Chapter 132 – Edelberg Auction House
Novel Title: 龙血 (Dragon Blood)
Author：水千丞 (Shui Qian Cheng)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 单鸣 (Shan Ming -MC), 沈长泽 (Shen Changze -ML)
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
֍֍֍
The two left Lingshan overnight with ‘Sea Dragon’ horn in their hands. They then drove to Henan without stopping. It took them two days to discover a small village near Pingdingshan, where they met an old man in his sixties.
The two handed the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn to the old man. The old man’s eyelids were covered with a layer of sclera, which is a typical reaction of cataract lesions. But he still seemed to be able to see the item carefully.
Shan Ming asked Zhao Qingling in a low voice, “He even has problems seeing things. Can he really make a replica?”
“Yes. I only believe in the craftsmanship of the Zou family.”
The old man Zou’s daughter-in-law led them to a courtyard and asked them to wait for two days.
Shan Ming was sceptical and worried that the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn would not be safe in their hands. He hardly slept for two days. Whenever he had free time, he went to inspect the door of the old man Zou’s room. But the dilapidated wooden door was always closed.
Two days later, old man Zou’s daughter-in-law came over with a velvet box. Zhao Qingling opened the box and Shan Ming came over to take a look. There were two identical ‘Sea Dragon’ horns lying in the velvet box. One was not too shiny. But the colour and shape are exactly the same. There was almost no difference at all.
Zhao Qingling asked, “Can you tell the difference?”
Shan Ming picked up the two ‘Sea Dragon’ horns. The feel and even the weight were exactly the same. He just took a look at the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn from that night. When the light was very dim, it glowed. But now, he couldn’t tell how much the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn would glow under the sun. He couldn’t tell whether it should be the one with the brighter golden light or the lighter one. This was the first time he touched the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn. He could only compare the difference between these two horns and Shen Changze’s from his memory. He even sniffed it at the tip of his nose. But there was no smell.
Zhao Qingling grabbed the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn with the lighter golden light, “This is the real one. Only Dragon Blood people can smell it. You can’t tell the difference with your eyes alone. As long as you don’t let Shen Yao get too close to it, it’s enough to fool him.”
Zhao Qingling left a sum of money for old man Zou’s daughter-in-law and warned her not to talk too much about this matter. She then left with Shan Ming. The two arrived at Zhengzhou Airport overnight and bought a ticket to North Africa.
Before taking off, Zhao Qingling contacted Tang Tingzhi using a public phone. She told him her plan and asked them to prepare manpower as soon as possible.
After hanging up the phone, they started to board the plane. On the plane, Zhao Qingling closed her eyes to sleep.
This woman spoke very little and never explained her actions and plans. She just ran around dragging Shan Ming with her. Shan Ming was very passive in such situations. But there was nothing he could do. After all, he had to rely on her to find Shen Yao.
Combined with the information she posted on the Internet these days and their destination for this trip – Tunisia, he can roughly guess what she wants to do.
He turned on the computer and clicked on a folder with the title – ‘Introduction to the North African Branch of Edelberg Auction House’ in the Netherlands.
Edelberg is a multinational company mainly engaged in jewellery, artworks, antiques and various expensive collectibles. Edelberg Auction House is a subsidiary that is completely owned by the company. It has an auction house in Europe, South America and Africa. It would collect valuable items from all over the world for auction and earn commissions from them. In fact, Edelberg, like most of the famous jewellery companies in Europe, has an inseparable relationship with the diamond smuggling army in African countries. They exchanged weapons and materials at low prices for the rough diamonds in the hands of these smugglers. They also greedily brought these small stones back to Europe in batches to make huge profits. It was just like how it was in the ‘Lion Mountains’ movie city back then. These capitalists always want to start a serious and legal company in the local area to avoid people knowing their real intention.
