The trader walked to the white display table and stood still. He raised the 'trading items' covered with red cloth with both hands flat, placed it carefully on the display table, and then turned around without finding anything wrong. Facing all the guests in the opera house, he bowed deeply.
There was thunderous applause, but Lin Nian and others in the high seats did not applaud anymore. They only stared at the trading items covered with red cloth, and thoughts in their hearts surged and burst like bubbles.
"Tonight's first trading item." When the venue fell silent, the trader's deep, magnetic voice filled the entire opera house from the loudspeaker equipment. "It was delivered to the organizer five days ago by guest No. 19." In his hand, according to his description, the traded item is filled with a mysterious and terrifying 'curse', which has brought bad news and death to countless poor people. Now it is here to wait for its next destined person...or its burial owner."
The trader's voice was infectious, and the opening words he read were eerie, but no one in the opera house was dissatisfied, but full of expectations. This is simply like the unwritten custom of the 'Abraham Trading Party'. The more bizarre the items on stage, the more interesting the guests who come to the stage for curiosity will be.
Seeing that the atmosphere had reached a certain threshold, the trader stopped talking nonsense, turned around, grabbed a corner of the red cloth and pulled it apart. At the same time, the spotlight in the opera house suddenly turned on.
The dazzling light made countless guests near the stage subconsciously exclaim and cover their eyes. When they slowly accepted the brightness and tried to open their eyes wide, they were immediately thrown into the intoxicating starry sky by the beautiful objects full of bright stars on the white display table. .
On the red velvet tray, where the spotlight converges, lies a string of high-end jewelry necklaces made of aquamarine stones and diamonds. Its beauty is sublimated in the white light, instantly suffocating all the women in the venue. Involuntarily, she gently covered Bai Hua's chest and leaned back slightly, her beautiful eyes reflecting the gems filled with ripples, she wished she could take the aquamarine gems as her own in the ripples in her eyes.
"The Hope Diamond." The trader read out the name of the gemstone softly. "It was a piece of jewelry that gained notoriety during the Victorian era. Legend has it that people who wear it will bring misfortune. King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Attoinette Once its owner, it accompanied France through the monarchy system for a thousand years, then moved to England and became an embellishment of the Queen's grace, and finally fell on the streets of the United States and became a blood diamond fought over by gangsters...until Today, he appears here and becomes the focus of everyone’s attention at this moment.”
While sitting in the seat, Lin Nian clearly felt that Wan Boqian next to him sat up slightly. His eyes fell like a hook to the necklace known as the 'Cursed Diamond'. He raised his hand to cover Wan Boqian's eyes. After catching her sight, she came back to reality slightly and said, "What's wrong?"
Lin Nian waved his hand to tell her to look at it for herself. Wan Boqian lowered her head and looked down at the auditorium. She was horrified to find that almost every guest was immersed in the beautiful brilliance of the jewelry, their eyes filled with unrealistic dreams, and a look of confusion on their faces. The color of... hope.
"'Stone of Aphrodite'? Why does it appear here?" Wan Boqian finally woke up, looked at the display stand again in surprise and murmured in a low voice. But this time her eyes no longer had the color of intoxication, but were filled with fear and disbelief.
"The Cursed Diamond, I've heard its story before, in Tom and Jerry... but I didn't expect it to be a real thing." Chu Zihang said softly.
"Even Tom and Jerry have records of it, which is enough to prove his popularity." Lin Nian said, "The Cursed Diamond, the Hope Diamond, this thing has many names in various places, but in the mixed race In the world, it’s called ‘Aphrodite’s Stone’, a product of alchemy.”
"Aphrodite, the goddess of love in Greek mythology?" Chu Zihang asked.
"'Born from the foam of sea water' is the original meaning of the name of the god. The sapphire on the 'Stone of Aphrodite' has this meaning. Because of her beauty, she was loved and pursued by countless gods and mortals. , countless wars broke out for her, and all lives were destroyed... This also coincides with the characteristics of this alchemical item, which can interfere with the human spirit and arouse desire." Lin Nian glanced at Shao Yifeng, who was sitting next to Chu Zihang. , this little fat guy's eyes almost fell to the stage. He held his breath and didn't dare to speak out, for fear of tarnishing the holy beauty of the gem. It was really funny that his fat face turned red from holding back.
"It's fine for hybrids, but it's fatally tempting to ordinary people. That's why there have been many murders, robberies, and local wars around the 'Stone of Aphrodite', so it's also called Dubbed the 'Diamond of Curse' and the 'Stone of Doom'."
