Victor, who was monitoring the entire transaction from a distance, relayed the details back to Hardy.
"Boss, the CCP had no choice but to pay in gold and jewelry," Victor reported over the phone. "Qingtong handled everything well. Would you like me to bring the items over for inspection?"
"What kind of jewelry?" Hardy asked, intrigued.
"A few chests full of gold bars, rubies, sapphires, jade, and pearls. Qingtong sent the worthless items back, but the real value lies in the gemstones and precious metals," Victor replied.
Hardy was interested and made his way to the auction house. The appraisers were busy evaluating the gemstones. A batch of rubies, with the largest weighing over 30 carats, caught Hardy's eye. It was a deep pigeon blood red, and the appraisers valued it at around $30,000.