Chapter 404: Chapter 370: Dongguo Sun Borrows Money
Next, Lin Miao and Sun Youwei strolled leisurely around the Exotic Plants Hall with Dongguo Sun. Despite Dongguo Sun’s slightly lecherous demeanor, his knowledge was exceptionally profound.
As they walked, he acted as their guide, recognizing almost every exotic plant and explaining some of their characteristics and origins.
Sun Youwei also realized that this "Dongguo" gentleman was indeed the senior brother of Lin Miao’s father, that is, her master’s elder brother.
However, in such a setting, it was not appropriate for them to acknowledge each other. Moreover, Lin Miao had already mentioned to her that Dongguo Sun’s identity was yet to be confirmed.
It’s not yet the time for recognition.
Once they acknowledge each other, it becomes a definitive identification, not only requiring a change in address but also adding an extra layer of responsibility.
Fortunately, Dongguo Sun also seemed disinclined to acknowledge them, merely introducing things as they wandered around without any additional demands.
The time was almost up.
They needed to go to the Rare Items Gallery, even though the hope of successfully bidding for her master’s ’Physician Emblem’ this time wasn’t very high.
Yet, they came for this very purpose and didn’t want to miss out.
Dongguo Sun was also aware of why Lin Miao was attending the auction; he wanted the only item belonging to his junior brother to return to the hands of the heir, thus he tagged along.
Tonight’s category auction was naturally open to anyone, but for the final auction, at least Yellow Card VIPs have the qualification.
Thus, if newcomers wish to attend, they must either spend five thousand taels of silver or pay a certain deposit.
Otherwise, with so many people rushing in, the auction venue couldn’t accommodate everyone and maintaining order would be difficult.
Establishing an admission threshold also signifies the scale of the final auction.
Typically, category auctions start simultaneously with two or three categories, allowing for some people to be diverted, thereby avoiding concentration.
Additionally, if someone truly wants to bid on items, they wouldn’t attend alone; rather, they would have a division of roles.
Quite a few people were already present in the bidding area for rare items. There was no upstairs VIP seating here; everyone was together. However, Purple and Green Card VIPs were arranged in the forefront, while Yellow Cards and non-VIPs were seated at the back.
When Lin Miao and Sun Youwei arrived, there were already numerous attendees, although only a few people were seated in the first two rows of VIP seats.
In no time, all of the two hundred seats prepared by the Heaven-Dominating Tower were filled.
Lin Miao secured a spot for Sun Youwei, yet he himself had to stand, and then the staff handed out bid number plates.
These were used for calling out bids and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Latecomers who wished to bid would have to raise their hand to shout out.
The auction commenced punctually.
The first item up for bid was a chicken blood stone seal, the work of a renowned sculptor from the previous dynasty, once belonging to an official, of excellent quality with certain collectible value, starting bid at two thousand taels of silver.
The first item evidently served as a warm-up; the piece presented couldn’t be too inferior, and it was something desired, ensuring it wouldn’t go unsold.
Should it remain unsold, it would be quite embarrassing.
Actually, it wouldn’t stay unsold. If there were no bids, someone from the auction staff would call a price to reclaim the item.
This practice is called being a ’pusher.’
It’s a common tactic in auction settings.
But if conducted for a long time, being a ’pusher’ is merely the last measure of insurance. If it’s a consignee sale, unless requested by the guests, the auction won’t arrange it, as it’s troublesome if the item ends up in their own hands.
However, in these year-end auctions, unsold items are rare.
Lin Miao had few hobbies; seal carving and painting counted, as during his years of illness, these were the activities he could engage in.
A seal carving knife and a calligraphy brush allowed him to temporarily forget his physical pains.
Nevertheless, he held an interest in the engraving arts of this world, though he didn’t harbor a strong desire to collect others’ works.
Each raise in price had to be a minimum of two hundred taels.
Soon, the chicken blood stone seal soared past three thousand taels of silver.
After intense competition, it was purchased by an elderly gentleman in elegant attire, who promptly paid and delightedly played with the seal.
Some people have special affinities, and certain pleasures can’t be bought regardless of the cost.
Next was a Three-legged Bronze Incense Burner, crafted by a master, extremely exquisite in shape, passed down from the previous dynasty’s royal family.
It was well-preserved.
The small and elegant appearance, with intricate and ornate patterns, immediately caught Sun Youwei’s eye. She had always wanted to place a small incense burner like this in her room to light some aromatherapy. Despite the abundance of copper burners on the market, few had such appealing shapes, clearly reflecting the style of a chamber used by women.
According to the introduction, it belonged to a famous consort from the previous dynasty, who was also a talented woman. Apart from being a royal commission, it carried the renowned identity of the talented consort, with a starting bid of two thousand five hundred taels of silver.
Upon hearing the bid, Sun Youwei lost interest, realizing that with so much silver, she could purchase numerous bronze furnaces outside.
Lin Miao was thrilled to see Sun Youwei find something she liked; spending a bit of money was a minor concern, so he directly raised the bid: "Five thousand taels."
Five thousand taels!
