Chapter 282: Chapter 276: Is This Bloody a Restaurant?

Translator: 549690339

This time, everyone collectively inhaled sharply. The yellow-flowered pear wood was already very expensive. Manufacturing a table and chairs of such caliber from such precious wood basically made their price incalculable on the current market. Not to mention that if everything was made during the Western Dynasty period, the price would be even more astronomical.

“This…this is an original work of Master Z, isn’t it?!” A startled voice emerged from the crowd. Everyone turned to look at the painting on the wall, then, inadvertently, at the hundreds of other paintings in the hall. Recalling Matthew Chan’s words, they began pulling faces. If one painting is an original, it implies the hundreds here are all originals. Just what… they are all too stunned to even express their feelings.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your suspicions are correct. Aside from the wooden carvings on the walls that are modern, everything else the tables, chairs, decorations they are all antiques, dating back to before the Daoguang era of the Western Dynasty. This includes the paintings on the walls.” Matthew Chan chimed in.

All these items have been authenticated by Matthew Chan’s experts. Hearing his confirmation made everyone gasp. Is every table, decoration, and painting on the walls a priceless artifact?

President Chan, did I hear correctly? Is this place a restaurant?” Someone from the crowd suddenly asked. His words struck a chord with everyone, evoking astonishment. Right, they only just remembered, yes, this is a restaurant! Bloody hell! Even the chairs… each worth at least several million dollars! Are we seriously sitting on millions?

“Indeed, this is a restaurant.” Matthew Chan replied, adopting a rather peculiar tone. “Also, please be careful. Do you see those porcelain vases that are about human-height?” He pointed at two huge vases near the staircase to the second floor.

“Are these also antiques?” Someone casually asked.

“Absolutely. As a matter of fact, these are Qinghua porcelain pieces from the ancient dynasty.” Matthew stated dramatically.

Matthew’s announcement was met with a deafening silence. Even those without a particular interest in collectibles knew about Qinghua porcelain from the ancient dynasty, famed for their rarity, beauty, and hence their high price. A piece the size of a regular vase would be worth at least 150 million. One can only imagine what these larger, exquisite pieces are valued at.

Everyone was pondering this thought as Matthew continued, “Our bank’s appraisal experts value this pair at about 15 to 20 billion Flame Nation coins if sold together, as they could be the only pair of their kind in the world. Not even national museums have a treasure like this.”

Everyone inside wasn’t unfamiliar with monetary value. Speaking frankly, none of the people in the room regard money as a big deal. Their shock came not from the hefty price tag of the items, but rather, from the plain sight of these remarkable collections, without any protective measures at all.

By this time, Finn had invited everyone inside. His classmates clearly could not fit in with this crowd, and Finn didn’t intend for them to mingle either. As soon as they entered, he instructed the staff to guide them to the second floor.

This gathering was for the affluent to mingle, so the smaller rooms on the second floor didn’t suit; the main floor was the only option. In reality, Finn invited them to ruffle the feathers of Cora and Handsome Lucas.

Once his classmates had gone upstairs, Finn quietly instructed the Prince to look after them. Although the items on the second floor were also expensive, he conveniently omitted their real value to avoid scaring them to the point of losing their appetites.

On the ground floor remained the top-notch tycoons. Most had brought their children, with very few accompanied by female companions. Even if they did bring along a partner, it would usually be their lawful wife. The vision Finn had imagined – a Western-style cocktail party teeming with beauties – did not materialise. Not that there weren’t any beauties, of course.

However, these beauties were either the daughters or granddaughters of these old men, or they were personally invited by Sarah Wood. With these distinguished personalities around, these usually arrogant rich second or third -generation youngsters acted as silent as a mouse, each demonstrating unusual politeness. Today, they learnt something too; a place like this was beyond their imagination.

“Please, everyone, have a seat.” Finn walked onto a temporary stage in the corner of the room and spoke into the microphone. Everyone hesitated. Should we really sit? These are antiques.

“Go ahead, please sit. After all, this is a restaurant. I can’t very well have you standing. We could say these pieces are worth a fortune, or that they’re worthless; they are just pieces of wood. I believe everyone present could easily afford them if they were to set fire to the place,” Finn said, laughing.

Everyone chuckled at Finn’s humor. The value here was less shocking than the ability to bring everyone together; these artifacts are real rarities. Finn’s words eased the mood, and people began to relax and sit down.

Indeed, they could afford these things. Finn is not so concerned about their value, why should they be? Soon, everyone had taken a seat. Despite settling down, they continued to tread lightly. Any small damage done might result in several hundred thousand dollars going down the drain. As they were seated, neatly dressed staff circulated around them, setting down silver chopsticks, and porcelain bowls and cups just like a normal restaurant.

Matthew Chan twitched as he eyed the porcelain. Someone at the same table happened to catch his gaze and asked with curiosity: “President Chan, what’s the matter?” This man didn’t initially scrutinize the plates and bowls in front of him. He had seen far more opulent cutlery. Comparatively, this set leaned more towards the ancient style, which he rationalized was more suitable given the overall antique ambiance..