After divorcing my celebrity wife, I became the world's richest person

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know many of you desire this painting, and now I am bringing it out for a public auction. If someone can offer a price that satisfies me, be it money or other items, I am willing to part with it."

No sooner had these words been spoken than the room erupted into excitement.

Wu Daozi himself is a painting sage from the East, and without exception, everything he creates is a masterpiece among masterpieces.

Hansis, being a collector himself, held a particular fondness for such ink wash landscape paintings and immediately wanted to raise his bidding paddle.

Chen Yu quickly held down his wrist.

"This landscape painting isn't worth buying. If you're really interested in paintings of this type, you should consider other options." Find your next read at empire

Hansis looked completely baffled, his gaze somewhat vacant.

"Mr. Chen, so many people say this painting is authentic, it must be right. Why can't I buy it?"

Chen Yu leaned in close to Hansis's ear, "Trust me, this is a forgery!"

Hansis's eyes widened in disbelief, hardly able to believe his own ears.

How could a painting so fervently contested by so many be a fake?

At this moment, the scene had already descended into chaos, with the price soaring to over three billion.

A few people were crowding forward as if they had gone mad.

In the end, the painting was bought by a rather thin-looking middle-aged man for an astronomical price of forty-eight billion.

The guy was sitting in a power wheelchair, emanating a strange aura as if he had been injected with some kind of medical substance.

Chen Yu tilted his head, observing the man closely.

He noticed that the muscle structure of the man's legs wasn't quite normal, severely atrophied.

"Hmph, it's that guy again!" Hansis said with displeasure, "Relying on the backing of the Knights of the Round Table, he struts around here like he owns the place."

Chen Yu looked puzzled, "What did you say? He's related to the Knights of the Round Table?"

Hansis nodded, "His name is Marco Nolan. He was born with a disability and was supposed to die at the age of six, but his family is under the protection of the Knights of the Round Table, so he received a special medicine that extended his life."

Chen Yu immediately understood that this guy was basically a test subject for the Knights of the Round Table.

He was indeed fortunate that the reaction of the medicine in his body was deemed a success, ensuring his survival until today, though it couldn't repair his necrotic muscles.

Given his current physical condition, he could live at most another two years.

Chen Yu now felt an almost instinctual loathing towards the Knights of the Round Table, yet he was not ready to openly break with them just yet.

Although he greatly disliked Marco Nolan's arrogant demeanor, he didn't want to stoop to his level.

"I came to this ship to obtain only the best. No matter how valuable it is, as long as it's a treasure of the world, I will add it to my collection, which is different from the purpose of the rest of you here."

His flippant manner and mocking voice seemed to suggest that, in his eyes, everyone else on the ship was merely a lowly figure trying to pick up bargains.

The atmosphere in the room immediately escalated, with palpable anger visible in everyone's eyes.

Hansis was fuming as well. Although he currently held the status of a wealthy businessman, his ancestors were royalty after all.

Chen Yu squinted his eyes—in his view, the guy was simply courting death.

After taking a moment to regulate his breathing, he pushed through the crowd and approached.

"Mr. Martin, if I'm not mistaken, the painting you have there is a fake, isn't it?"

Martin Nolan looked at Chen Yu with the kind of gaze one uses to regard a fool.

"Where did this lunatic come from? Does he have any discernment? This painting is an authentic work by Wu Daozi."

The crowd suddenly fell silent, and a considerable number of people cast their gazes on Chen Yu.

They really couldn't stand Martin Nolan's arrogant attitude, and if someone could prove that this painting was fake, it would alleviate the frustration in their hearts.

"I must say, the craftsmanship of this painting is incredibly delicate; it must be the result of the most advanced silk gauze techniques in the trade, which is why it's so difficult to determine!"

As he spoke, he had already approached the painting, raising his finger to point at the signature.

"As is well-known, Eastern emperors have posthumous names, but these posthumous names are only to be used after their deaths! This painting was made in the third year of Tianbao, and the name that should appear is 'Holy Emperor,' not 'Emperor Xuanzong'!"

The people on site crowded forward and truly, at the signature at the end, there were the words "respectfully presented to Emperor Xuanzong."

Martin Nolan stood there stunned. He knew this common knowledge, but the painting was made so realistically that not just he, but even his top appraisers had been tricked.

Paying 4.8 billion for such trash, no matter how wealthy, would be painful.

Someone in the crowd finally couldn't hold back and burst into loud laughter.

"Mr. Martin, I thought it was really a treasure. It turns out it's just junk after all these grand gestures."

"Your appraisers are too careless. How could they have missed such a detail?"

...

Those people were simply armchair critics; the appraisers under them likely hadn't noticed such details either.

Martin Nolan's breathing became rapid, and he grabbed the painting and tore it to shreds.

"You have quite the skill, sir. Would you like to come and work as an appraiser under me?"

Chen Yu didn't respond, simply walking to the side and pouring himself a glass of wine.

This ship was specially prepared to host the appraisal event and would sail for over one hundred thirty days, until every painting on board was auctioned off.

And such specialized appraisal vessels were rarely launched, so the so-called appraiser job lasted only about a hundred days.

Not to mention whether he was willing to work as an appraiser for this man, just in terms of identity, he couldn't do it.

"Me, work as your appraiser? How many heads do you have?"

The cold voice made Martin Nolan's body tremble violently, "What do you mean by that?"

Chen Yu drained the wine in his glass and then uttered a string of extremely strange words.

The people around were all confused, thinking Chen Yu was talking nonsense; unexpectedly, Martin Nolan actually climbed down from his wheelchair and knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Could you be Chen Yu, Mr. Chen?"

Chen Yu gazed down at Martin Nolan with a look of disdain.

"I will not take offense at your disrespect earlier, but while the death penalty may be spared, you cannot escape the living penalty. You should know what to do."

Martin Nolan gasped heavily and reached for a knife from the side, raising it high.

He was about to chop off his own right hand.

The onlookers were completely dumbstruck; the previously haughty Martin Nolan was now kneeling submissively like a quail, not even daring to make eye contact with Chen Yu.

Anyone with a bit of sense could infer that Chen Yu was no ordinary person.