438 Hope Diamond (2/2)
”Hope!”
”The Hope Diamond!”
”How can it be! It… shouldn't be appearing in such a place.”
In the great hall, everyone had been thrown into a frenzy. All of the people were looking in shock at the Hope Diamond with expressions of disbelief. Everyone knew of the item but nobody had imagined that it would actually appear on stage at the auction.
Shen Jing covered her mouth with one hand as she fixated upon the beautiful and dream-like diamond. It was just like a shiny blue star as it emanated a very eye-catching luster. It was bright and big, possessed of great depth, and so mysterious… When faced with such a diamond, it was as though one was looking at an entire ocean. One's entire body and soul would be absorbed into the deep blue, bringing eternal feelings of peace and calm.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.
Any woman who saw such a beautiful item could not help but be filled with an eternal infatuation by and an obsession for it.
A white middle-aged guy stood up at his seat and said loudly, ”I am seriously doubtful! That cannot be the authentic diamond; 60 years ago, it had been donated to the Smithsonian Institute in America. It has never left that place so it cannot possibly appear on the auction.”
Not only was he in disbelief, but everybody else in the great hall had disbelieving expressions on them. Things that were placed in Washington's Smithsonian Institute would hardly ever appear in any transactions. One would only be lucky enough to have a look at this diamond if they made a trip all the way down to the Jewelry Exhibition Hall of the Smithsonian Institute.
It was impossible for two Hope Diamonds to exist in the world, because the Hope Diamond was unique. If the Hope Diamond on the stage was real, the one that was placed in Washington's Smithsonian Institute had to be fake.
As the most valuable item in the world, the diamond was naturally extremely coveted by every person in the room. As the king of diamonds, there were many legends about it.
For the past 300 years, the Hope Diamond had given anyone who owned it bad luck that was worse than a witch's curse. This had caused it to be portrayed in a very mysterious and scary light, and it had earned itself the reputation of being a mysterious yet unlucky item.
It was called the Hope Diamond but it had always brought people despair. According to legend, the people who possessed the Hope Diamond would always die without reason. This nightmare had continued for 300 years, until it had been donated to the Smithsonian Institute in America, putting an end to all the misfortune.
The Emcee pointed at the blue-colored diamond on the stage. ”Dear respected ladies and gentlemen,” he said with gusto, ”our auction has an established record of credibility going back a hundred years, never coming up with a counterfeit item. I can say, bearing full responsibility, that it truly is the Hope Diamond. The one and only Hope Diamond in the world!”
”If that is indeed the real Hope Diamond, it does not belong here. It should not be part of this auction. It belongs to America. I seriously beseech the auctioneers to return it to the staff of the Smithsonian Institute.”
”I protest! No matter how the Hope Diamond had been obtained, I demand that you return it to its rightful owner immediately.”
”You auctioneers truly do not know your limits. You are simply thieves, robbers…”
A few of the American attendees could not hold themselves back as they stood from their seats and protested strongly against what was happening. Everyone knew that the Hope Diamond belonged to the Smithsonian Institute in America. Yet, there were actually people who so daringly placed it for auction. It was simply too shameful for the Americans.
The Emcee furrowed his brows as he glanced across those people, saying expressionlessly, ”We don't like participants who cause so much trouble. Please escort those guests who have lost control out of the auction.”
Immediately, a few big, hefty security guards appeared. They walked over, pulling those people out of the hall. The guards were not at all polite and were very violent in their actions.
Very quickly, those few who had protested had been chased out of the venue. Inside, there was still quite a bit of quiet discussion going on amongst the people but nobody dared to stand up to protest this time.
”My dear distinguished guests, I believe everyone should be clear about the policy of our auction. All along, we have always stood by our policy of being able to auction any item at all in the world; even if I were to say it in jest, it would not be impossible for a nuclear bomb to appear at this auction. This is precisely the charm of our auction that attracts all of you. Anyone who breaks the rules will never receive an invitation from us.”
The Emcee continued, ”I can tell you, taking full responsibility, that the Hope Diamond is certainly real. Information other than that, such as the provider of the Hope Diamond and other related news will not be revealed at all. If any of you have anything that you wish to send for auction but it is not very convenient for you to do personally, you are welcome to collaborate with us.”
The people in the great hall shared glances. The words of the Emcee were clear. He unmistakably meant that if anyone had any dirty and illegal items in their possession, or perhaps any item that was not obtained by proper means, it could be handed over to them and they would be glad to destroy the incriminating evidence on the person's behalf, through the auction.
”I will save on the nonsense. We will now proceed with the auction. The starting price is two hundred million US dollars. With every new bid, the price has to rise by at least one million.”
The Emcee cut to the chase, without exaggeration or embellishment. That was because there was no need for any further introduction for such a rare treasure. He was able to start the bidding immediately.