Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1023 - 539 Auction: Black Pearl_4

Chapter 1023: Chapter 539 Auction: Black Pearl_4

Heizi was just standing there, dumbfounded, as Yan Fei took him on this "eye-opening" trip, and he really did have his eyes opened. Luckily, he had worked out enough to have a decent physique by now; otherwise, he might have had a heart attack on the spot, giving Yan Fei a taste of what it’s like to lose a right-hand man.

Yan Fei called out to him a couple of times, but he didn’t respond until Yan Fei gave him a tug, and he came back to his senses, "What is it, Brother Fei?"

Yan Fei handed over the item in his hand and kicked the bag of money at his feet, "Take the chance and make an offer when you can. There’s five million in the bag, and add this black pearl in, too."

Heizi looked at the pearl in his hand and was stunned, "Is this a real pearl? Why is it shaped like this?"

"Of course, it’s real. If it wasn’t this pretty, I wouldn’t be able to show my face!" Yan Fei had been pressed for time just now and couldn’t find anything else too valuable on short notice, but black pearls he could always produce by the bunch.

These things were plentiful around the river estuaries where the great rivers met the sea; he once treasured them greatly and even made Xu Xiaoyan a black pearl bracelet. Later on, wanting to gather more to make a necklace for the girl, he realized just how abundant they were and couldn’t even be bothered to collect them anymore. What was he supposed to say to Xu Xiaoyan? That the bracelet he gave her could be bagged by the sack? That would have been just looking for trouble!

The pearl that Yan Fei now took out was in doubt because it looked too perfect; naturally formed as a heart. It wasn’t very large, just about the size of a pigeon’s egg, but together with its shape, even he and Heizi, who were laymen, could see that it was naturally fit for a pendant without any additional crafting.

"How much is this thing worth?" When he heard it was real, Heizi began to wonder how much this little trinket could be worth.

Yan Fei’s response was somewhat exasperating, "I’m not sure, but it’s definitely rarer than the Tibetan Mastiff, so it could be worth a few million! Take it up there and see if there’s anyone who knows their stuff."

After thinking for a moment, Heizi took the black pearl and ran out.

In the middle of the auction, Chen Yingjun was nearly in despair. The bidding had now reached the vicinity of five million—the number he knew Yan Fei and his companion had essentially brought, since they came almost empty-handed. Auction rules meant no empty talk; you had to produce whatever you bid on the spot.

It wasn’t until he saw Heizi finally make a move that he felt a glimmer of light in his dark world.

As he hoped, soon a young man came from the direction Heizi had gone off to, and whispered something in his ear.

Chen Yingjun was instantly revitalized and didn’t hesitate to shout, "Ladies and gentlemen, and the two esteemed bidders, let’s all take a break and have some tea. Someone has just brought another treasure, apparently another rarity, with the intention of joining the bidding for the black lion. All our guests are important, and it’s a good opportunity for everyone to see if this item really is as rare as claimed."

The one confronting Young Master Yang immediately expressed dissatisfaction, "Junzi, we’ve got a crowd here. Confirm if it’s really something rare before talking. Don’t waste everyone’s time with some junk."

Chen Yingjun said, apologetically, "Please wait a moment, Young Master Wang, I haven’t seen it myself! It’s coming right out..."

This was the rule: if someone wanted to use an item as a bid, its value had to be assessed. If it wasn’t clear, the audience would be asked to have a look, to see if anyone could identify the item’s worth. Of course, if no one could make an assessment or the final price wasn’t satisfactory to the owner of the item, they had the option to not use it as a bid.

However, most of the items people brought were antiques or luxury accessories, whose prices could be referenced against similar things, so as long as the owner of the items wasn’t just making wild claims, most of the time there was no need to waste time letting everyone participate in the appraisal.

For this reason, everyone was quite curious, what exactly required everyone to appraise this time?

Just now, the black pearl Heizi clutched in his hand made a different appearance.

This time it was placed in a white porcelain dish, presented with both hands.

"It’s said to be a natural black pearl. Is there anyone who knows their stuff? Come and take a look, give us an estimate!" Before everyone had a clear view, Chen Yingjun, taking advantage of his proximity, glanced at the black pearl and immediately cried out, "With so many young and old masters around, surely there’s someone who can judge a black pearl’s authenticity?"

His second half sentence was pointless, the first half was more than enough.

The people present were of a certain caliber. Though the main purpose was to have fun and many were known as prodigal sons, several of them came from families with decent conditions and not a few with learned backgrounds. Several young people stood up on the spot and came forward to take a look at the black pearl.

The chubby kid sitting at the table was so anxious that he was hopping up and down, "Hey brothers! Could you please let everyone have a look before you slowly appraise it? I can’t see it clearly from this distance!"

Chen Yingjun was amenably persuaded and immediately apologized, then he touched the white porcelain dish and walked around the venue—actually, mainly for the people in front, as for those at the back, they were just there for the excitement, and if they couldn’t see, so be it!

It was fortunate that the event took place at such a venue where many present had some knowledge. If it were another place surrounded by the likes of the spectators from Sancha River, after seeing the black pearl, most would probably exclaim in admiration: Such a beautiful pearl, surely it must cost hundreds, right?

There was no doubt about the authenticity of the pearl; what remained was the price.

While a crowd was discussing just how much this thing could be worth, the little chubby kid surreptitiously took out a cellphone and dialed a number, "Busty little sister, someone at the auction has brought out a super beautiful black pearl and it’s being appraised right now. Do you wanna come have a look? If you come back, remember to give me a tip, otherwise next time I won’t tip you off when there’s good news!"

When it comes to pearls, not only the luster matters, but the shape as well. If it were an ordinary pearl, the price would be easy to determine. But such a uniquely shaped, extremely aesthetically pleasing black pearl of what seemed to be the highest quality, it was really difficult to name a price.

Rarity makes a thing precious, and the rarer something is, the higher its value.

But because of its rarity, sometimes it’s hard to find something to compare it to for an appraisal, and it all comes down to people’s feelings. Under these circumstances, those who were slightly knowledgeable or pretended to be could offer wildly different prices.

Some people felt that such a rare pearl was still a pearl after all, and being worth around a hundred thousand or eighty thousand was already good. Yet others believed that such a pearl was a treasure of the age and that any price should start from a million.

Otherwise, if this pearl ever became famous, and it had been appraised by a group of people at some dogfighting ring for just tens of thousands, who would have the face to say they had ever been there to play?