NovelOnlineChapter 498
Just as Raiden was about to reply, Bailey preempted him.
“The emerald will not be destroyed. That is a certainty. You'll know once you've tried.”
“You...” Pointing a trembling finger at Bailey, the expert exploded, “You ignorant fool, you're going to
destroy our nation's most precious heritage!”
“Fine.” Sniggering back at him, Bailey proclaimed nonchalantly, “If the real red emerald is ruined, I'm
willing to pay for it with my life!”
“You—”
Bailey raised her hand to shut him up before shifting her attention to Lina. “This war is between both of
us. Since a piece of trash like you has the cheek to come so far, what is there to be afraid of? After all,
aren't you a master in antique appraisal?”
“W-Who says that I'm afraid?” Biting her lip, the seething Lina countered, “Fine. Go ahead and melt it.
Bailey, you had better remember your words. If the red emerald is destroyed because of your lapse in
judgment, the consequences will be yours to bear!”
Now that both of them had come to an agreement, everyone else's opinion was moot.
They, too, were curious to know whether the thousand-year-old ancient emerald would be able to
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtwithstand the extreme heat of the melting pot.
A short while later, four workers brought in two melting pots.
As Lina's fists were clenched tightly, sweat began to ooze out of her palms. Even her forehead had cold
sweat beading off it.
The emerald she appraised a few days ago was fake and would undeniably melt in the pot.
Hence, her only hope was that Bailey's emerald was a fake too. Once it liquefied in the heat, she would
be able to accuse the latter of making a wrong judgment.
After all, destroying a national treasure by mistake was a crime no one, including the Luther family,
could absolve her of.
With that thought in mind, she heaved a sigh of relief.
“Mr. Fletcher, the melting pots have reached their maximum temperature. We can load the emeralds
into them now.”
Instead of responding, Raiden turned to Bailey to await further instructions.
Curling her lips into a smile, Bailey sauntered up to the melting pot and threw in the red emerald she
was fiddling with. Her movements were deft as she showed no hesitation at all.
Meanwhile, Lina felt her eyelids twitch as the ominous feeling within her increased in intensity.
She looks really calm, as if victory is within her grasp. Can it be... No, No... I shouldn't scare myself.
Perhaps she's just trying to scare me off on purpose?
“Ms. Young, why are you hesitating? Just admit that your emerald is a fake if you do not have the guts
to throw it in. I'll forgive you this once.”
The words caused the wavering Lina to flare her temper.
“Fine, I'll throw it in. I'm not going to believe the nonsense you're spewing. At more than a thousand
Celsius, anything would turn into ash. You should instead prepare yourself for prison.”
The moment she finished, she threw the emerald she evaluated into the burning pot.
All that was left now was to wait for the results.
Turning her head toward the crowd, Bailey gave Lydia, who was amongst them, a look.
Cognizant of what the former was trying to convey, Lydia flashed her an okay sign.
Both of them had prepared a huge present for Lina.
Three minutes later, the fire in the melting pot gradually died down.
As the crowd on the stage gathered to check on Lina's red emerald, solemn expressions descended
upon their faces.
“What are we going to do? Master Vespera's red emerald has melted!”
“You guys on stage, tell us what's going on?”
“Yea, if you don't, we're coming up ourselves.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSubsequently, the curator announced, “Ms. Young's red emerald has been liquefied.”
As silence fell upon the room, Lina, knees buckling, collapsed onto the ground.
However, one of the experts caught her in time and whispered, “Don't fret yet. I'm sure Bailey's emerald
didn't survive the heat. In fact, it must be entirely incinerated.”
Thereafter, the crowd moved toward the pot where Bailey loaded her emerald. The moment they took a
peek, their faces were filled with disbelief.
“W-What's going on?”
“Exactly. What is happening? W-Why isn't it melted?”
“Not just that. It's even shinier than before!”
“W-What sort of sorcery is this?”
As the crowd on stage went into an uproar, those below were gripped with shock.
I-It isn't melted? Bailey's red emerald is intact? How could this happen?
Lina staggered back in shock before crashing into the railing behind her.
The fact that the emerald didn't melt was evidence that its material couldn't be forged by modern
techniques, and by extension, not made in the present.
On top of looking exactly like the emerald seal, its authenticity was no longer in question.
“No, this can't be the real thing. It can't be...”
Ignoring Lina, Bailey attempted to reach into the pot to retrieve the emerald.
Shocked by what she was about to do, Raiden grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Are you trying to get yourself killed? The heat inside has yet to dissipate. If you put your hand in, it will
be incinerated at once.”
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