Libertopia, Shores Harbor.
A container storage yard.
Countless containers, which for various reasons had not been delivered on time, were piled up here.
They would be publicly auctioned off in batches by Shores Harbor Customs to clear the yard for new containers.
Walking through the area, Daniel was live-streaming the environment to his online subscribers.
"Look, folks, this is the biggest Auction site for Containers in Libertopia," he said.
"Take a look at all these containers. They're full of personal items from the wealthy around the world. From priceless antiques to modern manufactured goods, we have it all here."
"If we could win a container with antiques, then..."
Daniel stopped and grinned at the camera, "I've never been here before. Today, I'll show you around, and maybe we'll find a hidden treasure and make a fortune."
With confidence, Daniel headed towards the auction site, determined to win.
Why? Because today, he had activated the [Omniscient Appraisal System]!
At first, Daniel didn't think much of this system and was even a bit disappointed.
When others activated their systems, they could either become gods by signing in or become billionaires with a superpower system holding infinite assets.
And here he was with the modest Appraisal System.
According to Daniel's understanding, the most he could achieve with this system was to become a world-renowned appraiser.
Nothing about becoming powerful or influential.
But when he bought an adult magazine from a coffee shop, he realized that his system wasn't as pathetic as he'd imagined.
The manufacturer, production date, supplier, supply price, and even the names of the workers who produced the magazine, were all listed by the system.
Plus, the system had a retrieval feature and could search for potential buyers.
The system even bought back the adult magazine at a brand new price since it couldn't find a buyer.
Most importantly, the system rewarded him with a skill - Artwork Appraisal!
This meant that whatever he bought couldn't possibly be a loss, and selling it to the system could even bring unexpected rewards!
Daniel was thrilled.
This system was too awesome!
He instantly thought of a place where he could maximize the system's capabilities: the container yard in front of him!
The Golden Shores Customs, in order to deal with these towering stacks of containers, even tailored a reality TV show called "Container Hunt Auction."
The show not only attracted more people to participate in the auction, but also became the most-watched TV program in Libertopia!
The program exploded globally, and even in Daniel's hometown, Serenalia, across the ocean, there were many loyal fans.
That's why Daniel specifically registered an account on the Serenalia live-streaming platform.
After all, some popular Internet celebrity earned more from a single live broadcast than some small public companies.
...
At the moment, Daniel's livestream room had more than sixty viewers.
The title of the livestream was: [In Libertopia, hunting for treasures LIVE!]
For viewers in Serenalia, the idea of someone from their homeland hunting for treasures in Libertopia was doubly attractive.
"Wow, he's really at the container hunt auction site!"
"How can you hunt for treasures with containers, especially if it's your first time? Are you okay, streamer?"
"Haha, surely no one really believes in this container hunt auction thing, right?"
"Auctions are held daily, so there must be some real stuff. But I'm afraid the good stuff has probably been scanned and taken away by customs. All that's left are some worthless items."
Daniel simply smiled, without rebutting these comments.
He had the same concerns before coming, but after researching thoroughly, his worries were dispelled.
In a nutshell, while customs have the most advanced container inspection equipment, they essentially function like X-rays and can only provide an overview from the outside, aiming to quickly filter out containers without contraband.
The most stringent process would involve sending staff to conduct random inspections.
So not all containers that enter the port will be opened and checked on-site.
That means the chance of finding hidden treasures still exists and is quite high!
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud noise came from nearby.
Following the sound, Daniel saw a crowd gathered around a forklift, and noises of uproar could be heard from within.
He squeezed into the crowd and understood from the conversations and the damaged container in front of him that,
A forklift operator had accidentally dropped a container.
Coincidentally, the dropped container was the next one to be auctioned off.
"Oh my God!"
"Let's hope there's nothing fragile inside!"
"If it's filled with cotton, then it would be fine. But that would also mean it's worthless for the auction."
Many people had already lost interest in this container.
At this moment, a burly middle-aged man in a customs uniform walked up.
He was Robert, the person in charge here.
After his arrival, he didn't blame the forklift driver.
He simply looked at the folder in his hand and then swept his gaze over the crowd.
"This container was offloaded from a ship that had been pirated. It's been unclaimed for a long time, so we're now auctioning it off."
Upon hearing this, the crowd's enthusiasm waned even more.
The container was riddled with bullet holes and had just been rolled over by the forklift operator's mistake.
Even if there had been valuable items inside, they were likely shattered by now.
Robert didn't mind the crowd's reaction.
He signaled the workers behind him with his eyes and said, "Open it."
A worker took out a pair of bolt cutters and forcefully cut through the thick metal chain on the container door.
Two more workers then pulled the door open.
Immediately, a number of luggage bags rolled out.
"Oh, shit!"
"What's that smell? It's worse than my granny's socks that haven't been washed in a year!"
"Are there bodies inside these luggage bags?"
These comments sent many people backing away in terror, holding their noses. Only then did Daniel get a clear view of the situation inside the container.
Inside the rusty, battered container were piles of luggage bags, their surfaces shredded by pirates' weapons.
Among them were clothes and a lot of rotten food, which was the source of the awful smell.
Although the viewers in the livestream room couldn't smell the stench, they could imagine how terrible the scene was by looking at the condition inside the container and the frowned brows of the people around.
"Holy crap, they can auction off this junk?"
"Looking at the damage, it's clear the pirates have been through this stuff. If there were any good items, they've already been taken."
"When they film those TV shows, the containers always have ivory, jewels, luxury cars, and stuff like that. When the cameras are off, they auction off this crap. It just goes to show you can't trust what you see on TV."
"Streamer, get out of there. There's nothing worth finding."
"Don't worry, guys. Let me have a look."
Daniel was calm, his eyes quickly scanning the exposed luggage.
In his mind, he could pull up information on the items he looked at.
[Item]: LV Patchwork Suitcase (Limited Edition)
[Age]: Modern
[Condition]: Damaged
[Details]: Suitcase of a Serenalia's heiress, damaged by pirates.
[Appraisal]: A piece of junk not even a bum would give a second glance!
[Market Price]: 30,000 StellarCoins
[Buyback Price]: 0 StellarCoin
Naturally, Daniel's gaze moved to the next bag.
[Item]: Luxury Luggage Bag (Custom-Made)
[Age]: Modern
[Condition]: Damaged
[Details]: Custom-made luxury luggage bag of a Serenalia tycoon, damaged by pirates.
[Appraisal]: A piece of junk a bum might pick up to patch and use again, but the material has some value.
[Market Price]: 300,000 StellarCoins
[Buyback Price]: 10 StellarCoin
Custom-made items often used better materials than mass-produced ones.
Daniel smiled, but then his eyebrows knitted together.
The owners of these two bags were his fellow Serenalia countrymen who had fallen victim to piracy.
He didn't know if they were safe now, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity.
"All this stuff is worthless, Robert!"
"Move on to the next container already!"
Someone in the crowd was growing impatient, urging Robert to bring out the next auction item.