Road to becoming the wealthiest: Starting From Treasure Hunting in the Cabinets
Chapter 665 - 428: Is this auction being targeted?_2

Chapter 665: Chapter 428: Is this auction being targeted?_2

After this thing is auctioned off, he naturally couldn’t do without his commission.

It took a while for Brantham to stand up straight.

He didn’t speak right away but pointed to another packing box and asked:

"What’s in that box? Whose work is it?"

"Monet’s." Kathy had been watching the whole time and was anxious at the moment.

Although Sean had said earlier who these two works were from, Kathy wasn’t sure if it was true.

"Can I take a look?"

It was evident that Brantham’s attitude had become more cautious and much more polite than when he first entered.

Kathy didn’t have them open the box, but asked:

"Mr. Brantham, can you tell me your thoughts on the previous painting?"

Brantham didn’t expect Kathy’s question to be so subtle, but he understood what she meant and said directly:

"This is indeed Picasso’s work, genuine. It’s a piece from his peak period, but I don’t know why it wasn’t famous before..."

"Then please look at this Monet work!"

Kathy got the answer she wanted, suppressing her excitement, and opened another packing box.

She carefully watched Brantham’s actions, fearing that he would accidentally dirty or damage the painting.

"Where did you get these two paintings?" Robert didn’t doubt anymore and curiously asked Sean, "Did you dig up some billionaire’s treasure room in Europe?"

"Something like that," Sean said vaguely, "I got it accidentally."

He couldn’t reveal the finding of the treasure trove. Even if others guessed, he didn’t plan to admit it.

"You’re so lucky! Are you called Lucky Boy?"

Robert really watched Sean’s rise from the beginning. He had seen Sean grow from having tens of thousands of RMB to his current billionaire status, step by step.

This speed was much faster than some internet upstarts.

And he could still give himself some surprises from time to time.

Four-tenths of the credit for the development of the organization he currently belongs to was due to Sean.

He still had to hold on to the relationship with this person and couldn’t let it go!

It took Brantham much less time to look at Monet’s painting, and after about ten minutes, he raised his head and said:

"This painting is also genuine. It’s well-preserved, and I’m willing to issue an appraisal certificate."

Sean nodded. This matter is beneficial to both parties.

At Robert’s suggestion, Sean paid Brantham 10,000 US dollars in appraisal fees.

Then, Robert personally escorted Sean to the auction site organized by Donald Mackenzie.

They paid the deposit and provided the auction items here.

"Do I need to leave both of these paintings here?" Sean asked on the way.

After all, they were paintings worth several hundred million dollars, and he didn’t feel at ease.

"No. Just register on-site, let the appraiser appraise it, and then bring it on the day of the auction."

"Isn’t Mike afraid of being stood up?"

"Of course not." Robert patiently explained to Sean, "This is a circle problem. In this circle, everyone wants a reputation.

If your reputation is tarnished this time, perhaps you won’t have to attend this auction, but it will spread to other circles, and you will be listed as untrustworthy.

In that case, people will refuse to work with you in the future. You’ll be excluded and even targeted. Therefore, no one would do such a thing at a loss—those who have done so in the past suffered too great a lesson."

Sean nodded to show he understood.

Arriving at the auction site organized by Donald Mackenzie, the car stopped.

This was a private villa—however, the villa occupied a large area, making Sean feel like it was a wealthy official’s mansion or a rich family’s house from ancient times.

A security guard came over to inquire. Robert took out his business card and whispered the matter.

The security guard looked at the card, talked on the walkie-talkie to someone inside, and finally let them pass.

When the car entered, Sean felt as if something was scanning.

Inside the courtyard, in front of the main hall, there was an old-fashioned Baroque-style building with about four floors, which felt a bit alternative in this metropolis.

The car stopped, and a man in a suit walked briskly towards them from the front of the building, shaking hands with Robert as he got out of the car:

"Hello, Mr. Robert!"