However, Edelberg is even more dishonest than many companies. In addition to auctioning collections obtained from formal channels, the auction house in North Africa also sells on the second Friday of every two months. The Treasure Auction House will auction off some rare items, most of which flowed into the hands of the auction house through unimaginable channels. Of course, most of them are stolen goods. Despite the high price and the huge risks involved, collectors from all over the world still flock to Edelberg North Africa Auction House. This is because, here, there is always a chance to encounter treasures that cannot be bought with money elsewhere.
Edelberg North Africa Auction House has another name. It was called ‘Mystery Friday Auction House’. The purpose of their trip this time is to go there. ‘Sea Dragon’ horn will be exhibited in the ‘Mystery Friday’ event in the form of treasured auction items.
The two arrived in Tunisia and found a hotel to stay in. The ordinary hotels here were terribly cheap. Years of civil strife nearly collapsed Tunisia’s tourism industry. There are depressing street scenes all over the place.
The hotel probably hasn’t received guests for a long time. They are very warm to them and clean the room spotlessly.
The two checked into a room on the top floor. This was already the tallest building in the vicinity. Looking down from the window, they can see the inconspicuous little door of Edelberg Auction House.
After they entered the room, they began to set up the monitors and arrange the alarm wires. Shan Ming opened his suitcase and counted his weapons.
They ordered some food from the hotel and they disguised themselves after filling their stomachs.
Zhao Qingling put on a suit and disguised her face. She was tall and her frame was wider than that of ordinary women. So she looked no different from a man. Shan Ming dressed up as her bodyguard.
The two each carried a suitcase and walked to the auction house.
It was time for the auction house to close. When they walked in, the three clerks in the store were quite surprised. No one came a day before the auction and they even came when it was time for closing.
The caucasian manager greeted them. He smiled and asked them what they could do.
Shan Ming took out a piece of paper and laid it out in front of the manager. It was an application form for auction items downloaded from the Internet.
The manager invited them into the back room. He ordered someone to pour tea for them and then said politely, “Today is already Thursday. So it is not in compliance with our regulations to report an auction item with only one day in advance.”
Zhao Qingling kept her head down. Hearing what he said, she threw the box in her hand on the table and opened the lid. There was a box full of US dollars inside.
Shan Ming said: “The deposit is two million dollars. I believe one day is enough.”
The manager rubbed his hands together, “Can I see your auction item?”
Shan Ming also lifted up the box in his hand. He gently opened it and there lay the pale golden sea dragon horn inside.
The manager’s eyes widened. In his fifty-six years of life, he had seen countless rare treasures from all over the world. But after searching all the knowledge in his head, he couldn’t tell what the thing in front of him was.
“This…This looks like the horns of some kind of animal. Looked a bit like antlers, but not quite…”
“This is a ‘Sea Dragon’ horn.”
“Dragon horn?”
“Yes, a real ‘Sea Dragon’ horn.”
The manager laughed a few times before he regained his composure, “Sir, with all due respect, maybe I can buy ten of these miraculous things for a hundred dollars at a Chinese street stall. We cannot collect such an unfounded auction item.”
“Do you think I’ll pay you a deposit of two million dollars for fakes?”
The manager also thought it was incredible. But he really didn’t believe that there were any real dragons in the world. Let alone dragon horns, “Please explain carefully. This…what is this?”
“Even if I explain it to you, you won’t understand what it is. But I believe that some people do know about it. If the transaction price on the day is less than 10 million, you can take all of this 2 million dollars deposit.”
“But…but…what if a customer buys a fake product and troubles us? The customers who come here are all famous and powerful. We can’t afford to mess with them.”
Shan Ming sneered and said: “You also know that they must have knowledge on things they want. How could they buy fakes? Are you ashamed to promote it? Let me say it again, people who are not interested in this thing and don’t believe in it will not hold up a sign to buy it. But those who are really interested in it and know what it is, will be willing to pay any price for it. You just have to exhibit it in the way we want and collect money. That’s enough.”
The manager was frightened by Shan Ming’s aura. He said submissively, “Then, how do I introduce it?”
Zhao Qingling said coldly: “It is said that eating this can make you live longer.”
