Ch. 1091..1100
Chapter 1091
In the live stream channel, there were constant notifications of Xyla Quest sending super rockets to each team member.
Soon, the live stream channel was filled with even more messages.
"What? Is this person ultra-rich? She's giving gifts as if they don't cost anything..."
"Yeah... It's ridiculous."
"Xyla Quest... Look at me. I like you a lot..."
Xyla had already gotten used to seeing messages like these. Hence, she wasn't affected too much on the inside. Instead, she silently closed the live stream channel and paid serious attention to the competition.
The first game went well in the early stage.
In the middle of the game, Alex allowed his opponents to kill him a few times at the top lane.
A normal game had directly been ruined...
Xyla subconsciously opened the live stream channel to take a look...
Just as she expected, it was filled with only criticism-
"What on earth... Is this the best top lane in the world? To me, it looks like he's the top lane that feeds the most, alright?"
"Honestly, it just looks like he dies every time his opponents initiate a fight. He doesn't deserve the title of the best player in the world. This could only happen in an imaginary world, right?"
"It's all in good time... Alex, it really is all in good time! I suggest you retire as soon as possible. Don't mess up the future of the other players."
"Is this how bad Alex has become? Why is he making so many low-level mistakes? I can't believe it's you..."
Just as Xyla expected, the comments were all harsh.
This was how Esports competitions worked. Those who won would be praised, while those who lost would be condemned.
Alex personally had this kind of gaming style. His gameplay was aggressive, and he liked to suppress his opponents until they couldn't breathe. He never feared getting into a fight...
Previously, many miraculous outcomes and Alex's shocking gameplay mechanics all happened because he wasn't afraid of dying.
However, recently, from his gameplay, there seemed to be many details missing. He really was playing a little differently from before. In the second game...
Team XS allowed Alex to pick Lucian.
This time...
When the game started, Alex got killed twice by his opponents because he pushed the lane too aggressively....
This caused the top lane to lose advantage in the early stage completely.
In the later stage of the game, the top lane was completely destroyed.
The top lane's disadvantaged state resulted in side effects for Alex's teammates...
In the end, Team XS lost to Team DG in both matches.
When Xyla saw the final bit of their base being destroyed, she felt indescribably disappointed too.
Suddenly, the live stream channel was flooded-
At one glance, people were all cursing. All sorts of unpleasant things appeared in front of Xyla once again-
"It's all in good time. Alex, despite taking up the greatest amount of resources in the team, your performance is the worst!"
"Just retire already... What have you been doing in the past few matches? Do you only know how to play Lucian and Kalista?”
"He only knows how to play ranged heroes against melee heroes. I'm really going to vomit. Xyla Quest is suffering from a huge loss... After joining Team XS, he's barely played a few matches, and his gameplay has already gone downhill."
Right then, on the screen, two handsome male commentators, Luffy and Ben, even spoke straightforwardly-
"I think Alex's recent performance has been extremely terrible. He's thoroughly lost his dominance as a top lane," Luffy said.
"I think so too. His gameplay has been going downhill lately. It's like he's become a different person..." Ben said.
"Perhaps, this is the reality. Every player goes through this. There will always be someone standing at the peak, but nobody can stand there forever..." Luffy said.
Chapter 1092
Chapter 1092
"That's right... To be honest, Alex has dominated the top lane for a very long time. Perhaps, it's time for a new king to be born in League of Legends' top lane..." Ben said. The live stream channel was filled with negativity...
Looking at it gave Xyla Quest a headache. Hence, she turned it off again...
Suddenly, the screen was a lot more comfortable to look at.
Although the entire game was uncomfortable to watch, Xyla managed to discover the source of the problem.
Alex seemed to be playing poorly because of an issue with his mentality.
On several occasions, when five of his opponents went after him, he should have escaped, but he didn't...
Xyla felt that she needed to have a chat with him.
Meanwhile, after the competition ended, Alex and the others walked into a lounge with their heads lowered in disappointment.
The members of Team XS collectively shut everyone out.
Among them, Alex did the worst...
