Becoming the Richest Man Alive

Chapter 224

“Amateur!”

Tony loathed the proposal.

“Carbon-dating isn’t a foolproof method, yet you want a machine to do the appraisal. What a joke! Regardless if you’re using carbon-14 or thermoluminescence, none of these could beat the naked eye.”

Casper smirked at Tony’s admonishment. “You are right. Scientific appraisals have loopholes, but we wouldn’t know the difference till there is a comparison.”

The two men scoffed. “Stop pretending to be an expert. Now, return the jar to us! You can’t afford to pay if you break it?”

Casper laughed. “But I can. Let’s play a game. If the jar is genuine, I will pay you double the final bidding price at the fair.”

“What? You? Look at shabby attire. Where are you going to find the money if you can’t even afford a shard from the jar?”

Doubt filled Victoria’s mind as the men mocked Casper. She was impressed with his gut feel. However, his evaluations on the two items made no sense. Her interests were at stake because the vase and jar were finale items at the auction.

Tony pounded the table with his fist. “This is preposterous! Do you think you can act impudently because you’re rich? I don’t care about your finance. You owe us an explanation for claiming the jar to be a fake.”

He set the jar down and asked, “Mr. Lane, can you lend me your high-definition magnifying glass?”

Tony took one out of his toolbox reluctantly and gave Casper.

He felt a sense of familiarity during the examination. It felt different from the genuine antiques he had at home, more like the high-quality forgeries produced by his mentor.

Could this be one of his works?

Casper was certain the enamel temple jar was a fake.

Growing up in a house full of rare treasures, Casper would examine the pieces thoroughly every day to hone his skills. Over time, he knew every piece like the back of his hand. A knowledgeable and gifted assessor with acute observation, he had surpassed most of his peers. Spotting an imitation at one glance would be effortless.

Casper decided to test the two men to clear his doubts. Pretending to smash the jar was a ruse to see their reaction.

Their worried expressions confirmed his suspicions.

Back then, his family had hired Mr. Crane, who was once a famous master forger, to mentor him. The man made seventy-two replicas that were appraised to be authentic by experts.

His unique talent made him public enemy number one in the world of antiques. Some loved him, while others hated him. His forgeries had caused men to lose every penny, but there were also men who made a fortune.

Mr. Crane destroyed all his works and retired with a different identity. Finally, the Simpsons hired him to be Casper’s mentor. The man imparted everything about appraising antiques to his student. However, he never taught the boy a thing about forgery.

The most accomplished forger was also the best appraiser. To produce a replica that could pass as the real thing to fool the experts, a forger had to possess an immaculate understanding of antiques.

Since his mentor destroyed all his works, there weren’t many left in circulation. The jar wasn’t one of his, but there were some similarities in the craftsmanship. It must be one of his apprentices.

I remember Mr. Crane has two apprentices. One became the director of the National Museum while the other was missing. Did he make this?

It was common practice for a master forger to leave his trademark on his work. Mr. Crane would carve a pin-sized crane camouflaged amongst the motifs. The apprentice would have one too.

“Bingo!”

Casper found the forger’s signature hidden in a bird’s-eye. The galloping fawn was barely visible.

“The workmanship is ingenious!” He smiled at Tony, who felt a chill down his spine.

“Kid, what did you see?”

Casper replied with another question, “Mr. Lane, I wonder if you have heard of a legend in the antique world. There was a master forger who went by Mr. Crane.”

Tony was dumbfounded. He didn’t expect the young man to know this. “Are you talking about the best master forger, Mr. Crane? I heard his workmanship was unmatched. His replicas were flawless, even experts couldn’t tell the difference. Imagine the panic he caused.”

Casper cocked his head at the sellers and smirked. “These men couldn’t find Mr. Crane, but their piece resembles his works.”

He handed Tony the jar and the magnifying glass.

The latter followed his directions and saw a fawn hidden in one of the bird’s eyes.

“How…” Despite his competency in the field, Tony was clueless about the origin of that mark. He turned to Casper for an explanation.

Victoria was stunned. The consultant was a well-respected appraiser in Horington. Did he really miss something?

“Mr. Crane used to have an apprentice named Mr. Buck. I believe he is continuing his mentor’s practice when he left a carving of his signature on his work. And that is the fawn on this jar.” Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Tony retreated a few steps in shock and disbelief. “I have made a terrible mistake. This jar looks like a masterpiece, even I can’t tell that it is a forgery.”

“Where are you going?”

From the corner of his eye, Casper noticed the two sellers fleeing. He lunged and rendered them unconscious by striking them behind their necks.

Victoria ordered her men to tie the two scammers up. She stared at Casper, wanting to clarify her doubts with him. Suddenly, she realized she didn’t know him that well after all.

“The shape, motifs, and colors complement each other beautifully. It’s a pity this exquisite piece is just a well-crafted replica?”

The truth was an enormous blow for Tony, who had never seen such an immaculate forgery in his life.

“Mr. Simpson, is this flawless replica a fake?” Elena asked.

“In a way. There’s some value since we still consider it a work of art. However, it’s too risky to sell it as the real thing for a profit.”

Casper wondered at the connection between the sellers and Mr. Buck.

Mr. Crane said he was born a cripple. However, Mr. Buck had a pair of magical hands. Besides being meticulous and exquisite with his workmanship, he threw himself into making porcelain wares. His forgery skills could rival Mr. Crane’s.

If only I could recruit this master forger… Casper began to make plans in his head.

He had always wanted to expand his business into this trade. Antiques, firearms, and luxury goods were the three most profitable products. Since he had no access to firearms and knew nothing about luxury goods, antiques became his only choice to achieve his target of making a billion.

Antiques didn’t have a ceiling on their prices. There were countless items worth tens of millions, while a lot was worth north of a hundred million. Therefore, it was common for the word “priceless” to be thrown around in the antique world.

“Hey kid, I was rude to you earlier. Please forgive me. Can you also tell me how you knew the jar was fake?”

Tony humbled himself to learn from Casper. The latter’s status elevated from an arrogant kid to a glowing paragon.