The last raw stone was bought by Chu Shaofan for ninety million. With Chu Shaofan bidding this high, essentially no one else would contend with him.
Firstly, he was from the Chu family in the capital.
Secondly, this raw stone was worth about that much. Bidding any higher would mean it wasn't profitable even if bought.
After all the raw stones were auctioned, Wang Hanzhi signaled to the staff backstage. A lady in a cheongsam walked onto the stage holding a plate covered with a red cloth.
Wang Hanzhi smiled and said,
"I'm sure everyone knows, although this is a so-called gemstone auction, the focus isn't on the raw stones. Next up is our main event, the first item."
As Wang Hanzhi's words fell, all eyes turned to the cheongsam lady beside her.
Even Chu Shaofan, Wu Qianxi, and Mo Jin on the third floor cast their gazes.
"Don't blink, everyone. This first item is incredibly precious!" Wang Hanzhi swayed her alluring, slender waist and slowly pulled off the red cloth.
What met everyone's eyes was a pearl.
At this moment, someone immediately exclaimed,
"It's a Sarira!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Hanzhi revealed a charming smile,
"That's right. This is a Sarira, and it is eight hundred years old."
Eight hundred years!
That was an artifact passed down through several dynasties!
Hearing it was a Sarira, most people's interest was instantly piqued.
Even Qin Xuan stared intently at the Sarira, releasing his spiritual sense to observe.
After a moment, Qin Xuan vaguely sensed a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation around the Sarira, and it was a relatively pure energy that blocked Qin Xuan's spiritual sense.
Qin Xuan frowned slightly.
"This thing is not simple. It can actually block my spiritual sense."
Qin Xuan had inherited the legacy of the Sky-Soaring Divine Dragon, and his entire body had been strengthened by the Dragon Pill. His spiritual sense was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary martial artists.
Therefore, if it could block Qin Xuan's spiritual sense, this Sarira must be extraordinary.
"What did you say about spiritual sense?" Wang Yuyan, standing beside him, heard Qin Xuan talking to himself and couldn't help but ask.
Qin Xuan quickly shook his head,
"Nothing, I just feel this Sarira might not be cheap."
Wang Yuyan said directly,
"Of course. This is a Sarira. It's said that carrying it can ward off demons, expel evil, and prolong life. Many elderly business magnates like to wear these. After all, wealthy people want to live a few more years."
Unfazed by everyone's stunned gazes, Wang Hanzhi slowly explained,
"This Sarira was stolen from our Dragon Country by invaders during the war. It later ended up in a jewelry store abroad, and was inadvertently acquired by our Millennium Jewelry. Although the cost was small, it took a lot of effort to transport it back to the country. Therefore, the starting bid is twenty million!"
"Hiss..."
Upon hearing the starting bid, many people gasped.
Twenty million was no small sum. Many people present only had assets of one or two hundred million.
For them, twenty million was a huge amount, and it was simply not worth it to bid on a Sarira.
This kind of item would naturally attract the most interest from the wealthiest.
"Twenty-five million."
"Twenty-five million."
"Twenty-five million."
Simultaneously, three voices rang out from the third floor.
Wu Qianxi touched her chin and exchanged a smile with the two people on the adjacent balconies,
"I didn't expect us to have such telepathy."
Chu Shaofan got goosebumps hearing this and said coldly,
"Telepathy with you, Wu Qianxi? You're bidding on your own family's item? Aren't you afraid people will gossip and slander your Millennium Jewelry?"
Wu Qianxi laughed,
"Young Master Chu, that's where you're wrong. I'm here as a private VIP, and the money for the auction comes from my personal funds, so it has nothing to do with Millennium Jewelry." As she spoke, Wu Qianxi narrowed her eyes like an old fox,
"Besides, publicly speaking, even if I secretly pocket this Sarira, what difference does it make? Millennium Jewelry has branches all over the country. My Millennium Jewelry accounts for sixty percent of the jewelry business nationwide. Who can slander us? Don't you agree, Brother Mo?"
After speaking, Wu Qianxi looked at Mo Jin with a smile.
Mo Jin shrugged and said,
"I was just bidding for fun, to help raise the price. Don't look at me. I'm not very interested in this thing anyway."
Hearing Mo Jin's withdrawal, Chu Shaofan also breathed a sigh of relief.
This guy was a major competitor. Chu Shaofan had been afraid he would oppose him from the start. Fortunately, he wasn't interested in the Sarira.
Now, the only one on the scene who could contend with Chu Shaofan was Wu Qianxi.
But Chu Shaofan didn't take her seriously at all.
There were many auction houses in the Dragon Country. When he bought items from his own company, it was usually either he secretly took them before the auction, or he had someone outside the company bid for him.
And this Sarira was already at auction. It was estimated that no one present would dare to offend Chu Shaofan.
It was just a matter of spending more money. For Chu Shaofan, money was just a string of numbers; adding or subtracting a zero made no difference.
"Thirty million!" Chu Shaofan confidently bid again.
Wu Qianxi also unhurriedly raised her paddle,
"Thirty-one million."
"Forty million!"
...
The two were almost in a bidding war.
The price of this Sarira quickly reached one hundred million.
The crowd watched the battle between the two with awe.
Although Wu Qianxi was not from a prominent family, her Millennium Jewelry was the leader of the national jewelry industry, and had even expanded overseas.
Jewelry was inherently a lucrative business.
The foundation laid by Wu Qianxi's father and herself over two generations was quite solid.
Therefore, Millennium Jewelry, in terms of influence and economy, was not much weaker than the aristocratic families of the capital.
"It's already a hundred million, Young Master Chu. While a hundred million isn't a huge amount, it's not a thousand or two, which could pay for several years of foot massages at a massage parlor."
Chu Shaofan glared at Wu Qianxi with malevolent eyes.
If looks could kill, Chu Shaofan would have long since dismembered Wu Qianxi.
Now that no one dared to oppose him, if he hadn't increased the bid, he could have gotten it for thirty or forty million. Now it had reached one hundred million.
Although it wasn't much for Chu Shaofan, if someone dared to oppose him, he couldn't tolerate it.
"Increase the bid by fifty million!" Chu Shaofan gritted his teeth and roared,
"One hundred and fifty million! Let's see if you can still bid! Two hundred million, three hundred million, I can afford it all!"
He increased the bid by fifty million in one go!
The crowd was somewhat impressed by this Young Master Chu. Fifty million was spoken so casually, as if money was less precious to him than a bottle of cola.
After all, rich people usually didn't drink such carbonated beverages.