The teenager's eyes no longer had the lively glimmer they once did. Now, he sat on the sofa with his head lowered. As he silently closed his eyes, tears began to trickle down his cheeks silently. With his silver bangs slightly covering his eyes, he seemed unusually disheveled.
Alex felt that he had gone downhill a lot recently, and he was panicking.
However, the more he panicked, the more mistakes he made. The more mistakes he made, the more he would doubt himself...
He seemed to have fallen into a vicious cycle.
Having played the game for so long, he never had, for a moment, doubted himself. He had always been confident and calm.
But now, he was beginning to doubt himself.
When he opened his eyes to look at his phone, he saw netizens criticizing him mercilessly. He was in a nasty mood, but he couldn't find it in him to refute...
He felt that what everyone said was right. He didn't have the dominance he once did.
Soon, Alex's teammates gathered around him and started picking on the mistakes he made today. They kept complaining to him.
Right after that, the CEO, Michael Gabriel, walked over with a frown upon his face and looked at Alex. "What were you doing in the matches today? Think about how you'll recover to your former state..." The team's manager, lan Lauder, also spoke. "Yeah. It'd be best if you stopped letting yourself go downhill..."
Every word they said made Alex feel terrible on the inside, but he couldn't find it in him to argue against them.
He doubted himself even more and became even more frustrated.
Right then, Xyla's call came in...
When Alex saw her number, he took in a deep breath guiltily before walking over to the window to pick the call up. "Boss..." He said.
The spotless glass reflected his disappointed facial expression at that moment.
"Alex... I saw the match... Have you lost your confidence?" Xyla asked directly.
Alex didn't avoid her question at all, and he nodded. "Yes... I suspect that I'm already on the decline. I can't beat other players anymore." "No... You're still at your peak. Believe me. You're the best... As long as you keep calm and find yourself again, you'll definitely win," Xyla said. Xyla believed that Alex was performing poorly because of his mentality and not because of his declining gameplay mechanics...
Alex was still so young. He definitely wasn't going downhill with his gameplay.
Meanwhile, what Xyla needed to do right now was not to criticize him but to constantly encourage him and give him confidence. Alex let out a long sigh. An odd look appeared in his eyes for a moment...
These days, everyone had been saying how he was going downhill. Everyone was picking on his mistakes and criticizing him.
Xyla was the only person who came to comfort him and encourage him. She told him that he was still an excellent player and that he shouldn't doubt himself.
"Hmm. You've always been the best player in my heart. You're the number one top solo in the world... The best top solo... Hurry up and find that confident self of yours... You have to remember that all the other top solo players call you 'Daddy'..." Xyla said.
Chapter 1093
Chapter 1093
After hearing this, Alex couldn't help but start laughing...
"You haven't gone downhill... You're the best player in my heart. I will wait for you to reclaim the throne in the game. As long as you get your mind back in the right state, you'll be fine..." Xyla Quest said once again.
Alex instantly felt a warmth spread in his heart...
Xyla would never know how much her words had encouraged him.
Now, Alex was like a person who would soon die of thirst, and Xyla was the person who handed him water.
"Are you free tonight?" Xyla asked.
"Yes," Alex said.
"Let's team up as a pair in the game. I'll practice with you... We'll rediscover the best in you, alright?" Xyla asked.
Alex was instantly moved to tears. "Aright... Boss..."
He had already made up his mind. He would stay in Team XS until he retired!
He wasn't going anywhere else.
Immediately after that, Xyla called Michael Gabriel and asked him to encourage Alex along with the rest... She told him not to affect Alex's self-confidence.
After hanging up the phone, Xyla then opened Team XS's official page.
The fans inside were stirring up a commotion there...
Fans of the team were collectively dissing Alex, while Alex's fans were frantically defending him.
Reading all of this gave Xyla a headache. In the end, she decided not to read anything anymore.
She had great hopes in Team XS.
She hoped that this team could perform well, and she hoped Alex could do well...
Apart from the team's performance, there was a more significant reason why she cared so much. It was because Alex was a player she really liked.
Xyla didn't want to watch a genius like him get affected by his mentality and ruin his career in the end.
