musicians of old

Chapter 829 The Handover of the Hammer
The room used for the handover of the collection is quite deep, with glass windows on both sides and intercom openings, allowing security personnel and those handling the handover to see what is happening here from the other end.

The 22 items from the second half of the exhibition are all displayed in this room.

This was the last opportunity for Fanning to openly and legitimately access her collection before the auction began, and it was the most complete and comprehensive one yet.

At this moment, Fan Ning, with a folder of "dirt" under her arm and professional tools in hand, bent over to examine her collection, perfectly embodies the stereotypical image of a seasoned technician.

His steps and gaze followed the overall order of the collection, just as he had done every time before, but in reality he was focusing on the seven items Vincent had highlighted.

Thor's Ruby Bow.

It's unclear whether this refers to the bow being named "Sol Ruby," or whether it refers to a violin called "Sol Ruby" and this being its dedicated bow.

Fanning shifted a few steps around the first item in the collection, as if he had discovered something special about it: it was originally just a violin bow with a pinkish-red birthmark-like mark, but when viewed from a certain precise and subtle angle at eye level, it inexplicably resembled a sharp knife.

Then, move on.
The Gothic Confession Chair, with amethyst crystals of varying sizes embedded throughout the black oak, its legs carved with pyre and charred human figures. Fanning tried shining a strong light directly down, revealing a three-dimensional area on the ground, and some "black cracks" like ironwood branches.

But Fanning was also unsure whether it was a "phantom object".

If there were more time, she could study it in detail, but Fanning can only skim through it now, or make some superficial attempts based on her previous preliminary understanding.

This isn't very useful; overall, the only option left is to blindly trust Vincent.

The Ottoman celestial globe, with its brass sphere inscribed with Tanakh verses, contains some missing stars. However, when placed in the dark, the rotating gears illuminate these stars, forming an outline resembling a lamp.

The Venetian Carnival mask, half smiling and half crying, if you place a light source behind it and let it shine through the eye openings, it seems to be winking at you, or like gushing colorful spring water.

"This mask... it should be the only one I've never handled before, but why does it feel so familiar? It's as if I've seen it somewhere before?"

Moonlight Study Swing
Fan Ning shook his head; he was indeed filled with confusion.

The fact that it creates such a strong sense of déjà vu probably makes it a kind of "phantom."

My steps were intermittent, sometimes stopping and sometimes going.

The Byzantine communion chalice, with its translucent cup resembling a stained-glass window, features a carving of the Passion of Christ on its outer wall. The drops of blood from the crown of thorns are then embedded in patterns depicting figures indulging in desire.

The narrative vocabulary is very disjointed, and after staring at it for a while, I felt the urge to eat begin to rise.

The South Asian Indian Peacock Candlestick features a bronze peacock tail feather that spreads out to form a candle holder. The beak holds a gray, opaque gemstone, and the flowing patterns of the feathers are strangely beautiful, resembling mirror-like clouds or cloud-like mirrors.

Fan Ning was equally unsure, but felt a sense of unease and foreboding.

Perhaps it's because they're about to embark on an operation with extremely high risks and uncertainties that they're feeling uneasy.

The last piece is a double-sided statue of the Egyptian cat god, carved from basalt. The other side of the double-sided statue appears to be Janus, the god of doorways.

It's quite a strange mix.

Moreover, on a whim, Fanning struck the coccyx spiral with a tuning fork.

"Ding--"

A very standard "a" sound.

Fanning stared into the cat's eyes for a considerable time, accompanied by the continuous "a" sound.

For some reason, those pale golden, vertical pupils seemed like...
It's shaped like a conductor's baton.

"Is the inspection complete? Is the collection in good condition?" A deep, resonant male voice came from behind the glass observation room.

"Everything is normal." Fan Ning didn't say anything more and signed the handover form. The mechanical conveyor belt carrying the collection began to move.

Theoretically speaking, once filming started, there was nothing more for him to do, so he left the room.

Move to another storage room.

He turned the brake wheels on the legs of one of the lockers one by one, and then slowly pushed it away from its original position.

Inside, there was a dusty, sealed "window".

Saying it was completely sealed off is an exaggeration; it was just covered with a few palm-sized pieces of tape, and then year after year, it was forgotten in that spot.

Fanning quickly pushed himself up with both hands and entered a passageway behind the window.

The passage was filled with dust and rat droppings, and the smell was extremely unpleasant. However, it was not very long, with only one bend in the road. Fanning managed to catch his breath in the latter half, and then carried the oil lamp all the way to the end.

At the other end, inside the hammer-wielding man's lifting platform.

This is a circular space with a diameter of six or seven meters. The decoration is very exquisite and elegant. Several oil paintings are hung on the inner walls, and an arc-shaped display stand for the collection is embedded on one side of the floor.

Nancy, dressed in a purple and red evening gown, had already taken the auction hammer. She stood somewhat nervously in the center, her eyes fixed on the opening through which the items would be delivered.

But the next moment, after the platform's ascent stopped, an oil painting two meters away was lifted up at an angle and then thrown down.

Fan Ning landed on the ground, his figure covered in dust.

When he arrived, there was a dark and deep door behind him.

The next moment, the artifacts began to emerge one by one from the normal openings on the side and were transported by a mechanical conveyor belt to the curved display stand.

Without further communication, the platform will soon resume its upward trend.

"Take care." Nancy handed him the gavel.

"The smell in the passage isn't very pleasant, but we can get through it quickly." Fan Ning smiled, first squatting down so that Nancy, who was wearing a skirt, could step on his shoulders to enter the passage and return to the repair room.

After Nancy's figure disappeared into the darkness, Fanning stared at the auction hammer in his hand.

This object will make a sound in the next moment.

"The object that delivers the hammer must possess the power to completely interrupt the music at its climax. This mystical principle seems to be related to 'Ember,' but it is by no means a complete phase principle."

"Therefore, I have designed an object that is different from all existing percussion instruments. It is a physical musical instrument, but my ultimate goal is not a physical one."

The rust-red fog remained thick. On the tower platform of the "X-coordinate" circular ruins, the number of people standing or sitting gradually increased, creating a somewhat noisy and busy scene.

However, the number of people was still relatively small compared to when they arrived, especially the musicians, who apparently did not climb the tower at all.

"The sound produced by this object should be similar to the dull, muffled sound of wood. Note that it should not be characterized by loud noise or harshness, but rather by a spiritual hearing that feels as if the listener's internal organs have been damaged by the vibration. It is enough to rival the sound of any towering behemoth collapsing."

A group of people were gathered around a spot, listening to what Fanning was saying.

A dark hardwood hammer, nearly as tall as an adult, lay conspicuously on the ground, its wood chips mixed with sheet music scattered all over the floor.

Most people were simply squatting down to obey orders and do their work, but a few others who were standing looked somewhat dissatisfied. For example, Julian Koseli, the order clerk of the Lingyin Discipline Society, looked almost unable to tolerate it.

"Fan Ning, we've spent the whole day playing with you over a piece of broken wood. Are you neglecting your own responsibilities and just messing with me?"