Chloe’s face remained expressionless, not even glancing at the Zisha Clay Teapot. She said, “Although the Zisha Clay Teapot is mentioned in The Book of Tea, its value depends on who uses it. If someone with no knowledge of tea ceremony uses it, the tea brewed will be no different from plain water.”
“Anyway, this item doesn’t have much collectible value. A starting price of two thousand dollars seems reasonable.”
Upon hearing this, everyone present formed a deeper impression of Chloe.
Initially, they thought Chloe was there to promote the auction items for a fee. Unexpectedly, she made such a remark.
It almost seemed like she was trying to disrupt the event.
The auctioneer felt a bit awkward but quickly smoothed things over. “Miss Chloe is right. A teapot needs to find its destined owner and should be used by someone with taste. This is a rare opportunity, so please bid enthusiastically.”
The auctioneer was indeed skilled at twisting words to his advantage.
However, most of the attendees were middle-aged or older, with sharp eyes and keen ears. They weren’t easily swayed by the auctioneer’s words.
After a brief silence, the highest bid for the Zisha Clay Teapot was two thousand five hundred dollars.
In other words, only one person placed a bid.
With three strikes of the gavel, the Zisha Clay Teapot was successfully auctioned off!
Next, someone brought up the second auction item. The auctioneer glanced instinctively at Chloe, who was sitting in the front row with her legs crossed.
He felt somewhat frustrated, unable to understand why his boss had invited such a woman. He just hoped she would behave more normally for the rest of the event.
Leo, sitting below, also felt a bit emotional. This woman was truly unique. Should he say she was objective and fair, or just too blunt and inconsiderate of others’ feelings?
As Leo expected, after the auctioneer’s extravagant praise for the second item, Chloe harshly criticized it, resulting in a final price lower than the first item.
Then came the third item.
The auctioneer praised it.
Chloe disparaged it.
By this point, the auctioneer had lost his enthusiasm and abandoned his detailed descriptions of antiques. He simply introduced, “Azure Cloud Tripod, said to be from the King Zhou Era. Starting price, four thousand dollars.”
Chloe’s voice rang out again, “This Azure Cloud Tripod has a rather unique use, but its condition isn’t great. It is indeed from King Zhou’s time and was a common household item. Four thousand dollars is a low starting price.”
Hearing this, the auctioneer perked up and looked at Chloe with a grateful expression, thinking, “Thank goodness you’re back to normal.”
With Chloe’s endorsement, the audience became excited and started bidding eagerly.
“Four thousand five hundred!”
“Five thousand!”
“Five thousand five hundred!”
“…”
The atmosphere in the auction hall became lively.
Leo also wanted to join in the fun but noticed someone out of the corner of his eye.
This person had entered last, dressed in black casual sportswear. After entering, he went straight to sit behind Chloe.
Since he arrived, his gaze never left Chloe and never once looked at the auction items.
Judging by his infatuated expression, could he be one of Chloe’s admirers?
“Eight thousand!”
The Azure Cloud Tripod had reached a bid of eight thousand dollars, making it the highest-priced item so far.
The auctioneer adjusted his glasses and raised his gavel.
“Eight thousand, any higher bids?”
“Eight thousand once!”
“Eight thousand twice!”
“Eleven thousand!” The man sitting behind Chloe raised his bidding paddle.
This bid of eleven thousand instantly drew most people’s attention, making the hall buzz with chatter.
“Someone actually dared to bid eleven thousand. Did I miss something? Is this Azure Cloud Tripod a treasure?”
“I think it’s possible.”
“Possible my foot! It’s probably a shill planted by the organizers. Don’t be fooled.”
“Makes sense…”
The auctioneer stared intently at the man behind Chloe, feeling a surge of excitement.
After all, the final sale price of the auction items affected his commission.
“Eleven thousand once!”
“Eleven thousand twice!”
“Eleven thousand thrice!”
“SOLD!”
With a final strike of the gavel, the auctioneer handed the Azure Cloud Tripod to the man in black.
The man didn’t even glance at the Azure Cloud Tripod in front of him; his gaze remained fixed on Chloe.
Now everyone realized what was going on.
It turned out this guy wasn’t interested in the tripod but in Chloe herself.
Participating in the auction was just his way of showing off his financial prowess.
“The first half of the auction has concluded perfectly. Now we move on to the most unique segment: treasure hunting!”
“Finally, it’s treasure hunting time!” The man with a bald spot licked his lips and rubbed his hands together like a beast scenting its prey.
Even those seated at the back began to move forward.
“Hey brother, what’s this treasure hunting segment?” Leo asked the bald man beside him, not quite understanding.
The bald man explained with interest, “The treasure hunting segment is a unique feature of Triple Element Commerce Association. Most people come here looking for bargains. Triple Element Commerce Association capitalizes on this mentality by bundling five antiques together for auction.”
“The quality and value of these five antiques vary greatly. If one of them turns out to be valuable, you can make your money back immediately. With luck, you could even make a big profit.”
“Last time, Triple Element Commerce Association sold a bundle for five thousand dollars that contained a Dragon Spring Dagger. The buyer resold it for fifty thousand dollars, making ten times their investment! Impressive, right?”
Hearing this explanation, Leo nodded silently.
It seemed that Triple Element Commerce Association’s owner had quite a business mind to come up with such a method to stimulate the low-end antique market.
“Young man, I’ve seen you observing for quite some time. Aren’t you planning to buy something?”
Leo stood up and smiled. “Since it’s treasure hunting, I definitely want to participate.”
With that, he walked towards the front row.
Using his spiritual sense, Leo could ensure he wouldn’t miss any treasures during this so-called treasure hunting segment.
Bags wrapped in canvas were already placed on stage. Leo released his spiritual sense and could see through them clearly.
The contents varied widely and were mostly in poor condition; many were even damaged.
Until he reached the last canvas bag, Leo’s eyes lit up.
Inside was an item emitting spiritual energy so strong that it reflected his spiritual sense, making it impossible for him to identify it immediately.
“Ladies and gentlemen, treasure hunting begins now! First bundle starts at four thousand dollars!” The auctioneer called out loudly.
But no one bid immediately; everyone shared the same mindset of waiting and watching first.