The price jumped by two thousand taels in one go, leaving everyone who was prepared to bid stunned.
This was clearly determined to win the bid.
It’s just a bronze incense burner; was this really necessary?
Originally, there were still people prepared to raise their signs, but now everyone fell silent, fearing that the auction house had intentionally planted a shill.
If someone hikes the price, they can instantly retreat, leaving you stuck with a costly purchase.
This copper brazier indeed has some practical and collectible value, but the true heirloom piece is that chicken bloodstone seal.
Since there’s a fool willing to spend the money, let them have it.
Thus, after at least three moments of awkward silence, seeing no more bids, the auctioneer finally struck the hammer, confirming the acquisition of the copper incense burner by Lin Miao.
Five thousand silver pieces for a copper incense burner is indeed costly, but if it brings joy to the sister, then it’s worth it.
After payment, the copper incense burner was handed over directly.
Next up was a glass plate; colorless glassware had already sold well in Nanyue, causing market prices to plummet.
The starting price for this glass plate was also two thousand silver pieces and was ultimately sold for four thousand three hundred silver pieces.
In the past, the starting price for this glass plate would have been at least three thousand silver, and the final price at least eight thousand silver.
The fourth auction item was a medical insignia, to be precise, a nationally-selected medical insignia from when the owner was once a high-ranking physician, holding the office of medical order. He acquired the national selection insignia after passing the trial of the ’Saintly Path’, achieving notable personal success, making this insignia available for bidding.
Starting bid: five thousand silver pieces!
Medical insignias are niche in collecting circles but tend to hold stable value, and some people like to invest in collecting them, which is why there are bidders willing to buy.
It wasn’t the master’s medical insignia, so Lin Miao had no interest. Before long, this medical insignia bid increased to ten thousand silver pieces, finally selling for thirteen thousand five hundred.
The buyer of this medical insignia was the owner of Jinshi Hall, Mr. Jin Jiu.
One auction item followed another, with starting prices steadily increasing, and no more medical insignias came up for auction.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Lin Miao’s eyes; it seemed that hoping to find the master’s medical insignia at the Heaven-Dominating Tower’s year-end auction was not feasible.
As Yuanheng indicated, there were some leads; the master’s medical insignia had indeed been lost in the black market and was acquired by a person named Sha Que.
This Sha Que is a professional fence, backed by complex networks and substantial wealth; he quickly disposed of the intermediate-level insignia.
After all, he is in it for money, and keeping it offers no value while in his possession.
After further inquiries, it was learned that this medical insignia might have been resold in Li Hen City, but that place is far too complex, and the trail goes cold once there.
He even commissioned Baili Bingyun to check the related sale and auction records for medical insignias at the Heaven-Dominating Tower but found no evidence of the master’s insignia appearing on the list.
"Mr. Jin Jiu loves collecting medical insignias, especially those with special significance; even if your master’s isn’t in his possession, he might have some information." Dongguo Sun noticed Lin Miao’s disappointment and quietly reminded him.
"Mr. Jin Jiu."
"Right, most of the medical insignias that appear in auctions over the years have been bought by him," Dongguo Sun said.
"Hmm, I’ll find a chance to visit him in the future."
"You should go alone, don’t take her." Dongguo Sun nudged towards Sun Youwei with his mouth.
"Why is that?"
"That old man is notorious for his lechery, both upright and unscrupulous. If he sees her, I’m afraid he won’t let her go," Dongguo Sun warned.
"If he dares to have thoughts on my sister, I’ll wipe out his Jinshi Hall!"
"Good, that’s the spirit!" Dongguo Sun gave Lin Miao a thumbs up.
"You seem wealthy; I saw you spending without blinking for this little girl. Can you lend me some money?" Dongguo Sun asked.
"How much do you need?" Lin Miao asked calmly. If it’s really family business, let alone lending, he could just give it.
"A thousand silver pieces."
"Is that enough?"
"Tonight there’s a raw stone transaction here, the lowest price is a thousand silver pieces, that’ll do." Dongguo Sun smiled.
"Are you going gambling?"
"I need to bid on something later, but I’m out of funds, so I have to earn a bit from raw stones first." Dongguo Sun explained.
"A thousand silver pieces, what if you lose it all in one go?"
"I won’t, I have my ways of winning. Want to come for a glimpse?" Dongguo Sun confidently said.
"Alright, I’ll lend you a thousand silver pieces, but if you lose, let me know what you want, anything under one hundred thousand silver pieces, I can get it for you." Lin Miao offered, not fearing the other party failing to repay; there are ways around it.
"One hundred thousand silver pieces, if I had known you were this wealthy, I would’ve sought you out sooner." Dongguo Sun lamented, pounding his chest.
"Will you lend it?"
"Of course, I’ll borrow, but if it’s not enough later, can you lend me a bit more?" Dongguo Sun shamelessly asked.
"Sure, but if you win from gambling stones, I want a share."
"What do you mean?"
"A thousand silver pieces in, any extra is considered an investment; any profit will be divided accordingly, losses are considered borrowed..."
"What, you can’t lose!"
"Naturally, otherwise you could take a loan at high interest!"
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