Alice didn’t know much about antiques, but she did know that items made of pewter from the Middle Ages were valuable. She had once seen a set of dinnerware used by England’s King Richard I being auctioned off for eight million dollars.
Yesterday, when she was pouring tea for William using this cup, she thought it was exquisite and suspected it might be worth a lot. But if it was that valuable, why would William use it for drinking tea?
They entered the “Eternal Life Emporium,” where Powell had already returned and was carefully inspecting the recently acquired Radiant Empress Pearl.
“Master, you’re not joking with me, are you?” Alice whispered, “It’s embarrassing to just bring a cup from home to sell.”
William smiled and said, “Consider this a test for you! Remember, if he asks how much you want for it, say one million dollars, not a penny less.”
“Alright!” Alice rolled her eyes. She figured she would go along with it, partly because of the two parchment books William had given her, even if it was a bit embarrassing.
Powell, using a magnifying glass, was still scrutinizing the Radiant Empress Pearl, muttering to himself, “This time, I’ve hit the jackpot. This top-grade pearl, emitting a natural purple light, is worth at least twenty million dollars! No, no, no! If it is indeed the pearl Theodora received as a gift during a diplomatic mission, it could be worth up to one hundred million dollars!”
Alice, holding the cup William had given her, approached Powell and asked, “Hello, are you the owner here?”
Powell, startled by her sudden approach, quickly covered the Radiant Empress Pearl with his hands, glaring at Alice. Recognizing her as the person from Coleman’s stall earlier, he asked suspiciously, “What do you want?”
Alice awkwardly presented the cup William had given her and said, “I’m selling something.”
Powell stared at the cup in Alice’s hand, his face twitching, and stammered, “You…you’re just holding it like that?”
“Huh?” Alice, not understanding Powell’s reaction, looked at him, puzzled.
Powell took a deep breath and said incredulously, “Shouldn’t you put it in a box? What if you accidentally drop it or damage it?”
“Hmm?” Alice was even more confused. The cup must have been taken from William’s house, right? It wasn’t even in her hand earlier; it must have been in his pocket. Does this thing need to be in a box?
“How much are you selling it for?” Alice didn’t bother anymore and just handed over the cup.
Instinctively, Powell stepped back and said nervously, “Put it on the table!”
He immediately recognized that the cup was not ordinary. Can it really be held directly by hand?
What if he shakes and leaves a mark? That wouldn’t be good.
Influenced by Powell’s nervous demeanor, Alice carefully placed the cup on the table.
“Hold on!” Powell carefully placed the Radiant Empress Pearl into a large brocade box and closed the lid. Only then did he pick up his magnifying glass to examine the cup.
He inspected it for a full ten minutes, not uttering a word, making the atmosphere increasingly tense.
Alice stood silently by his side. Isn’t this just the cup William uses to drink tea every day?
Does it really need such a thorough examination?
Could this cup really be worth one million dollars?
After a long while, Powell finally finished inspecting the cup. He took a deep breath and fixed his eyes on Alice, asking, “Could you please name a price? I’ll see if I can afford it.”
Alice hesitated for a moment, slowly raised a finger.
“One million dollars?” Powell pondered for a moment and said, “Miss, your price is fair, but I can’t come up with that much cash at once. How about I pay two hundred thousand dollars as a deposit, and for the item, if you trust me, you can leave it in my store. If not, we can go to a notary office and sign a contract. I’ll pay the remaining eight hundred thousand dollars within ten days. You know, for such an expensive item, the taxes are high, and there are various procedures involved. It will probably take about ten days to complete everything.”
“…” Alice was dumbfounded.
Ten million dollars?
She was sure she only wanted to sell it for one million dollars.
Is this cup worth ten million dollars?
William has three more like it at home, plus there’s a teapot and a tray, all part of a set, right?
Thinking back to William’s seemingly impoverished home, Alice considered Powell’s words.
By all accounts, Powell buying this cup for ten million dollars would still be a profitable deal.
Seeing that Alice wasn’t speaking, Powell hurriedly said, “Miss, you see, whatever price you named, I agreed without haggling, right? But if you ask me to come up with ten million dollars right now, I don’t have it. If you go around the whole street, no store could afford this. Why don’t you sit down and have a coffee, and we can talk further.”
“Our ‘Eternal Life Emporium’ is a well-known antique shop with a reputation for absolute reliability…” Powell continued, talking incessantly, afraid that Alice would suddenly change her mind and not sell.
He had looked carefully; this cup was unquestionably a masterpiece of medieval Pewter, possibly even royal tableware. It should be the only remaining one of its kind in the world. Ten million dollars would be an absolute bargain, and selling it for twenty million dollars would be easy.
He felt extremely lucky today. The money he would earn in a single day would be enough to last a lifetime. .𝘯𝘵
William came over and said, “Sell it to him.”
In fact, at the beginning, he also underestimated the value of this cup, thinking it would be roughly worth a million dollars.
Only now did Powell notice William. Hearing his words, Powell couldn’t help but beam with joy and asked Alice again, “Miss, what do you think?”
“Sell it!” What else could Alice say?
She had originally planned to sell it for one million dollars, but ended up selling it for ten million dollars.
“Let’s sign the contract, and I’ll transfer the deposit to you right away. As for the treasure, do you want to leave it in our store or…” Powell couldn’t hide his excitement. He believed he hadn’t misjudged; this unique, one-of-a-kind item would earn him another ten million dollars.
He remembered a wealthy person once said that money isn’t everything, but it makes life easier.
Today, he truly felt that life had become easier.
Alice turned to William, seeking his opinion.
“Just leave it in his store,” William said, then paused, looking at Powell. “However, just take the two million dollar deposit. We don’t need the remaining eight million dollars.”
“What?”
Both Alice and Powell looked at William in disbelief.
Forgoing eight million dollars just like that? How could he be so extravagant?
Although Alice didn’t understand why, the cup was William’s after all, and he could sell it for whatever he wanted.
Powell nearly burst a blood vessel from excitement. Was he blessed by Lady Luck today?
He had never seen such a way of selling things. He had clearly stated before that he would pay the remaining eight million dollars within ten days, not that he wouldn’t pay it. But they were just willing to let it go.
Could it be… that the cup had dubious origins, and the two of them didn’t dare go to a notary or leave contact information, wanting only to get rid of it as quickly as possible?