Chapter 707: Chapter 704: Ivory Carving

Many people were interested in the bronze artifact, with dozens ascending the stage to examine the piece, yet Huo Sining was rather indifferent.

Firstly, she had no particular research interest in bronze artifacts, and secondly, the price was indeed steep. Nevertheless, Huo Sining had no intention of letting this artifact slip away. Even though she wasn’t planning on bidding, she still wanted to see and touch it for herself.

Zhou Shitao finished examining the item and casually handed it to Huo Sining. Although some onlookers showed dissatisfaction, it was clear that Huo Sining was with Zhou Shitao, and since Huo Sining was just a young girl, the discontented ones held back their complaints.

Huo Sining accepted the artifact without hesitation and began to scrutinize it closely in her hands.

Holding the artifact in her hands brought about a starkly different sensation compared to viewing it from afar. As soon as the item touched her palm, Huo Sining saw an intense purple aura before her eyes. Not only that, her ears picked up a faint yet thunderous roar of a wild beast, accompanied by a powerful gust of historic essence that hit her full in the face.

The beast’s roar took Huo Sining aback, and she involuntarily drew a sharp breath. She hastily placed the bronze artifact on the table, withdrawing her hands in a flurry and nervously glancing at the people nearby with a hint of guilt. Seeing that their expressions were unchanged, she finally relaxed.

That brief touch had confirmed the artifact’s authenticity for Huo Sining; such an object was indeed valuable. However, she was well aware that its origins must be unclean. With a twinge of reluctance, she looked at the bronze artifact one final time before giving up her spot to the next in line and silently followed Zhou Shitao down from the display stage.

Soon, Ji Kun and Wei Yanli also took turns inspecting the bronze piece, but like Huo Sining, Ji Kun just looked out of curiosity, while only Wei Yanli filled out a bid slip after coming down.

Huo Sining was curious about the price Wei Yanli wrote and couldn’t help leaning over to take a look.

Unfortunately, Wei Yanli moved too quickly, and Huo Sining only managed to catch sight of three zeros at the end of the number before the bid slip was handed in.

Wei Yanli even teased Huo Sining by raising an eyebrow and throwing a coquettish wink at her when he noticed her staring.

Zhou Shitao also refrained from any action after descending. Huo Sining was sweating bullets, truly worried that the trio might be thrown out by the staff of the Ghost Market.

Why act so eager to look if you’re not planning to buy? Running up to examine the goods so swiftly, only to not purchase–in this not mischief?

Eventually, the bronze artifact sold for a price of four million two hundred thousand. However, it was standard procedure at the auction to announce only the final price; the identity of the winning bidder remained unknown to all but the organizers and the winner themselves.

The first item itself had kicked the door wide open, leaving everyone extremely excited and looking forward to the upcoming lots. Sadly, when the second item was presented, there were murmurs of disappointment.

The second item up for auction was an ivory carved Buddha statue about twenty centimeters tall, as thick as a child’s arm, with both its figure and attire featuring openwork carving techniques.

The statue depicted the Buddhist figure of Guanyin Bodhisattva. There’s a saying: “The Bodhisattva lowers her gaze; the Vajra has fiery eyes.” This carved Bodhisattva had a gentle, downward gaze and held Guanyin’s Clean Bottle in her hand. Her skirt fluttered as though she were in a heavenly realm, and the ivory’s pure white and warm luster lent the carving an incredibly gentle and soft quality, as serene and subdued as the Buddhist Law itself.

It was a classic Indian ivory carving, elegant in form and exquisitely crafted.

Of course, the reason for everyone’s murmurs was not due to the item being an ivory carving.

Ivory carvings are quite common in the market, and the types seen include Asian ivory, African ivory, mammoth ivory, walrus ivory, and excavated ivory.

Because mammoths are extinct, the majority of ivory in circulation is either African or Asian ivory.

Ivory comes in colors like white, yellow, and light brown, its surface lacks enamel coating, and it has a tough and fine texture with a soft luster.

Generally speaking, Asian ivory has coarser grains than African ivory.

African ivory is pale yellow or milky white, hard and fine in texture, warm, with good luster, and its quality remains constant over time;

Whereas Asian ivory may initially be snow-white and bright, its hardness is lower than that of African ivory, its luster is inferior, and it becomes coarser and yellows with age.

Therefore, in terms of the collectible value of crafts, African ivory is rated higher than Asian ivory, which is precisely why this ivory carved Buddha statue made of Asian ivory was the cause of much sighing.

Following a bronze artifact, the sudden emergence of a comparatively less valuable ivory carving naturally created a sense of disappointment, lessening their interest in the ivory piece.

However, the moment Huo Sining laid eyes on this item, she took an instant liking to it.

Upon closer inspection, Huo Sining could tell that the carver was extremely skilled, carving each stroke decisively without drag, presenting the Bodhisattva with simple and smooth lines and clearly defined, natural details. What was most special was that the carver did not alter the natural grains of the ivory but carved along its curvature, fully showcasing the characteristics of Asian ivory.

Since Asian ivory carvings are very common in the market and don’t hold high collectible value, those who attend the auction are either the wealthy or elite collectors who have found great deals before. They tend to overlook items with limited appreciation potential, so when the reminder whistle blew, only two people, aside from Huo Sining, approached the stage.

Since it wasn’t deemed an important piece, Huo Sining was not in a hurry this time and waited until those two had finished examining the item before she stepped onto the stage.

The two were a man and a woman, with the man looking quite young, around twenty-something years old.

After the man went on stage, he picked up a magnifying glass and started to observe the ivory carving, but after barely a glance, he turned and hurried off the stage, a look of disappointment clear on his face.

The other lady, seemingly in her forties or fifties, was dressed very elegantly in a quite aristocratic manner, clearly from a wealthy background.

She did pick up the carving, but her focus was not on the carving itself but on the attire of the Bodhisattva.

Perhaps attracted by the openwork patterns and the retro clothing, she fondled the carving for a long while. In the end, after looking at the reserve price, she still didn’t find it worthwhile to bid and sadly shook her head, returning directly to her seat.

It was now Huo Sining’s turn to examine the item. She had been worried that the previous two would drive up the price, which would have made it difficult for her if she wanted to bid.

Because it involves calculating how much the other party might bid, and how much she would need to offer to suppress the competition. Now that those two had stepped down without placing an entry, it meant they weren’t interested, and this brought a burst of joy to Huo Sining’s heart.