After the two left the auction house, they didn’t go back to the hotel. Instead, they turned back after the auction house staff had left. They installed pinhole cameras at all angles of the auction house. Shan Ming disassembled the sniper rifle and put it in a cloth bag. He then stuck it under the seat of the private room they reserved. They inspected the auction house again, especially the positions of the three exits. They then destroyed the door of one of the exits.
After everything was ready, they returned to the hotel and began to monitor every move of the auction house with binoculars and cameras.
Shan Ming saw that Zhao Qingling took out the real ‘Sea Dragon’ horn and held it in her hands. He asked, “What are you going to do with it?”
“I’ll hide it somewhere in the hotel tomorrow.”
“Why not just burn it?”
“In case the operation fails, this will be our last bargaining chip.” Zhao Qingling took out a knife and scraped the dragon’s horn up and down.
Shan Ming frowned and said, “You are going to use that?”
Zhao Qingling collected a small amount of powder, wrapped it in a tissue and stuffed it into her bosom. She then glanced at Shan Ming, “Or else I would not be able to suppress Shen Yao.”
“AFter you use it,… what will happen to you?”
“I’ll be in a deep coma. It will take a long time to recover my body functions. If the dose is too high, I may die. But no one has tried it yet.” Zhao Qingling covered the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn with an oilcloth. She said in a deep voice: “Our purpose this time is to rescue Changze. So don’t confront Shen Yao head-on.”
“Will he bring Shen Changze with him?”
“I don’t know if he will. But I know he will definitely come. As long as he appears, it will not be difficult to find his hiding place.”
Shan Ming clenched the gun in his hand, thinking of Shen Yao. The blood in his body seemed to boil. He could even hear the roar from the depths of his body.
Every minute of the wait was excruciating. At about eight o’clock on Friday, it was completely dark when a car parked in front of the small door of Edelberg Auction House. Well-dressed guests got out of the car in waves and entered the auction house. The local terrorist organisation escorted the guests at the auction house at all times and the security guards with live ammunition surrounded the auction house.
The two people pulled up the curtains, leaving only a small gap at the corner and observed the entrance using night vision goggles. They took turns to book for more than an hour. At half past nine, an inconspicuous car stopped at the door. Compared with the luxury cars passing by, Shan Ming and Zhao Qingling stared at the people who got out of the car.
The first person to get out of the co-pilot was Shen Yao. Although he had changed into a suit and a pair of sunglasses, no one would mistake the aura of this imposing man. Then, the driver’s side opened. A handsome young man stepped out of the car.
Shan Ming’s whole heart was gripped.
Shen Changze!
Shen Changze’s appearance didn’t change much from when they parted half a year ago. But his expression was cold and the corners of his thin lips showed a sense of disregard and rejection to everyone around him. His neat suit set off his figure perfectly.
They immediately attract the attention of guests and staff of the Edelberg Auction House since there are few Asians coming in and out from here. And this time, these two are especially eye-catching Asians. Shen Yao took out a piece of paper and handed it to the security guard at the door. The security guard scanned it with an electronic scanner and then two people came up to conduct a routine body search on them. They finally made a gesture for them to come in.
The two walked into the auction house.
The whole process lasted only a minute or so. But for the two people hiding in the hotel, it was a long and heavy torture.
Zhao Qingling lowered her eyes. She seemed to be talking to Shan Ming but also seemed to be talking to herself, “Is that Changze? He’s all grown up…”
Shan Ming wiped his face and suppressed his turbulent emotions. He put out his cigarette and stood up, “Let’s go in too.”
The auction started. Shan Ming and Zhao Qingling sat in the private room in the northeast corner. Shen Yao and Shen Changze didn’t book a private room. They sat in the second row of seats. There were not many people who came this time. There were only about 50 people. So they sat very loosely and there were basically no people around the two of them. It can be said that they exposed their faces in front of them without hiding. Shan Ming really wanted to take out his gun and shoot Shen Yao in the head now.
But he knew that at such a close distance, those two people would definitely notice him before he could take a shot.