***
After having dinner, Xyla gave up on her work. She went straight into the study and opened up her desktop to practice with Alex so that he could regain his confidence. The two of them played while they chatted over voice chat...
Whenever Alex performed well in the game, Xyla would praise him excessively.
Indeed, with her praise, Alex's gameplay improved. He began to feel like he was at his peak again...
Xyla was extremely pleased with such results.
At three in the morning, Xyla really couldn't stay up any longer, and she went back to the bedroom.
On the other hand, Alex had no intention to sleep and kept practicing hard.
Xyla's comforting words convinced him that he was not that bad after all.
Meanwhile, her words of praise made him regain his confidence...
He could feel that he was beginning to operate at his peak state again, and he wanted to get right back into shape...
***
Stanley Batton was already asleep when Xyla returned to the bedroom.
To avoid disturbing him, Xyla made every move very gently...
She went into the bathroom to take a shower first. After that, she tiptoed back into the room and lay down on the bed. As soon as she did so, Stanley approached her... His movement was extremely dominant...
Xyla pressed her hands against his chest in a resistant manner and started to beg for mercy. "Not today. I'm so tired..."
"Weren't you very enthusiastic when you were praising another man?" Stanley asked.
Sensing his intense jealousy, Xyla chuckled softly. She quickly told Stanley why she was doing it...
Chapter 1094
Chapter 1094
After explaining, Xyla Quest started chuckled in a low voice.
"Like this..." Stanley Batton said calmly. After that, he rolled over with a satisfied look on his face. He held Xyla tightly in his arms.
Xyla couldn't resist chuckling a little. "Do you know what you look like now?"
"What?" Stanley asked.
"You look like a giant pot of jealousy... The kind that's filled to the brim... Mmph..." Before Xyla could finish her sentence, a passionate kiss silenced her.
It took Stanley a long time to let her go reluctantly, and he continued to hold her face. He sounded a little aggravated when he spoke. "But why haven't I heard you praising me like that?" he asked. "You really are jealous..." Xyla chuckled again.
After that, she took the initiative to wrap her hands around his neck. "Honey, you're superb..."
"You're the best husband in the world," Xyla added.
Through the light seeping in from outside, Xyla could see Stanley's frown slowly fading away. A vague smile appeared upon his face. "That's more like it..."
Xyla was speechless.
Why did she feel that this person was a lot more childish than before?
It was such an insignificant matter. Did he really have to care so much?
"Is this really necessary, Stanley?" Xyla asked.
"Well, yes..." Stanley replied.
"Childish..." Xyla said.
How had she not realized that there was such a side to Stanley before?
"Well..." Stanley murmured.
As they spoke, Xyla's stomach began to growl...
"Are you hungry?" Stanley frowned a little.
"Hmm... I'm good... I can still hold out until dawn," Xyla said.
Stanley ruffled her hair softly. "I'll make you something to eat... What about scallion oil noodles?"
Xyla shook her head. "Forget it. It's already very late..."
It was already late. She couldn't bear the thought of making him go through all that work downstairs...
"It's fine..." With that, Stanley stood up and switched on the lights.
Suddenly, the entire world seemed lit up.
"There's really no need." Xyla stood up decisively and looked at Stanley.
"Where am I going to find a wife like you if anything were to happen to you due to starvation? Hmm?" Stanley couldn't resist pinching her cheeks.
Xyla suddenly felt her heart warmed. Regardless of how cruelly and coldly he treated others, this man before her would always be gentle with her at home.
"But it's already very late. I can't bear torturing you with all that work," Xyla said.
"For you, I'm willing to go through any kind of torture..." Stanley said.
Seeing how he had already made up his mind, Xyla shook her head helplessly. "Alright. But how do you know everything? You even know how to make scallion oil noodles... I don't even know how to make this dish," Xyla said.
Stanley smiled. "There are things I can't do, too."
"What is it?" Xyla had a curious look in her eyes.
She felt that there was nothing he didn't know.
The look in Stanley's eyes suddenly became even gentler. He gently caressed her cheek with one hand. "I can't not love you..."
These words immediately sparked fireworks in Xyla's chest.
