Chapter 623 - 10: Ivan
For Chen Zhou, Andreyevich is a name that has left a deep impression on him.
During the challenges on the island, he had browsed many secret files concerning the former Soviet Union, and the owner of one red-covered document was named Ivan Andreyevich Bolkonsky.
However, in the Soviet Union, Andreyevich is not an uncommon surname.
Having witnessed the Space-Time Administration Bureau’s ability to alter the weather, making it snow in tropical areas, Chen Zhou increasingly suspected that those secret files might not belong to this world.
Moreover, the various secrets of the 20th century are long gone, the Soviet Union has disintegrated, and the world’s largest socialist country has long since changed hands. Digging up these secrets brings no benefits and could attract unnecessary attention.
Thus, Chen Zhou only glanced at it, then walked into the teahouse, heading straight for the table of guests.
...
Having greeted in advance, and entrusted by his niece to know he was to receive a visitor from afar, seeing a tall young man approaching, Feng Tan immediately stood up and warmly welcomed him before Chen Zhou reached the table.
"You must be Xiao Chen!"
Seeing Chen Zhou nod, he immediately pulled out a chair and poured a cup of tea.
"I’m really sorry, my friend happened to be in Jingbei, otherwise I would have gone to see you. I’m so sorry for making you travel so far."
While speaking, Feng Tan introduced the two Europeans beside him to Chen Zhou.
With a hooked nose and thin lips, the man was named Harrison Windsor, and he wasn’t just any noble but from the British Royal Family.
Although Great Britain is no longer "the Empire on which the sun never sets", a lean camel is bigger than a horse, and as a member of the royal family with centuries of lineage, Harrison’s wealth is astronomical, which the "nouveau riche" Chen Zhou cannot possibly compete with.
As for the other person, the name stirred a storm in Chen Zhou’s heart—
He was also named Ivan Andreyevich Bolkonsky!
Even if Chen Zhou does not want to connect the challenges of the past with the modern day, this name stirred his memories and numerous imaginations.
According to the red document, Ivan was born in the late 1930s, so even if he survived until 2025, he should be an old man in his eighties or nineties.
But looking at this Ivan, although he had a full head of white hair and a big beard, he didn’t appear to be someone nearing death.
Holding many secrets and questions in his heart, Chen Zhou dared not show a curious expression.
Back when translating those files from the former Soviet Union, aside from unexpectedly learning about the secrets behind Army Unit 10003, General Mikhail, and Colonel Aleksey Savin, the safe also left some mysterious items—
Such as treasure poems Ivan left for his descendants, old photos tucked inside blue documents, and the abandoned factory in the photos.
As well as the true story behind the Rusted Holy Body Research Institute, Slavic Tundra Confession Room 13, Silence Plan, hexagrams, and other mysterious elements.
These hidden stories of Cold War rivalry between two superpowers have significant research value yet carry extreme danger.
Having just started to enjoy a few good days, Chen Zhou did not want to rashly seek knowledge that ordinary people shouldn’t learn.
Moreover, he was still unsure if this Ivan before him was the owner of the red document, born in the last century’s Soviet Union.
He also didn’t know if the matters mentioned in those files actually happened or if they were "wild history" fabricated by the Space-Time Administration Bureau.
At the same time, Chen Zhou felt a sense of unease from Ivan’s appearance—
This person, like a game NPC who flashed by during the long challenges, why was he not in Russia but far away in Jingbei?
More coincidentally, why did he encounter him?
After all, looking at the world, those who understand the significance of Ivan’s name are probably few and far between.
Is this really a coincidence, or some kind of arrangement?
...
Suppressing countless questions within, Chen Zhou pretended it was their first meeting, positioning himself as a junior, humbly asking Feng Yingxuan’s uncle for advice.
Those who spend a lifetime researching a problem are very pure, especially in academic matters, where they are as rigorous as engineers.
Dealing with them, even while positioned as juniors, doesn’t bring the pressure of interacting with leaders.
After chatting casually with Chen Zhou for a bit, Feng Tan soon steered the topic toward the collection Chen Zhou had on hand.
Chen Zhou smoothly followed along, pulling a handful of glittering coins from his pocket, lining them up on the tea table.
Harrison and Ivan, having limited Chinese proficiency and unfamiliar with Chen Zhou’s background, nevertheless were affluent individuals and both trusted Feng Tan’s appraisal skills.
If Feng Tan authenticated the artifacts Chen Zhou brought as genuine, they wouldn’t mind paying to acquire them, enriching their collections.
After all, tens or hundreds of thousands are mere pennies to them. If they don’t spend, their money would only inflate more and more.
To them, money is truly just a series of meaningless numbers.
...
Even after studying European old currency for most of his life, Feng Tan maintained a serious and cautious attitude when faced with objects needing authentication.
He first took a broad look at the coins on the table, determining they weren’t "obvious fakes" before picking them up one by one to examine them.