Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1878: Chapter 1781: Philadelphia Black Market

Philadelphia Black Market, Adrian and Windsor Reed were already waiting. Huo Sining, along with Qibao and others, hurried over, and Li Jun had also arrived. The group successfully converged in Philadelphia.

Windsor Caesar’s actions were quick. In just a few days, he’d contacted several people who were attending the black market auction, allowing Su Qingqing and Yue Shuwen to enter together with them.

The black market auction had many rules, and Huo Sining’s group had already paid quite a sum for the deposit. However, the organizers probably recognized the identities of Huo Sining and Emperor. Caesar had quite a reputation, and Huo Sining was the champion of this edition of the WGC. Their purchasing power was strong, and they had a complicated relationship with the WGC. So, after Huo Sining’s group entered, staff immediately came to attend to them, providing top-tier treatment.

The attendant explained the auction process in detail during the reception.

Foreign so-called black market auctions are quite different from the ones at home. Domestic black market auctions resemble guerrilla warfare because most items come from grave robbing, and the auctions are mainly for fencing stolen goods, often attracting police attention.

Moreover, the black market in Huaxia Country is unreliable both in sellers and the authenticity of the auction items. Since it’s a one-off deal, it’s quite possible that after you buy something and find it’s fake, you won’t be able to seek compensation since the sellers have already disappeared.

The Huaxia black market is illegal, so buyers of these stolen goods receive no legal protection. Even if they find the items to be fake, buyers simply have to swallow their losses.

But the black market here in Philadelphia is different. Although it’s called a black market, it’s actually endorsed by higher-ups. There may not be a clear legal provision declaring its legality, but authorities generally turn a blind eye.

Furthermore, these auction items mostly come from major casinos and pawn shops. Although the sources of these items might not all be legal, they are at least above board, with the Philadelphia Black Market providing a guarantee that buyers won’t have to worry about future legal scrutiny.

Simply put, once these items go through the Philadelphia Black Market, they’re completely whitewashed, revealing the capabilities of everyone involved in the black market. It goes without saying that they have connections on both sides of the law.

However, the black market auction items are inevitably mixed, with a chaotic assortment of antiques and jewels from all over the world. Despite Huo Sining’s frantic study over the past year to build a knowledge base of foreign cultural relics, she still found herself in the dark at the black market, feeling that her knowledge was far from sufficient.

Fortunately, since the black market runs for five days, larger and more valuable items are auctioned off only at the end, giving Huo Sining and her group enough time to prepare.

The Philadelphia Black Market was held in a very conspicuous high-rise building, much like a department store at home. These auction items were placed in glass compartments for clear display to everyone. Each exhibition hall had staff responsible for explaining the items, and if interested, one could wear special gloves and use appraisal tools to appreciate the items.

This novel approach even stirred a strong interest in Huo Sining.

After all, having the Heavenly Eye in her possession meant that evaluating these items took only a few seconds for her. She figured that within the five days, she might be able to appraise every item on the black market.

Adrian and Windsor Reed were unaware of what was on Huo Sining’s mind. As English nobles, after seeing so many items, they naturally became less interested in ordinary things. So after entering the building and viewing some items, Adrian couldn’t help but shake his head.

Huo Sining came to the black market partly to find a few Huaxia antiques to take back and partly to observe what Adrian liked. As the saying goes, know thy enemy and know yourself, and you shall win a hundred battles. To acquire the Huaxia artifacts in Adrian’s collection, her primary task was to understand Adrian’s preferences so she could cater to them and offer European antiques that would pique his interest for trading.

At this moment, Huo Sining felt a bit regretful. If there were Picasso paintings, Adrian and even his entire family would have accepted them without hesitation. However, where in the world would there be so many Picasso paintings for her to snatch up? Discovering those sketches on that sunken ship was already a huge windfall from the heavens for her.

Unexpectedly, Huo Sining was surprised to find that many booths displayed items like mirrors, clocks, candlesticks, chandeliers, vases, and other small decorative items cherished by Huaxia people. Adrian and Windsor Reed seemed uninterested in these but preferred European antique furniture instead.

This left Huo Sining puzzled until Adrian explained why.

”In Europe, a person’s wealth is determined not by their car or attire but by the antiques they own at home. Generally speaking, real European tycoons possess at least five antiques on average, and the more, the better.”

Huo Sining suddenly understood. No wonder when Adrian first brought her into the castle, he took her to see his collection. It seems that the items in those collection halls were what Adrian considered as the true representation of his identity and wealth.

However, this concept differed greatly from what Huo Sining had seen and the deeply rooted beliefs she held at home. Huaxia antique furniture often utilized precious woods like huanghuali, zitan, and golden nanmu—materials that were rare and tough to come by;

In contrast, European antique furniture favored basic woods such as cherry and oak. Even the most precious only chose materials like cherry and mahogany, which were not expensive on their own.

Due to this variance in material value, the worth of European antique furniture was more reflected in its craftsmanship.

Unlike the historical status of ancient Huaxia craftsmen, European craftsmen were highly valued in ancient times, seen as constructors of the soul, and held the same status as ancient painters and sculptors. They would sign their names on the furniture they crafted and carved, and these finished pieces were similarly regarded as works of art.