After taking a deep look at her, Stanley left the room. Xyla could only see his tall figure from the back.
While waiting for Stanley to cook, Xyla opened her phone and started checking on information related to establishing an antique company, jade mines, and gold mines...
Whenever Xyla was free these days, she'd think about the path she wanted to take in the future.
She had figured it out.
Whether it was gambling on rocks or grabbing good deals now and then, none of these were meaningful enough.
Chapter 1095
Chapter 1095
If Xyla Quest wanted to make big money, then she had to run a bigger business...
For example, setting up her jade mine, harvesting jade from it, and doing the same with a gold mine...
Xyla believed that, with her eyes' ability, discovering a large-scale jade mine and gold mine was not a problem at all.
Apart from that, she could also establish an antique company to acquire and sell antique items.
As long as she had her ability, identifying genuine treasures would be a piece of cake.
Meanwhile, grabbing good deals from antique auctions or rock gambling could only be done as a hobby.
If Xyla wanted to earn even more, she needed to engage in bigger deals.
After making a lot of money, she could continually expand the various businesses she owned.
She could even expand the scale of her family business.
When Stanley Batton walked through the door with a bowl of scallion oil noodles, he coincidentally saw Xyla searching about the procedures required to set up a gold mine.
"What's the matter? Do you want to set up a gold mine?" Stanley instantly asked when he saw this.
"Not just a gold mine. I've thought about it. I also want to set up a jade mine and an antique company. I want to get involved in everything... Now that I have this X-ray vision, wanting to make money from these things wouldn't be a problem at all," Xyla said.
Since god gave her these eyes, Xyla wanted to get the most out of them.
Xyla had always set her sight on the stars in the sky, the great oceans, and faraway places.
Stanley always knew how ambitious Xyla was.
He smiled. "Alright. Whatever it is you want to do, go ahead and do it..."
"Will you support me?" Xyla looked curiously at Stanley.
"As long as it's something you want to do, I'll support you..." Stanley said.
With that, Stanley slowly and carefully placed the bowl on the nightstand. "Eat first. How much start-up capital do you need? Just let me know..."
Xyla instantly shook her head and pointed at her eyes. "These... These can help me get the money I want. If I don't have enough, I'll just gamble on rocks and grab a few good deals from auctions. Besides, I have a lot of savings myself..."
"Sure. Come to me if you need any help..." Stanley said seriously.
"Alright," Xyla said.
***
As Xyla slept late at night, she didn't wake up naturally until noon the next day.
After opening her eyes and washing up, Xyla changed into a plain white halter dress and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail.
Xyla went downstairs and had a simple lunch. She then headed over to Quest Group with no makeup on to get through her hectic work.
By three o'clock, after she had finished everything she was occupied with, she stretched lazily. After that, she continued to check on information related to setting up a gold mine, a jade mine, and an antique company.
After reading through everything, it was already past four o'clock.
Since there was nothing left to do, she drove over to the largest antique trading market in Atlantis-Riverdale Market.
Xyla and her twelve bodyguards found an underground parking lot outside the market. After parking their cars, the group of people grandly entered the market.
The market was so big that one couldn't see the end of it from one glance.
There was only a single lane for pedestrians in the center of the market.
On both sides, there were antique stalls of various sizes.
Most of the things sold at the stores were placed outside. As far as the eye could see, there were all sorts of objects on display.
Using the knowledge about antiques that she had, Xyla began to wander through the stalls.
After strolling around for a while, she still didn't find anything of value.
In a market like this, there were all kinds of objects. If one had good judgment, one would be able to buy genuine stuff.
Otherwise, one would only be able to buy fake goods.
However, wanting to find genuine goods was like looking for a needle in a haystack...
When Xyla wandered close to a small stall in the middle of the market, a bronze mirror covered with patina caught her attention.
This bronze mirror was twice as big as the average bronze mirror, and the thickness was also twice as thick as the average bronze mirror. There was also a line of a gap in the center. It looked like two large mirrors grouped.
Chapter 1096
Chapter 1096
This bronze mirror didn't seem special from the outside. Its workmanship was very rough.
