Overprotected By My Tsundere CEO-Chapter 657 - 401: Suit Their Tastes, Gifting Mechanical Works [Second Update]
"The Blood Jade you showed off during the New Year was pretty good."
Thomas Langley choked, blood caught in his throat, "Why didn’t you say so earlier?"
He got caught and blackmailed, forcing him to take out the Mechanical Bird he treasured. Yet, after he mustered the resolve to bring it out, it gets ’returned’?
"Who knew you treated it as a treasure," Pedro Langley said nonchalantly.
Thomas glared at Pedro, "What do you know? It’s the epitome of craftsmen’s wisdom!"
"..."
Pedro was at a loss for words.
All he understood was that Nora Scott sketched a blueprint, and by the time he took an afternoon nap, he couldn’t see any epitome of wisdom in it.
Nora Scott couldn’t hold back her laughter, nudging Pedro. She leaned towards him and whispered, "Does your family allow you to pick your gifts?"
The room was quiet, and even though Nora lowered her voice, Thomas and Lucas Langley still heard her.
Thomas chimed in, "Not really. He just uses the fact that he’s the youngest, and takes advantage of your likability to shamelessly specify what gift he wants."
His words were quite amusing, making Nora smile with bright, cheerful eyes.
"If Second Brother likes the Mechanical Bird, I won’t take what’s loved by others," Nora said politely.
"Sister-in-law, you’re generous!" Thomas immediately closed the brocade box and promised Nora, "Whenever you have a conflict with Pedro, come to Second Brother anytime, I’ll back you up."
Both Pedro Langley and Lucas Langley immediately glanced at Thomas.
—You really think you can back her up.
Thomas, with a good attitude, wasn’t affected by their gazes. Just by keeping the Mechanical Bird, he accepted Nora.
And he promised that within a couple of days, the Blood Jade would be sent personally to Cloudwater Haven, ensuring the gifts wouldn’t be lacking.
Nora smiled, not particularly concerned, then casually asked, "Where did Second Brother’s Mechanical Bird come from?"
All the mechanical items that Nora crafted by hand had a ginkgo leaf engraved on them. Those she only drafted, which others made, didn’t have this mark.
Since she made it personally, she’d surely have some impression. The Mechanical Bird should be the one she put up for auction last spring in Anchel. She didn’t inquire about the buyer, but was curious about whether it was Thomas.
—If it was, then whoever secretly associated her with the title of "Master Sliver" and spared no effort in promoting her and building her reputation might have interacted with Thomas.
"A friend with the last name Fan contacted me," Thomas casually answered, then asked Nora with interest, "Why, are you interested?"
Nora agreed with an "Um" but didn’t show much interest, merely asking casually.
Seeing her inquiry, Thomas estimated that what Pedro said about Nora being a bit interested in mechanisms was true, and her leaving the Mechanical Bird for him was purely a matter of "a gentleman doesn’t take what others desire," so his fondness for Nora as a future sister-in-law soared, appreciating her even more.
Thus, Thomas shared everything openly.
"This Mechanical Bird is said to be made by a hermit craftsman named ’Master Sliver.’ His mechanical works were auctioned off every quarter at the underground auction in Anchel over the past few years. For some reason, he stopped the auctions at the end of last year, with no new works emerging."
"As far as I know, he sold just over twenty mechanical pieces at the auction. Given their rarity, his works are now highly sought after and unavailable for purchase, rumored to have been offered eight-figure sums two months ago, but no one sold any."
"I was quite lucky. Although his works were no longer being auctioned when I found out about them, by chance, I got to know a friend with the last name Fan who introduced me to someone who had purchased a piece two years ago from Master Sliver’s collection."
"Initially, because mechanical pieces were scarce, Master Sliver’s works weren’t widely bought, and their prices were low, just a few thousand. Then, as his fame grew, more enthusiasts emerged, causing his prices to surge. That introduced friend got one for just two thousand bucks. Not being interested in mechanical works, the friend bought it to play with and quickly sold it when offered a high price."
"However, if you’re looking to buy one now, it might be hard. Since the value of Master Sliver’s works soared, many vie for them. Currently, the ones available are primarily in the hands of knowledgeable, genuine collectors, with perhaps a few holding onto them, waiting for the right market opportunity to sell, but not many."
As Thomas spoke up to this point, the dishes they ordered earlier started arriving, with servers moving around the private room.
Having listened to all Thomas had to say, Nora squinted her eyes.
"Don’t you find it odd these mechanical pieces are being priced in eight figures?" Nora asked.
Thomas looked at her and shrugged, "You just don’t get it. For the wealthy, if they like something, it’s priceless. Moreover, his works are dubbed ’irreplicable,’ unique in themselves. In this day and age, isn’t it difficult to find something ’one of a kind’?"
