grave robber.”

“Oho… then my plan worked well.”

“Yes, but there’s a problem.”

“Huh? What problem in this great situation?”

“Ando Hadake is about to send someone in Korea.”

Haejin was surprised to hear this, not because Ando Hadake was sending someone but because Byeongguk knew about it.

“Wow… how did you find that out?”

“I didn’t… I am not the FBI or something. He contacted me. He wants to meet you.”

“Me? What does he want?”

“I don’t know. He must have gotten info about me from Mizno Toru. He is trying to reach you through me, so he already knows about us.”

If Ando Hadake had that much of information, then avoiding him wasn’t the answer. Haejin had to meet him and find out what he would say.

“Okay. Tell him I will meet him. Actually, I’ve been thinking I would get to meet him one day, ever since he tried to con me.”

“You’ll really meet him?”

“Yes. However, tell him to come after my upcoming excavation as I am busy now. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

“Huh… are you bold? Or are you stupid?”

“You told me before that he won’t come after me with guns… that’s enough. If it’s not a gunfight, well…”

Haejin smiled.

“Anyway, I believed that the porcelain was real and couldn’t buy it because I had spent all the money I had on setting my gallery. So, I introduced a buyer, I have nothing to be responsible of. Nothing to go wrong.”

Haejin was so calm. Byeongguk stared at him, shook his head and turned around.

“Well, there is nothing he can accuse you of. Then, I will tell him so. And don’t forget you are going to auction with Sujeong next week.”

“Oh… why are you so worried? Stop caring about your mature daughter.”

“I am caring because she is mature. The interior is also not good. Too old. Khmm… I’m going.”

Haejin knew Byeongguk said that to just make a remark, so he didn’t bother to argue and said goodbye. Then, he worked with the interior worker next to him.

“Bye. We will use the white lights from here to there, so please make it a little darker. And please move that to the left a little…”

The next day, 9 a.m., in the coastal water of Sinan.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

Haejin was wearing a diving suit and some equipment. He raised his thumb. The others seemed to worry a lot about letting a non-expert dive, but Haejin didn’t mind.

“Although you have learned scuba diving for a short time, this area is not as calm as the other seas. If you think it’s dangerous, you should come up immediately.”

A diver, who used to be in special forces, was worried. However, Haejin smiled and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry. You are going to help me, right?”

“Yes but, as the sea is dark, even if I am at your side, I might lose you. Safety first, safety second. Okay?”

“Of course.”

Haejin braced himself with the trained diver like that. Then, someone talked to him from the side.

“I have trust in you.”

“Yes, I will finish it in one dive, so you won’t have to be worried about the money you spent.”

“Huh… are you going to make me a cold-blooded man who only worries about money in front of the men’s lives?”

Haecheol frowned.

“I didn’t mean that. Oh, as I am about to go in, please give me a bonus. So that I would be encouraged.”

“I thought you could encourage yourself without me.”

“Yes but, getting something will make me feel different. You know… a bonus is as important as the salary to the employees. Especially to salespeople. To them, an incentive is the start and the end.”

“You always talk too well. Then, what do you want to have?”

“Umm… I don’t want money. Please let me have the first porcelain I recover today.”

“Huh… what kind of confidence is that? Okay, if you come back without dying and get me the excavation point, I can do that for you. Just come back safely.”

“You promised.”

As soon as Haejin finished speaking, he fell back and dived. The trained went in with him.

From then on, the people who were waiting started to feel nervous.

“How is the current?”

“Calm. It will stay that way for about two hours.” f𝚛e𝗲𝔀e𝚋𝑛o𝘃𝒆𝗹.c𝗼𝒎

“What if the current gets fast?”

Haecheol was worried. The captain for the ship laughed like a seaman.

“The sea is this calm only a few times a year. Both you and that bold young man are very lucky, sir!”

The captain yelled while Haecheol smiled.

“Even the most talented person cannot compete with the luck of this fellow. Show me how fortunate you are.”

His wish was answered. About ten minutes later, a head came out of the water.

“Puahh!”

Haecheol realized it was Haejin and yelled.

“Well? Have you found it?”

“The point? I found it!”

At that moment, dozens of people, who had been waiting on the ship, all exclaimed.

“Hurray!”

“He found it!”

“He found the treasure ship!”

Unlike them, Haecheol looked at Haejin’s face and knew he had something more to say.

“And?”

“You cannot break your promise.”

Haejin slowly approached the ship and went abroad with the help of the people. There was a huge water bottle in the net he was carrying.

“This is…”

Haecheol was more than surprised, he was shocked. Haejin took off his goggles and smiled.

“You cannot take this away, sir.”