The Goldbird Auction House is one of the larger auction houses in Nolan City. According to the old man, the real owner is a local nobleman, but he is vague about who that nobleman is.
At the door, white marble pillars are used to cling to the door frame in the shape of an arch, and a huge oil-painted signboard hangs from the third floor to the ground. Even on weekday mornings, there are quite a few well-dressed gentlemen and ladies coming in and out here to participate in the auction, at least in formal attire.
From a distance, I saw the lawyer standing at the door, checking with a piece of paper in his hand. After walking quickly, I found that it was a form, which seemed to be a lawyer's schedule.
"Oh, Mr. Williams, you're here."
He greets Jenkins with a smile.
"Viscount Augustus gave me a gift, and I always have to do my job seriously."
Two people and one cat enter from the door together. Fortunately, small pets are allowed here. The waiter standing at the door bent over and said when Jenkins passed by:
"Good morning, Lord Williamett."
This surprised Jenkins very much, while the lawyer explained in a low voice that the service staff in such a formal occasion could know the appearance or characteristics of most of the nobles in this city.
Apparently, Jenkins features the adorable cat on his shoulder.
After all, it was Tuesday morning, and the auction house would not hold a large-scale formal auction. Only after Jenkins went in did he know that the auction house would hold auctions in three small halls at the same time, auctioning ancient cultural relics, manuscripts of modern celebrities and strange objects respectively.
The truly large-scale auction will only be held once a month, and it is usually arranged on weekend nights. At that time, many nobles and businessmen who have money and nothing to do will come here.
The auction hall was not too big, and Jenkins suddenly became excited after sitting down. Participating in an auction after coming to a strange world is a must for foreigners. It took him half a year to participate in the first game, which was a bit embarrassing.
Lawyer Jenkins and Onis didn't come here to buy anything, but the staff of the auction house thoughtfully gave them each a bid number.
Jenkins was worried that the auction that Miss Silver Flute participated in would not be in this auction hall, but fortunately, the middle-aged woman opened the door and arrived in the last five minutes before the start.
Because it is not a large-scale auction, there will be no boxes in this hall. There are eight rows of simple seats under the auction platform. The auctioneers are sitting very sparsely, and most of them don't seem to be awake.
The lawyer has an auction list in his hand, and the ring of Mr. Augustus will be the finale of the auction, appearing in the penultimate position.
"What if no one bids and the auction fails?"
Jenkins asked in a low voice, and at the same time secretly glanced at Miss Silver Flute, who was sitting at the other end of the same row, that is, Mrs. Frant. She was like an ordinary person participating in the auction, and she did not behave strangely.
"Wait until we arrange the auction. The Viscount's ring is worth a lot, and the auction house will definitely make money. But if we arrange another time, it will probably be a large auction at the end of the month..."
The lawyer patiently explained to Jenkins, and at the same time pointed out on the list with his fingers which items were worth buying in this auction.
He seemed to think that Jenkins, uncharacteristically, had arrived to buy something. It's a pity that Jenkins doesn't have... He does have 8,000 pounds in cash, but he doesn't plan to use it to buy antiques.
With the eyes of truth, you can see that the things in the auction house are ordinary goods. This made Jenkins even more suspicious of what Miss Yindi was trying to raise money for, not only cheating with him, but even selling her own house.
He would not intentionally compete with women for auction items, and he came here only to confirm the hunter's information. But curiosity, like the appetite for chocolate, has no end.
Before the auction officially started, Jenkins also chatted with Ornish lawyers about the banking industry and talked about the impact of the Fabry scam on the banking industry in the future. Mr. Lawyer is also very interested in this topic. He is well-informed and has been in the lawyer industry for many years. When looking at banking issues, he can raise many questions that Jenkins cannot see.
Of course, Jenkins is most interested in the issue of pet insurance. Although he will do his best to ensure the safety of chocolate, it is also very important to buy an insurance.
Chocolate leaned on Jenkins' lap and listened. When he heard the amount of ordinary pet insurance, he felt that it would be more cost-effective to spend the money on dessert.
The auction was far more boring than Jenkins imagined. There were no jealous nobles, no robbers with ulterior motives, and no unknown peerless treasures. There were only bidders who hadn't woken up in the small hall and the auctioneer who was trying to liven up the atmosphere. The most active creature should be Chocolate. It was a little too full in the morning, so it had to move around on Jenkins' lap.
There won't be any treasures in the small auction room. Most of the auction items are similar to those in the warehouse in the backyard of Papa's Antique Store, but they are more expensive. Amidst the auctioneer's yelling, a few people raised the signs in their hands, and everything was in order.
"It's not as lively as I imagined."
Jenkins relaxed his body and leaned back a little, his right hand kept slapping the chocolate.
It's not that he didn't see anything. He first became interested in the No. 3 auction item, a 300-year-old cat food bowl, but immediately thought that chocolate never eats in cat food bowls. Jenkins just adopted chocolate last fall. At that time, the one I bought for it. The price of that thing is not cheap, which probably has something to do with the complicated decorative patterns on the outer surface of the vessel.
Now it's placed under a drain outside the house to drain rainwater and melted snow that would otherwise end up in the basement to collect dust.
"Speaking of which, before the rainy season comes, I have to find someone to refit the drainage pipes. When it rained last fall, the sound of the water flow was so loud that I couldn't sleep."
After thinking about it endlessly, he became interested in Auction No. 10, a pair of bone rings. While it's a generic item and nothing historic, the chic styling fits well with Jenkins' aesthetic. It's just that the price is a little more expensive, and Jenkins is unwilling to wear human bone ornaments on his hands, so he can only give up in the end.
This auction could not be considered a success. Before the No. 32 auction item, Viscount Augustus' ring, more than half of the 31 items were unsold. During this period, Miss Yindi didn't raise her placard once, and she kept looking down at the list of auction items in her hand, so her goal should be the last few truly valuable antiques.