"I thought this necklace had already been collected in the Smithsonian Museum. How could it appear here?" Wan Boqian whispered, with a hint of fear on her face. She was unprepared just now. She almost fell for it too.
"Who knows? All the items traded in this fair were brought by the guests themselves. Maybe someone sneaked into the museum and replaced the original items. Since they couldn't find a buyer, they might have brought them here to sell the stolen goods." Lin Nian Said, "It is said that the alchemy field of the 'Aphrodite Stone' does not require a 'blood sacrifice' to be opened. The living beings in it are always awake no matter day or night, which will lead to disputes and death forever in the place where it exists. The reactions from most people in the venue now seem to be undoubtedly genuine.”
"The organizer did not announce who took out the trading item. If the person who took out this alchemy item for trading is an ordinary person, does it mean that the secret of the Dragon Clan civilization has been exposed? Now a group of people have quietly started to trade around the world. Are you looking for dragon civilization to make a fortune?" Wan Boqian's expression was a little stiff.
"No...not necessarily." Lin Nian shook his head and analyzed calmly: "If the dragon civilization is really leaked, judging from the number of people present at the scene, there will definitely be a lot of public opinion in the society in the short term and even the secrets will be exposed. The party is aware of it, but as of now not much news has been revealed...the buyers who brought the trading items should not know the meaning behind the trading items they brought. Most likely they only know that rare goods can be lived in, but There are no sales channels in other places... For example, for an alchemy product, there are few people who can identify its true value in the black market, so it is only worth 500 US dollars in the black market, but here, those who really know the business can But people will pay ten times or even a hundred times the price to buy it!”
"Businessmen who smelled huge profits began to use their connections as if they had found business opportunities, and began to collect alchemical products related to dragon civilization from all corners of society...even though they had no idea what 'dragon civilization' and 'alchemy were' ', but they only need to search according to the common characteristics of alchemy products... such as this necklace now." Lin Nian said, "As long as it involves 'curse', 'death', 'supernatural' and other backgrounds, The items in the story should all be popular at this fair, and most alchemical items meet these characteristics. If you want to find alchemical items, you don’t need to know about dragon civilization, you only need to know the characteristics of alchemical items.”
"But sooner or later if this continues, some thoughtful people among ordinary people will notice something." Wan Boqian frowned and said.
"So we have to stop the organizer from conducting such activities again... Although the 'Jews' are now confirmed to not exist, our original intention has not changed much." Lin Nian said, "Find the organizer and arrest him Go back to the execution department.”
"When will we start taking action?" Wan Boqian asked.
"There's no rush." Lin Nian shook his head slightly and stared at the trader and the bright sapphire on the stage. There was something deeper hidden in his eyes. "...If my guess is correct, today's trading fair will still be the same as ever." The event with the largest flow of people has alarmed many mixed-race families. There must be a final transaction item that can make them nervous... I have a hunch that the final item may be very dangerous. , and it is also very important... If necessary, I may give up the main mission and temporarily change the target of the action."
"...And if I remember correctly, it was because of this necklace that Louis XVI indulged in the alchemy field of the necklace with the queen for a long time, which indirectly promoted the start of the revolution, and was eventually sent to Got the guillotine... Not even hybrids can completely resist this level of alchemy. There are many ordinary people sitting in the venue now. The first 'trading item' is such a troublesome thing. I also I’m very curious as to how the organizer will deal with it once something goes wrong... Let’s find out their background first.”
In fact, Lin Nian didn't need to worry about it. When the trader on the stage saw him, he smiled slightly and took out a red wooden hammer from his sleeve and knocked it on the display table gently with his backhand. The sound came through The PA equipment spread throughout the venue.
At this moment, when the trader looked up, his eyes were filled with golden sharp blades.
An unknown realm expanded from the trader, covering the entire stage in an instant. It stopped when it approached the first row of the venue. In the senses of many hybrids, the realm released by the trader was like a jade bowl. The upside down cover generally covers the entire stage. Even if the line of sight is not blocked, something is actually blocked.
"Yan Ling?" These two words rose in the hearts of most of the mixed-race people in the venue who had seen the world.
There is no doubt that the traders sent by the organizers are also hybrids, and only hybrids dare to host a trade fair for alchemy items. Can it block the spirit of speech in the alchemy field? At least Lin Nian and Wan Boqian had never heard of it. Not all Yan Ling was recorded on the periodic table. It was obvious that the Yan Ling used by traders was one of them.
