As Li Du had seen after turning back time, the origins of these five Olympic rings were extraordinary.
At first, the people from the sports association had scoffed at their discovery. However, they had a mission and had no choice but to come and identify this so-called 'important discovery related to the Olympics.'
When they arrived and saw the Olympic rings, they were immediately shocked and their attitudes became more serious.
The white man who supported Li Du was called Stanton. Hans's eyes lit up when he heard what he said and asked, "Stanton, sir, what's with these five rings?"
Stanton rubbed the hollow relief on one of the rings and said, "You guys can see that there are the words 1996, 100, and Atlanta on it. So their identity is self-evident. They belong to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics."
"Look at the torch statue at the top of the ring. Ordinary Olympic rings do not have such a statue. Only the five rings used for important occasions such as the opening and closing ceremonies have such things.
"I'm guessing that these are the five Olympic rings that were lost in 2000. It's easy to determine their identity. These five rings are made of a very special material. They are made of polished and frosted aluminum alloy. In order to ensure their strength, the surface is covered with a layer of black ceramic and coated with a luminous material."
Hans was very surprised and said, "They have such a big background?"
Stanton nodded solemnly. "Yes, looking at them, they are the set of Olympic rings that our country's Olympic Museum lost."
It was not difficult to determine the identity of these rings. They had a luminous coating on the surface. The purpose was to still emit light at night and display it to the tourists. Ordinary Olympic rings would not have gone to the trouble of applying such a coating.
The five rings were moved to the shore by a crane. Big Quinn and Godzilla set up a tent on the shore. After sealing the tent, they made a simple darkroom and moved the Olympic rings into it.
Entering the dark tent, the five Olympic rings emitted a misty glow. They corresponded to the color of their outer appearance and appeared to be red, green, blue, yellow, and black under the sunlight.
"So beautiful." Even a tomboy like Rose could not help but sigh.
Stanton said, "We can confirm their identity. These luminous coatings are not ordinary. Everyone, they are made up of nanomolecular synthetic resin, chromium chloride emulsion, energy-storing luminous materials, and other substances dispersed.
"Not only that, but the luminous layer is also coated with a layer of photocatalyst based on titanium dioxide. Under strong light, it can oxidize and decompose organic dirt, thus making the luminous layer clean."
After listening to his introduction of the Olympic rings, Hans said excitedly, "This is great. We actually got such a treasure by chance."
He winked at Li Du and teased, "Li, your observation skills are amazing. How did you notice them?"
Li Du said, "A blessing in disguise. Remember when I was slapped into the water by a fish? At that time, after I dived into the water, I saw them. In fact, they can also emit light at the bottom of the river. "
Hearing the exchange between the two of them, Stanton coughed and said, "Mr. Li, Mr. Fox, congratulations on finding the precious collection that has been lost in the Olympic Museum for more than ten years. May I know how you plan to deal with it?"
According to American law, items that were not important to the state or military would belong to whoever found them after they were lost. The policy here was based on discovery and ownership. Even if one found a box of gold, it would belong to the person who found it.
Hans said, "Let's be frank, Mr. Stanton. I'm a treasure hunter. The purpose of finding these things is to sell them for money. So, is your sports association interested?"
This was the beginning of the negotiation. Stanton understood what he meant, but he could not help but smile bitterly.
He said, "You know, Mr. Fox, our sports association is a private organization. We don't have much money, so …"
He did not finish his sentence. He just spread his hands and continued to look helpless. His meaning was clear: We are very interested in these Olympic rings, but we don't have the money to buy them.
What Stanton said was the truth. The sports association that he belonged to had nothing to do with the American federal government. It was just a private organization that did not take a single cent of taxpayer money from the federal government.
Not only did the sports association have nothing to do with the government, but the Olympic Committee, which was responsible for the participation of the U.S. national athletes in the Olympic Games, also had nothing to do with the U.S. government. It was also a private organization.
According to the Amateur Sports Act passed by the U.S. Congress in 1978, both the sports association and the Olympic Committee were non-profit organizations. Their operating funds came from individuals, groups, businesses, and charitable sponsorships. They also obtained funding from the television broadcasting rights of the Olympic Games and related events, online store sales, and royalties from the authorized processing and sale of American Olympic products.
Hearing Stanton's words, Hans revealed a helpless expression and spread out his hands. "I'm sorry, buddy. We spent quite a lot of money to fish them out of the water."
So, we can't donate them to you for free. You guys at least have donations from the public, but we don't. If we lose money like this, we won't be able to sustain it for long before we go bankrupt. "
Stanton showed an understanding expression and said, "How about this? We'll take care of the salvage and transportation costs. We won't let you work for nothing. We'll give you 10,000 dollars for each Olympic ring as a token of appreciation."
Hans looked at Li Du. Li Du made a gesture that said, "You decide."
So, he said, "20,000 dollars, Mr. Stanton. Give us a total of 100,000 dollars, and these Olympic rings can be returned to the Olympic Museum."
Stanton gestured for them to wait and made a phone call.
After the call, he extended his hand and said with a smile, "Thank you, thank you both. My boss said that this price is acceptable. After all, the cost of this set of Olympic rings is more than a million dollars."
Ordinary luminous materials were radioactive. To protect tourists, these Olympic rings were made with the most advanced environmentally friendly materials at that time. The cost was rather high.
Both parties shook hands and Stanton contacted the finance department of the sports association. Soon, a sum of 100,000 dollars, before taxes, was transferred into Hans's bank card.
At this point, there was nothing for Li Du and the others to do. Stanton would be in charge of the transportation of the Olympic rings. They could pack their things and leave.
Foxx and the treasure hunters in town who were trading old goods were dumbfounded the whole time. Seeing that Hans had earned 100,000 dollars, they were even more dumbfounded.
These people had been in the town for many years and often went fishing or boating in the river. However, they had never found the Olympic rings. Li Du and the others had only been here for two or three days, and they had already found them. This brought them great frustration.
Looking at the envious and jealous faces of the treasure hunters, Li Du said, "Look, I don't need to do business with you guys. I don't need to trade with anyone. I can take away the most valuable thing here."
After saying this, without waiting for Foxx and the others to reply, he got into the pickup truck. Big Quinn started the car and drove off.
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