Chapter 666
The Impending Crisis
Chapter 666 The Impending Crisis
Gao De froze.
He considered the many explanations the girl might offer: perhaps she was a disciple of a master antique dealer, or perhaps she was a family-trained appraisal prodigy.
I never expected to receive such a blunt and absurd answer:
If it were really in her house, how could she not tell it was fake?
"The real star pendant... in your house?!" Gao De asked again, subconsciously confirming.
"Yes, it's in the jewelry box in my drawer." The girl's voice came through [Communication].
Gao De turned his head in disbelief to look at the girl behind him.
She remained as "ordinary" as ever, with nothing particularly remarkable about her appearance or clothing.
Those eyes, the only ones that could be described as exceptionally clear, were staring at him intently.
There was no hint of boasting or deliberate intent in the girl's eyes, and she was unaware of the uproar her words had caused.
Only innocent purity remains, as if what I just said was as ordinary as "I have a regular candy in my drawer" or "I have a wildflower on my table."
The girl was innocent and naive, while Gao De, though not wicked, was certainly not innocent.
A starburst pendant, what is that?
It is a "treasure" that the Obsidian Merchant Guild has invested heavily in, regarding it as their trump card, and priced at 500,000 Golden Bird Coins.
As it turns out, the real thing was just a little trinket that the girl casually tossed into her drawer jewelry box.
Are you kidding me?!
A sense of absurdity overwhelmed him like a tidal wave, followed by a surge of shock.
He quickly calmed down, his mind racing.
In this situation, there are only two possibilities: either the girl continues to "talk nonsense" to him.
Or perhaps her background is so powerful that it's unimaginable.
If it's the former, then it's completely untenable.
He might be an amateur and easy to fool, but Morton, the deacon and head of the Obsidian Merchant Guild, is clearly an expert in the field of antiques. How could he be easily fooled by the nonsensical remarks of a young girl?
Therefore, it must be the latter.
The seemingly ordinary girl in front of me must be from the highest nobility of the Golden Flower Dynasty.
The family's wealth and influence were so profound that even the Obsidian Merchant Guild, a top antique dealer in the Golden Flower Dynasty, didn't even have the right to look up at the threshold of the young woman's family.
Even in the Plantagenet dynasty, the number of nobles who could reach this level was certainly very small.
Of course, there is also a slight possibility that the girl was a noblewoman from outside the Plantagenet dynasty.
But since this is Mithril City, it's definitely not wrong to think of it as the local nobles of the Golden Flower Dynasty.
Gao De simply thought about it for a moment.
A name flashed through my mind like lightning.
The Wang Mian family!
In the Plantagenet dynasty, besides the royal Liszt family, the most glorious family was the Wang Mian family.
Only a family like this could afford to keep a priceless antique, worth 500,000 gold coin, as a simple collectible in a young girl's jewelry box.
He quickly recalled the information about the Wang Mian family in his mind.
Captain Merrick had told him that the Wang family, like the royal family, believed in fidelity and monogamy, and therefore often had only one son per line.
However, the current Wang Mian family is in a better situation, with a crown prince and a daughter, unlike the royal family which only has one prince.
This young lady from the Wang Mian family was named Liu Ying. She was more than a princess, and was the jewel of the Golden Flower Dynasty.
Could it be?
Gao De's heart skipped a beat, but then he hesitated.
Captain Merrick also mentioned that the reason why Flowing Light was the jewel of the Plantagenet dynasty was not only because of her unparalleled background, but also because of her unparalleled magical talent and beauty.
Clearly, the "ordinary" girl in front of them had nothing to do with unparalleled beauty.
But Gaode Maps isn't stupid; it won't get stuck on trivial details.
In the world of mages, there are countless ways to change one's appearance.
Moreover, if the girl were truly a golden sparrow pearl, how could she not "disguise" when going out?
He subconsciously tried to activate Mandora's Eye to see through the appearance and understand the girl's true appearance.
But he forcibly suppressed the thought as soon as it arose.
However, if the other party is indeed that Miss Liuying, the Golden Bird Pearl with unparalleled magical talent, then it is highly likely that she has noticed my Mandora's Eye.
Such spying behavior is clearly impolite.
If it were discovered, it would easily displease the other party, so Gaode hesitated for a moment and then gave up the plan.
Inside the exhibition hall, in contrast to Gaode's wandering thoughts, it was eerily quiet.
The head of the organization, Morton, and the chamber of commerce deacon did not refute or admit anything; they simply remained silent.
But silence itself is the most straightforward answer, silently proclaiming to everyone that what the girl said was true.
At this moment, Morton was utterly despondent, and his legs trembled slightly.
He stared intently at the star-shaped pendant on the high platform, then suddenly looked at the girl, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The three antiques that Gaode took a liking to were indeed "profit-making items" that the Chamber of Commerce deliberately mass-produced.
