Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1893: Chapter 1796: Antiques as Gambling Chips

If she accidentally chips even a little corner of these things, they would significantly lose value, and Huo Sining’s nerves were at their breaking point, so furious that she almost burst out swearing.

Huo Sining was filled with distress due to Semya’s clumsy handling of the items. These pieces were unique relics left by the ancestors, and as far as Huo Sining knew, they couldn’t be found domestically—only mentioned in books. She never imagined she’d encounter them in such circumstances today.

Ever since following Zhou Shitao, Huo Sining had unconsciously developed a fondness for these antiquities, although not to the extent of going all-in like Zhou Shitao or Huang Zhenlong. Nonetheless, she held them dearly in her heart, which was why she came to Philadelphia—to reclaim as many of Huaxia Country’s cultural artifacts as possible.

Huo Sining was acutely aware that these items were irreplaceable; the damage of one meant one fewer forever.

Yet, here was this white princess, casually putting out these immensely valuable items in the eyes of Huaxia people without any protective measures—not even some cushioning paper or foam peanuts. Seeing this, Huo Sining was seething with anger.

However, these items belonged to someone else, and Huo Sining knew she had no authority to comment. Unable to resist, she looked up at Semya: ”Miss Semya, what are you doing?”

Semya laughed: ”Don’t pretend—I saw your expression when you first saw these items. I know you’re an appraiser, especially skilled with Huaxia artifacts. Why don’t you give me an estimate—how much are these things worth?”

Recalling Semya’s earlier mention of her bargaining chips and seeing these items, a sudden realization struck Huo Sining. She looked up in disbelief at the young white woman in front of her:

”Are you planning... to use these as chips?”

Having visited Ao City casinos and participated in international competitions in Las Vegas, Huo Sining was naturally familiar with some gambling rules.

In ordinary casinos, using antiques as collateral or directly selling them for chips would never happen. However, in Ao City and Las Vegas, there are many pawnshops, specifically taking items from gamblers—jewelry, jade artifacts, ancient relics—as long as they have value, they can be pawned.

A significant portion of the antiques in the Philadelphia Black Market originates from this.

However, in a casino, pawning inanimate items typically doesn’t fetch as high a price as auction houses or antique stores outside. Many luxury items might only receive half or even a tenth of their original price when pawned in a casino.

Even so, at such low prices, many desperate gamblers still pawn and collateralize without hesitation just to get money to keep gambling, believing that as long as they have the opportunity, they can turn their luck around and win back what they’ve lost with interest.

In reality, however, only a rare few manage to redeem their items eventually. Most pawned items go from being redeemable to outright sold, ultimately turning into auction items on the Philadelphia Black Market, bid on by collectors from around the world, the final destination unknown—or ending up in another casino.

Huo Sining never expected Semya would take such an unconventional path.

Perhaps because of the fervor in Huo Sining’s eyes as she viewed the antiques, Semya felt a sense of superiority, lifting her chin at Huo Sining:

”That’s right, these items are family treasures. I know you’re an appraiser and will recognize their value. If I use these as chips, you win a game, and you can take one. How about it? Isn’t my offer tempting enough for you?”

Huo Sining’s attention was entirely on these exquisite antiques, leaving her no mind for conversation with Semya.

She took a few steps forward, reaching out to pick up the White Jade Revolving Heart Lotus Seed Vase, examining it thoroughly from all angles.

Although she hadn’t seen the actual vase, Huo Sining had encountered a genuine Hetian White Jade Revolving Heart Jade Pendant in Zhou Shitao’s study. That pendant was of a transparent, beautiful quality, cherished as Zhou Shitao’s favorite. He rarely let others see it. By chance, Huo Sining once saw her mentor handling the pendant, and she couldn’t resist asking, eventually persuading Zhou Shitao to let her touch it.

That jade pendant, a Qing Dynasty heirloom, cost Zhou Shitao over half a million when he acquired it seven or eight years ago. Since then, its value had multiplied more than tenfold.

And that was just a pendant. Huo Sining heard Zhou Shitao mention the Revolving Heart Jade Pendant wasn’t the ultimate prize. The White Jade Revolving Heart Lotus Seed Vase was the truly exquisite item, even referenced in the ”Dream of the Red Chamber” as a decor piece in Old Granny’s room.

Cao Xueqin, who wrote with a mix of reality and fiction, described people as they were, and yet so many of the objects in the book were authentic, such as food, medicine recipes, and antiques. Zhou Shitao believed the White Jade Revolving Heart Lotus Seed Vase truly existed.

However, Zhou Shitao could only describe its appearance vaguely and draft a conceptual drawing since he never saw the original himself—and neither had Huang Zhenlong or Qin Lianshan.

Huo Sining only had this concept. But when Semya took the items out of the box, at first sight, the term ”White Jade Revolving Heart Lotus Seed Vase” immediately popped into her head. She felt certain it was what her mentor had always longed for—without a doubt!

The pair of white jade vases, in workmanship, material, and hue, closely resembled the jade pendant her mentor cherished. Huo Sining used her Heavenly Eye for appraisal and discovered the faint purple aura on the vases, indicative of the prosperous Qing Dynasty era.

If this pair of White Jade Revolving Heart Lotus Seed Vases is the very decor mentioned in ”Dream of the Red Chamber,” bringing them back would not only thrill Zhou Shitao but likely drive the old scholars studying the book into a frenzy.

Huo Sining knew those academic factions spent years on trivial details described in Cao Xueqin’s work. These White Jade Revolving Heart Lotus Seed Vases could serve as another proof, surely sparking intense competition among those scholars.

As she thought about this, her gaze shifted to the next item.