bit stealing game

Chapter 10 Auction

As a pre-archaeologist, I have a natural aversion to auctions of cultural relics.

But at the beginning, I thought that if I could get in touch with the sellers and buyers at the auction, I might be able to find out some news, so I asked Lao Zhang's sister to help me go through the back door to get a dispensable errand.The reason Lao Zhang gave to his eldest sister was that I wanted to go to sea to collect, and now I want to test the waters.

I immediately said: "Don't smash my signboard anymore. I don't have a good reputation, and I won't be scolded for an archaeological collection."

Lao Zhang was also unambiguous: "I'll just ask you if you want to go."

I said go.

So now I appear in the auction venue as a staff member.

This auction is a temporary addition, not in Su Shide's regular place, but in a hotel with a century-old architectural history near Covent Garden in London.

When I arrived at the venue, someone led me to the staff lounge.Knowing that I was stuffed in temporarily, the person in charge didn't make things difficult for me.He told me the layout of the venue, told me about my responsibilities, and left, leaving only a young girl to guide me through the process.

After putting on the uniform, I felt awkward all over.The shirt and vest seem to be deliberately designed to be a smaller size, as if they were tied to the body, so that the fat I have neglected to exercise has nowhere to rest and I am almost out of breath.The foreign girl came over to help me loosen my neckline, and thoughtfully folded the flirty red handkerchief in my breast pocket into a complicated shape.She said with a smile while stacking: "My name is Amy, and I am a graduate student of the Suddell School of Art. I am here for experience. Don't be nervous, our work is not difficult. Those things that are prone to mistakes will not be entrusted to us. .”

When Amy smiled, her golden eyebrows were curved and she had two dimples, she looked like a very lovable American girl.I nodded and smiled at her too.I thought in my heart that if I really came here to gain experience, I wouldn't be nervous. If the truth is revealed, I won't be able to keep it in place for a while, will I be kicked out?

After tidying up and familiarizing myself with the environment, I stood at my job post.

There are several types of employees here. Those like me and Amy can be regarded as "runners", basically responsible for standing in the lobby to welcome guests and give directions.Lao Zhang's sister took special care of me, so when the auction is about to start, I can enter the venue to open my eyes.Otherwise, only a small number of regular employees have the opportunity to actually contact sellers or buyers, and I have no chance to hear any information at all.

This auction focuses on gold stones, pearls and jade.When I was looking at the catalog that day, I discovered that the highlight was the [Eternal Eye].Although the few remaining collections are considered to be of high quality, most of them are based on craftsmanship and history. As for the artifacts themselves, they are really not of the same grade as this one.

The theme of the auction is "Treasures in Chaos".Although the introduction avoids the important and ignores the years, it is described quietly as "many people and things have passed away in time, lost in the flames of war, but the treasures will last forever."It's really a spring and autumn style of writing to be able to describe it as such.

How do I see it? I think this theme should be changed to [Take advantage of the fire], especially when I saw a golden Buddha of the Song Dynasty collected by a British family in the auction.

I don't understand antiques, and I can't see the way of this golden Buddha. I only know that this is another cultural relic that has been lost overseas.Since the Opium War in 1840, there are roughly tens of millions of cultural relics like this golden Buddha.Those cultural relics are the footholds of our country's history one by one in the past four to five thousand years, and now their footprints are scattered overseas.These tens of thousands of pieces are only on the surface of museums like the British Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States. It is not known how many of them are kept by private collectors like this golden Buddha.

Look at countries like Afghanistan.It's the 21st century and those bandits are still sucking blood from these countries.Now, who of these people in suits and ties walking into the venue is not contributing to this kind of suffering?
Most of the buyers and sellers in this auction are European and American, but there are also many Asian faces among the visitors.

I dutifully stood in the back of the lobby waiting to serve passers-by.As soon as Lao Zhang and his sister came in, I saw them from a long distance away.This time it was rare for Lao Zhang to wear a dark blue suit, and the neat clothes set him off well.Lao Zhang's eldest sister, Zhang Min, was wearing a lake-green dress, with a very well-mannered temperament, and she was walking and talking with her friends.Lao Zhang obediently followed his sister as an arm candy, like an overgrown quail.

The first time I saw Lao Zhang was also on a more formal occasion, and now I think it has been two years.I was in a trance for a moment.At this time, I suddenly heard someone say "excuse me".Subconsciously, I turned around and saw Chris Yano.

Running into Chris Yano here was a bit of a surprise to be honest.

To say that Lao Zhang and I did come running for him, or the [Eternal Eye] in his hand.But we just wanted to take a sneak peek, measure the magnetic field and leave, we didn't want to meet him face to face.Although I am an unknown person myself, it is all related to the 'magnetic field' after all, and Baobuciano will also find me.If I am recognized here, I don't know if I will go on a business trip.