The cost is only a few dozen gold coin, but the price is marked up to several thousand. They rely on exploiting laymen's thirst for ancient knowledge and making money by exploiting information asymmetry.
In the industry, it's generally accepted that counterfeit goods are "seen but not said," which is considered a legitimate way to "get caught." After all, gambling on antiques involves gambling, and losing money is to be expected.
As long as no one takes it seriously, you can always get away with it.
But this star pendant is different; it was personally appraised and approved by Morton as the highlight of this exhibition.
The Chamber of Commerce paid a hefty sum to buy it from an individual antique collector.
It can be said that the Chamber of Commerce has high hopes for it, hoping to use it to make a name for itself at this year's Antiques Gambling Fair and attract more high-rollers.
It turned out to be a counterfeit?!
Such a serious mistake was enough to cause him to fall from his position as head of the chamber of commerce.
For a fleeting moment, he also considered stubbornly denying the girl's judgment and verbally attacking her, claiming she was sent by a rival merchant guild to maliciously damage the reputation of the Obsidian Merchant Guild.
But as soon as these thoughts came to mind, he rejected them one by one.
Morton has the wickedness of a businessman, but he is by no means stupid.
With so many people watching, there were bound to be other knowledgeable people present. The details the girl pointed out were solid evidence that could not be denied.
Even if there are no experts present, they can temporarily fool everyone.
Given the sensational nature of this event, it will undoubtedly spread rapidly once we return.
Among those who hear the news, there will certainly be some experts.
He can't possibly shut everyone up.
Such stubbornness is nothing but self-deception and burying one's head in the sand, causing the Obsidian Merchant Guild's reputation to plummet, which is far more serious than being fooled.
Moreover, a girl who can reveal such intimate details cannot possibly be an ordinary person.
Having worked in the antiques industry for so many years and seen countless powerful and influential people, Morton was certain that the girl's confidence was not feigned, but rather a deep-seated quality ingrained in her very being.
Although he didn't hear the girl's message to Gao De that "she's really at her house," he couldn't connect it to the most prestigious royal family in Liuge County as accurately as Gao De could.
But with his shrewdness, how could he not have imagined that the girl must have an unfathomable background? If he were to stubbornly deny it now, he would offend this distinguished person.
Afterwards, the family behind that person came knocking on their door. Let alone him, the head of a chamber of commerce, even the entire Obsidian Chamber of Commerce might not be able to withstand their wrath.
He dared not gamble, nor could he afford to.
For a moment, Morton, who was used to seeing all kinds of storms, froze on the spot, at a loss, his heart filled with nothing but boundless rage towards the deacon beside him:
If this fool hadn't rushed to invite him, he wouldn't have made a fool of himself in public and ended up in such a predicament.
The surrounding guests finally recovered from their shock, and whispers rose like a tide, but no one dared to make a loud noise.
He simply gazed at the girl and the star-shaped pendant on the platform with a mixture of awe and curiosity.
"My God, even the grand finale was fake! The Obsidian Merchant Guild has really messed up this time!"
"I knew this chamber of commerce had been acting strangely in recent years. It turns out they're making money off counterfeit goods. I'm so glad I didn't buy anything!"
Several customers who had previously purchased other exhibits were now unable to contain their anger and began to mutter under their breath, "This is outrageous! Could the antique I just bought be fake too?"
"It's a fake, even the star exhibits are counterfeit, how could your broken antique be real?"
"We must return this! Such a large chamber of commerce, and they're selling counterfeit goods!"
"."
Faced with these gazes coming from all directions, even an ordinary person, if not flustered, would inevitably feel somewhat uncomfortable.
But the girl seemed oblivious, maintaining her relaxed and carefree demeanor.
Her gaze returned to Gaode, a faint, harmless smile playing on her lips.
Just then, Morton took a deep breath and finally made a response.
He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and bowed to the girl, saying, "Miss, I was blind and mistook the fake for the real thing. Please forgive my mistake and thank you for pointing it out."
After saying this, he bowed deeply to the girl, his posture extremely humble and respectful.
Then, Morton turned to the guests around him and announced loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, today's events were due to the negligence of my Obsidian Merchant Guild!"
"This antique gambling event is suspended immediately, and all exhibits have been removed from the shelves for re-evaluation! All customers who have already purchased exhibits will receive a full refund upon presentation of their purchase receipt. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused!"
These words were powerful and resounding, instantly silencing most of the discussion.
The guests were clearly surprised by Morton's decisiveness, and many of them showed less anger.
A full refund is already a better-than-expected response.
Although some people were still dissatisfied, seeing Morton's expression and resolute attitude, they could only suppress their anger for the time being and rushed to the refund counter to register.
