Quinn was still quietly crying at the table, but Jason's attention wasn't on her at all. His focus was entirely on that large rolled carpet.
To avoid drawing unnecessary attention, he quickly shifted his gaze. Making a move silently was the correct strategy.
Soon, the auction officially began. Although it was called an auction, it was actually more like a collector's gathering among club members to exchange and trade items.
The benefit was flexibility, lower commission fees, and fewer mark-ups.The downside was lack of transparency and complete dependence on one's ability to authenticate items.
Those with poor judgment might get deceived, paying high prices for counterfeits.
Some people would even deliberately lay a "Sky Trap", where everything looked authentic — certificates, expert verification, and plausible provenance — but the piece was completely fake, and a group would cooperate just to defraud someone.
Aside from that carpet, Jason was not interested in any of the pieces. These items were too low-tier; anything he had casually purchased at the last major auction would overshadow them completely.
However, to avoid appearing focused on this one carpet, he had Olivia bid on a few items symbolically. Just a few hundred thousand dollars — nothing but small souvenirs.
Finally, the carpet was brought up.
The owner, a bald middle-aged man, introduced:
"I acquired this piece from an auction house in Hong Kong. It is a royal palace carpet. Everyone familiar with them, knows that Royal-use items hold far higher collectible value. And it is extremely large — enough to cover this entire hall when fully opened…"
Some attendees showed initial interest, but after approaching to examine it, most returned to their seats without placing bids.
The carpet had not been preserved properly. It was old, frayed, and to avoid damage, it had not been washed — so it appeared extremely dirty. The pattern itself was ordinary, with no historical or research significance.
In terms of cultural significance, artistry, historical value, and market factors, none were present.
The only appealing point was that it was indeed authentic in age — and modern forgeries would not mimic such a massive worn carpet.
Even so, most people lost interest.
However, some still clung to the thought of "finding a hidden treasure." Among them were Calvin and Cora, and of course Jason, who had been silently waiting.
There are always people who believe an overlooked antique might be a miracle find.
Cora asked after examining it, "How much for this carpet?"
The bald owner raised three fingers:
"I paid more than this amount myself, and that was considered a lucky purchase. Someone later offered higher, but I didn't sell. Today, I'm looking for someone with fate. Five hundred thousand."
Cora didn't bother responding further and pulled Calvin back to their seats. The bald man's face darkened briefly, but he said nothing.
Other attendees also gave up. The carpet might be worth some value, but $500,000 was too high.
So, only Jason remained — still appearing to examine the carpet.
In reality, he didn't care what it looked like.
The system opportunity had already been triggered:
"At this event attended by Quinn, there is a 12th century Item. Though it appears worthless, the carpet's base is camel hide. Inside the hide is a complete 12th century map and a portrait of a duke. Additionally, a treasure map is concealed within."
Jason's expression remained unchanged.
But his decision was already made.
He would take it.
And the opportunity that originally belonged to Quinn—
Would now belong to him.
"The value of just the 12 century map and the portrait of duke Alex the VI is estimated to exceed five hundred million. The value of the treasure map is even more incalculable."
"Help Quinn seize this opportunity to acquire immense wealth. With this wealth, her life will be smooth sailing."
Jason Carter indeed had plenty of money now, but why not take five hundred million for free? Moreover, the value of the treasure map was incalculable.
Jason said, "I quite like this carpet; it's very large and impressive, with a strong royal palace aura. However, it's truly tattered, and five hundred thousand is too high. Can you lower the price a bit…?"
The bald middle-aged man's eyes lit up: "This young man has good taste. I can lower it a tiny bit, but this carpet has great appreciation potential. I'm only selling it reluctantly because I'm short on cash…"
After some haggling, they settled on four hundred twenty thousand. Jason felt he had acted enough and decided to buy it.
Just then, Quinn walked over, pulled Jason aside, and whispered, "Jason, you can't buy this carpet."
Quinn's eyes were still red, even a bit swollen. Jason already had a girlfriend, so she didn't dare to harbor any thoughts.
However, after all, she owed Jason too many favors. She had just overheard her aunt and father's conversation and knew this carpet was worthless, so she naturally couldn't just stand by.
Seeing this, the bald middle-aged man gave Quinn a warning look. Calvin also called out, "Quinn, come back."
In this transactions, it generally depends on personal discernment. Finding a bargain or making a bad purchase is a matter of individual skill, and no one can be blamed.
If they saw that this carpet was worthless, they simply shouldn't buy it. Telling others about it would offend people.
Quinn understood this principle, but she couldn't bear to see Jason get scammed. She lowered her voice and said, "My aunt Cora majored in history in college, then studied cultural relics in graduate school, and made her fortune through this after graduation. She can truly be called an expert. She said this carpet is worthless except for its size, worth at most a little over a hundred thousand."
Jason knew Quinn meant well and nodded: "Thanks for the reminder, but I know what I'm doing."
"Jason, trust me, no matter what, I would never harm you," Quinn said.
Jason said calmly, "It's not that I don't trust you. I appreciate your good intentions, but I really like this carpet, and a few hundred thousand is nothing to me."
Upon hearing this, Quinn said nothing more, nodded, and dejectedly returned to Calvin and Cora.
"Sir, don't listen to her. She's just a young girl, what does she know?" Although the bald middle-aged man hadn't heard what Quinn said, he probably guessed it and didn't want to give up, pushing hard: "This carpet might even have been used by the king, its collection value…"
After some promotion, he ended up lowering the price by another forty thousand. Jason stopped procrastinating and bought it for three hundred eighty thousand.
He paid the money and signed the contract, a direct exchange of money for goods. The moment he received the money, the bald man's face broke into a wide smile. Jason remained expressionless, but he was smiling broadly inside.
Jason naturally wouldn't listen to the system and give this opportunity to Quinn. Why should he give away an opportunity he himself seized?
Moreover, according to the normal trajectory, Quinn would definitely miss this opportunity. Her aunt, being an expert, could tell this carpet was worthless and wouldn't buy it at all. Even if she did buy it, it would be very difficult to discover the true contents inside the carpet. Normally, people would clean it and repair it; why would they tear it open?
So, should belong to him.
"I'll take your opportunity."
There are 140 chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
patreon.com/B_A_3439