The Killer Queen ( Noella Briony ) novel Chapter 223

Noella had initially thought Lorne was stirring up the nephrite market just to make a quick buck. But to her surprise, his sights were set on Polaris Star.

She didn't buy for a second that Lorne was bending over backward to get in touch with her just to snag a discount from Polaris Star. If he claimed to know the previous boss of Polaris Star, then he had no need for such roundabout ways to get a discount.

His attempts to contact her through such a pretext indicated only one possibility- either Lorne was not being truthful, or he wasn't as chummy with this so-called previous boss as he claimed!

Noella glanced at the calendar on her phone.

Next week was her check-in date at Imperial University.

Polaris Star had tracked down another part of the USB drive left by Harriet, which could possibly be in Garrick's possession.

Noella had a hunch that whatever her grandmother wanted to tell her was stored on that USB drive!

On the auction stage, a new display pedestal appeared behind the auctioneer.

"Our next item up for bids is a zither crafted by the Master Rainer himself. As everyone knows, Master Rainer doesn't typically craft this type of zither. This is the one and only piece! A unique treasure in the world, starting at one million."

On the stage lay a simple, unassuming zither. Every aspect of its construction was exquisite, with the thirteen markers adorned with lustrous nephrite.

The appearance of this zither instantly drew the gaze of nearly everyone present.

To showcase the items better, the auction house was bathed in bright lights, with all information displayed on electronic screens in the private booths.

Noella was astonished at the sight of the zither! She could tell immediately that it was indeed a work of Master Rainer!

It even retained many of the craft techniques Master Rainer was known for; the strings were well-maintained, though slightly worn. It was evident that the zither's owner rarely played it.

The room erupted into excitement, and the once-quiet private booths buzzed with noise.

The bids on the electronic screens in the booths were rolling in.

"Two million."

"Two and a half million."

"Three million."

...

Master Rainer's zithers were priceless, with the few that had surfaced on the market reaching sky-high figures. Moreover, it was a rare occurrence for Master Rainer to craft this particular type of zither!

Palmer arched an eyebrow at the visibly excited Noella. "Interested?"

Noella pondered for a moment. "Since it's my mentor's creation, we should bring it back, no matter what."

Just as she prepared to raise her bid on the electronic screen, a message suddenly popped up.

[One million is the price, and I am Rainer.]

With that message, the previously animated guests fell silent!

Those who had been raising the bids quickly withdrew their offers!

When Master Rainer himself had set a price, they weren't fools to jack it up. Even though the zither was precious, it couldn't compare to Master Rainer being there in person!

Watching the retracting bids on the electronic screen, leaving only Rainer's own million, Noella chuckled softly.

Palmer seemed to remember something. "You sure follow in Master Rainer's footsteps, bold as brass."

Previously at the auction, Noella had openly declared her identity to get the information she wanted.

Was this a hallmark of Polaris Star?

Noella shrugged indifferently. "After all, those items have their own inherent value, and the folks at Polaris Star aren't suckers."