“Miss!” The short, stout man called out to the elderly woman and quickly approached her.
Then, he turned and pointed at Leo, saying, “Miss, this young man just accused us of selling fake goods and deceiving everyone!”
The elderly woman ignored the stout man and walked up to Leo, looking at him with deep meaning in her eyes. She asked, “May I know your name, sir?”
“Leo Bloomer,” Leo replied, meeting her gaze.
“Mr. Bloomer, you just said that the three Dragoncloud Cauldrons on display are fake. Words alone are not enough; can you provide evidence?”
“Of course,” Leo said as he stepped onto the stage. He pointed at the three cauldrons one by one and said, “The height of Cauldron No. 1 is one millimeter taller than the genuine one; the left ear of Cauldron No. 2 is two millimeters off compared to the real one; the color of the legs of Cauldron No. 3 slightly differs from the authentic one.”
“Nonsense!” Master Obrien couldn’t hold back any longer. He pointed at Leo and sneered, “You didn’t even observe the cauldrons up close. How could you know the difference of a millimeter or two? Leo, your ability to make things up is truly impressive!”
To everyone’s surprise, the elderly woman pondered for a moment and then smiled awkwardly. She said, “Mr. Bloomer, congratulations. You will be able to purchase the genuine Dragoncloud Cauldron at a starting price of thirty million dollars!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the noisy auction hall fell into an eerie silence, and everyone looked extremely astonished.
Quickly, all eyes were drawn to the stage.
Two strong men emerged from backstage, carrying a tray with a cauldron identical to the three on display.
“What is going on? Why is there another Dragoncloud Cauldron?”
“Could this be the real Dragoncloud Cauldron? Does that mean the young man was right?”
“Guessing? How could something like this be guessed? The young man must have genuinely seen that the three cauldrons on display were fake.”
After a brief silence, people began to discuss awkwardly. They had all believed that at least one of the cauldrons on display was real and that Leo was talking nonsense.
Master Obrien, who had been confident and self-assured, now stood dumbfounded as if he had encountered the most unbelievable thing in the world. He was petrified.
He couldn’t believe that all three cauldrons were fake. It felt like a deliberate prank!
“No, it’s impossible. The last cauldron brought out is fake; Cauldron No. 2 is real…” Master Obrien muttered to himself in disbelief.
The elderly woman looked at Master Obrien and smiled coldly. “I am the owner here. The last cauldron brought out is the genuine Dragoncloud Cauldron. Among the three on display, Cauldron No. 2 is the fakest.”
As soon as she finished speaking, mocking voices filled the room, all directed at Master Obrien.
Harsh words came one after another.
Master Obrien felt utterly humiliated and wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
“Master Obrien, didn’t you guarantee that you could definitely identify the real cauldron?” Josiah’s anger flared up as he questioned Master Obrien.
“I-I can tell the real from the fake, but who knew all three would be fake… I…” Master Obrien’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He knew he was finished; his reputation built over many years was about to be destroyed today.
The antique world has always been ruthless, especially for appraisal masters like Master Obrien. One mistake could ruin their reputation.
“Miss, are all three cauldrons on display really fake?” The stout man still couldn’t believe it and asked with confusion and surprise.
“Of course they’re fake. I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d slip up during the act,” the elderly woman nodded at the stout man. “That’s why I specifically instructed that no one should abstain from choosing. I wanted to see if anyone here today could truly distinguish the real Dragoncloud Cauldron.”
After explaining, she gestured to a man in black.
The man in black took out a compass previously used to test the real Dragoncloud Cauldron and brought it close to each of the three fake cauldrons on display.
No matter which fake cauldron he approached, the compass needle remained still. Only when he brought it close to the genuine Dragoncloud Cauldron did the needle start moving again.
This proved that the elderly woman was telling the truth; the last cauldron brought out was indeed the genuine Dragoncloud Cauldron.
The elderly woman turned to Leo with an appreciative tone and said, “Being able to identify all three cauldrons as fakes and sticking to your choice under external pressure shows your expertise in antique appraisal, Mr. Bloomer.”
“The current situation is that both the Meredith family and Watson Family chose incorrectly. According to the auction rules set earlier, Mr. Bloomer can purchase the genuine Dragoncloud Cauldron at a starting price of thirty million dollars.”
Josiah and Clyde Crawford felt immense pain in their hearts.
Although they were extremely unwilling to accept it, they had no choice since they had agreed to the auction rules beforehand.
They could only blame that damn Master Obrien who had promised to identify the real cauldron but ended up picking the fakest one!
After their frustration subsided, Josiah couldn’t understand how Leo could be so skilled in both medicine and antique appraisal. Was there anything he couldn’t do?
Leo glanced at Nicholas and then smiled at the elderly woman. “Ma’am, I was invited by Nicholas. I’m here on behalf of the Bloomer family. Is it alright if they purchase the genuine Dragoncloud Cauldron at the starting price?”
“You can transfer your rights,” the elderly woman frowned slightly. “Also, please change how you address me. I should be younger than you; call me Miss Hayes.”
Her words left not only Leo but everyone else shocked.
An elderly woman who looked seventy or eighty claimed she was younger than Leo!
What was going on!?
“Could she be… Miss Georgia Hayes, granddaughter of old Hayes!?”
“Progeria, it must be progeria…”
“Progeria? What’s that?”
“Rumor has it that old Hayes had a granddaughter when he was sixty. But his granddaughter started aging rapidly from age five. By her twenties, she looked like she was in her seventies…”
“Shh, don’t talk about it. Be careful not to anger Miss Hayes.”