"I've seen far too many paintings imbued with deep emotion, and this one definitely ranks among the top three in my experience."
Ivent continued to exclaim.
"So, do you plan to buy this painting?"
Xia De inquired.
The man shook his head:
"I don't have that much money."
"Then which item are you here for this time? I'm here on behalf of a Noblewoman whose identity cannot be revealed, to buy lot number 5, the fountain pen. I hope our goals don't conflict; she gave me a very high bidding limit."
Xia De continued to make small talk.
"Oh, then there's no need to worry. I'm here to buy lot number 10."
Steve Ivent said, but Xia De knew he wouldn't buy anything; he would just pretend to raise his paddle when the auction started. Standing here was merely to be on alert, to determine if there were any individuals in the crowd who might disrupt tonight's events.
These Cultists probably didn't realize that the number of Orthodox Church members in this mansion was already close to, if not exceeding, their own.
"Lot number 10?"
Xia De nodded, naturally looking in the direction of auction item number 10, which was a golden ring. It had no historical value or story, just a pure gold ring, appearing here as an ornament.
Of course, Xia De wasn't looking at the ring, but at the person standing to his right. One of the men took off his deerstalker hat and shook it twice, and Xia De immediately understood that the personnel were in place:
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Hamilton of Leijiede, you've probably heard of me."
He extended his hand to Mr. Steve Ivent, who hesitated for a moment before also extending his hand and shaking it. He was wearing the Ring of Metamorphosis on his finger, and at close range, Xia De confirmed that this one was genuine.
"Good afternoon, Your Excellency Hamilton, I am Steve Ivent."
The middle-aged man, who was currently undercover, introduced himself:
"I'm something of a broker and collector, helping some nobles and merchants with antique dealings."
His tone was normal, and his expression was natural. He was very good at playing a man, just as Mrs. Lasoya was very good at playing a woman. This, perhaps, was also one of the characteristics of the Ring of Metamorphosis.
"That's a very profitable business."
Xia De said enthusiastically, calculating the time, and then chatted with Mr. Ivent about other items mentioned in the invitation. When there were less than three minutes until the next auction, he looked around, carefully took something out of his pocket, and lowered his voice:
"Mr. Ivent, since we've met today, why don't you help me take a look at this item? How much is it worth?"
Xia De took out a small jewelry box from his pocket. After opening it, Mr. Ivent, who had only slightly glanced at first, immediately widened his eyes in surprise when he saw what was inside the box:
"This is..."
Inside the jewelry box was a large ruby ring, the gemstone on the face of the ring was astonishingly large. And even without looking at the gemstone, just looking at the ring itself, one could tell that this was no ordinary item.
"Keep your voice down. I saved the Queen, and this is her private reward to me. I've actually been wanting to find someone... to help me determine how much gold it's worth."
Xia De gave an embarrassed smile;
"But you know, if I take it to a local jewelry store or antique shop, the tabloids will publish news the next day saying that Hamilton of Leijiede wants to sell the treasure given by the Queen. But you're different; you're not from this country at all, so I wanted you to help me take a look."
The Cultists were currently carrying out their mission, and logically, they shouldn't have caused any complications. But when Xia De enthusiastically handed over the box containing the ring, he only hesitated for a moment before taking it.
Refusing directly at this point would seem a bit strange, so the middle-aged man used his body to block the sight of others behind him, took the ring box, and said:
"Actually, I'm not good at appraising antique jewelry. I mainly deal with art collections and transactions of paintings and calligraphy... Oh, this ring is really nice."
This ring was certainly very nice. Queen Diana didn't know that even if Xia De wasn't there, Miss Jialinna, who was sitting beside her at the time, wouldn't have let anything happen to her, so she genuinely believed that Xia De had saved her life. According to Miss Jialinna, this ring had a long history, passed down through Queen Diana's maternal family for at least 300 years.
If it hadn't been given to Xia De, the ring would have originally been passed down as a dowry ornament when a certain princess married.
"This is truly remarkable."
Mr. Steve Ivent couldn't help but exclaim again, and Xia De responded with a smile:
"Can you give me an estimate?"
"It's difficult to give a precise estimate, as I have very little contact with this type of antique. But if you're willing, I can introduce you to a few friends who can help you take a look."
He looked at the ring in the ring box in his hand with some reluctance, but still handed it back to Xia De. Willing to pay the price of transforming from a woman into a man, he wouldn't cause any complications at such an important occasion tonight.