Although the outside was fully covered with a light green patina, the patina didn't look like it had accumulated over time.
It seemed more like it was artificially made.
At one glance, Xyla Quest could tell that it was a product of a recent pipeline.
Her instincts told her something must have been squeezed in between the two layers of bronze mirror.
Meanwhile, its rough and unattractive surface was precisely made to protect the object inside.
Xyla guessed that a certain antique collector in recent times probably made this seemingly terrible bronze mirror to protect the object from being stolen by placing it in between the two layers. Afterward, the bronze mirror might have been misplaced and ended up here for some particular reason.
As Xyla thought of this, she instantly walked closer to the bronze mirror. She leaned over with her hands on her knees and carefully examined the bronze mirror.
Later, she activated her X-ray vision.
Soon, she was able to look through the bronze mirror.
A folded yellowish paper came into sight.
Soon, she looked through the paper and saw what was on the back of the paper...
The first thing that caught her eyes was the words 'made by Pablo Picasso'. There was also a drawing of an ancient deity's upper body.
Xyla had seen both the style of drawing and the handwriting. They were identical to Pablo Picasso's.
Xyla's heart was instantly filled with joy.
Indeed, there was something inside this bronze mirror. In fact, it was a treasure that was worth a lot of money.
Pablo Picasso!
It was something from Pablo Picasso, the painting saint of the 18th century.
As far as she knew, very few of Pablo Picasso's genuine paintings remained in circulation today.
The selling price of each one of them was close to five or six billion dollars.
This time, she was going to get rich for real.
After retracting her gaze, Xyla suppressed the joy in her heart as she turned to look at the middle-aged male boss sitting in front of the stall. "Sir, how may I address you?" "My surname is Warren," he said.
"Mr. Warren... How much are you selling this bronze mirror for?" Xyla asked.
After saying that, she pointed at the bronze mirror in front of her.
"You have good judgment. This bronze mirror is from the 7th century..." Mr. Warren said with a smile. "How about this... If you really want it, I'll sell it to you for 500,000... What do you think?" Mr. Warren asked.
When Xyla heard what Mr. Warren said, she couldn't help but laugh to herself.
Did he intend to slaughter her like a pig? Did he say this thing was from the 7th century? Did he think of her as a child?
However, it didn't matter.
Pablo Picasso's painting was worth at least five billion dollars...
If the price went higher, it could even go up to six or seven billion dollars.
Buying this with 500,000 dollars was considered a profitable deal. Hence, Xyla needed to make this deal work.
"Sure... I'll take it. 500,000..." Xyla smiled.
Mr. Warren was overjoyed. "Alright... Alright..."
He had bought this lousy mirror for five dollars, but he didn't expect he'd be able to sell it for 500,000 dollars... This certainly was great luck!
He made a fortune today! Some fools were very easily tricked! Although this woman in front of him looked pretty, her brain didn't work all that well.
Mr. Warren thought that perhaps when god created her, she was only given good looks but not a lot of intelligence.
Chapter 1097
Chapter 1097
Although Mr. Warren was ecstatic, he couldn't laugh out loud... He could only hold back his urge to laugh.
Xyla Quest smiled. She directly wrote him a check and handed it over to him.
After accepting the check, Mr. Warren instantly became even more excited.
The bodyguards behind Xyla instantly looked at each other...
This object was clearly fake. If it were genuine, the man wouldn't have sold it to her for 500,000. That was because this was an object from the 7th century!
Passersby, who saw Xyla making the payment, all secretly judged her for being a fool.
When Clarence Steele arrived somewhere not too far away from Xyla, he instantly saw her through the crowd.
That was because she was shining too brightly.
She shone so brightly that even if she were in a huge crowd, one would be able to spot her directly.
Clarence immediately approached Xyla and gently tapped her on the shoulder. "Hello..."
Xyla slowly locked her phone and looked at Clarence beside her. A look of surprise appeared in her eyes. "What a coincidence... I didn't get to introduce myself the last time properly. Please allow me to introduce myself officially. My name is Xyla Quest," Xyla said.
With that, she took the initiative to extend a hand to Clarence.
