Chapter 305: The Imperial Jade Seal! Starting Bid: 12 Billion! (1)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Many novices were infinitely curious about the starting bid for the so-called Elixir of Immortality. They believed that no matter what, it must have had an astonishing opening price. However, the next moment, the number that sprang from Qin Rubing’s mouth was a mere 50 million.
“The Elixir of Immortality! After expert appraisal, it was found to contain a high level of lead! So, it is obviously impossible to consume it directly!” she explained. “Nevertheless, it is of great help for research related to ancient emperors and alchemists!”
Qin Rubing chuckled inwardly. If this thing was indeed the key to immortality, as some netizens claimed, there would have been plenty of people willing to buy it, even for 500 billion. Of course, you might think that 500 billion is a lot, and there could not be that many people who can afford it. After all, there were only a few dozen billionaires worldwide.
Yet, you would be quite naiVe to think so. Do you really believe that all the wealthy people in the world are on those lists? Forbes can only count the assets of those on their list, but how could they possibly know every detail about the wealth of each tycoon?
Anyway, the best martial artists in the world were never the ones who won the Huashan Tournament. The true experts were the common people who simply did not care about such trivial rankings.
“It’s only a starting bid of 50 million. What’s so interesting about this item?” someone remarked.
“Yeah, it seems overhyped. It was eventually purchased by the First People’s Hospital for 150 million!”
“Wow! 150 million, and you still look down on it? Do you know that a transaction price of over 100 million is already considered a high price worldwide?”
“Ha! You can’t blame us for belittling 100 million! It’s just that everything else today has been so extraordinary!”
“Exactly! Earlier, the Suihou Pearl Diamond alone had a sky-high price of 8.8 billion. So now, 100 million doesn’t seem that impressive!”
After Qin Rubing auctioned off the “Elixir of Immortality,” a large box was brought on stage, still guarded by soldiers. The box, around eighty to ninety centimeters long, was designed to hold clothing. Inside was an invaluable gold-threaded jade garment.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this garment is the highest grade of the legendary gold-threaded jade garments from ancient times!” she announced. “It is made entirely of gold threads and jade pieces sewn together. Such ancient craftsmanship is truly the pinnacle of its time!”
“But in ancient times, not everyone could wear this kind of garment. First, the production of a gold-threaded jade garment was not cheap, as it required jade and gold threads – materials not affordable to ordinary households. Second, even some prominent officials could not possess it. Even if they had the money, making it in secret would result in execution if discovered by the rulers. Only those of the highest status, like imperial relatives, could possibly receive permission to make a gold-threaded jade garment.”
“Lastly, let me tell you how complex the process of making a gold-threaded jade garment truly is! Since it must fit the wearer, the tailor must first measure the person’s dimensions, making sure it fits perfectly. The jade pieces must be of uniform color, flawless, and the gold threads must be of the highest quality. The jade is then cut into small squares and finally sealed together. Historically, it took about ten years to make one garment, and it required the labor of nearly a thousand people!”
“Thus, over 2,000 years ago during the Western Han or Qin dynasties, producing a gold-threaded jade garment was no easy feat, given the production level at that time!”
“Although gold-threaded jade garments have been unearthed, none have been auctioned before. We do not have a price for comparison. However, considering its historical significance and the complexity of its craftsmanship, I believe the starting bid should be no less than 500 million!”
Qin Rubing introduced the item at great length. The museum’s attendees were all too familiar with it and did not need the lengthy explanation. Some even began picking at their ears out of boredom. However, Qin Rubing had to introduce each item one by one; it was standard procedure for an auction, after all. Some people in the audience might not recognize the items.
“510 million!” “550 million!” “600 million!” “800 million!”
“1 billion!”
Ultimately, the gold-threaded jade garment was acquired by Sun Daozhen from Shanghai for a staggering 1 billion. At that point, the auction was nearing its end, with only four major cultural relics remaining.
Qin Rubing stood beside the twelve bronze statues and began, “These are the twelve bronze statues of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, imitated by Zhao Gao during the Qin Dynasty! Each statue stands 1.8 meters tall and is solid, weighing about
1..8 tons! The price for each statue is 200 million!”
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