"This is an extraordinary auction item. Whether it is its natural carving workmanship or the crystal clear color of the gem itself, the 'Hope Diamond' consists of a 10-carat medium-dark sapphire, thirty-three 5 It is made up of spliced carat D-grade diamonds. According to the jewelry appraisal theory, regardless of the story and history behind it, the market value is about 3 million US dollars." Under the light, the trader's golden eyes did not appear so outstanding, and he scanned the whole place calmly. The market continued to explain the trading items, "Since the jeweler Asprey & Garrard later launched a similar product 'Heart of the Ocean', it was also sold at an auction for US$2 million, so this time our starting price for the 'Hope Diamond' is also It will be US$3 million, and each increase must not be less than US$100,000.”
"3.5 million."
As soon as he finished speaking, even though he had lost the influence of the alchemy field, someone immediately raised his sign impatiently. The female companion beside him hugged his arm tightly and stared at the bright sapphire on the stage.
The first bid came, but the trader didn't even try to shout "3.5 million once". He just looked at the opera house with a faint smile, waiting for the wave of bids that followed. Another round of bids.
"3.6 million."
"3.8 million."
"4000000."
An expression of satisfaction appeared on the trader's face, and he seemed to enjoy the feeling of the waves of money rising one after another amid urgent shouts. Each quotation represented a huge wealth that was beyond the reach of ordinary people flowing in this theater. Every time Everyone began to get caught up in the bidding competition, just like being plunged into the quagmire of a golden reversal.
But just at this moment, a sudden voice sounded, like a knife, directly cutting off all the quotes, causing the enthusiasm that had not yet brewed to cool down instantly.
"10 million." someone said.
The venue fell silent.
The silence was not due to the amount of 10 million. Many people easily took out this huge amount of money. What made them silent was the coldness in the bidder's voice, the realization that he was bound to win.
He opened his mouth with a price that was double the current asking price, cutting open all the bidders in front of him like a knife, aiming directly at the sapphire necklace on the stage.
Everyone couldn't help but turn around and look at the person who quoted the price. The mixed-race people in the VIP room on the second floor also looked down quietly. At a glance, they saw the young man in the crowd holding up the number 66.
That was Lin Nian. At some point, he took the sign in Shao Yifeng's hand next to him and quoted a sky-high price. He sat on a chair and glanced at the audience with a stern look on his face, his expression as cold as ice. , everyone who touched his eyes felt a cold feeling as if a knife had been stabbed in the heart.
This was the first trading item, and he showed a domineering possessiveness, as if he was just here for this trading item... Then a natural scene happened, under the pressure of this young man Before that, no one tried to raise a placard to make a quotation. They all watched in silence as the trader on the stage dropped the hammer three times, and finally shouted "deal"!
Many people in the opera house also silently remembered this young man in their hearts... However, some people couldn't help but have blank expressions on their faces when their eyes fell on Lin Nian.
"...Why is he here? What is he doing?"
On the second floor, in the VIP room, Mai Shutoku, who was sitting on the sofa chair, looked at the boy in the seat in astonishment and said subconsciously.
"how could I know?"
"...Anyway, it's impossible to just buy something on the way home from school!" The potato chip girl's voice in the headset also sounded extremely dull. Mai Shutoku could imagine the potato chips slipping from the girl's hand in front of the screen. scene.
"Hey, hey, are you sure it's him?" Potato Chip Girl seemed to not believe what she saw on the stolen surveillance video. She stood up from the computer chair and leaned close to the screen.
"Who else could it be?" Mai Shutoku couldn't help but finally stood up, walked to the guardrail of the second floor stand, and looked directly at the boy in the seat.
After thoroughly seeing the other person's face, the female ninja's ever-changing calm expression couldn't help but twitch, "What are you doing? Shouldn't he be spending the summer vacation at Kassel Academy? Why is he here? here?"
"...Damn it, it's summer vacation now!" Potato Chip Girl suddenly seemed to have come to her senses, she slapped the computer table and shouted, "This is his old hometown!"
"So you mean it's a coincidence that he appears here? Then...if the organizer is from the 'Emperor', do you think they know that their child is running under their noses?" Mai Shutoku paused for a moment. asked again.
"How do I know...?" Potato Chip Girl paused and said weirdly.
There was an eerie silence on the wireless channel.
Obviously, Lin Nian's high-profile appearance caused them to fall into quite a bit of confusion. No one expected that this boy would appear on this occasion.
...But at the same time as they didn't expect, another group of people seemed to have also failed to anticipate this wonderful accident. They fell into silence like the two ladies in the nanny group in another secret stand.