Clarence hurriedly shook her hand politely. "I know. I'm here to grab a good deal. Are you here to do the same?"
Xyla chuckled. "Yeah... Here, it's this one..."
After saying that, Xyla pointed at the bronze mirror in front of her.
In the stall next door, the male and female bosses who had their hair pulled into buns couldn't help but roll their eyes at Xyla simultaneously when they saw her grinning from ear to ear. They both felt that she was a fool with large boobs but no brains.
Mr. Warren recognized Clarence, and he also knew Clarence was an expert. Seeing this, he instantly looked at Xyla with a panicked expression upon his face. "I'm telling you, there's a rule in antique dealing. Once bought, there can be no refunds... It doesn't matter what you buy; you aren't allowed to return it. There are no regrets... Understood?"
"Don't worry... She won't regret it," Clarence said as he looked at Mr. Warren.
After that, Clarence shifted his gaze to Xyla's face. "That's because something might be inside this..."
When Mr. Warren heard this, the smile on his face instantly froze...
Meanwhile, the facial expressions of the male and female bosses with their hair in buns next door both froze as well. The two of them started looking at each other.
"What do you mean? What's inside?" Mr. Warren asked.
"Yeah... What's in there? Tell us..." The male boss with his hair in a bun said.
Clarence looked at Mr. Warren and smiled. "Do you have tools for repairing antique items?"
Mr. Warren nodded with a stunned expression.
"May I borrow them for a while?" Clarence asked.
Mr. Warren nodded again. After that, he looked at Clarence, stunned. He then led Clarence and Xyla into his store.
The bodyguards behind Xyla then picked up the heavy bronze mirror and followed them inside.
Meanwhile, out of curiosity, the male and female bosses with their hair in buns also quickly followed them inside.
The space in the store was huge. It was up to fifty square meters in size.
Like typical antique stores, it was decorated with the national architectural design. The primary tones were dark red and white. There were tall antique stands all around the store with various high-class porcelain wares placed above them.
However, at one glance, Xyla could tell that most of these objects were forged.
Soon, Mr. Warren led them through a hidden door in the store.
Inside, it was a workshop. There was a large desk and a chair in it.
There were various tools used to repair antique items on the desk.
As soon as they entered, one of the bodyguards instantly placed the bronze mirror on the desk.
Right after that, Clarence sat in front of the desk as he carefully examined the gap around the thick edges of the bronze mirror.
Chapter 1098
Chapter 1098
Meanwhile, Xyla Quest, the other bodyguards, Mr. Warren, and the couple with their hair in buns stood around Clarence Steele and quietly waited. After taking a closer look at the bronze mirror, Clarence soon discovered the traces of black tape inside one of the gaps.
When Clarence saw this, a satisfied smile instantly appeared on his round face. "Indeed, these two layers of bronze mirrors were glued together..."
With that, he excitedly picked up the dissolving agent near his hand and started carefully using a cotton bud to smear the liquid around the edges of the mirror.
After a while, Clarence picked up a toothpick and carefully placed it in the gap where he had originally discovered the traces of black tape. After that, he pushed the sharp end into the gap.
Indeed, once the toothpick was pushed slightly inside, an even larger gap appeared in the edges of the bronze mirror.
Clarence smiled in relief. After that, he picked up a small pair of scissors next to him and carefully inserted the tip of the scissors into the bronze mirror. He then applied the principle of mechanical advantage to pry the bronze mirror open...
In the next second, a folded piece of yellowing paper in the center of the bronze mirror came to sight...
Right then, Mr. Warren, the bodyguards, the couple with their hair in buns were all shocked.
Xyla was the only one who remained calm the whole time. Her expression was a clear contrast to the rest of the crowd.
Seeing how these people had originally treated her like a fool and how they were all shocked now, Xyla truly felt a little pleased.
"This... This thing actually contains something inside!" Mr. Warren pointed at the yellowing paper excitedly. There was a look of disbelief in his eyes.
After that, he subconsciously reached out to grab the paper. He wanted to see what it was.
His instincts told him that this was a valuable treasure.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be hidden so securely inside.
