Chapter 2 -2-An Ancient Painting Worth Fifty Million!
Chapter 2 -2-An Ancient Painting Worth Fifty Million!
Chapter 2: Chapter2-An Ancient Painting Worth Fifty Million!
Robert didn't respond to them, his gaze sweeping the crowd, hoping someone would bid.
Disappointingly, most of the bidders were chatting idly.
Only one young man, who seemed to be from Serenalia, was carefully inspecting the items in the container, deep in thought.
Robert, considering the fact that he would get a ten percent commission from the sale of each container, called out to the young man,
"Hey! Kid, do you want to place a bid?"
Daniel shook his head.
The data from dozens of system scans had already made him give up on bidding for this container.
The luggage and clothing inside were all luxury items, but the damage by the pirates was too extensive.
They were virtually worthless.
Seeing Daniel's reaction, Robert felt a little disappointed.
However, thinking of his commission, he decided to give it another shot.
He walked over to Daniel, smiling, "Young man, seeing you reminds me of my deceased brother."
Daniel looked at him, a bit confused.
This guy was trying to butter him up before attempting to scam him.
Robert didn't notice Daniel's strange look, and with a glance to the left and right, acting as if he was afraid someone might overhear, he whispered,
"In memory of our late mother, let me share some information with you. There are valuable items in this container!"
"The owners of these bags are all tycoons, and the gold, silver, and jewels inside could be worth millions of StellarCoins. As a customs worker, I can't participate in the auction, which is why I'm telling you this. Trust me, bid on it!"
After speaking, Robert gave Daniel a determined look, then returned to his position, feigning indifference.
'Our late mother? '
'Your mother is the one who's gone! '
'And gold, silver, jewels? '
'Really bold claims, man!'
A twitch appeared at the corner of Daniel's mouth.
He felt both annoyed and amused.
The chat in the livestream was already in chaos.
"No wonder the streamer said he'd make a big profit, he has an insider!"
"The streamer is mixed race??"
"Millions of StellarCoins! That's almost ten million in DragonCoins or SmartCoins, streamer, place a bid now!"
"Why are you hesitating, streamer! You could be a millionaire and quit streaming!"
"The items we've seen so far are all junk, not worth bidding."
With that statement, Daniel shut up the chatter in the livestream.
Casually, he looked at a leather bag stacked at the top of the container.
[Item]: Luxury Luggage Bag.
[Material]: Crocodile skin
[Condition]: Worn
[Details]: The surface has a few cuts from a sharp object but no irreparable damage
[Appraisal]: Slightly better junk
[Market Price]: 50,000 StellarCoins
[Buyback Price]: 5,000 StellarCoins
It has some value, but not much.
Probably the most valuable thing in the entire container.
If he could buy this lot for a few hundred StellarCoins, it could be a profitable deal.
Just as he was about to place a direct bid of 500 StellarCoins to secure the container, his gaze froze.
Huh? Did I see that wrong?
He rubbed his eyes and stared hard at the deepest corner of the container.
The system information popped up instantly.
[Item]: Hundred Horses
[Age]: Three hundred years ago
[Condition]: Item is intact, well preserved
[Details]: Created by a court painter during the Serenalia Feudal Empire period, there are both paper and silk versions, this item is the paper version.
[Appraisal]: An innovative masterpiece, priceless treasure!
[Market Price]: 50 million StellarCoins
[Buyback Price]: 30 million StellarCoins
Holy moly!
Fifty million!
Daniel stared at the numbers before him, completely stunned.
According to the international exchange rate, fifty million StellarCoins could be converted to nearly 350 million DragonCoins or SmartCoins.
If he could secure it, he'd become a billionaire overnight!
As for the system's buyback price being much lower than the market price, he understood.
After all, the market value of artwork is entirely subjective.
If a genuine lover of the art found it, they might offer a price even higher than the market value.
Seeing Daniel not bidding for quite some time, Robert assumed this container was going to pass unsold.
He could only shake his head in resignation.
"This container, for 500 StellarCoins, anyone interested can pay up now."
Every little bit helps; sell what you can sell.
In the crowd, a skinny, blond white man raised his hand, shouting out, "I'll take it."
