Charlie declined Jasmine’s proposal. “I’m sorry, Miss Moore, but my day has been spoiled by those two annoying flies, so I won’t be attending the auction. Let’s postpone it for now.”

Jasmine responded with genuine remorse, “I’m truly sorry, Mr. Wade.”

She then went back to her car to retrieve a wooden box, placing it gently in Charlie’s hand. “Mr. Wade, this is a small token of my appreciation as an apology…”

As soon as the box touched Charlie’s hands, he felt the subtle traces of Reiki emanating from it, and he accepted it with gratitude.

Jasmine was thrilled that Charlie accepted her gift. “Well, I’ll go ahead and suspend today’s auction. I’ll ask Finn to regroup and assess his team at the Treasure Pavilion. Once he’s ready, we can hold another auction, and I hope both you and Mr. Wilson will be interested in joining us then.”

Jacob was taken aback when he realized who she was. She was indeed Miss Moore, the woman he had encountered at the Vintage Deluxe when he accidentally broke the antique vase, wasn’t she?

She was remarkably courteous to his son-in-law and was even willing to delay the auction and rearrange everything for him! Wasn’t that quite an honor?

Could it be related to the vase he had repaired the other day?

“Oh my goodness, I need to view my son-in-law in a new light,” Jacob murmured to himself.

Recognizing Jasmine’s sincerity, Charlie nodded and replied, “Alright then, when you reschedule the auction, we’ll be there.”

Jacob quickly chimed in, “Yes, absolutely, we’ll attend.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Again, I sincerely apologize for today’s incident. Please drive safely.”

Jasmine bowed and expressed her regrets once more before bidding them farewell and departing.

Once Jasmine was gone, Jacob pointed to the wooden box in Charlie’s hands, his excitement palpable. “Charlie, what did Miss Moore give you? Open it!”

Charlie nodded and began to slowly open the wooden box.

Suddenly, a powerful surge of Reiki burst forth from the box, instantly revitalizing him.

“Huh, what is that?” Jacob craned his neck for a better look, only for his expression to twist into confusion.

Inside the box lay a black object, about the size of a fist. At first glance, it resembled a piece of coal, albeit with a rough surface and some dirt on it.

When Charlie recognized what was inside the wooden box, his heart raced in surprise at Jasmine’s generosity.

Jacob squinted at the black object repeatedly. Finally, he let out a disappointed huff. “I thought it might be some kind of precious treasure, but it’s just a piece of wood.”

Charlie smiled. “Dad, it is wood, but not just any wood; it’s something very rare.”

Jacob was even more perplexed. “What on earth is it?”

“This is lightning-struck wood.”

“It’s created when trees are struck by lightning, right?” Jacob replied. “But isn’t this type of wood common in the mountains during thunderstorms? What makes this one so special?”

Charlie smiled again. “Dad, while it’s true that ordinary trees can be struck by lightning, look closely at this wood. It has been charred into a black onyx-like texture. Wood can only achieve such charring under extreme temperatures, indicating that this lightning carried an immense amount of power. It’s likely from a rare, massive lightning strike that occurs only once in centuries.”

“Moreover, the black and shiny section of the wood has faint bloodline patterns, revealing that it’s the core of the ‘Raja Kayu,’ the king of wood, making it even more extraordinary.”

Jacob scoffed dismissively. “I still don’t believe it. How much could a piece of lightning-struck wood possibly be worth? It’s just a gimmick. The true value lies in antique cultural relics. If you told me this wood was touched by Louis XIV of France, then it might be worth something.”

Charlie simply smiled and chose not to respond. To him, this piece was incredibly valuable and held immense significance. Not only did it possess abundant Reiki, but according to the Apocalyptic Book, it could also be refined.

But Jacob, of course, wouldn’t grasp any of that.

Thus, Charlie decided not to elaborate further and carefully put the box away.