You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

It was exactly 8 p.m.

The lights in the center of the banquet hall dimmed, and a spotlight shone on the auction stage directly in front.

A seasoned auctioneer, dressed in a tuxedo and wearing white gloves, walked onto the stage and cleared his throat.

"Distinguished guests, welcome to the Poseidon's underground auction. Tonight's items are all rare treasures that can absolutely not be found on the market. As you all know, once you leave the auction house, we are not responsible for anything. The highest bidder wins."

The auctioneer didn't waste any words and simply waved his hand.

Two voluptuous hostesses pushed a small cart covered with a red cloth up.

The auctioneer walked up to the cart and yanked off the red cloth.

Under the lights, a vividly sculpted and brightly colored Tang Dynasty sancai (three-color glazed pottery) horse came into view. The horse, plump and neighing with its head raised, displayed the marks of time reflected in its glaze under the light, making it virtually perfect.

The buyers in the audience gasped in amazement.

"What a treasure! The shape, the glaze—it's definitely a top-quality official kiln piece from the Tang Dynasty!"

"If this were to be sold in the open, it would be worth at least two hundred million!"

The auctioneer was very satisfied with the crowd's reaction and announced loudly, "The first item for auction is a Tang Dynasty tri-colored glazed horse. Starting price is fifty million, with each bid increasing by at least one million. The auction begins!"

Lin Chen sat in the VIP section in the front row, crossed his legs, and casually glanced at the stage.

"System, activate Divine Treasure Appraisal! Activate Divine Insight!"

As the skill was activated, Lin Chen's eyes seemed to become a combination of a high-powered microscope and an X-ray machine.

What appeared to be a flawless tricolor horse to others was instantly dissected into countless data points and details in Lin Chen's eyes.

[Item: Tang Dynasty Tricolor Glazed Horse (Top-Grade Fake)]

【Material: 3D printed polymer resin skeleton + ancient porcelain shards pieced together + modern chemical reagents for aging】

[Analysis of the flaw: A 0.2 mm long modern nylon fiber is found embedded in the glaze layer of the horse's left forehoof.]

Lin Chen almost burst out laughing.

This Smiling Buddha is truly a cunning old fox. His very first item up for auction was a top-tier fake, clearly a test of the buyers' discernment and financial resources. Anyone who spent an exorbitant price to buy this thing would not only be a sucker, but the Smiling Buddha would also thoroughly investigate their background.

Ye Qingcheng, standing nearby, looked at the tricolor horse statue and seemed somewhat tempted, just about to raise the number in her hand.

Lin Chen grabbed her hand and shook his head slightly.

Just then, a portly coal mine owner sitting diagonally behind Lin Chen, wanting to show off in front of his female companion, suddenly stood up, raised his bidding paddle, and shouted, "I bid one hundred million!"

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The starting price was only 50 million, but this coal boss immediately doubled it. He's incredibly extravagant.

The coal mine owner thoroughly enjoyed the spotlight. He sat down smugly, even turning to glance at Lin Chen with a defiant look in his eyes. The meaning was clear: You think you're so arrogant? You think you've got 20 billion? Then come and challenge me!

The smiling Buddha in the second-floor private room watched this scene and contentedly began to play with the walnuts.

The auctioneer shouted excitedly on the stage, "This gentleman has bid one hundred million! Any higher bids? One hundred million once! One hundred million twice!"

The auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel.

Lin Chen suddenly stood up.

Instead of holding up a sign, he put his hands in his pockets and shouted in an extremely sarcastic and loud voice, "Spending a hundred million to buy a modern handicraft baked in a microwave oven, you really are rich and powerful! If you're so bored with burning money, you might as well just throw it into the sea and hear the splash!"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire auction hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared at Lin Chen as if he were a madman.

The coal mine owner's fat face twitched violently, and he pointed at Lin Chen, cursing furiously, "What nonsense are you spouting! If you can't afford it, don't be so sour! This is Tang Sancai! What do you know?!"

The auctioneer on stage panicked and said sternly, "Sir, please watch your words! All the items here have been authenticated by top experts; they are absolutely not fakes! If you continue to cause trouble, I will have to call security!"

"expert?"

Lin Chen chuckled and strode to the auction stage, pointing at the tricolor horse statue.

"Since you want evidence, then I'll teach you how to tell the difference. The horse's shape is indeed realistic, but the skeleton isn't made of clay at all; it's 3D-printed resin. The funniest thing is, the aging artist probably has failing eyesight..."

Lin Chen pointed to the left foreleg of the sancai horse, his voice resounding: "There's even a modern nylon fiber stuck in the glaze of that hoof! Don't believe me? Take a magnifying glass and see for yourselves!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

The smiling Buddha on the second floor changed his expression drastically, and the walnut in his hand suddenly stopped spinning.

Several white-haired appraisers who were originally sitting in the front row of the audience couldn't sit still any longer and immediately rushed onto the stage with high-powered magnifying glasses and powerful flashlights.

They surrounded the tricolor horse statue, and following Lin Chen's direction, they brought the magnifying glass to the left foreleg.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

The old appraiser who was leading the group broke out in a cold sweat.

Under the illumination of a strong flashlight and a high-powered magnifying glass, a tiny blue nylon fiber, emitting a chemical sheen, was clearly visible embedded in the extremely fine cracks of the glaze!

"This...this...it really is nylon fiber!" The old appraiser collapsed to the ground, his voice trembling.

Real hammer!

This supposedly priceless treasure is actually a complete modern forgery!

boom!

The entire banquet hall instantly erupted in cheers.

"Holy crap! It really is fake!"

"The Poseidon is actually using counterfeit goods to scam money? They're treating us like fools!"

The coal mine owner who had just bid 100 million was now green with rage, feeling like a complete scoundrel. He kicked over a chair in anger and stormed off with his female companion, grumbling and cursing.

In a private room on the second floor.

"Snap!"

With a crisp crack, the pair of priceless old walnuts that the Smiling Buddha had been handling for over a decade were crushed by his bare hands.

He stared intently at the arrogant "Chachai" downstairs, trembling with rage, his back teeth practically grinding to powder.

He had intended to use this high-quality replica to test the waters, but he never expected that this nouveau riche, whom he looked down upon, would expose him in public and ruin the reputation of the Dragon Seeking Society!