Hera chuckled as she shook Liz’s hand, finding her to be a refreshing change from the other crazy heiresses she had encountered recently. <i>’This is how a true heiress should behave,’</i> Hera thought. <i>’Proud but not arrogant, aware of her mistakes, and willing to make amends without causing a fuss. Moreover, she’s skilled at socializing, which is essential for any socialite.’</i>


    Hera’s mind began to churn as she observed Liz, a foxy smile spreading across her face. Zhane, noticing Hera’s mischievous grin, turned away to stifle augh. He knew that smile all too well—it was the same one she wore when she was scheming, whether for good or ill, reminiscent of a cat who had just stolen a fish.


    <i>’She’s mischievous, alright,’</i> Zhane thought with a doting smile afterposing himself. His briefughter went unnoticed by Liz and Hera, who were too engrossed in their conversation as they waited for the bidding to begin.


    Once all attendees, including their Professional Inspectors and secretaries, were ounted for, the host called for everyone’s attention tomence the bidding. "Good morning, everyone. It’s a pleasure to see you all here," he began, pausing to smile as he surveyed the crowd, noting some new faces withoutmenting. "As you know, we have sourced some exceptional stones from the mines. These stones are fresh, having just arrived, and their quality is assured, having been thoroughly inspected by our in-house experts."


    Hera leaned in and whispered to Liz, "If the stones have already been inspected by in-house experts, why allow others to bring their own inspectors? Why not just sell the stones after opening them up?" She tilted her head, clearly baffled as she tried to understand the reasoning behind the process.


    Liz couldn’t help but smile at Hera’s cute, confused expression. "It’s true that the stones have been inspected," she exined, "but buyers want to ensure they’re getting what they’re promised. They prefer not to rely solely on one or two inspectors, no matter how trustworthy. These businessmen need to verify the stones themselves to feel at ease."


    "After all, we’re talking about millions of dors for a single stone. Additionally, there have been past incidents where inspectors disagreed, and it waster discovered that a stone, which seemed promising with a jade-rich outeryer, was actually a sham. The outeryer was just a fa?ade, and the inner part was worthless. This is why buyers need to conduct their own inspections to avoid such pitfalls."


    "Therefore, a buyer who spent ten million on a massive stone, hoping to make ten times his investment, ended up barely earning a fraction of that."


    Hera nodded in understanding. Once the host finished his introduction, he signaled the start of the bidding. Liz’s father wasted no time and began inspecting each stone, ready to make his offers. Seeing the excitement, Hera decided to join in. Zhane, ever supportive, assisted her by holding the paper and pen provided for bids, handing them to her whenever she was ready to make an offer.


    Liz, intrigued by Hera’s judgment process, watched her intently, hoping to learn something new. However, the longer she observed, the more confused she became, unable to discern any clear pattern in Hera’s choices.


    Zhane assisted Hera by writing her name on all the bid papers while she inspected the stones. Whenever she liked a stone, she wrote down the amount she felt was appropriate. After her experience downstairs, Hera had picked up on certain nuances and felt a stronger pull towards specific stones. She put her newfound insights into practice, carefully choosing and bidding on the stones that resonated with her.


    It took two and a half hours for the bidding to conclude. Once everyone had finished, bidders gathered with their professional inspectors to discuss the stones they had bid on and evaluate their chances of sess.