Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Zhenguo Great General Seal_1

As Qin Haowen and Master Chou next to him were discussing how to deal with the finale auction item, an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit took to the stage in the middle of the banquet hall.

This man was none other than Wang Fangtong, whom Xu Fan had met at Zangyu Tower. As the most formidable figure in the collecting circles of both Yulou Ancient Town and Zhonghai City, Wang Fangtong was specially invited to host today’s auction. He usually didn’t serve as an auctioneer because his appearance fee was very high. If Wang Fangtong made an appearance, three percent of the total auction price would have to be paid to him as a commission.

The entire auction’s organizing institution was hustling about, providing both the venue and the staff, just to receive eight percent of the commission fee, yet Wang Fangtong, with just a word, would take three percentage points from that eight percent.

However, this three percent was very much worth the expense, because as long as Wang Fangtong was at the auction, the buyers below didn’t need to worry at all about buying fakes.

Wang Fangtong was not only a renowned jade store owner in Zhonghai City but also the most skilled treasure appraiser in Southern Yan Country.

As long as the items at the auction passed through Elder Wang’s hands with a touch, their authenticity was self-evident, negating the need for any complex authentication process. In the past, there had been several auctions where the sellers provided counterfeit items; Wang Fangtong would directly smash these fakes on the auction stage with the small gavel used for bidding.

Moreover, the items Wang Fangtong smashed wouldn’t receive a penny in compensation because any fake identified by Wang Fangtong’s discerning eye, no matter how many experts appraised it afterward, would ultimately be confirmed as a fake.

So Wang Fangtong’s eyes and words were as if they had been blessed. If he said an item could be bid on, it was absolutely genuine. If there was any issue with the item, Wang Fangtong would not hesitate to smash it with his hammer and then move on to the next one.

This directly resulted in a situation where no counterfeit items would appear at an auction conducted by Wang Fangtong, because fakes also had costs. With Elder Wang’s piercing gaze and ruthless hammer, after having smashed so many, no one dared to provoke such bad luck.

When Wang Fangtong appeared at the venue, the originally somewhat noisy hall instantly quieted down.

“With Elder Wang hosting today, it looks like tonight’s goods must be extraordinary!”

“Indeed, I came all the way here just for Elder Wang’s reputation!”

“Tonight’s stakes might be high, struggling to buy even one piece with our few-million-dollar fortune…”

“It’s alright if you don’t win any bid. Elder Wang’s Zangyu Tower is right within Yulou Ancient Town. Tomorrow you can ask Elder Wang to find a piece of jade for you. His discerning eye is no joke—the jade he finds will surely satisfy your desires.”

“No way, is he really that miraculous?”

“Do I need to lie to you? My son has ADHD and hates studying, but ever since he started wearing a jade pendant from Elder Wang that promotes tranquility and concentration, he’s been studying until eleven o’clock every night, even uninstalling King of Pesticides!”

“That’s incredible, I’d better check out Zangyu Tower tomorrow then.”

“Keep your voices down, don’t you see the auction is about to start? Be careful not to upset Elder Wang, or he’ll have the both of you escorted out!”

“Understood… understood…”

…

Seeing that the noise in the hall had subsided, Wang Fangtong slowly began to speak, “Good evening, everyone. I’m honored to be standing here tonight, hosting this auction in front of all you esteemed bosses. There are many treasures tonight, and I can see everyone is eager to begin, so I announce the auction is now officially open. But before we start, I, Wang Fangtong, must reiterate my rule—if any mixed fish and dragons, counterfeit items, appear at this auction, my gavel will show no mercy!”

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“Hahaha… Elder Wang’s style is indeed straightforward…”

The lights in the hall slowly dimmed, while the lights on the stage were already at their brightest.

“Today’s auction item is the most luxurious one I have seen this year, and I believe it will definitely be an eye-opener for everyone tonight!” Wang Fangtong cleared his throat and gently clapped his hands, then said into the microphone with a deep voice, “Let us invite the first auction item of the evening!”

As soon as Elder Wang’s words fell, a pure white spotlight shone onto the stage, highlighting a gorgeous, long-legged ceremonial hostess dressed in a high-split cheongsam. With every step she took, a large expanse of snow-white skin was exposed.

However, almost no one in the audience paid attention to that tempting flash of white; their gazes were all fixed on the wooden tray held by the cheongsam-clad beauty.

Covered by a square of precious red Shu brocade, the wooden tray lay upon the auction table at the center of the stage. After the hostess set the tray down, Wang Fangtong slowly donned a pair of white gloves and gently removed the Shu brocade from above.

A large seal shimmering with golden light appeared on the wooden tray; on top of the seal was a carving of a tiger, and the base of the seal, the size of four cigarette packs, looked exceedingly precious.

“Wow… Could it be a gold seal?”

“Such a big lump of gold, selling the gold alone would fetch millions, right?”

“Could it be an ancient emperor’s seal?”

Wang Fangtong, hearing the wild guesses of some pretenders below, cleared his throat and laughed, “Don’t be hasty, everyone. Let me introduce this treasure to you now.”

“This seal is the Zhenguo Great General Seal issued by the emperor of the Liang Dynasty 900 years ago, to the Zhenguo Great General of the Liang Dynasty. With this seal, one could command the dynasty’s million-strong army, which was quite formidable. The seal is cast from brass and its surface underwent a mature gold plating process. Despite hundreds of years, the gold foil remains undamaged, a testament to the exquisite craftsmanship of the time.”

“The carving on the top is a fierce tiger, symbolizing the general’s valiant and unmatched bravery, like the king of all beasts. Below, the six traditional Chinese characters for ‘Zhenguo Great General Seal’ are engraved. The Yan Country’s Capital Museum also has a similar seal, which was brought back by a returned overseas Chinese at an international auction, costing 500,000 dollars. This seal’s value is in no way inferior to that one!”

After speaking about the seal, Elder Wang then took a hammer in his hand and slowly addressed the crowd: “Now, we shall start the bidding for the Liang Dynasty gilded Zhenguo Great General brass seal, with a starting price of three million!”

No sooner had Elder Wang’s voice faded than someone in the hall began raising their bidding paddle, “I bid three million one hundred thousand!”

“Three million two hundred thousand!”

“Three million five hundred thousand!”

“Three million eight hundred thousand!”

…

In the hall, the bids rose one after another; no one had expected the first auction item to be so precious, so the bidding started with a high tide of offers.

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