The bald man was holding a golden stone extracted from one of the machines.
It was because of this that he resolutely decided to bid high for this container, convinced that this 'gold' would be worth a million!
However, reality dealt him a heavy blow.
Durant leaned in, pushed his glasses up, and hesitated for a long while before saying, "This is a piece... of brass."
He was unsure whether he should break this news to the bald man.
But judging by the bald man's expression, he had probably already realized it.
Durant finally gave an estimate, "Nine second-hand washing machines plus accompanying tools and parts, market value 130,000 StellaCoins!"
Gold? Bullshit!
The bald man hurled the brass piece in his hand to the ground, leaving an instant mark on the spot.
Among the treasure hunters, many burst into laughter.
"Jonathan, don't throw it away, that piece of brass is worth a few dozen StellaCoin!"
"Hahaha!"
"Buying brass thinking it's gold, this is just too funny!"
Jonathan turned and left.
Daniel sighed.
This was the nature of Treasure Hunt Auction, no different from gambling.
One moment you think you're about to make a killing, the next, you could lose your shirt.
Abel and Allen looked at Daniel with newfound resolve.
From now on, they would heed Daniel's advice and not act on their own.
Allen, in particular, felt a chill down his spine.
He'd come close to being the one to take a significant loss.
Soon, it was time for the third round of bidding.
Daniel didn't wait for the container door to open, he used the system to appraise it immediately.
The following data appeared in front of him:
[Condition]: Slightly worn
[Details]: Contains goods from Solyda City.
[Appraisal]: An object with top-tier collectible value!
[Market Price]: 100,000,000
[Buyback Price]: 50,000,000
"Tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions... billions??!!"
"Are you kidding me??!!"
Daniel rubbed his eyes, then counted the zeros in the figure again.
Once he confirmed that the system's market value was indeed one hundred million, his heart throbbed, and he took a sharp breath.
After first finding the "Hundred Horses" worth fifty million in a container, he hadn't seen a container worth tens of millions.
He thought it would be hard to encounter, but just a few days later, here was a container worth a billion. Holy moly!
Daniel breathed heavily, his mind buzzing.
It took a while for him to calm down.
Even though he didn't know what exactly was in the container, he had to secure it, even if it meant spending all his wealth!
To avoid raising suspicions from the Abel and Allen, Daniel casually commented, "Man, this is so boring."
Allen immediately turned to him, grinning, "Dan, how about throwing a party after this? That model from last time will be there too, you know what I mean~"
Amanda?
The thought of Amanda's graceful figure and her versatile tongue made Daniel feel a rush of blood to his... well, you know.
Just then, Sophia's face appeared in his mind.
Daniel felt a pang of guilt and quickly suppressed the rising desire.
He then shot Allen a look, "No more. Don't invite me to these kind of events anymore, I'm a respectable man."
Allen snorted, "I had someone wipe down the poolside three times, but there were still traces of unknown dried-up fluid on the lounge chair. You sure left a lot behind."
Daniel blushed, hastily saying, "Alright, alright, I was wrong, okay? But really, I can't. I have a girlfriend now."
Hearing this, Allen suddenly understood, "Got it. When you're taken, you're a committed man. When you're single, you're a wild party animal."
Daniel couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Realizing that there's no point in arguing with this knucklehead, he turned to Abel and said, "Abel, it doesn't seem like anyone is paying attention to me, I've decided to participate in the next round of bidding."
Abel expressed some concern, "Are you sure? I've seen a few unsavory characters in the crowd."
Daniel could tell that Abel was genuinely worried for him.
So, he smiled casually, "Don't worry. With you two by my side, I've got nothing to fear."
Abel was speechless, "I'm scared."
Daniel burst into laughter, unbothered.
He then started live streaming.
Appraising for others didn't offer much to broadcast, but now that he was joining the bidding, it was the perfect time to go live.
"Holy cow, streamer, you're finally on the job."
"We've been waiting for ages."
"We almost had to search for you at the port."
As soon as he started the live stream, he was flooded with comments.
Daniel was taken aback, "Don't any of you work?"
The netizens all replied, "Of course!"
"We watch live streams while working, that's called multitasking."
"Exactly, who would watch live streams after work? Isn't that just a waste of time?"
Daniel was speechless, "You guys sure are straightforward."
"Alright, the auction will start soon, stay tuned."
Daniel idly chatted with his live stream viewers.
Before long, Robert stepped forward to announce the start of the third round of bidding.
"This round of bidding involves a container from Country B. It has been unclaimed for a long time, so it's being publicly auctioned! As usual, please observe."
As he finished speaking, the container door was opened by the staff.
Daniel, who was already itching to get started, squeezed his way through the crowd.
Just as he was about to reach the entrance of the container, a pungent odor hit him, causing him to recoil and retreat a dozen meters along with the crowd.
"Holy moly, what's that smell?!"
"My week's worth of constipation doesn't even compare to this."
"That's... that smells like poop."
"No wonder nobody claimed it, who'd want a container full of poop?"
Daniel frowned, staring at the thick layer of feces enclosed within the waterproof layer inside the container, his face a picture of confusion.
Could this thing really be worth a billion?
Abel showed no reaction, while Allen couldn't help but throw up his breakfast.
The smell was so strong it could be detected hundreds of meters away.
Passersby were baffled.
Who on earth would auction off poop?
Robert was also caught off guard and looked stunned.
However, his professionalism quickly kicked in, "I apologize, folks. We weren't expecting this either. I'll get someone to clear this mess right away. For the next three containers, I'll give you all a 10% discount on the final selling price."
The treasure hunters seemed to ease a bit, but still urged Robert to act quickly.
Daniel was somewhat at a loss.
If Robert just disposed of this stuff, Daniel would lose a billion.
But how could he reasonably request to keep these things?
Normally, people would rather get rid of it, who on earth would rush to claim it?
After a thought, Daniel quietly walked up to Robert on stage, "Robert, I have a small request."
With his nose covered, Robert asked, "Sure Dan, what is it?"
Daniel asked, "Could you sell me this container?"
Robert paused, thinking he'd heard wrong, "Dan, are you okay?"
Daniel smiled awkwardly, "Nobody wants this stuff. Just name your price and sell it to me."
Robert finally realized that Daniel wasn't joking.
Although he didn't understand why Daniel would want it, having someone willing to clean up this mess was a relief.
To be fair, Robert grabbed the microphone and announced, "Folks, we've hit a little snag. For certain reasons, I need to know if anyone would bid on this container. If not, I'll fulfill a treasure hunter's request and give it to him."
As soon as he finished speaking, all eyes were on Daniel, who was standing beside Robert.
Daniel was taken aback, looking at Robert in disbelief.
Damn, you might as well just tell them that I want it!
Feeling the astonished gaze of the crowd, Daniel smiled awkwardly, "Does anyone want to bid?"
Wilson cursed, "Only an idiot would buy this stuff. If you want it, just get it cleaned up and don't delay the rest of our auction!"
The other treasure hunters also grumbled.
Some even seemed ready to take action.
Seeing this, Robert handed the container files to Daniel, "This container is yours now. Get it cleaned up quickly. I need to go catch my breath!"
The crowd dispersed in a hurry.