Moreover, the top-grade pearl had undergone professional inspection based on the experience of many individuals, so there was absolutely no room for error!
While Ye Pengfei was feeling uneasy in his heart,
The police officer asked, "Besides repelling water, what other abilities does this Water-Repelling Pearl possess? And who was its creator?"
"In the description of your auction item, it states that the Water-Repelling Pearl is a treasure from the Dragon Palace. Hundreds of years ago, when the capital was ravaged by storms, the entire city faced the risk of collapse. A highly accomplished cultivator ventured into the Dragon Palace to steal this treasure, ultimately rescuing tens of thousands of citizens in the capital... Is this story true?"
Hundreds of years ago...
The capital was struck by a fierce storm.
The floodwaters raged for seven days and seven nights, nearly submerging the entire city.
The common people were separated from their families and lived in hardship.
The Emperor, upon hearing of the Water-Repelling Pearl in the Dragon Palace, ordered it to be brought forth to protect the capital from the flood.
A cultivator of a thousand years, dwelling among the populace, journeyed to the Dragon Palace to steal the treasure.
After enduring numerous hardships and defeating countless water creatures, and incidentally falling in love with the Dragon Princess, the cultivator finally returned and presented the Water-Repelling Pearl to the Emperor.
The Emperor ordered his subordinates to construct a Dragon King Temple and installed the Water-Repelling Pearl within it. Once stabilized, the pearl possessed immense divine power, protecting the capital from further floods.
This story, brimming with mythical elements, was the promotional narrative Ye Pengfei had crafted for the top-grade pearl after acquiring it.
Ye Pengfei and his subordinates had scoured historical records for every tale related to pearls, water-repelling artifacts, and mythical stories.
Drawing upon various myths and legends, Ye Pengfei and his team meticulously compiled and embellished a new narrative around the Water-Repelling Pearl.
They then enlisted the help of their specialized promotional team, who spent three to four days refining the text and finally concocted the origin story for the Water-Repelling Pearl.
Subsequently, they posted on Weibo and WeChat Moments, hiring online trolls to heavily promote the pearl. Once many wealthy customers in the antique, jewelry, and auction circles became aware that Shun Jin Auction Company would be auctioning the Water-Repelling Pearl,
Ye Pengfei commenced the auction.
Despite the extensive promotion, Ye Pengfei knew that the story he had fabricated was false.
Where was this accomplished cultivator?
Where was the Emperor's decree, the theft from the Dragon Palace?
Where was the capital being saved from floods...
All these tales were merely part of the promotional efforts, designed to imbue the top-grade pearl with historical significance.
It was a story created solely to inflate the price.
The purpose was to increase the auction price in Blue Star Coins. Ye Pengfei believed that the pearl fetching 1.3 million Blue Star Coins was, to some extent, due to the propaganda.
But was this story true?
Ye Pengfei, who had personally crafted it, knew it wasn't.
The customers who purchased it also knew the story wasn't real.
It was akin to street fortune-tellers; people didn't truly believe they could foresee five hundred years into the past or future, yet they still sought their services. Fortune-tellers didn't starve because no one came to them.
Just as when someone passed away, families would invite monks to perform rituals to guide the departed soul. Few people genuinely believed that a few chanted sutras, like the Diamond Sutra or the Four Lines of Entering the Dao, could truly liberate a soul—yet this didn't stop monks from promoting it, nor did it prevent those who hired them from believing it.
The Water-Repelling Pearl was precisely like this. Ye Pengfei had adorned it with various mythical and legendary elements, coupled with its exquisite and near-perfect craftsmanship, which allowed it to command such a high value.
The mythical story itself wasn't the core focus; it was merely promotional work. The perfect shape, superior quality, and size of the top-grade pearl were the true highlights.
Buyers weren't purchasing based on mythical stories. No matter how compelling the tale, they wouldn't buy a low-quality or artificially created pearl.
The pearl itself was paramount.
However, the police officer before him, with a solemn expression, stated that the Water-Repelling Pearl possessed water-repelling abilities.
He even took the fabricated story as truth.
He inquired about the identity of the accomplished cultivator, whether the Dragon King Temple built by the previous dynasty still existed, and if not, its geographical location.
"Did you retrieve this Water-Repelling Pearl from the Dragon King Temple?"
These questions left Ye Pengfei utterly bewildered.
If the person sitting before him wasn't a police officer, and if the officer wasn't asking with such a serious demeanor,
Ye Pengfei would have undoubtedly considered the person speaking to be an absolute imbecile.
An imbecile who believed a fabricated mythical story as fact. What kind of chuunibyou would mistake a myth for reality?
How low must one's education be to take such things seriously?
"I'll give you three options: one is to send you back to school for nine years of compulsory education, one is to send you to a mental hospital, and the third is to send you to the hospital. Which do you choose?"
However, the weight and impact of words differ depending on the speaker.
That chuunibyou teenager, clad in white ancient attire and relying on his good looks, claimed the top-grade pearl in his hand was the Water-Repelling Pearl. Ye Pengfei could only pity his parents for having such an intellectually challenged son.
But with four police officers sitting in his home, seriously and meticulously questioning him about the Water-Repelling Pearl's details,
And with ten soldiers outside his house, armed with live ammunition,
They claimed this top-grade pearl was the Water-Repelling Pearl.
They claimed this top-grade pearl came from the Dragon Palace.
Ye Pengfei believed them!
The outcome of who says what carries different implications.
Ye Pengfei couldn't believe that the police officers and soldiers from the Dragon Country Investigation Bureau would come to his home to play such a cruel joke.
Therefore, at this moment, only one thought flashed through his mind.
Could it be, could it be that what that chuunibyou teenager said was actually true?
Is this top-grade pearl truly the Water-Repelling Pearl?
Can it truly repel water upon contact?
Can it truly control water?
If the Water-Repelling Pearl existed and genuinely possessed water-repelling abilities, then everything would logically fall into place.
All his doubts would be resolved.
Why would the Dragon Country Investigation Bureau come to his home to investigate? And even deploy soldiers?
The reason was that he, as an auctioneer, had come into possession of an item that defied the scope of science!
This miraculous item surpassed the imagination of the world, naturally warranting the attention and importance of the Dragon Country's high command!
What kind of scene would unfold if an item from mythology appeared in modern society?
Ye Pengfei didn't know the specifics, but he was certain that a mere ten soldiers, while terrifying to an individual, were far from the extent of the Dragon Country's high command's capabilities.
If he showed the slightest hint of deception, perhaps ten sniper rifles would be aimed at him from a street away, ready to pull the trigger that would end his life!