Appraisal concluded, Krzyzewski and the others did not leave, because the general manager of the Li’s Auction House, along with the experts from the sculpture department, set out that very day and would arrive at the fishery tomorrow to make the final determination of the statue’s authenticity.

In addition, Krzyzewski told Owen Sutton that their company hoped to cooperate with him and obtain the auction rights for this statue and these paintings.

Owen Sutton was a bit hesitant. Although Li’s Auction House was quite well-known, it was actually more famous for mechanical auctions. When it came to antiques and artworks, Sotheby’s or even Sossby Auction House were more reliable.

Krzyzewski was not a salesman. He noticed Owen Sutton’s difficulty and just smiled without bringing up the topic again, instead starting to chat about the paintings and the statue.

According to Krzyzewski’s speculation, the painting “Woman with a Golden Drum” was probably purchased by Pina through a friend from Picasso, specifically for study purposes. There was a period when Pina’s abstract painting skills improved by leaps and bounds, likely because after obtaining Picasso’s original work, he was inspired.

What he was curious about was, where did Owen Sutton get this statue from?

Owen Sutton attributed the source of these items to his mysterious second grand-uncle. Auerbach spoke up for him, saying, “Henry Sutton is an extraordinary man. During World War II, he was the head of the Allied maritime transport team in the Newfoundland area. I think it’s possible he acquired it during that special period.”

Owen Sutton was stunned—was his second grand-uncle really that famous?

That evening, he treated Krzyzewski and the other two to dinner at Old Hickson’s specialty restaurant, where they enjoyed an authentic Newfoundland feast and even tasted the region’s world-famous ice wine.

After drinking and feeling tipsy, Owen Sutton lay down in his bedroom, and his consciousness once again shifted to the ocean.

The underwater world was still somewhat desolate. His consciousness moved along the flat sandy seabed, and after a long time without seeing any life, he actually felt a sense of sorrow.

What had caused a once-prosperous fishing ground to become today’s underwater graveyard? Owen Sutton swore that he would use the money from the auction to fully restore the fishery and bring it back to life.

His consciousness shifted to the pink coral, where the cup sponge was gently swaying nearby. He checked and found that the cup sponge’s vitality was no longer an issue, which finally gave Owen Sutton some comfort.

But when he examined the coral more closely, he realized things were not good. He hadn’t noticed it yesterday, but in fact, the situation of the coral polyps was even worse!

Now, among the surrounding corals, only here was there a patch of living coral about five or six square meters in size—half pink, half pale yellow. There were also corals on the periphery, but all of them were grayish-white coral stones.

These coral stones were formed from the accumulated bodies of dead coral polyps.

The further out from this patch of living coral, the paler the color and the weaker the signs of life. If he focused only on the center, the coral polyps were indeed full of vitality. But if he sensed the surroundings, there was a sense of death lingering on the coral.

Recalling his previous experience rescuing the cup sponge, Owen Sutton spread his consciousness over the coral, using the energy within his awareness to nurture their lives.

A miracle occurred. As everyone knows, it takes many years for a patch of coral to form, because coral polyps are tiny; although they reproduce continuously, they also die continuously.

Yet at this moment, the pink and pale yellow coral polyps suddenly began to reproduce frantically. The seabed coral spread outward at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just two minutes, the five or six square meters of living coral expanded to a space of over ten square meters!

Owen Sutton was more exhausted than ever before. He immediately withdrew his consciousness and fell into a deep sleep.

For the past two days, Owen Sutton had woken up promptly at a little after six in the morning. This time, he slept until after eight, and was only awakened when the little squirrels knocked on his window.

His body was more fatigued than ever. Owen Sutton felt helpless; it seemed that even the energy of his consciousness could not be used recklessly, or his own life might be in danger.

Owen Sutton opened the window to let in the two little squirrels. They looked at his exhausted appearance, then turned and ran out together. When they returned, the little squirrels brought him two pine nuts.

The little squirrels’ actions warmed Owen Sutton’s heart. He cupped them in his hands and kissed them, discovering that one of the squirrels was female. He immediately laughed and, stroking Little Jack’s head with his fingertip, said, “Come on, tell me honestly—are you in puppy love already?”

Little Jack stuck out his pink tongue and licked his finger, then picked up a pine nut and squeaked as he handed it over.

As Owen Sutton cracked open the pine nut, he laughed, “Bribery won’t work! You’re so young and already dating? Are you trying to make me jealous? I’m already twenty-six or twenty-seven and still don’t have a wife.”

The female squirrel looked at him quietly. Owen Sutton thought for a moment and said, “Alright, from now on you’ll be called Little Grace. Little Jack and Little Grace are a perfect match.”

This female squirrel’s fur was much redder than Little Jack’s—a classic North American red squirrel.

With the two little squirrels, he watched TV and had breakfast together. Around noon, the expert team from Li’s Auction House arrived in grand fashion.