Leo opened the tube and handed the painting to William Wang.
William Wang placed it on the table and slowly unrolled it.
When he saw the humorous version of “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest,” William Wang shook his head with a smile. He couldn’t believe that the surface painting was so bizarre and playful.
“The paper is raw xuan, which dissolves in water. How did they manage to create a painting within a painting?”
“Even if there is indeed a painting within, it’s impossible to extract it using chemical methods, and even physical means won’t work.”
William Wang shook his head, looking troubled.
Karson Ballard urged with a smile, “Don’t be so quick to dismiss it. Let’s put it under the multispectral scanner first.”
William Wang rolled up the painting, walked over to a machine, opened the scanner’s lid, placed the painting inside, and closed the lid.
As William Wang pressed the start button, a gray image appeared on the adjacent computer screen.
The gray image was somewhat blurry, but some outlines could still be discerned.
Taking his eyes off the computer screen, William Wang confirmed, “It is indeed a painting within a painting. Let me adjust the parameters and resolution.”
William Wang began typing on the keyboard skillfully. In no time, he had adjusted the settings, and as he pressed the enter key, the machine started running again.
After the computer screen refreshed, the humorous version of “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest” appeared clearly on the screen.
However, unlike viewing the painting directly, the image on the computer screen was semi-transparent and showed layers.
In other words, through the humorous version of “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest,” one could see the normal version of “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest” beneath it.
“Tsk tsk, regardless of the painting’s value, this technique of creating a painting within a painting is remarkable. Even with today’s technology, it’s impossible to achieve.”
William Wang pushed his glasses up his nose and clicked his tongue in admiration.
Arlene was more concerned about something else and asked, “Professor Wang, can we extract the inner painting?”
William Wang shook his head. “It’s basically impossible. Even if we could extract it, it would likely be mostly destroyed.”
“Because it’s raw xuan paper and very old, the paper fibers are extremely fragile. Any chemical reagent would cause irreversible damage.”
Arlene sighed inwardly. If even experts in physics couldn’t do it, extracting the inner painting seemed as difficult as climbing to heaven.
Leaving Langstel University Laboratory, Leo and Arlene went to Karson Ballard’s home.
Karson Ballard called Ashton Lowe over. In Langstel’s art and calligraphy circles, if Ashton Lowe claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.
Ashton Lowe examined “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest” with a magnifying glass for about ten minutes while comparing it with the multispectral scan from the lab.
Leo, Arlene, and Karson Ballard sipped tea on the side, waiting for this art expert’s assessment.
When Ashton Lowe put down the magnifying glass, they heard him muttering repeatedly, “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest, Tiger’s Roar in the Forest…”
“Ashton Lowe, is there something wrong with ‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest’?” Arlene couldn’t help but ask.
Ashton Lowe snapped out of it and replied, “‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest’ itself is fine, but why make it into a painting within a painting?”
“It’s said that besides ‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest,’ there’s also ‘Dragon Soaring in the Sky.’ Now that ‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest’ has surfaced, I wonder where ‘Dragon Soaring in the Sky’ is…”
“Ashton Lowe, what is this painting worth?” Karson Ballard asked.
“Worth?” Ashton Lowe was momentarily stunned. “‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest’ is an authentic piece and a painting within a painting. Honestly, it’s hard to estimate its value. Calling it priceless wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
“Ashton Lowe, is there any way to extract the inner painting?” Arlene was still most concerned about this.
“What? Extract it? Why would you want to ruin such a perfect painting within a painting?” Ashton Lowe was baffled.
“If we don’t extract the inner painting, how can we prove it’s an authentic ‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest’? We can’t just show people that multispectral scan.”
“Arlene, once raw xuan paper is made into a painting within a painting, it’s impossible to separate them. You should give up on this idea; otherwise, you’ll destroy this masterpiece.”
Ashton Lowe felt an urge to buy this painting himself.
Ashton Lowe’s words gave Arlene a headache.
If they couldn’t extract the inner painting, presenting this at an exhibition and claiming it’s an authentic “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest” would be laughable.
Even with multispectral scan evidence, convincing one person is hard enough, let alone hundreds or thousands at an exhibition.
After bidding farewell to Karson Ballard, Leo and Arlene returned to their antique shop.
Christine was sitting behind the counter playing on her phone. Seeing them return, she put down her phone and asked, “Can we extract ‘Tiger’s Roar in the Forest’?”
“No. Not only did Professor Wang have no solution, but neither did Ashton Lowe,” Leo replied.
Christine sighed. “Let’s think of another way. If we can’t extract it without damaging it, then we shouldn’t try.”
Christine’s main concern was the upcoming Ghost Scholar Exhibition. If they could showcase an authentic “Tiger’s Roar in the Forest,” Spirit Moon Antiques’ reputation would soar, potentially overshadowing Bonham Auction House.
At that moment, in a room at Bonham Auction House.
Ethan and Zakari sat facing each other.
“Is everything ready?” Ethan asked.
Zakari smirked. “Everything’s set. Once the exhibition starts, we can proceed.”
“No issues?”
Zakari confidently replied, “Absolutely none. This time we’ll make sure they suffer!”
When it came to scheming and causing trouble, Zakari was an expert and full of confidence.
Ethan reminded him, “That Leo isn’t easy to deal with. Be cautious.”
“Don’t worry. When I handle things, I do them thoroughly! Just wait for the show at the exhibition.”
Zakari added, “Don’t forget your promise once it’s done.”
“Of course not. I always keep my word,” Ethan assured.
In the following days, the Dan family sisters prepared for the upcoming Ghost Scholar Exhibition.
Since all major antique shops and businesses in Langstel would attend this exhibition, Christine and her sister were particularly attentive to make Spirit Moon Antiques stand out.
Three days later, at Oasis Hotel, the Ghost Scholar Exhibition was held as scheduled.
A total of one hundred antique businesses participated in this exhibition. RH Auction Company and Bonham Auction House were the largest among them.
As for Spirit Moon Antiques, relatively unknown and ranked last, they were given the worst position.