After returning home to Dublin for less than a week, Liang En, Jeanne d'Arc, and Fan Meng boarded a plane to Tokyo. To be honest, it was a bit late to be heading to Japan now, but fortunately, they hadn't set a fixed time before, so they had some flexibility.
Before this, Liang En had informed the Japanese side that he might arrive later than expected and explained the reason. It was a matter of courtesy, so he had to notify them.
The Japanese side fully understood this situation, as receiving a castle was indeed more important than the upcoming negotiations.
During the days in Dublin, Liang En also had to sort out his previous royalties. Although "Grimm's Fairy Tales" had only been published for six months and "The Polar Spirit" for only two or three months, both books had brought substantial earnings.
After a simple summary, Liang En found that the two books had brought him a post-tax income of 18 million euros, and according to the publisher, sales were expected to rise further.
Of course, "The Polar Spirit" being a standard commercial novel would see its sales peak in a year or two, but "Grimm's Fairy Tales" could remain popular for a long time.
For instance, the German authorities had already made "Grimm's Fairy Tales" one of the recommended readings for elementary and middle school students, ensuring long-term and substantial income for Liang En.
Similarly, in China, a similar choice was made, but due to procedural reasons, it might officially join the designated reading list after the autumn semester.
To ensure this official purchase, Liang En, on his lawyer's advice, set up a charity fund with the publisher, allocating 20% of the net profit from these official purchases to donate books to these purchasing countries.
After handling everything, Liang En and his companions embarked on their journey to Japan. Fortunately, there was a direct flight from London to Tokyo, which saved them a lot of trouble, though the 12-hour continuous flight was enough to make one feel a bit bored and tired.
"Do you have any plans to search for treasures on this trip to Japan?" Fan Meng asked Liang En on the plane, with Jeanne d'Arc also looking over.
After all, they had brought some excavation equipment when they left and had discussed the legendary Akagi Mountain Shogunate treasure, so Jeanne's question was expected.
There was no need to hide the matter of the Akagi Mountain treasure. For over a hundred years, countless people had tried to find this treasure, so a few more wouldn't matter. Talking about it openly on the plane wouldn't be an issue.
"Now, the main purpose is to discuss cooperation and chat with friends, maybe do some sightseeing," Liang En said. "As for the treasure, locals have searched for over a hundred years without finding it. I suspect they might have found it long ago but kept it a secret."
Liang En thought the treasure might be a way for locals to attract tourists, as the treasure was said to contain 4 million taels of gold. According to Japanese calculations, a tael of gold is between 17.6 to 17.9 grams, so the treasure would amount to about 70 tons of gold.
Though 70 tons of gold might not be a significant number for Japan today, during the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration period, it would have been an amount the newly formed Meiji government couldn't afford to ignore.
Thus, Liang En believed that the Japanese authorities at the time could have captured and extracted information from some treasure holders, secretly taking the gold away.
As for why it wasn't made public, the reason was simple: a country often has reasons to keep certain things confidential, and such a batch of hard currency would meet such needs.
Finally, after a 13-hour long journey, the plane landed at Tokyo Haneda International Airport. As soon as they exited the airport, they were greeted by staff from TYPE-MOON.
Initially, Takeuchi Takashi and his team planned to greet them personally, but Liang En persuaded them otherwise. They could meet the next day, as what they needed most after getting off the plane was rest, not socializing.
Unlike most countries, their ride was a minibus instead of the common sedan. Though the minibus seemed less classy, it was more comfortable.
Haneda Airport was only 17 kilometers from downtown Tokyo, theoretically taking only half an hour to reach their hotel in Chiyoda Ward. However, it took them two hours due to traffic.
Traffic jams were a common problem in big cities, and Tokyo, as a top-tier city, naturally had congestion proportional to its size. Liang En felt like half of Tokyo's streets were turned into parking lots.
Contrary to their expectations, they weren't arranged at a hotel in Akasaka, popular with foreigners, but at the quieter New Otani Hotel Tokyo.
The reception staff knew that Liang En and his companions preferred quiet and traditional settings, so they arranged for them to stay here. The hotel boasted a traditional Japanese garden, complete with wooden bridges, artificial hills, a man-made lake, and small waterfalls.
Though the exterior of the building seemed somewhat outdated, with a strong 1970s-80s architectural style, the interior decor and service were impeccable.
Moreover, Japanese hotels were also divided by political inclination, and this one was left-leaning, generally more friendly towards Chinese people. In fact, the Chinese embassy in Japan had used this hotel for office work before their building was completed.
Indeed, when they checked in, they found that the front desk provided services in Chinese, and there were many tourists evidently from China.
Staying at such a hotel was clearly more comfortable. If they had stayed at a hotel like the APA Hotel, known for placing various right-wing books in guest rooms, Liang En couldn't guarantee what he might do next.
That night, they simply tidied up and went to rest. Despite their good physical condition, flying for 12 hours was still physically taxing.
According to their schedule, they would meet at the company in the afternoon and then have dinner together. Although Japanese people didn't discuss business at the dining table, bonding over meals was essential.
Thus, they had the morning free to explore. The hotel's nearby subway station allowed them to avoid street congestion and quickly reach their desired destinations.
"Where should we go this morning?" Jeanne asked, looking at a plethora of travel recommendations on her phone and feeling a bit dizzy.
"Of course, we should go to Ginza. This is Tokyo, after all, and Ginza is to Tokyo what Times Square is to New York," Liang En replied without hesitation, stating his already planned destination.
"Moreover, it's close to TYPE-MOON's company," Liang En said seriously. "And its vibrancy makes it the best window to understand Japan."
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