Chapter 48: The Conference

Just like other spots in the art market, the outside of this small lecture hall was that same old brick red color, kinda like the old cinema back home.

There were security guys at the entrance. Lorenzo pulled out three invites from his pocket and handed them over. After they checked them, we were good to go.

"Lorenzo, isn't this supposed to be a networking event? Why's it so formal?" I asked, puzzled.

Lorenzo grinned, "Well, at these insider gatherings, besides business talk, there's also a lot of item trading. Sometimes, they even hold auctions."

I perked up right away, "So, there are a lot of treasures here!"

Lorenzo smirked, "Yeah, but you gotta keep it low-key."

He was obviously talking about the Cancer Twin-Eared Cup in the backpack.

We definitely couldn't take out the Cancer Twin-Eared Cup at this event.

We walked through the front porch and into the hall. After signing in, we were officially in.

Inside, there were rows of wooden chairs and tables. A bunch of people were already seated, and some tables had various items on them, probably for trading.

At the front, there was a big wooden table, likely for auctioning stuff.

Honestly, the whole setup looked pretty simple, even a bit shabby.

There were about a hundred people in the venue, not a lot, showing that our circle was kinda shrinking.

A few of Lorenzo's former pals approached to greet him, taken aback by his presence here.

Lorenzo clarified that despite no longer being in the astrology business, he had taken me under his wing as his apprentice and aimed to expand my horizons.

They gave me some compliments and mentioned that Lorenzo had a very beautiful daughter.

That's when I noticed Alicia was wearing a light pink silk off-shoulder dress today, her hair elegantly pinned back, and she had on some light makeup, making her lively eyes shine even more.

She was already cute, but now she looked dignified and elegant, even a bit sexy.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but blush, realizing that despite spending most of the day together, I hadn't noticed Alicia's change today, maybe because we were so used to each other.

Alicia smiled and handled the compliments, noticing I kept glancing at her, she secretly rolled her eyes at me.

As the networking went on, people started trading items.

Some were swapping antiques, while others were trading some Beneware and Malifact.

Lorenzo took Alicia and me around, explaining items to me and stopping to chat with friends.

Slowly, I began to understand the real meaning of this networking event. Even though it was about swapping experiences or items, at its core, it was all about trading information.

Like, say something weird happened at a construction site somewhere, and someone went there but couldn't figure it out. They'd be looking to hire someone for a hefty fee to help out. Or, maybe a rare treasure popped up somewhere, but no one could tame it, so they were hoping to trade it for someone else's help in taming it.

Basically, it was all about making money.

I couldn't help but sigh: "These days, it's all about the cash. If someone tells you money is useless, don't buy it; they're probably so loaded they don't have to worry about the struggles that come with being broke."

Parker and Blair, who showed up a bit later than us, saw the three of us and came over to say hi before heading off to hunt for treasures on their own.

While wandering around, I suddenly heard someone mention that the heir of Fortune Antiques had arrived and had something they couldn't authenticate, asking him to take a look.

That had to be Gabriel.

I followed the crowd and saw Gabriel sitting at a wooden table with a few small items on it, surrounded by people, humbly chatting.

Fortune Antiques was pretty famous in the northern region.

Lorenzo took us over, and I spotted the shop owner who sold calligraphy and paintings, along with Jared, squeezing in with a package, grinning obsequiously, "Mr. Caldwell, bumping into you here is quite a surprise. I happened upon a painting that's supposedly from the Renaissance era. Mind giving it a once-over?"

Gabriel seemed to enjoy being the center of attention, smiling and nodding, "Sure."

Jared quickly unwrapped the package and handed the painting to Gabriel with great respect.

Gabriel took it and opened it, revealing a yellowed painting of a maid bowing to the stars, with beautiful lines and a grand style. To me, it looked like a pretty good painting.

"Mr. Caldwell, I spent two hundred thousand dollars on this painting!" Jared said, looking a bit pained.

Gabriel didn't say anything at first, carefully examining it before saying, "Judging by the brocade, this painting indeed came from the royal family, but the quality is quite average. Two hundred grand is way too steep; I'd say seven or eight grand tops."

Hearing this, Jared looked pretty bummed. Two hundred thousand dollars was no small amount for him as a police captain. Even though it was genuine, it was overpriced.

After thanking Gabriel and a gentle reminder from the shop owner, he lifted the painting and addressed the onlookers, "You all heard Mr. Caldwell, this is a genuine piece. So, anyone who likes it can take it for ten thousand dollars, or trade it for something. How about that?"