Chapter 1835: Can 1835 Be Sold for an Even Higher Price?
Chapter 1835: Can 1835 Be Sold for an Even Higher Price?
Unable to comprehend the reason behind it, Han Yan remained silent.
"How about this, I’ll first help you offload those five hundred relic soul beads. Let you make a big profit, and see how sincere I am?" Gao Weihu probably knew his words were hard to believe, so he pondered for a while and then took a step back.
"How much can I earn?" Han Yan asked.
"At least it won’t be sold for less than the normal price," Gao Weihu assured.
"How will you do it?" Han Yan asked, slightly surprised.
"An auction. As long as we make some small modifications, selling at the normal price is not a difficult task," Gao Weihu replied.
"There are auctions in the black market too?" Han Yan, unfamiliar with the black market, was somewhat taken aback.
"Under normal circumstances no, after all, it’s the black market, making too much noise isn’t good, and no one wants to be ostentatious. But the situation is a bit special now, if I say there is one, there will be," Gao Weihu said confidently.
"If it can indeed be sold above the normal price, the issue of the other five hundred relic soul beads can be negotiated. Whatever you say can be done," Han Yan thought it over and said.
If Gao Weihu is truly willing to use the black market as a guarantee for the other five hundred relic soul beads, and stamp the Gao Family seal on the promissory note, she wouldn’t need to worry too much. If those five hundred can also be sold at a price above normal, she wouldn’t have to worry at all. After all, five hundred relic soul beads can be sold for over fifty million; even if Gao Weihu defaults, it would be enough to cover the loss and earn extra.
As for whatever little schemes he has privately or what he means by ’special situation,’ Han Yan didn’t bother to think too much about it.
"Agreed then!" Gao Weihu immediately took out a contract, drafting terms without even washing his hands, then signed, marked his thumbprint, and pressed it down.
Han Yan realized she had somewhat underestimated this guy earlier. He might be a bit chubby, but he’s far from foolish, and his actions are clean and efficient.
Though she found the greasy thumbprints on the contract a bit distasteful, after checking the clauses carefully, there was essentially nothing wrong with it, so Han Yan also pressed her thumbprint down.
"Please wait for a moment; I’ll invite some capable buyers. Ordinary people cannot afford to buy such a large quantity of Five-Colored Soul Pearls," Gao Weihu called over a subordinate and quietly instructed a few sentences.
That person nodded repeatedly and quickly left.
"Please relax here; I’ll finish my lunch first," Gao Weihu had the servants bring tea, and then he hunched over the roast pig and tore into it ravenously.
Seeing the quickly exposed bones of the whole roast pig, Han Yan understood how this fellow had amassed all this fat.
After more than two hours had passed, the subordinate reported that everything was ready.
"Let’s go; the auction is prepared. We should go take a look," Gao Weihu wiped his greasy face and led Han Yan and a few others towards the black market.
The buildings of the black market might look shabby on the outside, but inside they are resplendent and luxurious, far more than the Chambers of Commerce Han Yan visited in the morning. After all, business needs a good front, and the black market is no exception.
As twilight approached, the once-busy Tianyang City gradually calmed down, yet the spacious hall was a sea of people, bustling with activity.
"Everyone, please be quiet." A woman wearing a fox mask ascended the high platform on the inner side of the hall, clearing her throat and speaking. Though her voice wasn’t loud, it was evidently assisted by the Priest Divine Technique, reaching everyone’s ears.
The visitors busy choosing cultivation resources stopped, curiously looking over.
"Our market has just acquired a batch of goods of considerable value, rarely seen, so we’re holding an auction. Please pause your selections and wait for the auction to conclude before shopping for other items," the woman said slowly.
"Miss Hu’er, stop being so mysterious. Show us what treasures you have so we don’t waste our time," shouted a man wearing a donkey mask.
Seeing everyone below with masks on, Han Yan could hardly keep from laughing. She wondered whose idea this was; could it be Gao Weihu himself felt so porcine that he wanted to see everyone looking ridiculous too, only satisfied by making them look like donkey heads or horse faces?
"Don’t worry, sir, I promise it won’t disappoint." With a smile in her eyes, Miss Hu’er lightly flicked her fingers, revealing a Five-Colored Soul Pearl in her palm, radiating a mystical glow under the lights.
"It’s just a Five-Colored Soul Pearl; I thought it was some extraordinary treasure," the donkey-masked man said indifferently.
Though others said nothing, they followed with a chorus of dismissive hisses. Most who dare come to the black market for cultivation resources have some family or background, and while the Five-Colored Soul Pearl is rare, they have seen them, so it wasn’t a cause for much alarm.
"If it were just one pearl, indeed, nothing remarkable, but..." As she spoke, Miss Hu’er pulled off the red silk covering the auction display stand behind her.
In an instant, a brilliant spectrum of colors reflected off each other, rendering the vibrant lights of the hall pale by comparison.
The crowd, who had previously been unimpressed, widened their eyes. The entire hall fell into a hushed silence, the only sound being everyone’s sharp inhalation.
A single or a couple of relic soul beads might not be notable, but a pile of several hundred was enough to catch anyone’s eye.
"Miss Hu’er, how did you manage to procure so many relic soul beads?" the donkey head asked a bit awkwardly after swallowing hard.
"That question is not yours to ask," Miss Hu’er said coldly.
"Yes, yes, my apologies." The donkey head responded sheepishly.
"The auction will begin in an hour, please prepare." With that, Miss Hu’er walked off the stage.
The crowd still in a daze quickly came to their senses, one by one rapidly exiting the auction hall, which had been packed and was now half-empty.
Han Yan gave Gao Weihu a curious glance, wondering why he was stalling the auction instead of starting it immediately.
"Many who come to the black market are from the Priest Families; their masters don’t appear easily and leave business to their servants. For large transactions involving money, they can’t decide by themselves and need to ask for instructions first." Seeing Han Yan’s confusion, Zhu Yulan offered a brief explanation.
It’s not just about the amount, either— the presence of a large number of Five-Colored Soul Pearls itself is sensitive, making the servants even less likely to act on their own.
It was less than an hour when those who had exited early returned in haste. Though their faces were hidden by masks, the fervor in their eyes revealed that they had received orders from their masters, setting their sights firmly on the Five-Colored Soul Pearl.
Seeing most of the people had returned, Gao Weihu signaled Miss Hu’er to start the auction.
"Now that everyone should be present, let’s begin the auction. There are a total of five hundred Five-Colored Soul Pearls, which will be auctioned in five batches of one hundred each, with a starting bid of thirty million taels of silver. Each raise can’t be less than one million taels," Miss Hu’er tapped the auction hammer and announced upon receiving his signal.
"Thirty-five million," came a bid as soon as she finished speaking.
"Forty million," someone else cried, unwilling to be outdone.
"Forty-five million."
"Fifty million."
...
"One hundred million."
Han Yan guessed right; after consulting with their masters, these bidders indeed were determined to win. In no time, the bidding escalated to one hundred million, marking the standard price for one hundred Five-Colored Soul Pearls. Can it go higher?