He quietly took out the weapons he had hidden in advance from under the seat. He stuffed two pistols into his clothes and a sabre into his waist. He then gently assembled the sniper rifle on the spot.
The tight suit on his body made him feel very uncomfortable. He seldom wears a suit. This set was bought on the spur of the moment. It was not tailor-made, which made him a little worried that it would affect his actions.
He didn’t pay much attention to the first few collections. But one of them, a jade hairpin, was said to have flowed from the Qing Dynasty court in China. It was sold for a high price of 6.7 million US dollars, which surprised him quite a bit.
They waited for an hour. When it was nearly eleven o’clock, all the auction items were displayed and there was only the last one left. Everyone was very interested in what the last auction item was.
Usually everyone thinks that the last collection is for the finale so they are looking forward to it. In fact, the manager put it at the end because he is worried that this item will cause trouble. The item might not be sold so he only took it out at the end.
The auctioneer solemnly described this newly unearthed secret treasure from China. He even made up a legendary myth for it. He lied that this thing is a rare nourishing holy product in the world. Anyway, ‘Sea Dragon’ horn does look a bit different compared to anything people have ever seen.
The nature of many people has been mobilised. Of course, the vast majority of people have the idea of only watching the excitement. It is not uncommon to buy garbage at an auction at a high price. Due to their reputation, they can only just keep it when they buy it even if it’s garbage. These people are not fools however. Just listening to the introduction already feels like it was a fake.
A beautiful female employee lifted the red cloth covering the glass display case with her white gloved hands. There was a thing that looked like a deer antler lying inside. But it obviously couldn’t come from a deer, because it exudes a faint golden light, which looks very eye-catching. There is also an old carved copper box in the glass showcase. It has been corroded to the point where the original colour is no longer visible. But the pattern is still faintly visible. This is exactly the box used to keep the ‘Sea Dragon’ horn at that time. Shen Yao must have recognized it.
Sure enough, Shan Ming saw that Shen Yao’s shoulder moved almost invisibly. His body leaned forward slightly, looking intently at the fake ‘Sea Dragon’ horn.
He was seven to eight metres away from the glass display case. Through the sealed bulletproof glass, no smell could come out. Shen Yao would definitely not be able to tell the real from the fake.
The auctioneer began to bid at the low price of only one million.
A wealthy businessman from Italy raised 1.5 million with a playful mentality.
As soon as his hand fell, Shen Changze stretched out his hand. His voice was not loud. But it was sonorous and powerful, which could not be ignored, “Five million.”
Everyone looked at him in shock. They didn’t expect that someone would ask for five million for this unbelievable and unheard of thing.
Zhao Qingling lowered her head. She changed her voice and shouted, “Eight million.”
It can be described as a climax. The interest of the audience was aroused. But they were not fooled because these two people were probably the trustees.
Shen Yao and Shen Changze turned their heads at the same time and looked at the private room. But the room was on the second floor. From their angle, they could not see anyone.
Shen Yao winked at Shen Changze. Shen Changze raised his hand again, “Ten million.”
The audience was in an uproar. The price for such a thing that looked like a bluff was actually higher than the jade hairpin, which was the highest bidding price tonight. Edelberg Auction House has completed three consecutive auctions of collections worth more than ten million US dollars. But there was none tonight.
There were some high-priced collectibles. But the appearance of this ‘finale treasure’ pushed the auction to a climax.
Zhao Qingling raised her hand and called out a high price of “20 million”. She wouldn’t pay anyway so she named the price however much she wanted.
Shen Yao finally realised that something was wrong. He stopped naming a price. He instead whispered something to Shen Changze and then took out his phone.
The auctioneer began to confirm the bid price. When the wooden hammer rang for the third time, a single-shot bullet had already hit the alarm and the alarm buzzed sharply, causing the guests to get into a commotion immediately. Evacuation from the entrance began under the escort of guards.
Shen Yao and Shen Changze stood up. They turned their heads and looked at the private room.
Zhao Qingling took out a tear gas canister and threw it down towards them.
֍֍֍
Next update: 2023.–.–(*TBA)
֍֍֍
