Dragon Master

Chapter 598 Can’t Figure Out

Chapter 598 Can’t Figure Out

In a flash, the lights in the venue went out one by one, only the lights on the stage were left.

In VIP room on the second floor of the sports center.

With the lights in the venue were extinguished one by one, the stage became the focus of the whole center.

Then two hosts, a man and a woman came to the stage, and started to introduce the contents of the competition after the routine greetings and introduction of guests.

The theme of this jade carving conference was changed to an antique appraisal conference, so as to evaluate the masters’ true level.

The rules were simple: all the antiques appeared in the event, whether real or faked, were auctioned according to the market price of the real antiques. The buyers who bought the real antiques could take the auction item away naturally.

If the buyer could finger out the faked goods on the spot, he could destroy the faked item on the spot, and the money paid for the item would donate to the charity.

This was equivalent to compete the antique appreciation ability with the counterfeiting skills!

After hearing the host's introduction to the rules, Amira turned her head and said to Maximilian, "Hey, Maximilian, it's a bit interesting. They put the real goods and faked goods together to shoot. It is not a competition, and not even a jade carving competition. It is the first time I hear it. It is good to do charity in this way, which can improve people's ability to distinguish the true treasures from faked ones, and serve the society. I think this activity is meaningful."

Maximilian just smiled.

Although it was common in ancient times to make counterfeit treasures, the technique of counterfeiting was renovating and improving year by year.

Nowadays, faked antiques were more difficult to distinguish. As the host of the jade carving competition, Pearce, a senior insider, naturally understood the rules deeply.

But it was admirable for him to develop antique business and charity in both hands and achieve his fame and profit together.

Once the staff finished arranging the stage, the competition officially began.

The host mentioned that there would be a total of 12 pieces in this competition, which would be divided into two rounds.

During the bidding process, guests could use the bidding device configured on each seat to add the price for the current auction. The real-time auction would be synchronized in the big screen on the stage.

If the paused time for any price exceeded 20 seconds, the product would go to the current bidder.

It was really the first time for Maximilian to participate in such a modern competition. After pressing the button on the seat handle according to instruction, a bidding device popped up at the top of the handle.

Wow, it was interesting! Maximilian looked at the delicate bidding device in his hand, and couldn't help but expect more about the game.

The first round had eight items, four jade wares and four porcelain pieces respectively.

Although each piece appeared brilliant under the spotlight on stage, none of them could stand the test of top treasure appreciation expert and counterfeiter on the stage.

Each piece of auction was called for two or three times before a deal was nailed, which resulted in the first round of auction lasting not long. Soon, there came a break, and the hall was filled with music and dancing shows.

Amira didn’t know much about it, but she sensed something wrong as the first round of auction ended prematurely, so she asked Maximilian.

"Maximilian, those antiques are not bad, especially those porcelain bottles, which are very beautiful. Why do the bidders here seem not very interested? Is the price of the product too high or the game is actually boring?"

Maximilian took a moment to think, and then sipped his lips.

"Bidders are not interested, because these auction items are not attractive. Look, bidders here are basically rich and powerful. If there are some really rare treasures, they will fight fiercely to get them. Only poor people like me think the price is too high price."

Maximilian went on after drinking some water.

"When each piece came on stage, the details of each piece were displayed on the big screen. I found six of them have obvious counterfeiting marks in different details. Only a red gourd jade pendant and a blue glaze carved peony porcelain bottle may be genuine. However, I am surprised that the prices of these two items are not much higher than the other six. Maybe my ability is too shallow. It seems this competition is really a place for top masters"

In Amira’s eyes, Maximilian, who was valued by Lane Bates, was certainly not an ordinary guy. Therefore, when Maximilian said this, Amira was very surprised.

She thought this situation could make Maximilian shocked. How many experts in the antique world were there in the venue? She should seize this good opportunity to learn more.

At this time, a young man with blond hair sat at the same table with Maximilian answered a phone call and complained.

"Ah, I couldn’t have come if I knew it. It is really boring. None of these items is good. There is still someone paying for it. I can't understand it..."

After a few words, the blonde man realized that others were looking at him, and he got up with his mobile phone and went outside.

Maximilian thought the man was brave enough to say it. After seeing his dress and tone of speech, he could figure out something.

Maximilian then asked a middle-aged man sitting next to him about the young man.

It turned out the young man was Euan Holmes, the young master of the Tripod Wealth Pawnshop.

As the leader of the Holmes family behind the Tripod Wealth Pawnshop, Euan’s father, Raphael Holmes was not well these years. Euan was in charge of the family business.

The young man was rebellious, but quite talented in business. Under his father's instruction, he had managed to boost the business of Tripod Wealth Pawnshop to a different level, and he gradually won his reputation in the antique world.

In this way, Euan must have some talent on treasure hunting.

Maximilian combined Euan's words with his own observation of the auction, and then came to a conclusion.

The first round of auction was a complete con!

Rather than auction, it was more appropriate to say it was for the organizer to test water. The purpose was to judge their professional quality, so as to better arrange the second round and earn more money.

Pearce was really a smart guy, and it was a really good idea!

However, from the response of the first round, the overall quality of the guests present was very high. In order to stabilize his position, Pearce had to show some real treasures in the second round.

Thinking of it, Maximilian looked forward to the upcoming round.

But the break and performance lasted for too longer, and Maximilian wondered if Pearce was planning on something during the break.