บท 30: Chapter30-Unprecedented Buzz! Junk Fishing Gear?

Allen's words gave everyone pause.

No one proposed Daniel to be their advisor anymore.

Even though they all knew that giving Daniel fifty percent of the value of the goods was better than going home empty-handed or even losing everything.

But the thought of giving away half of their money to an advisor who didn't pay a dime made everyone back down.

Such is human nature.

As Daniel and the Abel brothers made their way in, someone in the crowd harbored malicious thoughts.

Glancing around, they felt that it wouldn't be easy to act now, so they put it off for the moment.

The host, Robert, grabbed the microphone and said, "Everyone, quiet down, please."

The crowd instantly perked up.

The auction was about to start; this was the main event!

"The Container Hunt Auction has always been considered a little gimmick of our port."

"People say that all those who make money are plants that we, the port, have paid to be here."

"I never knew how to refute this, but today, I can prove it!"

Robert's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on Daniel.

"Dan, your new car is quite something. It seems like making money from these containers has brought quite a change to your life, hasn't it?"

As he said this, all eyes turned to them.

The auction site was right at the edge of the container stack area, and everyone's vehicles were parked not far away, easily visible to all.

And they had all seen the Brabus that Daniel was driving.

He's using me to prove his point.

Daniel cursed 'scumbag' in his mind, then shrugged and smiled, "Yeah, I don't like changing things often. So, if I'm buying, I might as well get something good and use it for several years."

This way of speaking didn't make him seem too flashy.

Others wouldn't think much of it, only feelings of envy and disdain.

They all felt that Daniel was just lucky for the time being, and how often this luck would happen was uncertain.

Many treasure hunters had struck it rich overnight, but there were also plenty who lost everything all at once.

Even if Daniel had a knack for appraisals and wouldn't lose money, there were still a variety of ways to end up penniless.

Such as being robbed, or he himself becoming too arrogant due to sudden wealth and spending recklessly.

While Daniel wouldn't know these people's specific thoughts, nor would he be particularly concerned.

But he was entirely unbothered.

Daniel's response was a bit of a letdown for Robert.

He had hoped to stir up resentment by bringing up Daniel, stimulating the emotions of the other treasure hunters, and therefore creating a heated atmosphere right at the beginning of the auction.

But this little fox was clearly not so easy to handle.

Robert didn't waste any more time, glanced at the file in his hand, and got straight to hosting the auction.

"Enough chit-chat, let's get the auction started."

"The first round of containers up for auction today comes from the island city of Habin."

"Since they've remained unclaimed for a long time, they're now up for public auction!"

"As per tradition, you'll get a few minutes for inspection!"

With these words, Robert gestured, and the staff stepped forward with bolt cutters to cut the large iron lock on the container.

Once the container door was opened, everyone crowded around.

Due to the large number of people, Daniel, who hadn't had a chance to move, was pushed to the back of the crowd.

Abel, being tall, easily squeezed through the crowd, while the small and thin Allen had a tough time, almost feeling like his guts were being squeezed out.

Finally managing to worm his way out, he panted, "Damn, that was brutal."

"These folks are like they have a death wish, seriously."

"Bro, we have to get through, otherwise we won't see anything, how can we bid then?"

Abel signaled him to be patient and looked towards Daniel.

Unhurried, Daniel pointed to the big screen set up behind the stage.

"That's fine too, there's no big difference."

For him, indeed, there was no difference.

After all, all he needed was to see the goods to appraise them with his system, there was no need to chase the details.

Abel and Allen also looked up at the big screen.

Luckily, the resolution wasn't too bad.

At least they could see what was inside.

"Holy crap, why is there outer packaging?"

"It's so tightly wrapped, there's no label on the box, how the hell are we supposed to know what's inside?"

Several first-time auction-goers started to grumble.

Some of the more hot-tempered ones even wanted to tear open the boxes, but they were stopped by the security staff in black.

After watching the big screen for a while, Abel turned to Daniel and asked, "Dan, do you see anything?"

Daniel hadn't used his system to appraise yet, but based on the images shot by the camera on the screen, he had a rough guess.

"You see those boxes, all less than ten centimeters wide, but a meter to a meter and a half long."

"What could be in such slender boxes?"

"What?" Allen stared blankly, clueless.

Daniel explained, "Habin is a natural island city, its favorable geographical environment means the surrounding waters are rich in fish. It's a famous fishing hotspot nationally, even globally. Therefore, it's also home to world-class fishing gear manufacturers."

At this, Allen's face lit up, he blurted out, "So, these boxes contain fishing gear?"

Hearing this, all the treasure hunters around them turned their heads to look!

Those who knew Daniel were well aware of his abilities, and the newcomers also had some understanding.

They all trusted Daniel's appraisal wholeheartedly.

If Daniel said these boxes contained fishing gear, then there was no doubt about it!

The boxes seemed new from the packaging, which meant this was a batch of brand-new, undelivered fishing gear!

And Habin's fishing gear company was renowned worldwide, its product prices were assured.

It would be a piece of cake to sell this batch of goods.

With this thought, the eyes of all the treasure hunters lit up.

At the side, Abel's face instantly darkened.

He looked at Allen, both angry and helpless.

"I really want to crack your head open to see if it's filled with crap."

"You've been a treasure hunter for a while, don't you know not to blurt out such things?"

Allen knew he had made a mistake and scratched his head, grinning sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry, got a bit too excited and let the cat out of the bag."

"But don't worry, bro, we still have an edge."

"I happen to know a guy who's a minor boss at the Habin fishing gear company. Maybe I can pump him for information about this shipment."

Abel's eyes lit up, "Well, what are you waiting for? Call him!"

If they could find out the exact value of the shipment, they could make a bid while ensuring they wouldn't lose out.

That was definitely an advantage in an auction.

Allen nodded, immediately pulled out his phone, and headed to a less crowded area.

Abel turned his head and asked, "Dan, how much do you think this stuff is worth?"

Daniel hadn't used his system to appraise yet.

Hearing this, his gaze finally landed on the container through the crowd.

The next second, a string of data appeared before his eyes.

[Condition]: Slightly worn

[Details]: Contains fishing gear from Habin.

[Appraisal]: Somewhat valuable

[Market Price]: 385,000

[Recovery Price]: 300,000

Sure enough, it was fishing gear.

Daniel spoke, "I'm not sure about the specifics of this batch, but if they're all the same type, this container could hold about 6,000 boxes, worth roughly between 250,000 and 300,000."

Abel was somewhat surprised, "That valuable?"

He wasn't fond of fishing, so he wasn't clear about the market price of fishing gear.

In his view, spending 50 StellaCoins on fishing gear wasn't as worthwhile as spending it on a good time with a lady of the night.

Daniel didn't continue his analysis.

He wasn't sure why the system would set such a high price for this shipment.

But he trusted that the system would never make a mistake; there must be other valuable things deeper inside the container.

Soon, Allen came back after making the call, looking excited, "Dan, bro, do you know how much these damn fishing gears are worth? You absolutely can't imagine it!"

Daniel just smiled without speaking, while Abel said with slight uncertainty, "Between 250,000 and 300,000?"

At these words, the smile on Allen's face froze, and his eyes were filled with surprise.

"Holy smokes, bro, you're something else! My friend checked the information on this batch and told me the market value is about what you said, 285,000!"