Just as his hand was about to touch the paper, Clarence directly reached out to block his hand. "Since this no longer belongs to you, you don't have the right to touch it..."
Mr. Warren's facial expression instantly froze. Suddenly, he was speechless.
"Ms. Quest, why don't you personally unfold it..." Clarence looked at Xyla respectfully.
Xyla immediately stepped forward and calmly unfolded the paper...
A lifelike drawing of a deity came into full view.
When everyone saw the signature on the painting that read 'made by Pablo Picasso', they all stopped breathing!
Even Clarence felt breathless at this moment! Could this actually be the work of Pablo Picasso?
"Pablo... Pablo Picasso... Pablo Picasso... The painting saint from the 18th century? The painting saint whose drawing can sell up to billions of dollars?" Mr. Warren was thoroughly shocked. He pointed at the painting and started asking questions...
"Pablo Picasso... How could this be? How could an unremarkably forged 7th-century bronze mirror contain a treasure like this? This time, the woman really made a fortune!" The eyes of the male boss with his hair in a bun widened. His eyes were filled with a desire for that painting.
"This... This... How could this be? I always thought that this bronze mirror was the most ordinary junk. I didn't think it would contain something of great value like this. Could this be fake? Only a few of Pablo Picasso's works in circulation are authentic. They're all stored in museums around the world... The rest are all fake," Mr. Warren said.
He really hoped this was fake. If that were the case, he wouldn't feel such a great sense of loss.
Clarence laughed. He then picked up a magnifying glass and carefully looked at the painting in Xyla's hands. "I'm sorry, but this really is a genuine work of Pablo Picasso..."
Mr. Warren was thoroughly dumbfounded. Subconsciously, he took a step back. How could this be real? How could it be real?
Chapter 1099
Chapter 1099
Meanwhile, the couple with the hair in buns were also stunned. The two of them looked as if they had been frozen in place. They felt nothing but shock!
"Pablo Picasso... His real work! I can't believe I'd be able to see a real work of Pablo Picasso while I'm still alive!" The man with the hair in a bun murmured to himself. While he stared at the painting of a deity, he couldn't help but take a few steps forward...
"That's right... I really can't believe it..." Mr. Warren was now close to tears.
"Ms. Quest, this painting can be sold for at least six to seven billion... In fact, at a higher range, even eight billion is possible... Pablo Picasso's works cost a fortune... As long as you're willing to sell it, people would spend any amount to buy it," Clarence Steele looked at Xyla Quest and said.
Mr. Warren felt that he was being suffocated yet again.
In the next second, he raised his hand and slapped himself twice. "Sh*t! I'm a fool!"
After saying that, he stomped his foot on the ground.
"Mr. Warren... There's a rule in antique trading that things sold can't be returned. You can't regret your decision," Clarence added.
Mr. Warren didn't say a thing. Instead, he looked helplessly at the real work of Pablo Picasso.
In his heart, he repeatedly screamed the same thing, 'You just had a close brush with a few billion dollars! You just had a close brush with a few billion dollars!
"I f*cking had a close brush with a few billion dollars. I was still secretly happy about it... I thought I had bumped into a pig that I could slaughter... It turns out that I'm that pig... A dumb pig!" Mr. Warren mumbled to himself. He was already at a loss for words.
He really was going mad. He was about to have a mental breakdown.
He had also misjudged the value of objects in the past and ended up letting others profit off his misfortune.
However, those were only objects that cost a few hundred thousand dollars. He didn't feel too bad about those losses.
But now...
This was several billion dollars! With this amount of money, why would he still need to run an antique store? He could go on vacation with his wife right away. Wouldn't that be better?
How many houses could he buy in Atlantis with a few billion dollars?
"Clarence... How were you able to tell that there's something fishy about this bronze mirror?" Xyla asked.
Clarence chuckled. "Perhaps, the same way you did... I felt that the bronze mirror had an unusual thickness, and the size was also unusual. It felt as if something was hidden inside..." Clarence said. Xyla's smile widened. "Clarence, you really have good judgment."
"I'm the one with the poorest judgment... Oh my god..." Mr. Warren said.
