"I’m very interested in that antique. If it’s really because the auction price was too low, and the owner of the box doesn’t want to sell it to me, I’m wondering, Mr. Duke, if you could tell me who the owner of this antique is. I’d like to negotiate privately with them, even if it means raising the bid."

Fujiwara Seiho believed the excuse the staff made up on the spot, because he knew very well that the item was smuggled out of Huaxia Country, and the owner of that Classic of Mountains and Seas was very likely a Huaxia person. If they found out it was purchased by a Dongyang person, it wouldn’t be surprising if they changed their mind.

However, Fujiwara Seiho absolutely did not want to give up on this piece so easily, because he knew what the Classic of Mountains and Seas represented. Letting it slip away before his eyes would be something he’d regret endlessly. No way would he allow that to happen.

His persistence, on the other hand, only made Clayflo more cautious. He didn’t quite understand why such an inconspicuous little box would catch Fujiwara Seiho’s eye. By rights, even though this Fujiwara Seiho was just a leader of a small Island Country organization, he shouldn’t lack taste or insight to this extent. It was just a golden Phoebe nanmu box, after all. The owner wouldn’t sell, yet he couldn’t give up, lowering his stature to gently request him—it didn’t quite fit the identity of the Young Master of the Iga-ryu, Fujiwara Seiho.

Clayflo squinted his eyes, feeling there might be something special about that box.

But this wasn’t the time to delve into these, and he was impatient dealing with these people, not to mention revealing the box owner’s information, especially when the excuse was fabricated. He only helped cover it up to save face for his sister.

"Mr. Fujiwara, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. Our black market’s rules state that while customers display and auction items in our building, we can’t disclose any information about the item’s owner. Revealing such information would encourage private transactions between the customer and bidder, bypassing our auction house’s significant commission. Wouldn’t that just make us a mere facade for others? So I’m sorry, but we cannot reveal any customer information to you."

Clayflo was familiar with many auction processes, so he improvised a reason to dismiss Fujiwara Seiho.

This reason left Fujiwara Seiho speechless. Although he was unwilling, he understood that Clayflo was entirely right; this was a strict clause followed by most auction houses, ensuring their ongoing operation.

Fujiwara Seiho was both angry and annoyed, yet felt helpless.

Clayflo turned to the staff behind him and said: "Although the consignor of that item canceled at the last minute, causing inconvenience to Mr. Fujiwara, this is truly a failure on our auction house’s part. We should compensate Mr. Fujiwara. What’s the final price of that item?"

The staff glanced at the record and replied: "A million US dollars."

Clayflo nodded, saying: "Then according to our rules, for breach of contract, we’ll compensate Mr. Fujiwara with a million US dollars."

The staff was surprised, instinctively glanced at Semiya, and nodded, saying: "Okay."

Saying this, the staff started to fill out the compensation form. Hearing Clayflo, an insidious look flashed across Fujiwara Seiho’s face. Before he could say anything more, his phone suddenly rang. The piercing and sharp tone startled Fujiwara Seiho and the nearby people.

Fujiwara Seiho quickly looked down, and seeing the caller ID, his heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t bother to argue with Clayflo anymore and quickly answered the phone.

"Sect Master! Something happened!"

As soon as the call connected, a hoarse voice came from the other end. Fujiwara Seiho frowned and urgently asked in Japanese: "Cheng Tian, what happened?"

However, just as he asked, a loud rumbling suddenly came from the other end, followed by screams and shouts, and Cheng Tian’s desperate yell: "No—"

Subsequently, the call abruptly ended, leaving only the mechanical beeping sound.

Fujiwara Seiho’s eyes turned cold. He recalled the message he had received on his phone earlier at the auction from an unknown person.

—If your foundation crumbles, what kind of mood would Mr. Fujiwara be in?

Initially, Fujiwara Seiho didn’t take this message seriously, considering his status; over the years, he had faced numerous threats and harassment from opposing forces. Threatening messages like these were frequent, receiving hundreds a year. To Fujiwara Seiho, this wasn’t a threat at all.

But just now, something happened on Cheng Tian’s end, and from the phone’s sounds, although Fujiwara Seiho couldn’t precisely identify what it was, he could speculate somewhat. He had a strong premonition that what happened to Cheng Tian might be related to the previous message.

Damn, who the hell is behind this, and what are they planning?

Fujiwara Seiho panicked. He couldn’t be bothered with negotiating any compensation with Clayflo anymore. Not getting the Classic of Mountains and Seas was frustrating, but more urgent was confirming if the laboratory was safe.

Thinking this, Fujiwara Seiho didn’t want to delay another moment. He didn’t even bother saying goodbye to Clayflo, grabbing his phone and storming outside, his face as dark as if to wring out water.

Watching Fujiwara Seiho leave without a word, Zhou Zhenliang Jinghong and the others exchanged worried glances. But with the main person gone, there was no way they could pursue the Classic of Mountains and Seas further. Reluctantly, they followed Fujiwara Seiho out. Even as they reached the exit, they glanced back at Clayflo and the staff, still a bit unwilling.

Until the group completely disappeared from view, Semiya finally breathed a sigh of relief, unable to stop herself from patting her chest, saying with a face full of relief:

"Thank goodness, they’ve finally left. I feared they’d cause trouble. Brother, you’re amazing, dismissing that Dongyang man with just a few words. I can’t believe that Fujiwara whatever was so easy to deceive, not even wanting compensation!"