After Wyatt Fritz introduced himself, everyone nodded in agreement, thinking he was a suitable representative. There were no objections.
“Fritz, long time no see,” Master Obrien turned to Wyatt Fritz and said with a smile.
Wyatt Fritz was initially stunned, then exclaimed in surprise, “Master Obrien, is it really you!?”
“Fritz, while you are an absolute authority in the study of pre-Christian era artifacts, when it comes to antiques, I should have more say, don’t you think?” Master Obrien said with a smile.
Hearing this, Wyatt Fritz was not angry but rather respectful and courteous. “Master Obrien, you are absolutely right. With your skills and experience, you are the perfect expert representative for today.”
Although Wyatt Fritz had reasons to be proud, he couldn’t show it in front of Master Obrien. In terms of professional ability and influence both domestically and internationally, Master Obrien was far ahead of him.
Another important reason was that his work often intersected with Master Obrien’s, meaning he might need to seek Master Obrien’s help in the future.
“Fritz, you flatter me,” Master Obrien waved his hand with a smile. Then he changed his tone and said with even more pride than Wyatt Fritz had shown earlier, “The Dragoncloud Cauldron is the number one cauldron in Atraria’s legends, almost a divine object.”
“I have studied this cauldron for a long time. If there is anyone in Atraria-or even the world-who can authenticate the Dragoncloud Cauldron, it would be me, Master Obrien!”
“Today, as the expert representative, I believe no one here has any objections?”
After speaking, Master Obrien scanned the room.
The crowd quickly expressed their agreement one after another: “No objections, we trust Master Obrien!”
At least eighty percent of those present knew Master Obrien’s reputation. Many were secretly planning to consult him about antiques and geomancy after the auction. Since Master Obrien was invited by the Meredith family, naturally, no one opposed him.
The crowd’s approval greatly satisfied Master Obrien’s vanity. He cupped his hands towards them and said with a smile, “Since everyone holds me in such high regard, I shall perform on stage!”
As he spoke, Master Obrien started to walk towards the stage but suddenly stopped after a few steps. He slapped his forehead as if he had just remembered something and glanced in the direction of the Bloomer family. “Getting old affects my memory; I almost forgot something. Did you all know that an even more skilled expert than me is also present at today’s auction?”
The crowd was once again in an uproar.
In their minds, Master Obrien was a top master in both the antique and geomancy circles. They had never heard of anyone surpassing him. Even those who were on par with him could be counted on one hand.
Now Master Obrien claimed that someone better than him was at today’s auction, which shocked everyone.
They quickly looked around, trying to find this expert who was supposedly better than Master Obrien.
Leo smirked inwardly; he had already guessed what Master Obrien intended to do.
Sure enough, Master Obrien walked straight towards Leo’s location. He approached Leo and said with a smile, “Dr. Leo, right? The Bloomer family originally invited me, but this morning Nicholas replaced me with you. That means the Bloomer family thinks you are more skilled than I am.”
“May I ask what field you specialize in and where you work? Why don’t you go up as the expert representative and give us all a look?”
Master Obrien’s voice was loud and mocking, making sure everyone heard him clearly.
It was obvious that Master Obrien was still holding a grudge over this morning’s events and was using this opportunity to mock Leo.
Leo remained calm and replied indifferently, “I don’t deserve the title of Doctor; I’m just a traditional doctor.”
Leo’s words made the crowd burst into laughter. They immediately understood that Master Obrien was deliberately ridiculing Leo.
Traditional doctors have nothing to do with antique appraisal. The Bloomer family inviting a young traditional doctor as an appraisal consultant was indeed laughable.
The once formidable Nicholas must have grown senile to make such a foolish decision.
Hearing the laughter, Jason lowered his head with a gloomy expression, saying nothing. His mood was like the rainy season in June and July.
Nicholas, on the other hand, remained composed and smiled at Leo. “Dr. Leo, since Master Obrien himself admits he’s not as skilled as you are, there’s no need for modesty. Go up and give everyone a look.”
Master Obrien’s face changed upon hearing Nicholas’s words. He quickly said, “Nicholas, can’t you tell I was being sarcastic? If this young man goes up to appraise it, where will all the experts here put their faces?”
Before he finished speaking, Master Obrien suddenly turned and rushed onto the stage. He asked the short fat man for a pair of gloves and began carefully examining the Dragoncloud Cauldron on display.
During the examination, Master Obrien’s eyes sparkled with excitement as if he were a greedy dragon seeing gold.
The short fat man watched Master Obrien examine the cauldron and confidently said, “Master Obrien, this Dragoncloud Cauldron is absolutely genuine. Our guests are all prominent figures from the capital; as the organizers of this auction, we wouldn’t dare deceive everyone with a fake.”
After a close inspection, Master Obrien raised his head and said boastfully, “Based on my decades of experience and professional appraisal techniques, I can confirm that this Dragoncloud Cauldron is absolutely genuine.”
Nicholas turned to Leo and asked, “Dr. Leo, do you want to go up and verify the authenticity of that Dragoncloud Cauldron?”
Regardless of Master Obrien’s appraisal conclusion, it held no value for Nicholas. He wanted Leo’s conclusion.
Leo shook his head directly and said, “No need to appraise it; I’ve already determined its authenticity.”
Leo’s words startled Jason and Jacob. They looked at Leo in surprise and then showed displeasure.
Jason and Jacob had seen boastful people before but never someone who boasted as outrageously as Leo.
Antique appraisal requires close examination of details. In their decades of experience, they had never heard of or seen anyone who could determine an artifact’s authenticity from a distance.
Especially something like the Dragoncloud Cauldron-many people hadn’t even heard of it before.
Nicholas was also surprised by Leo’s response. He gave Leo a deep look and asked again, “Dr. Leo, are you sure you don’t want to go up for a closer look?”