The others around them all felt deeply ashamed...
Clarence scratched his head, embarrassedly. "It's nothing... I just happened to be around anyway..."
"Clarence, let's add each other on WeChat," Xyla said.
Xyla had wanted to befriend this person at the auction the other day. However, she was busy selling a painting back then and didn't get to do so.
Clarence immediately took his phone out and opened the page with his WeChat QR code. "Sure... You can scan mine."
Xyla slowly folded Pablo Picasso's real work and handed it over to one of her bodyguards nearby.
After that, she took her phone out to scan Clarence's QR code to add him as a friend.
Chapter 1100
Chapter 1100
"Miss... I'd like to ask... Can you return this painting to me?" Mr. Warren really was feeling reluctant to let it go!
"You even told me to abide by the rule earlier. For someone who knows about rules so well, are you going against it now?" Xyla Quest said once again.
"That's right. You're someone who knows the rule so well. You shouldn't be doing this..." Clarence Steele couldn't resist mocking him.
Mr. Warren wanted to speak, but he couldn't. Tears started rolling down his cheeks...
Meanwhile, the couple with their hair in buns also had a jealous look in their eyes when they looked at the painting.
"Pretty lady, could you sell this painting to me at a low price?" The male boss asked carefully.
"No..." Xyla said.
"Who do you think you are? Why should she sell it to you at a low price?" Clarence asked.
The male boss didn't dare to say anything else...
The only thing was that his level of admiration toward Xyla had practically skyrocketed...
In the next second, he directly walked up to Xyla and kneeled in front of her with his palms pressed together. He looked at Xyla humbly with a sincere look in his eyes. "Pretty lady, can you be my teacher? I can see that you've really got some good judgment... Please be my teacher, will you?"
Even if the male boss wasn't forty, he was probably close to fifty.
Xyla felt rather awkward in a situation like this.
However, this wasn't the first time she experienced a situation like this. Hence, she didn't feel too surprised.
Subconsciously, Xyla took a step back. After that, she bent over and helped the man up. "This won't be necessary... To be honest, I'm not that great. I just got lucky with the gamble..." She said humbly.
Right after that, Mr. Warren also went down on his knees with a thump and palms pressed together. "Please take me as your student too... You don't have to be humble. I think you're far better than people like
us who've roamed the antique world for several decades... Please accept the two of us as your students..." He looked at Xyla with a sincere expression upon his face.
Immediately after that, the male boss went down on his knees again and repeatedly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes... Yes, please. I'll be your first student, and he can be your second student..."
"What the hell? Why should you be the first one? I'm older than you..." Mr. Warren said.
"I was the first to bring it up. Of course, I should be the first student..."
"Even if you brought it up first, you failed. I'm older than you, and I should be the first student..." Mr. Warren said.
"It should be me..." The male boss said.
"It should be me," Mr. Warren said again.
Instantly, the two of them seemed to have turned into two proud roosters who fought against each other, and neither would succumb to the other...
While these two were arguing, Xyla calmly led her bodyguards out.
Clarence glanced at the two of them as if they were fools before quickly following after Xyla.
Seeing that Xyla had left, Mr. Warren immediately stood up. "Teacher... Don't leave!" he shouted.
However, Xyla didn't even turn around.
After walking out the door, Clarence made his way to Xyla. "Honestly, there are all sorts of people in this world," he said with a chuckle.
When Xyla thought about what just happened, she couldn't help but laugh along. "Exactly... Clarence, how much do you earn each month in that old antique store?" "Hmm... Approximately ten thousand a month," Clarence answered truthfully.
"I'll offer you ten times that amount. Come and work for me from now on. What do you think?" Xyla asked.
When Clarence heard this amount, he was instantly moved. "Really?"
"Yeah... I'll soon be establishing an antique company. When I'm not in the company, I'll leave the supervising job to you. What do you say?" Xyla asked.
"Sure... When do I start?" Clarence said without hesitation.
"In about a month or two. I haven't established the company yet. A lot of preparation still needs to be done before it's set up. Once all that is out of the way, it'll still require a month or two. When the time comes I'll ask you to come over," Xyla said.