Chapter 310 - 310: The Imperial Jade Seal sold! The Birth of the World’s Greatest Museum! (3)
Everyone was slightly tipsy.
Many museum directors came to toast Luo Feng.
Numerous wealthy individuals also treated Luo Feng as if he were a prominent figure in the Forbidden City, showing him immense courtesy.
By now, Luo Feng had truly reached the pinnacle of his status within the country.
He was the first person in the country to have gained such respect simply by treasure-hunting.
Luo Feng had actually considered opening a museum himself.
Cultural relics?
He had plenty of those.
A casual excavation of a tomb would yield a large number of them, after all.
Moreover, Luo Feng had no shortage of funds to open a museum.
Just from the auction proceeds of Zhao Gao’s tomb, Luo Feng had already amassed a staggering 60 billion yuan.
However, he had to pay taxes – about 20% in unexpected income tax.
That meant he had to pay 12 billion yuan.
Damn.
He had to pay an Imperial Jade Seal’s worth of value in taxes.
Subtracting 12 billion from 60 billion, that left 48 billion yuan.
Adding to his previous net worth of 10 billion yuan, Luo Feng’s net worth had now reached 58 billion yuan.
In terms of money, he was already among the top-tier wealthy individuals in the country.
As for power…
It was hard for Luo Feng to say.
Although people considered him a prominent figure, he felt insecure.
After all, even within the Forbidden City, one’s value was determined by their usefulness.
Perhaps what the Forbidden City really wanted was not these cultural relics, but more tangible assets.
More tangible assets, such as mineral resources… Oil, large amounts of gold, and so on.
Or cultural relics that could attract the entire world…
After all, foreigners also liked Chinese cultural relics, but their popularity was not very high.
“What should I do with all this money?”
“How many wives would I have to support to spend it all?”
The more he thought about it, the stronger Luo Feng’s desire to open a museum became.
With the system in place, there was no worry about a lack of valuable relics.
After having their fill, Luo Feng and Long Jianfei chatted for a long time.
He told Elder Long about his idea.
“Little Luo, are you planning to open a museum?” Truth be told, Long Jianfei was a bit tipsy.
But upon hearing this, he sobered up considerably.
Goodness, you want to open a museum?
What would the other official museums do?
Would they be outdone by your private museum?
“Yes, I have been considering this,” Luo Feng responded.
“Uh, well…” Long Jianfei did not know what to say. “Why did you suddenly have this idea?”
“Because I no longer lack money, and whether I dig up something and sell it or not, it does not matter. If I open a museum, I can put everything in there,” Luo Feng explained.
“Where do you plan to open it at?” Long Jianfei asked.
“Of course, my first choice is in Shanghai. This should be the city foreigners love to visit the most, and it is currently our country’s most promising city to become one of the top three cities in the world within a century.”
“Do you mean your museum will be open to the whole world?” Long Jianfei’s face tightened slightly upon hearing this. Where had he heard such ambitions before?
Back then, when Wang YangmingO asked his teacher about the purpose of studying, the teacher said it was to become an official.
But Wang Yangming said that was too vulgar. A scholar’s dream should be to become a sage.
In the end, he truly became a sage.
Such lofty goals were chilling to hear.
Now, Luo Feng seemed to have a similar mindset…
“Alright, if you want to open one, there’s no issue. But it’s best to apply for official personnel to protect your cultural relics. After all, if the items inside are too valuable, security is a concern, and private protection forces are ultimately inadequate.”
“Don’t worry, I will personally invite the military to design a security system for me, and I will hire at least 100 professional soldiers to help me guard the museum year-round,” said Luo Feng.
“Good. If the security force is improved, I think there should be no problem. As for the application process, leave it to me Long Jianfei patted his chest. The very next morning after Luo Feng told Long Jianfei about his decision…
The current mayor of Shanghai personally contacted Luo Feng.
Being a mayor of Shanghai, meant that this person’s status was quite high…
Among all the mayors in the world, the most remarkable was the city master of Jingcheng, followed by the one in Shanghai.
“Little Luo, we’ve met before. I’m Li Boren. I heard you’re planning to open a museum in Shanghai? We are very welcoming!”
“Thank you, indeed, I have such plans,” Luo Feng nodded while holding the phone.
“So, Little Luo, have you considered the location? Of course, if you want a specific area, the city council will approve it for you, even if it’s a piece of land designated for official use. How large do you want it?”
“Let’s make it larger! After all, there will definitely be many treasures in the future. It just might replace the status of Shanghai’s museum! Hahaha!” Luo Feng’s words were not arrogant. If all the things to be excavated were left in his own museum, would it not be against the heavens?
“Survival of the fittest, there is nothing wrong with that. If you need any help, be sure to mention it. We all agree with your plan to make the museum internationally renowned!”
Shanghai had a high status domestically and was the most economically developed.
However, globally, it was not yet one of the top five influential metropolises.
In 2022, it had only just entered the world’s top 10 cities for the first time.
Therefore, international influence was something Shanghai needed.
Luo Feng had such a goal and the strength to achieve it.
The officials would naturally agree to his plans ten thousand times over. “Yes, City Master Li, if I need anything, I will definitely bring it up! Thank you so much!”
“Today, I might have to go back into the mountains.”
“I will inform you about the follow-up matters later on.”
“I’ll treat you to dinner when I have time.”
Luo Feng said.
“Alright!”
The other party nodded, and the two hung up the phone.
Luo Feng started his livestream.
“Brothers, the diligent streamer is back after a night’s rest and is ready to dig!” “I’m trying to get myself a museum!”
“My museum will be renowned worldwide! I’ll strive to attract one million foreign visitors by next year!” There was no other purpose.
Luo Feng was no longer thinking about making money.
It was about striving to improve his social status.
Especially his status within the government.
Born in the countryside, he knew very well that status came from one’s own value.
The more value you could provide to society, the higher your status.