The Versatile Master Artist

When she was born, her mother held her in her arms and cried excitedly, ”You’re not a son; boys belong to the nation, but you belong only to me. You shall have everything, peace and joy.”

The validity of this prophecy was only ten short years.

During the Bourbon Dynasty, Teresa was a long princess with well-deserved peace and joy. She had the best private tutors teaching her etiquette and art.

When the Bourbon Dynasty fell, everything she had was instantly blown away by wind and rain, sinking with the ship into the abyss of hell.

”Miss Elina, you must understand, the family is your everything, the rest are merely vines entwined on this big tree.”

With Anna’s intelligence,

she saw the painting and could practically hear the mocking voice of the old-fashioned banker with a Prussian mustache through its surface.

Moreover,

Anna didn’t think Ole bringing up Uncle Ka La was merely a coincidence.

Uncle Ka La’s attempt to defraud Elina’s family name might not necessarily be Mr. Krueger’s trap.

That idiot simply portrays a complete lack of brains.

Full of flaws all over, committing such stupid acts is entirely in Uncle Ka La’s usual manner.

Mr. Krueger just took advantage of the situation and then discreetly, like a Savior, eased the reputation crisis of the Ilyena family.

People are clearly telling you.

Miss Elina—you’re just a simple, brainless child, incapable of managing such a large estate yourself.

Why not marry my son,

marry my son and all problems will be solved.

”Cousin... honestly speaking, my father hinted to me on my way here, but my feelings for you are genuine.”

Ole explained sheepishly.

He did receive a call from his father on his way to the manor, suggesting he could display some masculine charm towards the other party.

Otherwise,

he wouldn’t have foolishly brought a female companion.

Maybe, in Mr. Krueger’s eyes, whether the son is devoted or promiscuous doesn’t matter at all.

For families like theirs, marriages are mainly about showing the benefits each can bring.

Centuries ago it was so,

and centuries later it remains unchanged.

At most, they’ll play their own games after marriage.

This rather seems non-hypocritical and unpretentious.

”Moreover, please consider, art and money have always been two sides of the same coin, combining the two can yield tremendous benefits. Soon, the name Elina will become as renowned as Barnes and Rockefeller.”

”No, in the field of art, she already is as famous as Barnes and Rockefeller. In less than twenty years—”

Ole’s expression was filled with longing and grandeur, ”—in less than twenty years, she’ll become the next Medici... the Medici family of the 21st century.”

Over the phone on the plane,

old Krueger just briefly shared his financial vision with him, and Ole felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement.

Art funds are not as renowned as terms like Bitcoin or Metaverse.

Yet they might be one of the hottest investment concepts of financial firms like Wall Street in the past decade.

Because art transactions inherently provide a scope for tax evasion and anonymous trading.

They’re often used by various large trust funds as speculative targets.

Plus, art market prices have gone increasingly insane in recent years.

Before 2010, a random fifty million dollar artwork at auction was a major news worthy of coverage by mainstream media worldwide.

Now, it’s almost like we’re seeing billion-dollar auctions year after year.

He mentioned the Barnes Art Foundation, Rockefeller Family Art Foundation, and similar Guggenheim Family Art Foundation.

They are art investment foundations once set up by the wealthiest families on the planet.

Not only have these century-old large art funds been consistently growing in scale.

Even gigantic European sovereign open national pension funds, like those of France, have started considering investments in the art market.

Mr. Krueger realized the business opportunity.

It’s not just a business opportunity—it’s practically a gold mine.

Trading art is essentially almost the same as trading precious metals.

Analyzing the deeper principles could take several Nobel economists three days and nights. But simply put, the basic principle is ”hoarding and manipulation.”

When shorting or going long on silver or gold, you must hold sufficient quantities of real precious metals in your hands.

Want to dominate the art industry? You need to hold equally substantial weight of renowned paintings to lift the price as you wish or crash it as you please.

As for the number of collections.

Where in the world is there a more wealthy collector than Miss Elina?

Even comparing the Rockefeller Art Foundation’s collection scale, perhaps it isn’t much larger than the Ilyena family’s treasures.

”It’s a pity I don’t want to.”

Anna’s voice was icy.

”Art fund? A financial empire with a scale of hundreds of billions of euros?”

She sneered.

”What’s the essential difference between you and Uncle Ka La? Only your ambitions are bigger, more professional. Uncle Ka La only wants a few million euros in interest-free loans, while you want everything the Elina family has carried on for hundreds of years, just like Queen Cleopatra wanting Rome to merge with Egypt.”

Anna shook her head.

Apart from her aunt, everyone sees only interest.

No one truly cares what she wants or really needs.

”I don’t need anyone to teach me how to do things, neither you nor Mr. Krueger. Honor and money decay faster—that’s the family teaching I’ve been taught since childhood. Elders of the family also made uncorrectable errors due to their era’s limitations. Only one point, we never earned profits by speculating on art. Art glows solely due to its lasting artistic value.”

”I’m a servant of the Muse Goddess, not a profit-seeking merchant. We are the artists’ protectors; when the ancestors purchased these paintings, they never intended to profit from wielding a whip, nor will I.”

”We’re not trying to teach you how to do things; it’s just that your viewpoint is too outdated.” Ole was somewhat angry. ”What use is art stored in warehouses? The National Art Gallery has government funding for maintenance, yet you receive nothing.”

”That approach is long outdated, cousin.” Ole said half helplessly, half mockingly, ”Do you wish to discover the next Van Gogh? That’s really naïve.”

”I don’t mind.”

Anna said coldly, ”I’m not Caesar, but I can still dictate my own fate.”

”If this magazine’s approach is destined to be discarded by the world, then I’m prepared to sink with it.”