Morton quickly directed his men to maintain order and handle the refunds.
Gao De nodded slightly at Morton's emergency response.
This move may not have been particularly ingenious, but it was certainly rational and decisive.
Morton knew very well that any explanation would be futile at this moment. Only by quickly taking responsibility and making up for the losses of his customers could he minimize the damage to the Chamber of Commerce's reputation and make a wise decision based on the situation.
Gaode did not purchase any antiques, so there was no need to request a refund.
Seeing that Morton had announced the suspension of the Antiques Club and that the matter was settled, he immediately turned around and prepared to leave this chaotic place.
As for the "trouble" he caused, Gao De felt no remorse whatsoever.
Good heavens, I almost got scammed out of thousands or even tens of thousands of gold coins, and I might have spent a lot of time studying fake knowledge. What guilt do I have?
The girl who started it all felt no guilt whatsoever.
Seeing Gao De turn to leave, she quickly followed, naturally staying beside him and always maintaining a polite distance.
Gao De keenly sensed that the girl seemed to be quietly enveloped by an extremely weak force field spell.
The force field was colorless and formless, gentle yet resolute. Whenever a flustered customer or a busy shop assistant approached, they would be gently pushed away by this force field, never able to cross the safe zone around her.
It's like a deeply ingrained habit, an instinctive reaction that doesn't require conscious control.
This further convinced Gao De of his deduction:
Only daughters of extremely wealthy and powerful families would have such particular tastes.
As Gao De left the Obsidian Merchant Guild and escaped the noisy atmosphere, he immediately stopped and turned to the girl to express his sincere gratitude: "I also want to thank you for reminding me just now, otherwise I might have been caught off guard and become a sucker."
Regardless of the other party's identity, at least speak up to remind yourself that expressing goodwill is genuine.
Faced with Gaode's heartfelt thanks, the girl subconsciously narrowed her eyes, seemingly in a very pleasant mood.
However, he immediately opened his eyes wide again, as if the squinting he had just made was just Gaode's illusion.
Pleasure has turned into "aloofness".
"You're welcome," she said in a flat voice.
Just as Gao De was about to say something more, before he could even utter a word, a bizarre, gray-black scene forcibly intruded into his consciousness:
The sky was leaden gray, so heavy it seemed to crush the earth; the floor beneath our feet was cracked, black mist seeping from the cracks; a gale swept in, whipping up ghostly black vortexes.
The scene was so real, desolate, and lifeless, with a chilling aura, that Gao De shuddered.
Before he could think about it further, the strange scene vanished like the receding tide, and the bustling streets of Mithril City were back before him.
But Gaode would never consider it an illusion.
Because he had already realized what was going on:
It's the ability of the [Physical Ninja Body] to "predict impending disasters and suffering with a low probability"!
what's the situation? !
In Mithril City, in front of the Obsidian Merchant Guild, in broad daylight, how could such danger befall us?
Surrounded by silver-white buildings and bustling crowds, where does this gray-black world come from?
Is a devastating event about to occur in this area?
Countless questions surged into his mind like a tangled mess. Gaode's brain was working at high speed, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became.
But he knew that this was not the time to dwell on the details; escaping the area that gave him a premonition was the safest option.
"Get out of here quickly," he subconsciously reminded the girl before leaving, his voice carrying a hint of urgency and seriousness.
Then, his pupils suddenly contracted, becoming as sharp as needles, and his aura instantly turned cold and wary.
Gao De's gaze passed over the girl's shoulder, pierced through the flow of people, and precisely locked onto a seemingly ordinary figure, or rather, eyes, not far away.
He was a burly man, wrapped in an inconspicuous dark gray robe, with the hood pulled down low, obscuring most of his face in shadow, revealing only his eyes.
Blending in with the crowd, he was not much different from those coming and going.
However, Gaode Maps had already recognized the other party's identity.
He had seen those eyes before, from the spectator stands at Silverwing Nest.
He is a member of the Holy Empire's Mage Order!
It wasn't the stern-faced middle-aged mage who was leading the group, but rather an ordinary mage in the mage corps who didn't seem particularly special.
At that time, Gaode Maps was always operating with Mandora's Eye, possessing amazing modeling and calculation capabilities:
Anyone he has ever seen, even if only for a fleeting glimpse, will have their body proportions, skeletal structure, and eye details precisely modeled by his magical eye and stored deep within his consciousness.
Even if the other party disguises themselves well, changes their appearance, and conceals their aura, as long as they reveal a feature that matches the model, the Magic Eye can quickly calculate and lock onto their identity.
Therefore, with just one glance, Gaode Maps instantly completed the comparison and confirmed the other party's identity.
A mage from the Holy Empire, disguised like this, appears here.
And that sudden sense of crisis
(End of this chapter)