I apologized to Arno and turned sideways out of the way.The Italian was not in a hurry to leave, and began to look at me with a smile.

I'm afraid there will be troubles, but fortunately, I have my own job to use as a shield.I lowered my head slightly and asked politely, "Is there anything I can do to help you, sir?"

Yano smiled playfully: "Maybe there will be."

I secretly scolded this person for nothing, but I still had a dedicated smile on my face: "If you have any questions, you can always ask me or my colleagues, and I am happy to help you."

After listening, Yano narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking about how to enrich my work.I was afraid that he really knew me, so I wished I could bury my face.Fortunately, Arno, the collector of [Eye of Eternity], is now a big hit, standing next to me for a while, many people greeted him.

I took the opportunity to take advantage of the call of my duty and quietly escaped.After leaving, Yano saw Lao Zhang gestured from a distance and asked if he wanted to help.I waved my hand, but he didn't insist anymore.It was the woman in the red suit who was chatting with his sister who gave me a glance.I was afraid of attracting attention, so I pretended not to see it and slipped away.

As soon as I walked to a deserted place, I immediately abandoned my professionalism, took out my phone and glanced at the messages in the group.The first one was sent by Lao Zhang. He said: "You are so stupid."Then came Ah Tian's.She failed to sneak in, so she waited for us at a cafe not far away.Ah Tian said that the magnetic field sensor on my body started to respond as soon as Lao Zhang entered the door, and asked me what I was doing at that time.

I thought for a while, wasn't that when Sao Baoiano emerged from my side?It turned out that the dizziness just now was because of this.

But in this way, the feeling brought by Yano's approach is similar to that of the stone I brought back from Sichuan when I picked it up some time ago.I can probably feel my connection to this magnetic field now, although I still don't know why.

It seems that it is really necessary to go to Egypt somewhere.At least figure out why I react to magnetic fields.

At two o'clock the auction started on time.

Unlike most auction processes with bright and clean windows, the lighting of the venue this time is concentrated on the booth.I used the shadow to sneak into the corner near the auction item.Thanks to the uniform, no one noticed me, everyone was waiting for the collection to be revealed.

The first auction item was the golden Buddha.

The Golden Buddha is in the style of Tibetan Buddhism, with less silk and richness and more dynamic sense.At the beginning, many people bid, and they didn't know whether they were sincere or just hyping up the atmosphere.Later, with the price increase, there were only two people left to compete, and one of them was an Asian face.I don't have permission to get the list, so I'm not sure if it's Chinese, but I think it's pretty close.Although the Japanese have always coveted Chinese cultural relics, they are more willing to buy them for zero yuan like the Europeans, and they are determined not to spend a lot of money to buy them back.The only bidder with this Asian was a Frenchman. Obviously, he saw that this person was bound to win, and he insisted on it.I suspect that he is the seller or Su Shide's child, who came here to raise the price maliciously.

This golden Buddha was finally sold for 410 million pounds.Although I didn't know who the buyer was in the end, I saw on the news that he donated the cultural relics back to China not long after.Every time I see this kind of report, I always think, when we don't need to spend money to buy the looted cultural relics, it would be great to go home.

The auction continues.

With the high price of the Golden Buddha auction, the atmosphere at the scene became warmer.Later, collections from Myanmar, Africa and other places were sold one after another, many of which were high-quality goods, but none of the transaction prices exceeded the Golden Buddha.When [Eye of Eternity] appeared, everyone held their breaths.I hid in the shadows without showing any trace and moved forward, hoping to receive more information about the magnetic field.

The auctioneers this time are all beauties, probably because they know that everyone likes to see beauties paired with jewelry.As the finale of the collection, many people came to see the [Eternal Eye], and the auctioneer who matched it was also expected.

In this tacit and silent expectation, a beauty with green eyes and wheat-colored skin walked onto the stage.She did not stand behind the auction table like the previous people did, but instead walked to the center of the booth and stood beside the collection case.Then the staff brought up the tray containing the last collection.The auctioneer took the tray, let it rest firmly on his hand, and flung off the blue velvet covering it with his other hand.When the satin slipped, her graceful body also twisted into a soft posture.

Everyone held their breath, half because of the crystal-clear gemstone under the light, and half because of the beauty holding the gemstone.

[Eternal Eye] was placed in a glass cover.There should be a refraction angle, which can make the gem appear brighter and larger.In fact, without these blessings, this gem is already shining brightly

[Eternal Eye] The golden touch in the ruby ​​that dances with the light changes, just like the pupils of a cat that shrinks in the sun.

