Chapter 252: Sienna Everett and Winchester Go Viral

Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Sienna Everett and Winchester Go Viral

That morning, Master Forrester came to the hospital room to visit his grandson.

Seeing Sienna Everett staying by the bedside without a moment’s rest, with faint, dark circles under her eyes, the old master wanted to persuade her to get some sleep. But he knew she would definitely refuse.

Keith Sterling had also been rushing to the hospital room every day.

During lunch, Sienna Everett received a call from Manager Jennings of The Argent Auction House.

Keith Sterling guessed immediately. "Zane probably has something he wants you to appraise again. Sierra, put it on speaker."

Sienna Everett had guessed as much, but she wasn’t in the mood to go over. She slid her finger across the screen to answer the call.

"Miss Everett, my apologies for bothering you again!" Manager Jennings said, his voice full of apology and lowered to a whisper. "Miss Everett, someone came to our auction house today wanting us to help sell a couple of pieces of bronze ware."

Auctioning bronze ware is currently prohibited, especially rare pieces from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, which are strictly forbidden.

Common bronze ware can be legally traded and sold, but only through a strict and legitimate process.

"But our appraisers can’t determine the authenticity of this bronze ware. I was wondering if you, Miss Everett, know how to appraise bronze ware?"

"It’s not convenient for me to come over right now," Sienna Everett refused.

Manager Jennings, sharp as a tack, immediately seized on the key point. "So, you *can* appraise the authenticity of bronze ware, Miss Everett?"

Sienna Everett said, "...Maybe in a few days. I’ll stop by in a few days."

Keith Sterling tsked internally.

’That Zane really is a sly one.’

Manager Jennings, on the other end of the line, kept his voice low as if at a clandestine meeting. "Miss Everett, here’s the thing. We have a bad feeling about the person who came to sell the bronze ware. If what he has is authentic, it could involve the illegal trafficking of rare cultural relics!"

"Miss Everett, are you extremely busy right now? Could you possibly spare some time to come and help with the appraisal? If this is a case of trafficking rare relics, we’ll call the police immediately!"

Sienna Everett furrowed her brow. ’It’s certainly possible that this is a case of private trafficking of cultural artifacts...’

Because the phone was on speaker, the old master had also heard Manager Jennings’ words. He said to Sienna, "Sienna, you should go take a look. If it really is a case of artifact trafficking, exposing it would be a good thing."

It would be a contribution to the country, in a way.

There was another reason: the old master also wanted Sienna Everett to have a change of scenery. She had been keeping vigil at the hospital for days, and she looked completely worn out.

Besides, appraising a piece of bronze ware wouldn’t take much time.

Manager Jennings, on the other end of the call, immediately recognized Master Forrester’s voice and offered a respectful greeting. "Mr. Forrester, hello!"

The old master gave an authoritative grunt of acknowledgment.

Sienna Everett thought for a few seconds before telling Manager Jennings, "Alright, I’ll head over in a bit."

Manager Jennings was immediately overjoyed and launched into a torrent of praise.

After hanging up, the old master instructed Keith Sterling, "Keith, you go with Sienna. Take care of her, and help her take her mind off things for a while. I’ll stay here with Julian."

"Okay, Grandfather, I will."

And so, Sienna Everett and Keith Sterling went to The Argent Auction House together.

Manager Jennings was already waiting eagerly at the entrance to greet them.

"Miss Everett, Mr. Sterling, I’ve been so looking forward to your arrival!"

"Zane, cut the crap. Where’s the guy who wants to sell the bronze ware?" Keith Sterling asked.

"He’s in a private room on the first floor. I’ll take you two over," Manager Jennings said, leading the way. "To be honest with you, the bronze ware even has inscriptions on it!"

Sienna Everett raised an eyebrow slightly. "Alright, got it."

Entering the private room on the first floor, they saw a middle-aged man sitting on a chair. He had a standard square-jawed face and was dressed plainly. On the table beside him sat two pieces of bronze ware.

Seeing them enter, the middle-aged man stood up, confused. "Manager Jennings, who are these...?"

Manager Jennings dusted off his sleeves, a grin on his face like a smiling tiger. "Mr. Lennon, this is Miss Everett, an appraiser from our auction house. Your bronze ware needs to be appraised for authenticity. If it’s real, then we can register it for sale."