"..."
She truly didn’t understand why so much money was spent on a little toy.
If she’d known these were worth so much, she wouldn’t have sold her house last year. Instead, she would have scoured her home for those little gadgets, thrown them onto an auction, and maybe been able to pay off Biel Hall’s debts.
"But speaking of which—" Thomas suddenly thought of something.
"Hmm?"
Thomas raised an eyebrow, lightly tapping his finger on the table, "There are indeed people in the circle saying that although ’Master Sliver’s works are of high quality, someone must be pushing the prices behind the scenes to reach such levels."
Nora was not hopeful, "But no one knows who?"
"Indeed, no one knows," Thomas replied truthfully.
Nora showed an expression of "as expected."
Who the heck, being so idle, pushed her into the public eye?
Did it have anything to do with Robert Durant?
—She could be sure whoever was behind this was putting in such a grand effort to unearth her identity.
Once her works had been inflated in value, those seeing profit would try to find her and collaborate. This way, a group of people would definitely seek her out by various means.
One person may not manage it, but what about a group?
If she didn’t have connections in the northwest, and hadn’t carefully concealed her identity, and used the Durant Family to make the move...
Her identity would have been exposed long ago.
But, for what purpose?
It can’t be just for profit. After all, without money or power, it’s impossible to make ’Master Sliver’s works’ so exorbitantly priced.
For technology?
...
Nora Scott couldn’t find a reason to establish herself.
"Miss Scott."
Manager Woods’ respectful voice pulled Nora Scott back from her thoughts.
"Hm?"
She turned her head.
At this moment, Manager Woods carried two boxes and walked in from outside.
He said, "The things you requested."
"Oh." Nora nodded, "Put them down."
Since Lucas Langley and Thomas Langley prepared gifts for her, naturally she wouldn’t lack gifts for the two of them either.
She had heard from Pedro Langley that Lucas Langley liked Lego, so she had Benjamin Durant check if there were any rare and valuable Lego sets to acquire; just two days ago, Benjamin Durant managed to get one.
As for Thomas Langley’s—
That was something Nora decided on the spur of the moment after chatting with Katherine Collins yesterday.
"Thanks, sis-in-law."
Receiving the Lego, Lucas Langley was slightly surprised, and after thanking her, there was a bit more satisfaction in the way he looked at Nora Scott.
At least it showed some thought.
If in the past he was friendly to Nora because of Pedro and Loughton’s sake, now, there was a bit of genuine sentiment.
——After all, this particular Lego set he truly didn’t have.
"Second Brother."
Nora Scott took out three wooden boxes from the paper bag, then passed them to Pedro Langley.
Pedro Langley handed them over to Thomas Langley.
Thomas Langley didn’t pay much attention, casually opening one, only to be stunned. He continued to open the remaining two, and at that moment nearly fell off the table.
"What the hell?"
Unable to hold back, Thomas swore.
Lucas Langley gave a light cough and cast Thomas a warning look—he should mind his language in front of his sister-in-law.
Thomas ignored Lucas, looking at Nora in shock: "This, this..."
"This" couldn’t even be said.
Nora chuckled lightly, "I heard Second Brother likes them. I happened to have a few, so I gave them to Second Brother."
There was no way to tell Thomas that she was the "Master Sliver."
If she wasn’t aware someone was coveting her, it would be different; she would be happy to interact with someone who truly appreciated her work.——After all, there are people like Henry Chapman who treat her work like trash. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
However now, Nora smelled a conspiracy, so for caution’s sake, the fewer people who knew, the better.
Pedro Langley was perceptive, and listening to what Thomas said earlier, combined with Nora’s question, he suspected there might be something behind "Master Sliver’s growing fame," so she didn’t reveal her identity. Pedro acted as if he didn’t know and said nothing.
"A few?"
Thomas Langley enunciated each word, his expression incredulous.
He had attended a gathering earlier with several big shots from the antiques world, many of whom collected and loved Master Sliver’s works. He heard rumors that even the most enthusiastic collectors only had about three pieces.
After all, these things were extremely rare.
And now, his sister-in-law was calmly and naturally telling him—
"A few."
Moreover, without even batting an eyelid, she gifted him three in one go.
To know, previously when he gifted a Mechanical Bird to Nora, his heart was bleeding, and he cursed Pedro Langley, that old fox, countless times behind his back!
"Yes." Nora replied blandly, "Acquired at a low price in the past. If you want more, I can give you some next time. However, I don’t want to attract trouble."
"..."
It’s decided, he must have this sister-in-law!
If Pedro Langley dares to two-time, he’ll be the first to take Pedro down!