The auctioneer's green eyes first glanced at the ruby ​​that seemed to be frozen in light, then glanced at the audience, and then brought everyone's attention back to the ruby.She never put the tray on the case, but lightly held it by her side, turning both sides of the booth.When she was walking, the golden light flickered with the swing of her body, and the beauty and gemstones complemented each other, which attracted a lot of admiration.

When she returned to the center of the booth to finish the final modeling, the well-designed light made the gem shine brightly, and the graceful figure of the auctioneer was indistinct.This group of people in suits and leather shoes boiled from the bottom of their hearts.

But that's not the real climax.

Because suddenly Chris Yano stepped onto the stage.

The exclamation of everyone turned into whispers after seeing that it was Yano.He held the beautiful auctioneer's shoulders, lowered his head and said gently to her, "Leave it to me later."Then gently took away the [Eternal Eye].

After being killed halfway, the auctioneer remained calm.After seeking the approval of her superior with her eyes, she hooked Yano's red lips, then turned around and walked aside swayingly.The heavy tray shook like a designer handbag in her hands.

Yano this guy is really out of the ordinary.Not only did he blatantly reveal his identity as a collector, but now he is choking on the behavior of the auctioneer.

Arnold then turned the auction into his personal show.

The self-proclaimed collector recounts his desire to go to Afghanistan because of The Kite Runner.Then after some thrilling and interesting adventures, I finally got this [Eternal Eye] by chance.

In Yanuo's narration, he is like a perfect species with a protagonist's halo on his head and a second male figure in his hand. Everyone can't help but exclaim and laugh with his performance.

Everyone was fascinated by him.This enthusiastic Italian shakes his curly hair, and with a heartless smile, he can snipe at a crowd of old, middle-aged and young people.

Arno didn't elaborate on how he got the [Eternal Eye], he just talked about his own experience.But everyone just eats this set.Moreover, this gemstone is not like an antique, so there is no need to clarify its origin.What's more, there is no need to say much about the twists and turns of what was pried out of Afghanistan.

Endless cheers and applause flooded towards Jarno.

The megalomaniac enjoys it to his heart's content.When people's attention returned to the auction from the war-torn and unique style of Afghanistan, he spoke again: "It is my destiny to get the [Eye of Eternity]. However, my life is not good, and I cannot let her Suffer after me. Now I'm going to put this little beauty in the hands of someone who will treat her well and know what she needs."

As Yano said, he blinked and glanced around the audience.

This exhibition hall is very large, but there are only four tables in the first row.

Before running to the stage, Arno sat at the leftmost table in the front row, and now it was empty, and no one else was sitting there.Lao Zhang, his elder sister Zhang Min, and the woman in the red suit sat at the table on the right in the middle, and there was a young foreigner at the same table.The remaining tables in the first row were occupied by a table of Arabs and a table of British people.

From my point of view, I can only see Yano's body half-stretched, and I don't know who he was looking at just now.

Anyway, after seeing enough, Arno looked away.He held the [Eye of Eternity] and shook it up and down slightly: "Although it is fate for me to get her, fate will always make us suffer. So in addition to the regular bidding, I have a ruthless Please, I hope that those who want to get her from me will agree."

He didn't say what an 'unfeeling request' was, but turned his head and said to the auctioneer: "Next, please help me find a good home for my baby."

The bidding scene was fierce.No one seemed to care whether Yano would open his mouth to talk about additional conditions, and the price kept going up.The starting price of the [Eternal Eye] was 300 million pounds, and it changed to 600 million after about six rounds of bidding.Even the auctioneer couldn't help opening his eyes slightly, adding a touch of delicacy to the endless amorous feelings.

Arno seemed to have anticipated this scene.The smile on his face has not changed at all, it is still the virtue of sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai.

At this point in the bidding, the people sitting at the tables in the first row have not spoken yet.

Except for Yano, the remaining three tables were all buyers.And although they were sitting in the front row (this venue only has one floor, the weight of sitting in the first row can be imagined), but only the person in the Arabian costume on the right table bought a studded one in the last few rounds. Camels of various jewels.

Lao Zhang's eldest sister is here for us, so naturally she doesn't intend to participate in the auction.But the woman in the red suit she befriended was not just there to come and see.In addition, the British at the middle table seemed certain to win, and Arnold was not tempted by the crazy soaring price.

From this point of view, [Eye of Eternity] seems to be a targeted auction.The real buyer is waiting for Arnold to speak and say the price he has already set, and Arnold is choosing who will offer the chips he wants.

In this hot venue, there is an inexplicable undercurrent surging, and there may be a deadly magnetic field.I really hope this auction is over soon, I'm glad this Jarno thought of going with me.

After whetting his appetite, he finally spoke again. "Thank you for your love."

As soon as Jarno spoke, the bidding stopped temporarily.At this time, the price has soared to 700 million pounds.

