104: The prince appears

Qin Yun was the most high-profile Treasure Hunter at the scene.

After all, the treasures he had found in previous warehouses were astonishing, and his recent discovery of a Silver Mine in New York had caused quite a sensation.

Everyone was somewhat surprised to see that Qin Yun didn't place a bid on the first warehouse.

However, they quickly realized why.

This warehouse was too trashy; it wasn't worth a top-tier expert like Qin Yun making a bid.

But what happened next left everyone completely baffled.

The second warehouse contained a set of recording equipment, and Qin Yun showed no intention of bidding.

Qin Yun had checked it with his Profound Vision Treasure Eye; the treasure light of this warehouse was green.

If he were elsewhere, he would certainly have competed for it, but there was no need to bid at an auction like this.

To prevent company executives from bidding recklessly against each other, there was an unwritten rule for this auction.

Executives could use a maximum of 1.5 million dollars; exceeding this amount meant withdrawing from the competition.

Otherwise, if there were no cap on bids, with only five warehouses, someone could simply buy them all at high prices, leaving no room for other competitors.

They could then recoup those losses from the company after getting a promotion and a raise, which would make the competition meaningless.

Thus, Qin Yun planned to go straight for the best warehouse!

The third warehouse contained some oil paintings.

Many Treasure Hunters had already recognized that this was a warehouse belonging to the relatively famous modern painter, Wolfe Bowen.

His oil paintings mostly sold for around three hundred dollars per square foot, while those from after he mastered his craft went for about two thousand dollars per square foot.

With so little time, it was impossible for the Treasure Hunters to examine each painting carefully.

Considering the warehouse had been sitting for a while, the oil paintings inside were likely mostly Wolfe Bowen's early works.

Qin Yun saw that the treasure light of the third warehouse was green.

So, he didn't bid.

The competition wasn't particularly fierce, and the warehouse was eventually bought by a Tycoon for 150,000 dollars.

The fourth warehouse was an armory.

Many early classic rifles were hanging on the walls.

There were also several wooden crates inside; everyone speculated that the firearms in the crates must be even more precious, otherwise, they wouldn't be stored that way.

As soon as the auction began, a fierce struggle broke out.

Ronald and Walter were the most aggressive with their bids, both showing a determined aura to win.

When the price reached 300,000 dollars, the room fell silent.

This warehouse looked good; the firearms displayed on the outside were worth about fifty to sixty thousand dollars.

There were three crates inside, and no one knew what was in them.

There would have to be a legendary firearm inside to break even, so everyone was hesitating about whether to take the gamble.

Qin Yun had already looked at this warehouse; the treasure light was deep blue, meaning there was definitely something valuable inside.

"350,000."

After thinking for a moment, Qin Yun decided to bid.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't have wasted his cash pool for the sake of the final warehouse.

But since these two were both rivals and enemies, he didn't feel the need to be polite.

Besides, many Treasure Hunters were paying attention to his moves; once he bid, many others would follow.

Ronald and Walter had already raised their glasses, preparing to celebrate.

They hadn't expected Qin Yun to suddenly raise the price.

The two looked at Qin Yun with fury, feeling like they could kill the kid.

"380,000."

Ronald set down his glass and called out the price aggressively.

He knew that if he didn't show his fierce side, others would definitely continue to cause trouble.

Sure enough, seeing Qin Yun raise the price, many people stopped hesitating and began to bid.

This was a warehouse the Eastern Kid had his eye on; there was bound to be good stuff inside.

Qin Yun smiled, ignored Ronald and Walter's provocation, and sat back down to take a sip of wine.

Seeing that Qin Yun had no intention of continuing to bid, the two were beyond furious.

This kid was purely making trouble for them; he really deserved to die.

However, the two were set on this warehouse and had no intention of giving up.

Ultimately, the fourth warehouse was taken by Ronald for 500,000 dollars.

Arnold saw that Qin Yun's little trick had made his rival spend an extra 200,000.

He was very happy in his heart.

It seemed that hiring Qin Yun as a consultant was a very wise move.

After buying the warehouse, Walter and Ronald immediately began to show off.

"The wooden crates bear the crest of the Hashim family. The Hashims are one of the wealthiest families in the Middle East. Over a decade ago, a Prince Hashim had his assets seized and was expelled from the US; this warehouse must be that prince's anonymous collection."

"A gold-plated AK in the left corner also confirms this judgment. This AK alone is worth over fifty thousand dollars; the collection in the crates must be worth a fortune."

After Walter finished speaking, Ronald stood up and toasted everyone.

"Thank you all for your kindness in letting me have Prince Hashim's warehouse. I'll drink a toast to everyone."

"Of course, the one I'm most grateful to is Qin Yun. This newcomer who caused such a stir in New York doesn't seem like much now, does he? He only bid once. Is it because he looks down on the warehouses here?"

After finishing his drink, Ronald looked at Qin Yun with a cold sneer.

His words were meant to sway the crowd and put Qin Yun in the hot seat.

If Qin Yun came away empty-handed from this auction, everyone would have countless excuses to attack him.

Even if Qin Yun managed to buy the last warehouse by chance and made a small profit.

People could still say Qin Yun was just lucky or that he had no other choice.

Besides, with himself there to block them, he didn't believe Arnold and Qin Yun could take the last warehouse at a reasonable price.

At the start of the auction, everyone had high expectations for Qin Yun.

Hearing Ronald say this, everyone realized that Qin Yun hadn't really intended to bid.

If it weren't for making his rival Ronald spend more money, he might not have said a single word.

"No way, is Qin Yun, the one who found the Silver Mine, just a fraud? Is his real skill actually eyesore-level, and he's not bidding just to avoid embarrassing himself?"

"It's very likely. Qin Yun is so young and has only been in the business for a month or two; what does he know about Warehouse Auctions? It was probably just luck."

"This kid isn't capable, but he's very good at hype. People who don't know the truth might think Qin Yun is an expert, but to us veterans, he's actually nothing."

"I hate people like this the most, doing marketing when they lack the skill. Who knows if all that news about him online is true or false? Now it seems at least half of it is fake!"

"He's bringing shame to us Treasure Hunters. If all his business gets exposed, who knows how outsiders will look at our profession?"

"I heard Qin Yun's Secondhand Store is doing quite well and has many valuable treasures. Is that fake too? If so, he's far too shameless."

...The crowd discussed animatedly, believing Qin Yun was a man of hollow reputation who didn't dare to bid for fear of being exposed.

Someone like him might be able to rely on luck in small-scale Warehouse Auctions, but in an auction like this that tested real skill, he was probably scared witless.

They cast a sympathetic look at Arnold.

This man was unlucky enough to have found such a fraud for his internal company competition.

He wanted a promotion, but he'd be lucky not to be demoted for his poor judgment of character.

Amidst the discussion, the fifth warehouse began to be auctioned.

From his previous observations, the treasure light of this warehouse was a rich purple, with even a layer of gold around the edges.

Qin Yun had been waiting for this moment; as soon as the Host finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand.

"I bid one hundred thousand!"

Seeing this, everyone on the scene was dumbfounded.