Upon hearing the old man's words, the crowd burst into commotion.
"One hundred and ten million!" A finely dressed elder, with a raspy voice, was the first to bid.
He was a fanatical porcelain collector and his eyes, as they gazed upon the blue and white porcelain vase, were filled with fervor. He looked at it as a lecher would stare at a nude beauty, not blinking even once.
"One hundred and twenty million!" Another voice called out with a bid, this time from a speculative businessman. He had little interest in porcelain; his bid was motivated by the added value of this "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" supreme porcelain piece.
"One hundred and fifty million!" The porcelain collector, seeing someone daring to compete with him, gritted his teeth and directly raised his bid by thirty million.
The speculative businessman gave the elder a friendly smile and slowly sat back down. From his actions, he seemed to have given up on the bidding.
