107: Golden Statue
The Warehouse Auction had already ended, and the Host announced that the Staff Members and appraisal Experts would take the stage.
The estimated value of each warehouse was to be revealed on the spot.
Treasure Hunters and Tycoons were chatting and drinking fine wine below the stage, watching Staff Members move items out of the warehouses one by one, while the dealer appraised the prices on stage.
The Expert valued the first warehouse at 1,500 dollars.
The Tycoon who had won it for 13,000 dollars didn't care; he stood up and raised his glass to greet everyone.
The Expert valued the second warehouse at 35,000 dollars.
Because the third warehouse was full of oil paintings, the appraisal went a bit slower.
After looking for over ten minutes, the Expert valued it at 180,000 dollars.
The person who bought it for 150,000 dollars made a small profit.
When the dealer appraised the fourth warehouse, everyone below the stage fixed their eyes on the screen.
Everyone wanted to know what good things would be in this wealthy prince's armory.
When classic Antique Guns were taken out of the crates, the crowd marveled in succession.
When a Golden AK was pulled from a crate, the atmosphere in the venue reached its climax.
Almost everyone stood up, staring intently at the glittering Golden AK.
After the Expert's appraisal, this AK's body was over sixty percent gold, with a price of around 300,000 dollars.
The crowd gasped; the Middle Eastern Prince was indeed domineeringly wealthy.
The dealer deliberated for a while and gave an estimated price of 830,000 dollars.
Ronald was riding high on success, his smile so wide his mouth was almost splitting.
“I'd like to propose a toast to everyone. Thank you for coming to the company's charity auction. On behalf of the company, I express my heartfelt thanks to everyone for coming despite your busy schedules.”
Even before seeing the fifth warehouse, Ronald felt he had already won.
He placed himself in the position of the Host and thanked everyone.
Many people felt Ronald was sure to win.
They all gave this future General Manager face and raised their glasses to drink.
“You're too kind. It's my honor to participate in the auction.”
“What great vision. Under your leadership, the company will surely reach the next level.”
“Ronald is the one with true talent and learning.”
“You're joking. I'll finish this glass.”
... Qin Yun shook his head disdainfully.
A fool who had lost himself in success and a bunch of people with no vision.
When the Expert appraised the fifth warehouse, it would surely blind their eyes.
Hearing everyone's compliments, Ronald felt even more smug.
He glanced disdainfully at Qin Yun and Arnold, then sat down to chat and laugh with the Tycoons around him.
In his eyes, Qin Yun was just a clown and Arnold was a defeated opponent; neither was worth worrying about.
Ronald was now very grateful that he hadn't listened to Walter.
The fourth warehouse was only valued at 830,000. If he had spent 900,000 to win the fifth warehouse...
The outcome of his competition with Arnold would have been very uncertain.
The fifth warehouse was likely not worth 400,000 dollars.
His profit would have been negative.
In that case, Arnold would have won the competition without winning a single warehouse.
Walter saw that the value of the fourth warehouse far exceeded his expectations.
He was very excited.
However, a bad premonition lingered in his heart.
What if Qin Yun won?
They had made 330,000 dollars from the second warehouse.
Qin Yun and his group had won the fifth warehouse for 800,000.
That meant if the fifth warehouse had treasures worth 1,130,000, they would still win the competition.
But that was simply impossible.
These suitcases usually contained personal luggage; even if one of them had a treasure...
It was simply impossible for it to exceed one million dollars.
If that were the case, the owner would have surely done their best to recover it.
A suitcase with treasure definitely wouldn't end up here!
While Ronald was showing off, the Staff Members began to organize the fifth warehouse.
The Staff Members moved all the suitcases onto the stage.
The Expert opened the first suitcase.
He found that it was all personal clothing.
There was even red Sexy Lingerie.
He looked surprised, then full of disgust.
But it couldn't be returned.
They had an obligation to search for every valuable item.
He could only frown and search carefully with impatience.
The crowd below the stage saw the Expert freeze in place.
They thought the Expert had found something good.
When the images of the inside of the suitcase were transmitted to the screen...
Everyone was instantly amused.
It turned out to be Sexy Lingerie; they wondered if it was "original flavor"?
Thinking of this, everyone burst out laughing.
Most of them looked at Qin Yun and Arnold with sympathy.
How could there be treasure in this kind of suitcase?
Having learned their lesson, the Experts had the Staff Members rummage through the suitcases while they watched from the side.
The Experts were all dismissive of the suitcases.
Having to appraise such trash was an insult to their titles as Experts.
However, the company had paid a large sum of money, so they accepted the task.
They could only brace themselves and keep looking.
The better-looking suitcases had already been opened and checked.
The Experts found items totaling over 8,000 dollars in value.
Most of the valuable items were jewelry.
Seeing only two cloth suitcases left, everyone started discussing.
Seeing this situation, Ronald almost laughed out loud.
He had originally been a little worried.
What if Qin Yun and Arnold got lucky and there happened to be something valuable in the suitcases?
Seeing that after all the better suitcases were opened, the Experts had only found about 8,000 dollars worth of items...
He felt completely at ease; he was sure to win this time.
“Oh my, I thought there would be something good in the suitcases. Thank you for saving me 700,000 dollars. If I had won this warehouse and found only this, I'd have to find a wall to bang my head against.”
“I'm a generous person, so I won't hold it against you for offending me. I'm happy today, so I'll propose a toast to you as well.”
After finishing his drink, Ronald continued, “Don't worry, Arnold. I keep my public and private lives separate. Even after I'm promoted, I won't make things difficult for you.”
Seeing how graceful Ronald was, everyone expressed their admiration.
“Ronald is a good man, with strong abilities and good character. He's the perfect candidate for the General Manager of the Auction House.”
“In comparison, Arnold falls quite short. His eye for people and warehouses is poor, and now he hasn't said a word; it seems his temperament isn't good either!”
“Ronald's win was too easy; I feel like the two sides aren't even on the same level!”
“Who told Arnold to trust that kid Qin Yun, who lacks strength and has a hollow reputation? With such a poor consultant, it's expected that Arnold would lose!”
“Qin Yun still wanted to make a last stand on the final warehouse. Spending 800,000 dollars on a warehouse worth less than 10,000 is simply laughable!”
“It seems Qin Yun is the biggest joke of this auction. Buying the trashiest warehouse at the highest price is certainly setting a record!”
“After this gets out, let's see how Qin Yun maintains his title as a Treasure Hunter Master. Someone like him should be trampled under everyone's feet!”
... Qin Yun leisurely sipped his red wine, completely unconcerned with the gossip.
When everyone sees the end, they will be slapped in the face by the facts.
A Staff Member opened a suitcase, saw a bright golden light, and was instantly stunned.
The appraisal Expert hurried forward, holding the gold statue in his hands and observing it carefully.
The crowd below the stage had no hope for the last two suitcases at all.
Seeing the gold statue in the appraisal Expert's hands, everyone was dumbfounded.