The Hidden Master

Chapter 6

“Is that all there is to it?” Twenty inquired, his face spiraling with lazy nonchalance.

Rachael,  the auction worker paused, taken aback by his calmness.

For someone whose life was about to be ruined, he appeared way too relaxed, and that irritated her more.

“Yes, that is all there is to it,” she replied with rage, twisting  into her voice.

“Present your invitation or an asset worth ten million dollars. If you cannot do either, security will remove you from this building.”

“Okay.” Twenty  replied.

The crowd watched him from afar with rage in their voices.

“What does he think he is doing?”

“Does he really  think that he has something  of value that he can present?”

“I knew that he was worthless  and useless  but nobody  gave me the heads up  that he was also a nutjob.”

Twenty slipped his hand into his pocket.

Sarah watched him with narrowed eyes. She could not imagine what someone dressed in mountain rags could possibly possess that was worth ten million dollars. A million  dollars would  even be a stretch. 

His hand returned with a dark stone resting on his palm.

Twenty placed it on the table.

Silence filled the area for a brief moment before laughter erupted from the crowd.

The stone was rough and covered with patches of dried earth. It had no shine, no perfect shape, and nothing that made it look different from something picked off the roadside.

Sarah’s stomach twisted into a knot as she recognized it.

It was the same stone Twenty had brought into the Young mansion.

“You cannot be serious.” Her voice cracked between anger and disbelief. “Was this what you intended to present to my family after forcing your way into my life?”

“I brought it because of the marriage,” Twenty replied. “That does not mean it was intended as a wedding gift.”

“What difference does that make?” Sarah snapped. “It is still a dirty rock.”

Fred burst into another fit of laughter.

“I knew you were poor, but this… this is even worse than I thought. You must have lost the remaining screws in your head if you think that thing is worth ten million dollars.”

“Or is that really  the most valuable  thing that you've got on you? A peddle from the street? Blink twice if you need help my love.”

Twenty leaned back into the chair. He didn't  look even the slightest  bit bothered  by their words. 

“Wait until you all find out that you are making  a terrible  mistake.”

That stone was one of the rarest medical stones that the world had to offer. In fact it was the last available in the world and could be priced for over a billion  dollars.

Given to him by his master, it would  have meant giving  his life to Sarah's  family.  

“If you are so certain, why don’t you make the situation more interesting?” A  smile on Fred’s face widened.

“How about we have a challenge. If this piece of dirt is worth up to ten million dollars, I will surrender my membership in the Grand Horizon and kneel before you.”

Multiple gasps broke out from the crowd.

Membership in the Grand Horizon was not something that could be purchased with money alone. Fred had spent years building the connections that earned him one.

“But if the stone is worth less than ten million dollars,” Fred continued, “you will sign an annulment agreement and leave this section on your knees. After tonight, you will never bother Sarah again.”

Twenty’s brows narrowed slightly.

“And what makes you think you have the right to gamble with my marriage?”

“Because your so-called wife wants nothing to do with you,” Fred replied before turning toward Sarah. “Isn’t that right?”

Sarah stared at Twenty without a trace of hesitation on her face.

“I accept the terms. If that stone is worthless, you will sign the agreement and leave my life for good.”

The words should have made Twenty angry, but his expression remained frighteningly calm.

“Then I accept your terms,” he said. “Just make sure neither of you complains when the time comes to fulfil your part of the agreement.”

Fred scoffed and turned toward the auction worker. There was no way in the world that the stone would  be worth more than a dollar to begin with.

This was the easiest way for Sarah to get rid of the marriage  and for him to finally  have something  to do with the gem of the city as he had always  wanted. 

It was perfect. 

“You heard him, and everyone here heard him. Begin the evaluation.”

The worker picked up the stone with two fingers, as though she was afraid that its dirt would stain her gloves.

She turned it from side to side before throwing a disgusted look at Twenty multiple  times.

‘How can anyone  even believe  that trash like this has any value. How delusional.’

“There is no visible crystal formation, no auction mark, and no indication that this is a precious mineral. From its outward appearance alone, it has no value.”

“You were asked to evaluate it, not admire its appearance,” Twenty noted.

The bitter taste of disdain rose through her throat.

She had worked in the auction house for years and evaluated objects worth more than most people would earn in several lifetimes. Yet a man dressed like a beggar dared to question her ability.

“Bring the mineral scanner,” she ordered.

A small machine was rolled towards the table. She placed the stone inside its glass compartment and activated it.

A low hum vibrated through the hall as light travelled over the stone.

Everyone watched the screen so keenly  like their lives depended on it.

The machine scanned its surface once before a message appeared, flashing  multiple  red and green  lights  through  the room.

“Composition  Unknown.” It beeped  loudly, forcing a silence to rush through  the hall.

The worker’s face squeezed into a frown.

She restarted the machine and scanned the stone again. The same message appeared.

Fred’s confidence wavered for only a second.

“Obviously, the machine cannot recognize it because it is nothing but an ordinary rock.”

“That is not what the result says,” Twenty replied. “It says that the machine does not know what it is.”

The worker gnashed her teeth tightly.

“Do not attempt to teach me how to perform my job.”

“If you were doing  such a great job, then I wouldn't  have to.”

Those words felt like a literal slap across her face.

She looked down at the screen again. Beneath the warning message, the density figures continued rising beyond the machine’s usual range before disappearing.

For a moment, uncertainty wove into her heart.

She could call the chief appraiser, but doing so over a dirty stone would make her a laughingstock if Fred turned out to be right.

“Why are you wasting time?” Sarah demanded. “If it has no recorded value, then announce the result.”

The worker looked at Sarah and then at the impatient crowd.

Her uncertainty disappeared beneath a wave of wounded pride.

“An object without a recognized composition, certification, or comparable market record cannot be assigned any commercial value,” she announced.

She removed the stone and dropped it back onto the table.

Fred’s smile returned almost instantly.

“So what is the final value?”

The worker entered the result into the system. A bright red figure appeared on the screen, placing its estimated market value at exactly zero dollars.

The whole arena exploded with laughter.

“A ten-million-dollar stone indeed.”

“He almost deceived himself into believing it.”

“People like him should not even be allowed close to places like this.”

Sarah closed her eyes as the humiliation burned through her skin. Twenty had already embarrassed her in the forest and at her engagement party, but this was worse.

This time, there was an entire hall filled with the richest people in the city watching her husband present a worthless rock as proof of his wealth.

“You were given an opportunity to leave with what remained of your dignity,” she said. “You chose this instead.”

Fred grabbed an empty auction declaration sheet and quickly wrote the terms of their wager across it.

It was not an official annulment agreement, but it was enough to record Twenty’s promise until the proper documents were prepared.

“Your mountain tricks cannot save you now,” Fred said, pushing the document toward him. “Sign it and begin crawling.”

The auction worker prepared an assessment report, stamped it, and signed her name beneath the final result.

She pushed the report toward Twenty.

“My assessment is final. This object is an ordinary mountain stone with no market value.”