Everyone turned silent after they heard Mr. Slade's words. They were momentarily confused. Storybooks were worth less than a porcelain or ceramic. Its value was even worse than the previous book; at least medical books still had some research value. Not to mention that those creatures looked so frightening. As if they were something that merely existed in imagination.
Austin and Mr. Brown glanced at each other and frowned. They turned their attention to Thalira, worrying that she might get disappointed. If Mr. Slade had interfered like this, it meant that he would swindle people again.
Because of the previous book's auction result, Mr. Slade must have been trying to get his hand on this one. The next scenario would be him bringing the item to another city's auction and selling it there.
Greediness got the better of him once again.
Faint murmurs echoed throughout the room. Many of the people present were wealthy–businessmen. Or some old family with deep foundations that have members with fondness for collecting antiques. Mr. Slade and his antique shop were quite famous in the city because of his relation with the Slade family. So his words kind of made sense, right?
Because of the time constraint, the appraisers from the Auction only appraise the items' age. The items' next value would be determined by the audience themselves.
In a conspicuous corner of a room, there was a pair of men with robust appearance.
"Sir, those monsters…" the man's words stuck in his throat, as if he was imagining something terrifying. The huge scar on his forehead throbbed with pain.
The other man was more steady, like he was someone in a prominent position who was already used to high pressure. Currently, wrinkles decorated his forehead. In a solemn tone, he decided, "We should try to get this book. Maybe it will be useful in the future."
The scarred man nodded. Mr. Slade's words had no effect at all on what he was about to do.
"The government has kept every news under control, but it's still hard for those who live near forests or oceans. There are reports of strange sightings and also people's disappearance every day." The man mumbled as he waited for the host to start the bidding, slightly annoyed by Mr. Slade's chattering.
"We might find the clues about that gigantic creature in the river which resembles a crocodile…"
The burly man listened to his subordinate's faint chatter with a look of contemplation on his face.
At this moment, Mr. Slade had finished his usual that started his modus operandi. There was a faint look of arrogance on his face when he saw people's doubtful look. Some people knew Mr. Slade's true colors, but mostly they didn't. He usually only picked on someone weaker than him, or people like Mr. Brown, who was sometimes rigid and had high pride.
"This scoundrel is doing it again." Mr. Brown gritted his teeth. "He would assign someone to pretend to be a savior and buy the antique at a cheap price next."
Thalira didn't react much. She had a look of contemplation on her face when her gaze swept over an inconspicuous corner. Although she couldn't hear the discussion of people who were sitting there, her enhanced sense of sight caught the fear and trepidation in one man's eyes and a troubled look in the other.
She thoughtfully looked at the opened pages, where it was still showing a gigantic crocodile. Its row of teeth looked as sharp as a knife with its body twisted. With one look, one wouldn't be able to recognize what creature it was unless they examined it deeper or had seen it themselves…
"Although a storybook isn't worth much, I am still willing to buy it at the price of one million." Someone raised his hand. He was a middle-aged man with a neat appearance, showing that he might be a member of some wealthy family. Everyone instantly assumed that he was an avid antique collector.
"What do you think?" He directed the question to the host, making his expression crumble for a moment. However, he was a professional. His earlier expression was gone as fast as it came, replaced by a smile. He cleared his throat.
"This gentleman, we have to proceed with the next event, which is the start of the bidding, and anyone can bid for it." He said in polite words. Definitely, it wasn't the first time he had experienced this kind of thing and he was quite calm.
The man who spoke earlier still had a smile on his face, looking discreetly at Mr. Slade, and crossed his hands on his chest, waiting for the host to start. As if he was sure he would win the bid.
Thalira noticed their discreet interaction with a sullen face. Just you wait!
"The bidding starts now!" The host announced.
"One million points!" The man immediately responded with a smug smirk.
Until another voice that followed made his face crumble.
"Forty million points." The scarred man raised his hand, joining in the quiet bid.
The room instantly fell into a dead silence. Some people's eyes were wide; all attention directed toward the scarred man who had just spoken. When they noticed his muscular build and the fierce look on his face, they knew that he wasn't one to be trifled with.
In an instant, everyone had the look of looking forward to a good show. Their eyes flitted over alternately between Mr. Slade, the neat-looking man, and the scarred man.
"Sir, I-I really need this book," the neat-looking man stuttered with a horrified expression.
The scarred-faced soldier glanced at him and lightly reminded him, "Then, bid on it."
He didn't answer, secretly glancing at Mr. Slade, who didn't have a pleasant expression on his face. However, since Mr. Slade didn't speak, he also said nothing.
"Anyone still want to raise the bid further?" The host finally regained his contented look on his face. If the items were sold at high prices, he would also gain a bigger income.
"Forty millions going once…" he repeated three times and none bid higher. The book now belonged to the scarred-face man.
Thalira's eyes also went wide, but there was a satisfied smile on her lips. Mr. Brown and Austin also had shocked looks on their faces, especially Austin, who glanced at the inconspicuous corner with a frown on his face.
The third book that Thalira put for the bid was an astronomy book. She had gotten it at a cheap price because it seemed to be a basic knowledge book. Unexpectedly, in this auction, it was still sold for thirty-five millions points.
As for the last painting, it was even more outrageous. She gained fifty million points, making her a rich girl. She held her chest, her eyes were still wide in disbelief.
"You are now a rich girl," Mr. Brown teased. He took a sip of his tea, glancing at Austin, and coughed. "Actually, kid. You don't need to give us commission for the two slots from our antique shop. Just giving the commission of the first item is enough."
"Huh?" Thalira blinked, looking at Mr. Brown as if she was wondering whether she had a hearing problem.
Mr. Brown was annoyed. "What's with that look on your face?"
"But you wouldn't get anything at all. Not to mention you still need to pay those appraisers." Thalira pursed her lips.
Mr. Brown waved his hands. "It doesn't matter. Just give it like I said. Even if we put some items up for auction this time around, it wouldn't be worth much. Witnessing some sky price items being sold here today is already quite satisfying."
Austin had an astonished look on his face. Mr. Brown glanced at him lightly, saw the look in his eyes, and snorted. The young man grinned, making the old man uncomfortably look away.
"Just accept it, kid." Mr. Brown told Thalira. "If you have some good things like porcelain in the future, just give us the first priority. We don't lack money."
Thalira was extremely grateful toward them and no longer being polite. She would send some porcelains to Mr. Brown antique shop later. Turned out that this old man wasn't that bad; his heart was extremely good.
On the way out, Thalira noticed Mr. Slade not far from her. A mischievous thought surfaced in her mind. She passed by Mr. Slade, earning his snort.
Then went to find Mr. Brown and Austin at the parking lot. They had gone first and waited for her to confirm her earning. With anticipation in her heart, she counted one to three, waiting to see Mr. Slade's sorry state.