Once Jason and Jacob were seated, the short, stout middle-aged man spoke again: “Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the master of the house, I welcome you all. The master couldn’t be here today due to urgent matters, so please accept our apologies for his absence.”
After his words, the crowd began to murmur among themselves.
The stout man, with sharp ears, caught the focus of their discussions and continued, “Rest assured, all the items previously announced will be auctioned today.”
“For this auction, we are merely the organizers, not the sellers of the items. Additionally, all proceeds from this auction will be donated to the city’s charity foundation!”
“Now, let’s begin today’s auction with our first item-The Golden Wish!”
Upon hearing the name of the first item, excitement and anticipation lit up the faces of the attendees.
The Golden Wish was considered a national treasure, highly valuable for collectors.
As soon as the stout man finished speaking, a hostess walked onto the stage carrying a silver tray.
On the tray was a glass case containing a gold-inlaid jade scepter.
With a single glance, Leo could tell that The Golden Wish was genuine.
Acting as the auctioneer, the stout man pointed to the hostess holding The Golden Wish and announced, “The starting bid for The Golden Wish is twenty million dollars. Each increment must be no less than one million dollars. Let the bidding begin!”
“Twenty-five million!”
“Thirty million!”
“Forty million…!”
The crowd eagerly raised their paddles to bid, creating a lively atmosphere.
Leo glanced at Nicholas beside him, who appeared indifferent and uninterested in The Golden Wish.
The bidding gradually slowed down, and after the final bids, The Golden Wish was sold to a wealthy bidder for eighty million dollars.
Following The Golden Wish, another antique called the Bamboo and Plum Goblet was brought to the stage.
It was said that this Bamboo and Plum Goblet had been looted during the Eight-Nation Alliance’s invasion of China and had resurfaced at this auction.
This indicated that the organizers of this auction were extremely powerful and influential.
Nicholas showed no interest in bidding for the Bamboo and Plum Goblet either. He calmly sipped his tea while listening to others place their bids.
On the other hand, Old Meredith from the Meredith family was very interested in this item. Baldwin knew his grandfather’s thoughts and wanted to buy it as a birthday gift for him.
As soon as the bidding started, many interested parties began placing their bids. However, with Baldwin’s determined bidding, others quickly dropped out.
In the capital, the Meredith family’s influence was comparable to that of the Bloomer family. Many attendees preferred not to offend either family. Hence, even if they desired the item, they chose to give face to the Meredith family.
Ultimately, Baldwin won the Bamboo and Plum Goblet for seventy million dollars, ten million less than The Golden Wish.
Baldwin acknowledged the crowd with a smile and said, “Thank you all for your generosity!”
Jason and Jacob looked at Baldwin with disdain.
Given the current situation, it was clear that the third generation of the Bloomer family couldn’t compete with that of the Meredith family. The reason lay in their own children’s lack of ambition.
Thus, Baldwin’s success only made Jason and Jacob dislike him more.
Several other national treasure-level antiques were auctioned afterward, but Nicholas did not bid on any of them nor did he instruct Jason or Jacob to bid.
It was evident that Nicholas was waiting for the final auction item.
As the auction neared its end, the stout middle-aged man picked up the microphone again. With a bright smile, he announced, “Next, we will auction the final item of today’s event. This is the most precious item in this auction and also the one everyone has been eagerly anticipating.”
“You’ve probably heard various legends about this item. I won’t go into details now. Let’s welcome today’s final auction item with a round of applause!”
As soon as he finished speaking, enthusiastic applause filled the room. Two uniformed men walked backstage.
The crowd began to murmur excitedly, their faces filled with anticipation.
Leo was also curious and eager to see what this final item was that had garnered so much attention from the Bloomer family.
Soon enough, two uniformed men returned carrying a large bronze tray covered with a yellow cloth. The item seemed substantial in both size and weight.
The men placed the tray on the stage and stepped back under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The stout man approached the stage, holding a microphone in his left hand and grabbing a corner of the yellow cloth with his right. He loudly declared, “Ladies and gentlemen, please look here!”
With a swift motion, he unveiled a small cauldron from under the cloth.
Upon closer inspection, it appeared not to be made of bronze. It stood about 20 centimeters tall with a flared mouth, round belly, flat bottom, and three tapered legs. Two ring-shaped ears were cast along its rim, and its belly was adorned with irregular square patterns.
Compared to many intricate large cauldrons, this small cauldron looked rather simple and unadorned.
Leo was surprised that such an ordinary-looking small cauldron was the final auction item everyone had been so eager to see.
Using his spiritual sense to scan it, Leo couldn’t detect any Spiritual Power from it. However, he found its material unusual-not bronze or iron or any other metal he recognized.
Judging by its appearance alone, this final auction item seemed less valuable than previous ones.
Unlike Leo’s reaction, the crowd was visibly excited by the small cauldron’s appearance. Many stood up to get a better view, craning their necks eagerly.
Nicholas’s previously calm demeanor changed dramatically as he suddenly became energized. His eyes shone with an intensity that belied his age as he stared at the small cauldron.
Jason and Jacob were equally excited. They exchanged glances and nodded knowingly at each other.