"Very well."
Xia De stuffed the ring box into his coat pocket, began counting down in his mind, and extended his hand to shake hands while politely saying:
"Then I'll trouble you, I..."
The woman holding a wine glass behind Xia De looked at Xia De, then at the man wearing a deerstalker hat standing to Xia De's right. The latter blinked, lifted his leg intending to walk aside, but seemed to trip, suddenly falling towards the woman.
The woman couldn't dodge in time and collided with the man wearing the deerstalker hat. Although she held the wine glass steadily, the wine inside still splashed onto Xia De's back.
"Oh, for Dawn's sake, what's going on now?"
Xia De, who was about to shake hands, first "exclaimed" and then turned around in dissatisfaction, and the people around him also looked over curiously.
"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
The man first apologized to the Noblewoman, and then quickly apologized to Xia De. At the same time, he called for a servant, wanting to take Xia De to another room to clean up, but Xia De waved his hand and said with dissatisfaction:
"The auction is about to begin, and I don't want to miss it."
He took off his coat and held it in his hand, and also asked someone nearby to confirm that the white shirt underneath was not wet.
Steve Ivent silently looked at the coat Xia De held in his hand, and then at Xia De's young face.
Just as Xia De said, he didn't have time to change clothes, because the auction was about to begin immediately.
The long tables in the dining room had already been removed, replaced by neatly arranged single chairs. The participants of the auction took their seats, and Steve Ivent sat with the newly acquainted Xia De, listening to the elderly auctioneer preside over the auction.
The auction progressed very quickly; this type of fundraising auction did not involve overly fierce competition, so almost every item would be sold after only three or four bids.
Xia De successfully bid for auction item number two and auction item number five, which were "The Complete Collection of Delarion Ancient Fairy Tales" and the golden fountain pen. He bought the storybook additionally not because he liked the book very much, but because after successfully bidding, he proudly showed off to his newly acquainted friend beside him:
"The fountain pen is what The Lady wanted, and this book... I don't have that much money myself. I recently hooked up with... I met a very wealthy Noblewoman, she's really very..."
Xia De raised an eyebrow, revealing an ambiguous smile:
"Very rich."
Ivent nodded, expressionless, but his eyes glanced again at Xia De's wet coat.
The coat was held casually in Xia De's hand. And after this auction ended, Xia De invited Mr. Ivent to go with him to see the items he had bought, but the other party refused.
Steve Ivent's task was to stay here and monitor the crowd, ensuring there were no suspicious individuals and that the ritual to summon the deity would not go awry, so he could not go too far.
"That's truly a shame. I'll bring the items to show you later; happiness is meant to be shared. I'm really eager to see that book; I just love old books like that."
Xia De said, excitedly standing up to leave. But at this moment, the man with the deerstalker hat who had just bumped into the middle-aged woman, led a maid over. He waved to Xia De with a local accent, his brown hair peeking out from the edge of his hat:
"Sir, I'm truly sorry about what happened just now. I heard that there's a laundry room in the mansion's courtyard. No one is there right now, but this maid can help clean your clothes. I'm really sorry; if this wine stain dries completely, it will be hard to wash out."
Of course, whether it was the woman holding the wine glass just now, the man with the deerstalker hat standing in front of him, or the maid who was going to wash the clothes, they were all arranged by Miss Jialinna.
"Wash clothes?"
Xia De looked at the maid suspiciously, thought for a moment, handed over his coat, and said to the maid:
"I don't have time to go with you. You take it to wash first. I'll get my things later and wait for you on the first floor. Dry it as quickly as possible; this set of clothes isn't cheap."
Saying that, he nodded apologetically to Mr. Ivent, then excitedly walked towards the inner part of the dining room where the auction items were collected.
Steve Ivent stood there expressionless, first looking at Xia De's departing back, then seeing the man with the deerstalker hat continuing to watch the next round of auction items with his friends, and finally seeing the maid carrying Xia De's coat leaving the dining room, already disappeared outside the door.
He lowered his head and thought for a moment, glanced around, and then quickly followed the maid without a trace.
Xia De didn't turn to look at Ivent's direction, but someone beside him made a gesture, and he knew the plan had worked.
Perhaps a person can restrain greed out of a sense of responsibility, but that's only because the temptation didn't appear at the right time. In the script arranged by Miss Jialinna tonight, the foolish and worldly Xia De, the coincidental departure of his coat, and the somewhat stable auction... At this moment, this temptation was just right.