Chapter 566 - 65: Sunday’s Proposal_3
Now, one person’s work has become the work of five people, and no one can escape.
...
After receiving their assignments, the few people left the factory office one by one. Chen Zhou calmed himself slightly, and after confirming that all the treasures had been moved to the downstairs warehouse, he called Lai Fu, filled with excitement, to go appreciate his spoils of war.
The sun had almost completely set, and the lights on the first floor of the factory were on.
The sounds of the machines, squeaking non-stop, indicated the female textile workers hadn’t finished their shifts yet.
All the treasures were moved into a small basement on the first floor, separated from the Spaniards’ supplies. When Chen Zhou arrived, the last islander responsible for the transportation had just stacked the treasure chests and was ready to leave.
Seeing the esteemed Leader, the short and stout islander couldn’t help but show a mix of reverence and some fear on his face, wanting to salute, but was momentarily flustered, unsure whether to perform a kowtow or his tribe’s ritual—
which involved lifting a person’s foot and placing it on the top of his head as a sign of submission.
While awkwardly avoiding eye contact with the Leader, the islander suddenly felt a warm, large hand on his shoulder.
"You organized it very neatly, I am very satisfied.
You’ve worked all day; you must be tired. Go home early to rest, and thank you for your hard work!"
"No... not tired... not hard work..."
The islander, overwhelmed by the honor, stammered in response to Chen Zhou, bowing even lower, and like an old servant in a TV drama, he left the basement, stepping backwards up the stairs with his head lowered.
Chen Zhou felt quite uncomfortable with this kind of reaction from the islander; he never saw himself as an emperor.
Unfortunately, on this island, due to his actions and to solidify his rule, he was forced to occupy this exalted position, even more so than an emperor—
He was a God.
...
This discomfort about the islanders’ behavior lasted only a short while, and soon the desire to see the treasures himself consumed Chen Zhou’s entire heart.
Due to the high density of gold, it was too heavy, so the wooden boxes used by the Spaniards to hold the treasures were mostly under 80cm in length, with a width of less than 60cm, overall flat, looking similar to boxes used to hold glass bottles of wine or tobacco.
Some of the large wooden boxes, however, did not contain just jewelry; apart from a few gold and silver items, each box was filled with a large amount of hay for padding, which both reduced the box’s weight and protected the delicate gold items from being damaged during transit.
There was only a small electric light in the basement, casting a dim glow from the ceiling, immersing the entire room in a shadowy atmosphere.
However, when Chen Zhou opened each wooden box and saw the mesmerizing gold inside, the dimness quietly retreated.
Chen Zhou’s eyes were filled only with the pure, glittering color of gold.
He first opened the small wooden box, mostly containing rough silver bricks and whole gold bricks.
The Inca people’s metallurgy wasn’t sophisticated, and the surfaces of their gold and silver bricks had many bubbles and pits, but this did not in any way diminish the unique beauty of the precious metals.
Next, Chen Zhou opened a large wooden box and was greeted by a peculiar gold statue, about 50cm wide and slightly flat.
Its shape somewhat resembled artifacts from the Sanxingdui site, with a pair of huge, exaggerated triangular eyes, a large head, a relatively small body, and beside the head, wing-shaped ornaments, interspersed with some sun-shaped discs.
This statue couldn’t be considered exquisite, but since it was cast in pure gold, even if its shape was ugly, to Chen Zhou it was as enchanting as a beautiful woman.
Taking out the gold statue, beneath it were neatly stacked thin gold sheets.
They were shaped like feathers and crafted using openwork, forming a set with another item in the box: the "golden mask."
Chen Zhou knew that there were cultures in South America that worshiped the Feathered Serpent God, though he wasn’t sure if this golden mask was related to the Feathered Serpent God, but judging by the mask’s appearance, he preferred to believe it was the "Pig God."
After all, this mask was quite ferocious, with none of the characteristics of a "snake," and a long snout slightly opened, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth; it was more aptly described as a pig or some ferocious beast.