"Robert, I'm doing this as a favor to you."
"Thanks, Wilson!"
Robert looked at Wilson, a bit relieved.
Of course, he also knew Wilson wasn't really a charitable person.
Paying 500 for this pile of junk, he could still make a few hundred profit, it's just that others didn't want to expend the effort.
Robert, out of habit, made the final call, "If no one else bids, this container will go to Wilson for 500."
He knew no one else would bid, so as soon as the words left his mouth, he was ready to signal the forklift driver to move the next container.
Just then, another voice rang out, "I bid... 550 StellarCoins!"
The voice came from Daniel.
In the livestream chat, the viewers were confused.
"Have you lost it, streamer?"
"You just said it's all junk, why are you bidding now?"
"You certainly won't lose money buying this stuff for 500, but you're not going to make much either."
" Labor in Libertopia is expensive, you'll make at most a few hundred."
"You said you'd show us how to pick up containers?"
"What you're doing could only be called making a bit of money, it's hardly a bargain."
"Boring, I'm outta here."
Seeing this, Daniel said, "What's the rush? Just wait a bit, there's a surprise coming."
"What surprise?"
"You don't think there's a hidden gem in this pile of junk, do you?"
"Even if there was, the pirates would have taken it. It's not your turn yet."
"I think the streamer is just trying to make it seem mysterious."
The viewers didn't leave when they saw that Daniel wasn't responding to them.
They all wanted to see if Daniel really had a unique insight or if he was just pretending to be mysterious.
In the crowd...
Wilson, seeing that even this pile of junk had someone competing with him, was dumbfounded.
He turned around and stared at Daniel, "Hey, buddy, you're not going to make much from this stuff. Is it worth competing with me?"
Daniel replied calmly, "It's just fair competition. You can keep raising your bid."
Robert, too, looked at Daniel with confusion before understanding.
It seemed this young man believed what he had just said.
Great!
He instantly perked up and started to play along, "I thought this lot would go unsold, but surprisingly someone raised their bid. It seems the hidden value has been discovered."
"This friend from Serenalia bids 550 StellarCoins, is there anyone else who wants to raise their bid?!"
Many people began to doubt their judgment and refocused on the bags in the container.
Telescopes, magnifying glasses, imagers...
They tried every device they had, carefully evaluating whether they had missed anything.
Before long, they all agreed.
There really was nothing but junk in this pile!
"This kid sure is easily satisfied, fighting over goods with a profit of just a few hundred."
"Wilson, go against him!"
"We can't lose to a first-timer."
Wilson looked at the crowd, annoyed, "Why don't you guys do it?"
He didn't have time for this.
He was just trying to do someone a favor and make a little profit on the side.
Now that someone else was fighting him for it, he was perfectly happy.
Robert smiled at Daniel and said, "Well done, for 550, the stuff in this container is yours."
Selling it at this price was already more than enough.
With the buyer decided, Robert carried on with his usual routine, "Now let's see what you've actually bought."
Clearing the goods, estimating the price, this was the most exciting part of the Container Hunt Auction.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the dock workers moved towards the container, emptying the contents of the luggage bags onto the ground.
One bag of damaged clothes, two bags of damaged clothes.
Three bags, four bags...
Out of dozens of luggage bags, only personal items such as clothes and cosmetics were dumped out.
The gold, silver, and jewelry that Robert mentioned were, unsurprisingly, nowhere to be seen.
On the scene, there was an appraiser invited by the customs authorities to estimate the value of the auction items.
"Countless damaged clothing, worth 0."
"Three repairable luxury luggage bags, total value 10,800 StellarCoins."
As soon as the result was announced, everyone's mouths fell open.
"Did he just hit the jackpot?!"
"Buying something for 550 and flipping it for 10,000???"
"That's a freaking steal!"
"How could he make a profit of 10,000 on a 550 investment when even containers that go for tens of thousands StellarCoins don't yield that much?!"
"I need a moment to process!"
Voices of astonishment echoed from the crowd.
Only Daniel remained calm and quiet, looking at everyone.
Is everyone losing their minds over just over 10,000?
The big-ticket item is yet to come.