It was as if a bomb had been thrown into the calm water. There was a buzz in the hall, and for a moment, voices in various languages sounded at the same time.
"Oh God! It's actually 1.45 kilograms … "
"Did I hear that right?"
"Oh my god … It's a miracle!"
"I swear, this is probably the biggest truffle I've ever seen in my life …"
…
The auctioneer was also very experienced. He stood on the stage with a professional smile. When everyone's discussion gradually died down, he continued, "This truffle was found 18 hours ago in Alba, Italy. It just happened to catch the plane to Huaxia, so it was actually added to the auction at the last minute!"
After that, the auctioneer gestured, and a lady in a cheongsam walked up the stage with a large tray. She placed the tray on the display table in the middle of the stage. Then, the auctioneer walked over and tore off the red silk covering it, revealing the true face of the huge truffle.
Everyone's eyes, including Xia Ruofei's, gathered. They saw a white truffle the size of a volleyball placed in a sealed container. This huge truffle was very visually impactful under the illumination of the spotlights.
The auctioneer continued to open the transparent lid.
Suddenly, the hall, which was already filled with the scent of truffles, seemed to have become a lot stronger.
There was no doubt about the reputation of the Grasso family. There was no doubt that this was the best white truffle.
Even Ma Xiong couldn't help but be slightly moved.
The auctioneer smiled and said, "This is the biggest white truffle of the year. The starting price is 100,000 US dollars, and each increment must be no less than 5,000 US dollars. Interested friends can bid now!"
The value of this level of white truffle obviously couldn't be measured by the average market price. The starting price of 100,000 US dollars seemed expensive, but almost no one present took it seriously.
This was the biggest white truffle of the year. Just the name alone was worth this price.
So, almost as soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, someone raised their paddle and called out a price.
"110,000 US dollars!"
"Friend number 59 bids 110,000 US dollars!" the auctioneer said quickly.
"115,000 US dollars!"
"125,000 US dollars!"
"130,000 US dollars!"
The bids came one after another. The auctioneer didn't even have time to repeat the price. Soon, new bids came out.
The price continued to rise and soon exceeded 200,000 USD.
Many people turned their eyes to Ma Xiong. They felt that such a large piece of truffle should be enough to catch Ma Xiong's eye, right? Moreover, this was the grand finale of the day. If he didn't make a move now, it would be tantamount to being a bystander.
However, Ma Xiong still sat firmly in his seat and had no intention of bidding.
At this moment, a voice rang out from the third row on the right. "250,000 USD!"
When Xia Ruofei heard the familiar voice, he couldn't help but turn his head to look in the direction of the voice. Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on his face.
It turned out that the person who had suddenly raised the price by 50,000 USD was Blake, the one who had competed with Xia Ruofei in the gym in the morning, and then directly crippled himself.
Blake's bid silenced all the other bidders. Raising the price by 50,000 USD in one go was still a little intimidating.
"Mr. Blake bids 250,000 USD!" The auctioneer took this opportunity to repeat Blake's bid loudly.
Obviously, 250,000 USD was far from the price that many people had in mind, so the bidding only paused slightly.
Soon, someone continued to bid. "260,000 USD!"
"270,000 USD!" Blake didn't hesitate to raise the price.
The other party thought for a moment. Before he could open his mouth, someone on the other side of the hall made a new bid. "275,000 USD!"
Blake calmly raised his sign and said indifferently, "300,000 USD!"
It was another 25,000 USD. The auctioneer immediately repeated, "Mr. Blake bid 300,000 USD. Is there a higher bid?"
Blake stood up with an elegant smile on her face and said loudly, "Monica, this top-grade truffle is as mesmerizing as you. I'm determined to get it!"
Monica had a polite smile on her face and didn't respond to Blake's words. However, Xia Ruofei could see a flash of disgust in her eyes.
Blake's bid made the atmosphere in the hall even more heated. This price was basically close to the limit.
This kind of truffle that could only be found by chance didn't have a clear price.
In 2007, a 1.497 kg white truffle was auctioned for 330,000 USD. In 2014, a 1.89 kg white truffle was auctioned for 60,000 USD. This was also the largest white truffle that had been found so far. Someone once offered 1 million USD but was rejected. Therefore, 60,000 USD wasn't enough to explain the situation.
Today's truffle weighed 1.45 kg. This year was also a bumper year for truffles. Therefore, it was reasonable to refer to the 2007 auction price.
Now, Blake's bid was close to the price of the 1.49 kg white truffle that year.
Some entrepreneurs and top chefs who were eager to compete also began to weigh the price.
It wasn't that they couldn't afford it, but rich people weren't willing to be spendthrifts.
"305,000 USD!" Finally, someone made a higher bid.
The smile on Blake's face froze. However, he also knew that he couldn't hesitate. He immediately followed up with a bid. "310,000 USD!"
After the other party made a bid, he didn't hesitate to raise the price. This was also a psychological tactic to show his determination to win.
Sure enough, when Blake's bid came out, the other party shrugged and sat down. Obviously, they weren't going to compete.
After the auctioneer asked several times in a row, he finally began to count down. In fact, this price had already exceeded their psychological expectations.
"310,000 USD going once!"
…
"310,000 USD going twice!"
At this moment, Ma Xiong, who was next to Xia Ruofei, suddenly raised his sign and said slowly, "320,000 USD!"
Xia Ruofei was shocked. He quickly turned his head and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Ma, why are you …"
Ma Xiong knew that Xia Ruofei was about to auction a batch of white truffles. He had seen those truffles with his own eyes. There was no doubt that Xia Ruofei's batch of truffles were of higher quality. Moreover, the weight of the truffles was generally larger than the truffles auctioned by the Grasso family. Ma Xiong didn't need to compete for this white truffle at such a high price.
Ma Xiong smiled and said, "Xia Sheng, it's okay. I just don't like him …"
"Ah?" Xia Ruofei was even more surprised.
Ma Xiong's eyes were still looking at the white truffles on the stage. He said with a faint smile on his face, "Because this kid wants to steal your woman, Xia Sheng. Of course, I can't let him be in the limelight. A few hundred thousand USD is nothing."
Xia Ruofei was speechless. He was completely speechless …
[PS] Today's work is a little busy, so the update is a little late. Please forgive me. Tonight's third update will also be delayed accordingly. It will be done around 8 pm. Please understand! Finally, I would like to ask for monthly votes. Many of my classmates have already subscribed to new monthly votes. Everyone can take a look at your votes. If you have monthly votes, please continue to support Steel Spear. Thank you! (To be continued.)
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