I looked somewhat puzzled, "What's going on?"
Paul Thomas explained, "This item is indeed nice, but at the price of two hundred thousand, there's not much profit left, no need to compete."
I suddenly understood.
Shopkeeper Moore laughed heartily, as if he had won a great victory, looked proudly at Ninth Master, and turned to leave. After wandering a bit, he stopped at a table with a set of twelve jade pieces.
There were a Jade Rabbit, Jade Spike, Jade Horse, and so on, representing the twelve zodiac animals, exquisitely carved and lifelike, with some dirt on them, probably newly unearthed.
Shopkeeper Moore took a look and was immediately entranced.
He carefully appraised them and shouted, "I'll take this set for eight hundred thousand."
Others immediately gathered around, carefully examining.
"Wow! It's Song Sawyer, and a complete set at that. This must be worth a lot!"
Ninth Master Thomas, upon seeing it, also showed interest and joined the bidding.
Soon, the price soared, breaking through to a million.
I secretly clicked my tongue, realizing that my entire fortune was just about seven hundred thousand, not even enough to buy this set of jade pieces.
"Still too poor!"
I couldn't help but lament.
I followed Paul Thomas, squeezing into the crowd for a closer look at that set of jade pieces.
My expression gradually turned peculiar. Everyone was saying these were Song-dynasty jades, but the aura on these jade pieces was even weaker than that ceramic bowl, almost nonexistent.
"Strange, could they be counterfeits?"
I pondered.
At this point, the price surged again, rising to one million three hundred thousand.
"I bid one million three hundred and ten thousand!" Ninth Master shouted.
"I bid one million three hundred and twenty thousand!" Shopkeeper Moore followed immediately.
Ninth Master hesitated slightly, gritted his teeth, and added another thousand, "One million three hundred and thirty-three thousand!"
"One million three hundred and forty thousand!" Shopkeeper Moore hesitated as well.
Seeing Ninth Master about to continue raising the price, I hesitated a bit and stepped forward, whispering, "Ninth Master, there's something off about these."
Ninth Master was stunned for a moment, turning to me in shock.
Didn't this young Thompson say he had never dealt with antiques? Moreover, how could there be anything wrong with this set of jade pieces? It's clearly Song-dynasty jade, so many people have seen it, and no one found any faults.
Shopkeeper Moore sneered, "Get lost, bear cub. How dare you talk nonsense here? This isn't a place for you to speak. Come back after training for a few decades before you qualify to speak here."
A group of shop owners chuckled, dismissing my words with a laugh.
Just an outsider, how could they take him seriously!
However, Ninth Master was different; he knew Charlie Thompson wasn't an ordinary person and might have really spotted something.
After giving it some thought, he hesitated and added a few more until the price reached one million three hundred and ninety thousand, then he stopped.
In the end, Shopkeeper Moore took the set of jade pieces for one million four hundred thousand.
"Ninth Master, you're off your game today! All the good things were taken by me. Did you really believe this young man's words? Haha! Seems like you're really getting old and muddle-headed, Ninth Master!"
Shopkeeper Moore laughed, "I can easily resell this set of jade pieces for over two million, making a net profit of seventy to eighty thousand."
Ninth Master snorted coldly, leading me outside.
"Baker Thompson, did you see something?"
I said, "That set of jade pieces is probably a counterfeit. While I haven't really ventured into antiques, I do have some judgment."
Ninth Master was speechless.
If others had heard this, they would have laughed by now. With no experience, where does judgment come from?
"Forget it!" He shook his head.
Soon, piece after piece of antiques was noticed, each undergoing a round of bidding and landing into the hands of various shop owners.
Some were extremely sought after, while others went completely unnoticed.
I wandered around and suddenly became alert, my eyes landing on a figurine in a corner.
This figurine rarely attracted attention. Some shop owners came to look and just shook their heads and walked away.
I went up for a closer look and couldn't help but show a joyful expression.
The aura on this figurine was the most intense among all the antiques here, indicating that it was the oldest. Generally speaking, the older something is, the more valuable it is.
I became a bit excited, feeling like I had struck gold.
"I'll offer ten thousand for this item!"
I shouted to the man in black standing nearby.
Hearing the shout, those shop owners came over for a look, all shook their heads, and no one bid.
Shopkeeper Moore also came for a look and sneered, "Aren't you just the bear cub, daring to buy such an obvious forgery."
Ninth Master also came for a look, whispering, "Baker Thompson, I can't quite tell either; this might really be a forgery."
"No worries!" I smiled.
After a while with no bids, I paid ten thousand and got the figurine.
At this moment, several shop owners gathered around, bidding for a wooden Buddha statue, with the price starting at five thousand and gradually climbing to fifteen thousand.
I went over for a look and showed a puzzled expression.
Listening to the shop owners' discussions, this Buddha statue was from the late Qing dynasty, about the same era as that ceramic bowl. Due to the material and craftsmanship not being very good, it wasn't very valuable.
But I carefully observed, finding the aura on this Buddha statue to be quite peculiar.
At first glance, it appeared very thin, like that ceramic bowl, but upon touching it, one could feel a stronger aura seemingly hidden within the statue.
"This thing... holds hidden mysteries!"
I was moved internally and joined the bidding.
The price gradually rose, and when it reached twenty-five thousand, few people bid, and finally, I got the wooden statue for thirty thousand.
Shopkeeper Moore glanced over, laughing, "Ninth Master, this young fellow of yours is quite wealthy! First, he spends ten thousand on a forgery, then thirty thousand on a nearly worthless wooden statue. Really embarrassing for you folks from Stonegate Market!"
Ninth Master retorted coldly, "Shopkeeper Moore, as I said, this young fellow isn't from the trade."
"Not from the trade? Still, isn't he someone you brought along? Does it not embarrass you folks from Stonegate Market!" Shopkeeper Moore sneered.
A group of shop owners stayed silent.
Everyone on this street knew the two were arch-enemies.
Some also laughed secretly because, to them as insiders, this young man's actions were mere folly, laughably amateurish.
Not to mention that figurine, the wooden statue alone wasn't worth thirty thousand; the price was inflated by about ten to twenty thousand.
Clear-sighted people could see it, only this young lad was clueless.
Looking at his expression, he still seemed like he thought he got a bargain.
What a dramatic loser!
Many shop owners thought this way.
Just then, I spoke up, raising the figurine in my hand and loudly proclaiming, "Who says this is a forgery? It's a genuine antique, at least from the Song dynasty, maybe even before the Tang."
The moment I finished, the crowd fell silent.
A group of shop owners was stunned, then burst into laughter.