Mr. Lennon sized up Sienna Everett, looking hesitant. "But... isn’t that the actress, Sienna Everett?"

’What the hell does she know about appraising artifacts?’

Manager Jennings proudly lifted his chin. "Didn’t you watch that variety show a while back? Miss Everett is an amazing artifact appraiser on the show! And she’s also a specially-appointed appraiser for The Argent Auction House!"

Mr. Lennon then recalled. He hadn’t watched the live broadcast of that show, but he’d heard about it. Apparently, Sienna Everett was an incredible appraiser, even better than that professional Restorer, Miles Everett.

’But this is a bronze ware appraisal. Can a young girl like her really handle it?’

Hearing that Sienna Everett had arrived, the other appraisers from the auction house quickly gathered around.

"Miss Everett, you’re here!"

"Miss Everett, long time no see! Mr. Sterling came with you!"

"Miss Everett, you have to take a close look at these two pieces of bronze ware!"

Sienna Everett smiled slightly and greeted them.

Keith Sterling puffed out his chest proudly. ’He was basking in Sierra’s reflected glory again!’

Seeing a group of old men hold Sienna Everett in such high regard, Mr. Lennon reluctantly accepted that she was indeed a specially-appointed appraiser for The Argent Auction House.

"In that case, please, Miss Everett, appraise these two pieces of bronze ware I brought."

Sienna Everett turned her head to look, and her eyes lit up slightly.

Seeing her expression, Keith Sterling wondered, ’Could these two pieces of bronze ware actually be real?’

The other appraisers, who had already examined the two pieces, began to discuss in low voices:

"The patina, the animal-mask design, and the inscriptions... I just looked at them carefully with a magnifying glass. I feel like they could very well be authentic."

"Not necessarily. One of the main methods for faking bronze ware nowadays is to create fake inscriptions."

A younger appraiser disagreed. "I’m willing to bet they’re definitely real!"

A pair of professional gloves lay nearby. Sienna Everett put on two layers of gloves and was about to reach for the piece on the left, but when she saw the patina on its base, she hesitated and didn’t touch it.

Sienna Everett picked up a professional magnifying glass from the side, held it in front of the bronze ware, and bent over to carefully examine the inscriptions on it.

After a moment, Sienna Everett straightened up.

Then she took a close look at the piece of bronze ware on the right.

A moment later, Sienna Everett shook her head. "They’re fake. Both of them are fake."

Hearing they were fake, Mr. Lennon’s eyes went wide with disbelief. "How is that possible! I bought these myself! How could they be fake! Do you even know what you’re talking about?!"

"Of course she knows more than you! You bought them yourself? Then you definitely got scammed!" Keith Sterling shot back, unconditionally defending Sienna Everett.

Keith Sterling had been itching to get involved. Now that he heard they were fake, he reached out and touched one. "Sierra, how could you tell they’re fake?"

The young appraiser who had disagreed earlier frowned. "Sienna Everett, how did you determine this bronze ware is fake? The patina looks clearly authentic to me!"

Sienna Everett glanced at him and said slowly, "This was cast from a pre-made mold, then filled with molten scrap copper from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The inscriptions were carved on separately afterward. As for the patina on the outside, it looks very real, but there are uneven spots in the patina on the base of the bronze ware."

Keith Sterling immediately lifted the fake piece of bronze ware to look at the patina on its base.

The other appraisers crowded around as well.

"I see it, right here! The patina is definitely uneven here! But could it have been scraped? Aside from the base, the rest of the patina looks very authentic."

Sienna Everett explained, "This is clearly not a naturally formed patina. It was artificially induced. First, they treat it with a strong acid, then they bury the piece—which was cast from scrap copper—underneath a latrine urinal. This way, the rusting happens quickly, and it looks very real, like genuine rust."

"What?" Keith Sterling was instantly dumbfounded. "Buried underneath a latrine urinal?"

"Yes." Sienna Everett nodded. "It’s the most convenient and practical method for faking bronze ware and inducing a patina. Although burying it in a latrine creates a foul odor, treating it with a strong acid first can remove that smell."

HOLY CRAP!!

Keith Sterling looked at the piece of bronze ware in his hands, on the verge of losing his mind.

"I FUCKING TOUCHED IT!!!"