"This is Mr. Sean Knight." Robert introduces Sean Knight before introducing to Knight, "This is Jose, Mr. Mike Donald’s assistant."

"Hello, Mr. Knight—may I ask if those two paintings are real?"

"Of course they are." Robert speaks with pride in his eyes, "The paintings are currently in the car. You can have your experts examine them later."

"Great! Please, come in!"

Knight and the others, led by Jose, entered the building. Douglas Cooper followed with a packing box in one hand.

Seeing Cooper’s casual manner, Jose frequently glanced back. Finally, he couldn’t help but say to two women in their twenties coming towards them:

"You two, come and take that packing box—be careful, it contains the auction’s boutique items!"

The girls’ previously cheerful faces instantly turned cautious. They carefully took the packing box from Cooper.

They held the packing box as if it were a newborn baby!

They went to the second floor and entered a clean, tidy room with just a table.

"Go and bring Mr. Vanthery." Seeing the girls carefully placing the packing box on the table, Jose spoke again, "Prepare some coffee and tea."

The group stood there.

However, Jose did not allow idle time and handed Knight a list:

"Mr. Knight, this is a list of the items currently submitted for auction and their estimated value. You can review it and prepare in advance for any items you are interested in."

Knight accepted the list and began reading.

Ranked first on the list was a Yuan blue and white porcelain jar—Three Heroes fighting Lv Bu, with an estimated value of 50 million US dollars.

Since the Guiguzi and Xiaohe chasing Han Xin in Moonlight jar was auctioned for a price in the hundreds of millions, all such blue and white porcelain jars have become popular, especially those depicting story scenes—there were none available at a lower price.

Knight guessed that this jar was probably taking advantage of the market trend.

After all, Yuan blue and white porcelain is not rare.

However, such large jars, especially finely made ones with story themes, are less common in existence.

Still, they are more common than the Tiger Eating Man cup!

Second on the list was an ancient Chinese painting, Zhu Da’s "Fishhawk Playing in the Water Painting".

Zhu Da, also known as Bada Shanren, was the ninth great-grandson of Zhu Quan, the 17th son of Ming emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, and lived during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.

Knight didn’t know much about Zhu Da—at first, he thought Bada Shanren was a group of eight people, only later learning it was a single person’s pseudonym.

Zhu Da’s paintings were famous in China and Japan. Over a decade ago, paintings of his had been auctioned for hundreds of millions of RMB, and many others had sold for several tens of millions.

This painting was appraised at 20 million US dollars.

The third to eighth items were from Europe; most were from the Middle Ages, including a Bible, royal jewelry, and a sword belonging to an emperor.

Knight found it strange that the estimated values of these items did not exceed 20 million US dollars, far less than the blue and white porcelain jar.

The ninth item was the Tiger Eating Man cup Knight wanted, valued at 10 million US dollars.

As Knight browsed the list, the girl who had left earlier returned, pushing a small cart resembling a food trolley.

On it were not only various teas, coffees, and other beverages but also small refreshments.

"Gentlemen, as these two paintings are highly important and must be appraised immediately, our hospitality may be a bit rushed. Please excuse us," Jose explained. By then, another girl had arrived, escorting a man in his fifties.

"Mr. Vanthery, please, if you could appraise these two paintings," Jose stated directly to the newcomer.

Cooper and the other girl began unwrapping the two paintings.

Vanthery wasn’t as professional as Brantham had been. He stepped forward with his hands behind his back and looked at the Monet Anderson painting first.

"Hmm, it’s genuine."

He uttered only one sentence before turning to Picasso’s painting.

"This one is genuine as well."

The entire process took no more than three minutes, and Knight felt it was somewhat perfunctory.

Jose seemed a bit dissatisfied as well:

"Mr. Vanthery, are you sure these are genuine?"

"Of course. There’s Brantham’s signature on these appraisal cards! That bastard may be stupid and evil, but there’s no issue with his professionalism—I trust him!"

Knight suddenly understood—it was that simple!