"I'm glad that everyone likes [Eye of Eternity] so much. She is indeed worth it. However, I don't intend to give her away with only pounds. Please. I met this incomparable gem in Afghanistan, thank fate." As he said, Yano picked up the cross pendant on his chest and kissed it.When he kissed the cross, he looked like a devout member of St. Peter's Church.There was another emotional commotion in the audience. "However, this is not the end of my journey. There are still many unknowns waiting for me to discover. Fate guides me to go on the road again. This time I want to go to Egypt to explore the ancient civilization that I have been fascinated for a long time. But I don't have an expedition team, so I hope to get People from [Eye of Eternity] can accompany me to that mysterious desert. Maybe I can meet more interesting people and discover more incredible treasures.”

It is clearly calculated that those who want the [Eternal Eye] will not be able to refuse his price, but Noah has the ability to appear frivolous and sincere.After that, he winked at the auctioneer again.

The man's emerald eyes rolled and he understood. "The current price of [Eternal Eye] is 700 million. Does anyone think of a higher price?" The auctioneer cleverly added: "Maybe add an expedition team?"

The crowd boiled again.

My eyes widened in shock.

Sure enough, this guy knew about these stones, and even knew that someone was going to Egypt.Although I don't know what purpose Arnold wants to join, but judging from his ability to master the [Eternal Eye], this "travel blogger" is definitely not a good person.What's more, he also appeared in the incident in Antarctica.It is not known how deep the Italian's water was, and the whole thing became more and more confusing with his fanfare.

I subconsciously looked at Lao Zhang, and he also looked at me in surprise.After looking at each other, I made a steady gesture to him.After all, he was sitting in a very conspicuous position, if Arno saw him, his sister might be hurt.Lao Zhang nodded and looked away.

We all know that this is when the real competition begins.

As expected, it was the British and Lao Zhang's table who had been entangled in the end, but it was the blond young man who was in charge of bidding.At the end of the price bite, it could be seen that the young man's face was a little red, but the other party's price always beat him.Then the woman in red at that table pressed his hand and set the price by herself.

"Double."

The woman's voice is not loud and clear, but there is a kind of composure that is sure of victory.She is the kind of beauty with a sharp edge, and she shouldn't be too young, but the years obviously left her more than it took away.

Yano clapped his hands and repeatedly praised "beautiful". He didn't know whether he was talking about the price or the person who asked for the price.

The British were not ambiguous, and added another 1000 million.It is still a simple "double" to the woman in red.That is to say, the auctioneer's multiplication calculation is not bad, otherwise the price would not be able to be called.

After going back and forth like this a few times, everyone can see that the two parties are bound to win, and they have not concealed each other at all.In the end, it was Yano who stopped the fight.

"It's my honor to be appreciated by Miss Rhea. However, if a beauty like you wants gems, I will offer them with both hands. How can I make you spend money?" The Italian frowned, "If you like it , I still have high-quality gemstones here, if they can catch your eyes, it would be a good story to give gemstones to beauties."

After finishing speaking, he walked to the auction table and took the small wooden hammer from the green-eyed auctioneer, and repeated the price that the British had just set.This time the beauty in red, now I know her name is Rhea, did not raise the price.

In the end, the stone was sold at an unreal price, and the buyer was a wealthy Turkish businessman among the British at the table.Even if the Italian started out penniless, he is now rich.As for the strings attached, the buyer said he would keep his word, and Jarno would always get what he wanted.

After the whole auction, I couldn't understand what was going on with this Chris Yano.

At first, I thought that he might know that the [Eternal Eye] was a hot potato, so he wanted to make a move in public, in an attempt to bring disaster to the east.Who knew that this guy had other calculations. Not only did he not choose himself, but he also went to Egypt.It is also seeking wealth and insurance.

It seems that the only ones who know the information about "ores with a magnetic field" are Project 279 and those who came back from the South Pole, and this Italian (he also came back from the South Pole) and perhaps the forces behind him, shot The British who won the "Eternal Eye" and the beauty Rhea in red.There may be overlap between these forces, but I can't tell the difference.

The reason why I feel that there may be other forces behind Arnold is because it took 279 60 years to find a piece of ore, and he sold it easily.

Now the staff has begun to guide the guests to the banquet hall to continue the social activities after the auction.Yanuo and the woman named Rhea also followed the crowd and walked past.

It looks like today won't be over so soon.Then I still have the opportunity to go and see the true face of Arno's Lushan Mountain.

　As the culprit of the Opium War, Britain has the largest collection of Chinese cultural relics, followed by Japan, which invaded China.Needless to say, the United States, France, and Russia, none of them are clean, and Canada has moved to itself.Whether these countries acquire cultural relics by guns, money, or the shovel of an 'archaeologist', they are not just and cannot change their nature.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)