Chapter 209: A Real Treasure?
"Him? Who is he? That old man over there? What’s his story?" This was the question on most of the guests’ minds.
"You all came to this auction and you don’t even know who he is? He’s Man Vance, the founder of this auction house and the father of Vance, the manager you just saw!"
"It’s really him!"
It was no wonder the crowd didn’t recognize Man Vance. For the past few years, he had been living a reclusive life due to his advanced age. He had handed over most of his businesses to his son and rarely made public appearances.
Aside from those who were lucky enough to have met him in his younger days, few from the younger generation would even know who he was.
"Hasn’t Man Vance been retired from worldly affairs for many years? Why would he suddenly show up here? And..." And he was standing right in front of that big, dusty rock.
The staff member who had been escorting Arabella Donovan led her straight over, then stepped forward with a faint smile and whispered a few words in the old man’s ear.
Man Vance nodded and waved the staff member away before turning to face Arabella. "So you’re the fated one who won Lot Eighteen?"
"The fated one?" Arabella repeated the words under her breath and couldn’t help but smile.
’Isn’t that the truth?’ she thought. ’This rock practically grew legs and chased after me.’
"That’s me."
"Congratulations." Man Vance proactively extended his hand to shake Arabella’s. "I assume that before you bid on this stone, you heard the auctioneer’s special conditions. I’m the one who provided this stone. My surname is Vance. I have only one request: I hope you will cut the stone open in front of me so I can see what kind of treasure is hidden inside."
"What? That dusty, worthless-looking rock was actually a treasure from Man Vance’s collection! If I’d known... if I’d only known... Ugh!"
Everyone in the room knew exactly what they meant: if they’d known, they would have spent more money to win that "worthless" rock.
For just a few million, they could have forged a connection with the patriarch of the Vance Family. What better deal could there be?
Too bad they couldn’t recognize a treasure right in front of them. They had let this golden opportunity slip away to that wild girl from out of town!
Some of the guests who had bid against Arabella wrung their hands, cursing themselves for missing such a great chance.
Arabella didn’t think much of it. She raised an eyebrow and studied the old man for a long moment, but she didn’t ask him why, if he was so curious about what was inside the stone, he hadn’t just cut it open himself.
"Alright. I happen to be curious myself if this stone can produce a treasure. Excuse me, where can I find a Gem Cutter to help me?"
"They’re already prepared. Since you agree, come with us to the next room. There’s a Gem Cutter and equipment ready and waiting."
Arabella nonchalantly carried the stone and followed Man Vance out. The other guests were still puzzled. A stone that Man Vance had collected for years—could there really be a treasure inside? They couldn’t miss this!
In an instant, a huge crowd followed after them. Some of the more gossip-loving guests even made calls to bring back friends who had already left.
The auction house had arranged for a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties to be the Gem Cutter for Arabella. He was also taken aback when he saw the stone in her hands. "This stone..."
"What do you think? Can it produce any treasures?"
The man’s mouth twitched. He answered honestly, "Based on my years of experience cutting stones, this is probably just a worthless rock. Nine times out of ten, you won’t get any green out of it."
As soon as he said that, the onlookers started murmuring among themselves again. Timothy Donovan and his companions breathed a sigh of relief.
So what if its collector was Man Vance? A worthless rock was a worthless rock. It could never become a rare treasure.
Just like some people. A wild girl would always be a wild girl; she could never become a phoenix!
"Are you going to cut it in half, or..."
"No, no, no. I don’t want to cut it."
"If you don’t cut it, then..."
"I’ve heard that sometimes you grind the stone instead of cutting. Can you help me grind this one down?"
The master cutter almost choked. "You want me to *grind* this stone?"
"Yes."
"I already told you this is most likely a worthless rock, and you still want me to grind it."
"Yes."
"But..."
"Do as she says." The master cutter wanted to say more, but Man Vance cut him off directly.
An order from the old man was completely different from a request from Arabella. No matter how reluctant the master cutter was, he didn’t dare defy his boss’s wishes. Resigned, he picked up his tools, selected a spot, and began to cut a window.
The onlookers watched as the cutter’s hands moved with incredible speed, sending dust, debris, and fragments from the stone’s crust flying into the air.
The master cutter had assumed that with a worthless rock like this, he could grind all day and not see a speck of green. To his surprise, after just a few minutes of grinding, a smooth, delicate color appeared from underneath.
"Huh?"
The master cutter’s movements suddenly stopped. Man Vance’s brow furrowed, and he asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
"It seems... there’s green."
"How is that possible?!"
It wasn’t just Timothy Donovan and his group; even Man Vance couldn’t help but lean forward at these words, trying to get a clear look at what kind of green had emerged from the stone.
"This is..."
"This luster and color... while not as pure or magnificent as top-tier jadeite, it’s still quite good."
The top-tier jadeite Man Vance mentioned was rare varieties like Imperial Green. Timothy Donovan and his companions, however, breathed a sigh of relief, believing that even if Arabella’s stone produced green, it would just be a cheap piece with a coarse texture.
"I knew a worthless rock like this couldn’t produce any decent treasure. It’s just a scrap piece, better than nothing, I guess. Hey, why is the color over there different? HAHAHAHA, don’t tell me this tiny little spot is all the green there is?"
Timothy Donovan’s heartless ridicule drew everyone’s attention again. Man Vance focused his gaze, and his eyes widened. "I was mistaken. This is ’Spring with Color.’ Even though that patch of green isn’t Imperial Green, this is still exceptionally rare."
Timothy Donovan froze, not understanding how Man Vance’s assessment could change so drastically in just two minutes.
"What’s ’Spring with Color’?"
"’Spring with Color’ refers to jadeite that contains both purple and green. Jadeite with two natural colors is rare. If the texture and translucency are good, it can easily fetch a high price."
Just looking at the clarity and fineness of the two colors that had been ground out, the quality was clearly ice-grade or higher. This meant that regardless of whether other parts of the stone held more jadeite, this section alone, carved into a bracelet, could sell for a low seven-figure sum. She would make back most of the auction money in an instant.
Arabella wasn’t surprised by this result, but Timothy Donovan’s face darkened as he gritted his teeth. He cursed inwardly at how this wild girl could be so lucky. Not only had she won the development land they had been dreaming of, but even a worthless rock she bought on a whim could yield a treasure.
He never imagined that the master cutter’s next words would shatter his composure completely: "Chairman, I’m afraid this stone is more than just ’Spring with Color.’"
"What?!"