Chapter 319: First Volume, Chapter 319: Auction of a Fortune

First Volume, Chapter 319: Auction of a Fortune

This statue of the Glazed Bodhisattva required no introduction whatsoever; even if it were merely a lump of nonexistent raw glaze, it was already priceless.

Qin Feng cut straight to the point: "The starting bid for this Glazed Bodhisattva statue remains one liang of silver!"

If this had been earlier, hearing Qin Feng say this would have sparked a frenzy in the crowd.

Now, the young nobles merely sneered.

They stared at Qin Feng with looks that said, "I believe you? You old trickster, you're up to no good."

"Qin, stop beating around the bush—just tell us outright: how much do you want for this Glazed Bodhisattva statue?"

"Exactly! All these empty tricks—you claim a starting bid of one liang of silver, yet you've clearly arranged shills to drive up the price. Don't believe a single punctuation mark out of Qin Feng's mouth."

Facing their skepticism, Qin Feng rubbed his nose, wondering if his reputation had sunk this low.

To prove his honesty, Qin Feng patted his chest and swore: "If I'm tricking you this time, I'll give you this Glazed Bodhisattva statue for free—no charge at all."

The crowd had been burned by Qin Feng too many times.

They still hesitated.

After a long pause, a nondescript Young Master tentatively called out: "Ten liang of silver?"

Qin Feng immediately grabbed the Wooden Hammer and solemnly announced: "Ten liang of silver once! Any higher bids? Ten liang of silver twice! Ten liang of silver thr—"

As Qin Feng was about to bring the Wooden Hammer down, the crowd finally realized he was serious.

Instantly, they stopped hesitating and began bidding wildly.

"Ten liang of silver? Are you joking? I bid one thousand liang!"

"This Glazed Bodhisattva statue stands three feet tall—just the glaze alone is priceless! I bid ten thousand liang of silver!"

"Stop fighting—unless you raise the price so high that no one can afford it! Let me have it. I bid twelve thousand liang."

"Get lost! Why not let me have it? Resell this Glazed Bodhisattva statue and you'll make a fortune! I bid fifty thousand liang of silver!"

Watching the young nobles turn red-faced and shove each other, Qin Feng wore an expression of utmost "honesty."

Unbeknownst to them, thanks to the prior Glazed Wine Set, this Glazed Bodhisattva statue required no intervention from him—just the nobles' fierce bidding alone would reach his target price.

In the end, the Glazed Bodhisattva statue was sold to a powerful clan merchant from Changping County for fifty thousand liang of silver.

The merchant, terrified Qin Feng would renege, tossed down several bank drafts and sent servants to carry off the statue, fleeing without a backward glance.

Every young noble present sighed in regret.

"Damn it! That fat bastard got off cheap! Even a hundred thousand liang of silver would've been profitable!"

"Ah, who can blame him? He's a merchant—he's got money. We're noble scions; even if we're rich, we can't overstep. If we suddenly pulled out tens of thousands of liang, the Emperor would suspect us."

"The sun rose in Xibian today—Qin Feng, who never does anything without profit, actually sold the Bodhisattva statue to that Changping County merchant."

"Hmph! Qin Feng got ripped off this time!"

Qin Feng quietly tucked away the fifty-thousand-liang bank drafts.

Rip-off?

Even five liang of silver—let alone fifty thousand—he made a fortune.

After all, the cost to craft this Glazed Bodhisattva statue—labor and materials combined—was less than two liang of silver…

Others might profit, but Qin Feng never lost.

Unfortunately, Qin Feng had to follow the principle of hoarding rare goods.

The glazed products brought absurd profits—profit margins often reached ten thousandfold.

But to preserve glaze's value and prevent its price from collapsing after flooding the market, Qin Feng could only harvest the suckers occasionally.

The groundwork for glazed products was now complete; the real highlight of today's auction was next.

Qin Feng scanned the young nobles and smiled: "The final lot isn't meant for you nobles—you don't need to participate. This is primarily aimed at the merchants."

"I imagine… you're all wondering where I got so much glaze."

"It's nothing mysterious—I just got lucky and stumbled upon a unique supply channel for glaze."

At these words, the crowd erupted in groans.

Envious, jealous, resentful glares converged on Qin Feng from every direction.

Qin Feng lifted his head, beaming with pride: "You've all seen the value of glazed products. But selling them solely through auctions is too cumbersome. So I've decided to open several Glaze Workshops—precisely thirty-seven. Besides the one in Jingdu, I'll cover all Thirty-Six Counties of Jingdu."

"But this venture is too large for me to handle alone. After careful consideration, I'm selling the agency rights for all thirty-six Liuli Workshops outside the Jingdu headquarters."

If the previous two glazed items had stirred the crowd,

the unveiling of this final auction item sent the room into chaos.

No one could believe their ears.

"What?! Open thirty-seven Liuli Workshops? Qin Feng has audacity!"

"If he actually pulls it off, this is a one-in-ten-thousand-profit business—no one has ever entered the glaze trade."

"Indeed! Not just in Shedynasty—even across all of Heaven, this is a one-of-a-kind opportunity."

Even these wastrels sensed the scent of "profit"—how much more so the merchants, sharper than monkeys?

Some quick-thinking merchants had already sent servants home to prepare money.

Qin Feng took this deal seriously—it concerned Tianji Camp's finances—and cut straight to the point: "Agency rights for each Liuli Workshop are valid for three years. The starting bid for one agency is ten thousand liang of silver. There's no limit on quantity—anyone with sufficient funds may bid for all thirty-six workshops at once."

As expected, the noble youths instantly deflated.

They weren't short of money—they just couldn't participate, and could only stare helplessly.

The merchants, however, had no such constraints and immediately began bidding.

"Young Master Qin, I bid twelve thousand liang for ten Liuli Workshops! My Zhou Family is Jingdu's top textile merchant—we have deep commercial roots. Entrusting these workshops to us is the right choice."

"I'm a grain merchant from Jingdu—my grain shops span twenty-three counties. I'm powerful! I bid fifteen thousand liang per workshop for thirteen Liuli Workshops."

Hearing the merchants keep raising their bids, even the noble youths were secretly stunned.

This money... is endless!

One Liuli Workshop costs Fifteen Wan Liang of Silver; thirteen of them amount to One Hundred Ninety-Five Wan Liang.

One doesn't know whether to marvel at Qin Feng's skill in amassing wealth, or at how filthy rich these Jingdu merchants are...