Chapter 10: Saving the Coral
What he is curious about is where this statue of the Qin Dynasty Osprey was obtained from
If our company is granted the auction rights, I assure you that we will mobilize all our resources to promote these artworks, including Mr. Pina's paintings
Auerbach introduced him to a refined middle-aged man, who was Robert Blake IV, the general manager of Leith Auction House
As he carefully examined the coral, he realized that the situation was not good; he had not noticed yesterday that the plight of the coral polyps was even worse!
Qin Shiyou brewed coffee for everyone, and Little Blake started a conversation with him, beginning with the Forbidden City and the Badaling Great Wall. After learning that his hometown is in Dongshan Province, they began discussing Confucian culture and the thoughts of Confucius and Mencius.
As the general manager of a renowned auction house, Little Blake is quite adept at conversational skills. He only claims to have a superficial understanding of the topics discussed, primarily seeking guidance from Qin Shiaoou, and with just a few words, he elevates the latter's status.
Qin Shiyou truly does not understand these matters; what he understands is that he has indeed become part of the wealthy generation now
Previously, Qin Shiao had already gained some understanding that the Blakes are a prominent family in Eastern Canada, controlling the Blake Consortium, one of the eight major financial groups in Canada, wielding significant power
The mother squirrel quietly looked at him. After a moment of thought, Qin Shiao said: "Alright, from now on you will be called Xiao Hong. Xiao Ming and Xiao Hong are a match made in heaven."
Xiao Ming extended his soft, tender tongue to lick his fingers, then picked up the pine nuts, chirping "ji ji" as he handed them to him
Miracles thus appear, as it is well known that the formation of a coral reef requires years of time. This is because coral polyps are very small; although they continuously reproduce, they also constantly die.
The consciousness transferred to the pink coral, and the cup sponge swayed gently around it. He sensed that the vitality of the cup sponge was no longer an issue, which brought some comfort to Qin Shiao.
Upon hearing this, Qin Shiao suddenly recalled a recently overlooked issue: his strength seemed to have increased significantly. In fact, this bronze statue is solid, weighing perhaps seventy to eighty kilograms, yet when he lifted it, it felt effortless, as if he were lifting something weighing only seven or eight jin.
The final appraisal report has been issued. After reviewing it, Little Black handed it to Qin Shiaoou, confirming that this statue is indeed an authentic piece
However, upon receiving this result, he truly could not maintain his usual composure: this statue, which he regarded as something that could barely sell for a few hundred yuan, turned out to be an antique worth thirty million, and that thirty million is in Canadian dollars!
"You can call me Little Black, that's what my friends call me, Little Bu," Robert Black IV said, extending his hand and smiling as he spoke. "Mr. Qin is truly accomplished at a young age, managing such a large fishery. At your age, I was still spending my parents' money chasing after beautiful girls."
Qin Shiyou fell silent for a moment, and then said, "Deal"
Qin Shiyou was also unprecedentedly exhausted, and he directly withdrew his consciousness, falling into a deep sleep
He speculated that this should also be related to the Heart of the Sea God
Furthermore, the international convention for art auction commissions is 12%. However, if you are willing to entrust us with the auction, we are prepared to reduce the commission to 5%. Additionally, I believe you may currently be in urgent need of funds to operate your fishery, and our company can advance you a cash payment of 10 million Canadian dollars
Qin Shiyou hesitated somewhat; although Li's Auction House is quite well-known, it is primarily famous for its mechanical auctions. When it comes to cultural relics and artworks, Sotheby's and even Christie's are more reliable.
Feeling dizzy from drinking, Qin Shi Ou lay down in the bedroom, and his consciousness once again shifted to the ocean
Qin Shiyou was stunned, how could his second grandfather have such a grand reputation
Among the corals in the vicinity, there is only one area here with a patch of live coral that may cover around 5 to 6 square meters. Half of it is pink, while the other half is light yellow. There are also corals on the periphery, but they are all composed of grayish-white coral stones.
The actions of the little squirrel warmed Qin Shiao's heart. He held both in his hands and kissed them, discovering that the other little squirrel was female. He immediately laughed, gently stroking Xiao Ming's head with his fingertip, and said: "Honestly confess, have you fallen in love early?"
Qin Shiyou opened the window and let in two little squirrels. Seeing his exhausted appearance, they turned around and ran out together. Upon returning, the squirrels brought back two pine nuts.
These coral stones are formed from the bodies of coral polyps that have condensed together
Undoubtedly, artworks of such value are more likely to fetch their worth at auction houses of the caliber of Sotheby's
Auerbach smiled silently beside him, which also provided an opportunity for Qin Shiou to witness the tactics of those capitalists in high society
The underwater world is still somewhat desolate, and his consciousness traverses the flat sandy bottom of the sea, encountering no signs of life for a long time, evoking a sense of sorrow.
Qin Shiyou cracked open a pine nut and laughed, saying: "Bribery is useless. You are so young and already talking about relationships? Are you trying to drive me to my grave? I am already twenty-six or twenty-seven and still have no wife."
For the past two days, Qin Shiao had been waking up promptly at around six in the morning. This time, he slept until after eight, only being awakened when the little squirrel tapped on the window.
Shashefsky was not a salesman; he noticed Qin Shiou's embarrassment regarding https://www.hetushu.com.com, so he smiled and did not bring up the topic again, but instead began to discuss the paintings and sculptures.
At this moment, the pink coral polyps and pale yellow coral polyps suddenly began to reproduce wildly, and the coral on the seabed spread outwards at a visibly rapid pace. In just two minutes, the living coral expanded from an area of five to six square meters to a space of about ten square meters!
Qin Shiyou lifted the bronze sculpture down, and it looked as if he were carrying a water bucket. Shashefsky's eyes nearly popped out in astonishment. At that moment, a refined middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing glasses, smiled and said, "Mr. Qin has great strength"
In addition, Shashefsky informed Qin Shiao that their company hoped to collaborate with him to obtain the auction rights for this statue and these paintings
Little Black cleared his throat, and Qin Shiou knew that the main topic had arrived. He immediately sat up straight, preparing to refuse the request from the Li Auction House.
This female squirrel has fur that is much redder than Xiao Ming's; it is a standard North American red squirrel
Qin Shiyou quickly stated that he was merely lucky, and the people around him were not particularly surprised; they had seen many auction items, and many had even better luck.
Little Black chuckled: "No, no, no, my friend, that is fake, that is a replica. You must know that this statue was created by the master sculptor Cellini in 1545 at the commission of Grand Duke Cosimo, and it was lost two centuries later. Since then, there have been claims of sightings in various parts of Europe, but no one has ever truly brought it to the public until now, you have done it."
Qin Shiyou attributed the origins of these items to his enigmatic second grandfather. Auerbach spoke on his behalf, stating: "Qin Hongde is an extraordinary man. During World War II, he was the head of the Allied maritime transport fleet in the Newfoundland area. I believe this may be what he acquired during that special period"
Recalling the previous experience of rescuing the sponge, Qin Shiao enveloped her consciousness over this coral, using the energy contained within her consciousness to nurture their lives
In the evening, I treated Shashevsky and two others to a meal, which was held at Hickson's Flavor Restaurant, where we enjoyed an authentic Newfoundland feast and also tasted the locally renowned ice wine.
The verification of this statue was, in fact, faster than the authentication of the painting. Shashefsky took comprehensive photographs and sent them back to the company, then extracted a small amount of copper dust and conducted tests using the carbon-14 dating device he had brought with him
According to Shashevsky's speculation, the painting "Woman with a Tambourine" was likely acquired by Pina Jean through a friend from Picasso, specifically for the purpose of study. There was a time when Pina Jean's abstract painting skills advanced rapidly, possibly due to the inspiration gained after obtaining the original work by Picasso
Qin Shiyou still had some questions and said: "Yesterday I searched online, and it seems that the statue of 'Perseus and Medusa' is located in Michelangelo Square in Florida, Italy? Why is there one here as well?"
Upon learning his thoughts, Shashefsky revealed a smile on his stern face and said, "If this statue of 'Perseus and Medusa' had not rusted due to poor preservation, its value could have been raised by another ten million. You may not know that this statue is one of the greatest works of Mr. Cellini, one of the most renowned sculptors of 16th century Italy"
I understand that Sotheby's and Sotheby's auction houses are more suitable for these artworks, but with less than half a month until the spring auction, you should be aware that the value of artworks is directly proportional to the investment in promotion. I believe that if you send them for the spring auction now, they will not fetch a good price
This living coral exhibits a gradual fading of color towards the periphery, and the vitality diminishes correspondingly. If one focuses solely on the central area, the coral polyps appear to be full of life. However, when one observes the surroundings, the coral is imbued with a sense of lifelessness.
While watching television and having breakfast with two little squirrels, the expert team from Sotheby's arrived in full force around noon
The appraisal has concluded, and Shashevsky and others did not leave, as the general manager of the Leese Auction House, along with experts from the sculpture department, set out that day and will arrive at the fishing grounds tomorrow to make the final determination of the statue's authenticity
The unprecedented fatigue in his body left Qin Shiao feeling helpless. It seemed that the energy of his consciousness could not be misused; otherwise, his very life would be at risk
What caused a once-thriving fishing ground to become today's underwater graveyard? Qin Shimao vowed that he would use the money obtained from the auction to fully revitalize the fishing ground, bringing it back to life.
Mr. Qin, you are aware that our company has always focused on auctions related to machinery, achieving only modest success in the art sector. However, at the beginning of this year, our board of directors unanimously decided that the company should transition towards the art market. Therefore, I hope you can bestow upon our company the honor of auctioning these artworks
In fact, due to the issue of the counterfeit "Sunflower," Qin Shiao had mentally prepared himself for the reality that these artworks were not valuable. Even if this portrait of Picasso were ultimately verified as a forgery, he would still be able to face it with equanimity
In just a few sentences, Little Black quickly established a closer relationship with Qin Shiao.
The machine determined that the statue originated from the mid-16th century. Upon seeing this result, Shashevsky confidently remarked, "Congratulations, Mr. Qin, you may possess the most valuable statue of the year"