Elgin's theater is a standard sound-wall structure, with a soaring dome framed by rows of rib-like curved arches that support the flat-bottomed egg-like space within.

The front end of the theater is a round stage, and the near door is two or three hundred seats around the stage, with an oblique arch upward, and six small terrace-type private rooms on each side.

Lorraine took Henna and Pidick in her arms and nodded goodbye, stepping on the thick Scottish wool carpet into the private room.

There were only three flannel-covered purple wide-backed chairs, surrounded by a small round table.

On the table are three small mirrors with handles, black tea and refreshments, and a sign decorated with red and green Scottish checks, with a large "VII" written on both sides.

Lorraine shifted her seat for Henna, and instead sat down next to Mr. Pidick, and lifted the bone china teacup in front of her.

"Tea?"

Henna lifted her veil: "The kind with sugar and milk?" ”

"You can also add nothing."

Henna thought for a moment, "Yes. ”

Lorraine smiled wryly and poured tea for Henna, amber, seven points full, and the bitter aroma was wafting and refreshing.

Henna picked up the cup with both hands, took a sip, frowned, and began to add milk and sugar, a lot of milk, a lot of sugar.

She stirred a whole cup of amber jade into a milky white color, and then she was satisfied with the taste, licked her lips, and muttered: "It tastes good." ”

"Sweet milk must taste good......

The theater is brightly lit, and the intricate glass chandeliers reflect a blurry glow on the dome, illuminating a podium in the middle of the stage.

On the podium stood a young gentleman, with a burly build, who looked like Mr. Pidick.

Mr. Pidick poked his head out at the partition: "That's my nephew Ramos, who served in the Royal Navy, but later injured his back, and retired to run Black Harbor, a capable young man. ”

"Mr. Pidick Jr...... It looks like a talent. Lorraine complimented.

"After the meeting, I will introduce you to each other, you are all young people, you should be more close."

Lorraine smiled and nodded, "There's Mr. Laupidick." ”

Ramos stood on the stage and waited for a while, and saw that the businessmen attending the meeting were almost all together.

There were 150 or 60 people sitting scattered in the audience, and the twelve private rooms filled six rooms.

His uncle, Mr. Pidick, alluded to Lorraine with a sign, signaling to him that this was the Drake's outcast whom he had mentioned to him two days before.

Ramos cleared his throat and slammed the hammer with a thud.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the auction in Ergenhamn, where I am your master of ceremonies, Ramos. Pidick. There are many exotic treasures participating in the conference this time, and I sincerely hope that you can return with a full load. ”

"First of all, the first lot of the day, a delicate canvas ...... from Lossiemouth"

Lorraine absentmindedly sipping black tea in the private room.

The tea is generally a native of Scotland, and the taste is far less mellow than that of Ceylon and India, but the milk is good and the refreshments are also very good.

Lorraine has seen many auctions on television, art auctions, charity auctions, and land auctions...... TV series, of course.

According to the process of a general auction house, the first three lots are used to warm up the lot, and they are generally not anything of value.

It's like the canvas of Lossy Mouths.

The mainsail of a sailboat is often larger than that of a ship, and even if it is broken during the voyage, it is generally repaired, and who will occupy a valuable cargo hold to prepare a large piece of sail?

It's really to the point where there is nothing to make up, and the ship will enter the port. Naturally, there are sails to buy in the dockyard, and they rarely change hands, and the prices are cheap.

Why bother to bring your own sails?

The auction smoothly leads all the way to the third item.

Ramos had the workers push onto a large cart and peel off the tarpaulin, revealing a delicate ...... made of teak offcuts Ballista.

The ballista was the main weapon of naval warfare before the popularity of artillery, including the base, the turntable, the crossbow, the arrow, the long rope connected to the arrow, and the winch that retracted the long rope.

After the popularity of artillery, this auxiliary broadside, which could barely smash small fishing boats, lost ground for a time, until the whaling industry rose up and turned it into a claw on fishing boats.

So it also has a more familiar name, called the fishing fork cannon.

This is the first target of Lorraine's auction, and it is ranked third in priority.

Ramos said: "Belldock is famous in the north of Scotland and this fishing fork gun is the work of Dockyard apprentice Clen. Scott's hand-designed and hand-built test of the waters, made of the finest materials and handmade, comes with three spare fishing forks and a standard 500-metre long fork cord, which Mr. Scott promises to install by hand. The starting price is five pounds, with an increase of ten shillings each time. ”

Lorraine motioned for Henna to hold up her card.

Ramos's eyes lit up, and he immediately shouted: "Private room seven, five pounds!" ”

Before he could finish speaking, four or five cards in the audience vied for grabs, and the price of the fishing fork cannon rose all the way up, and soon rose to eight pounds.

Lorraine couldn't help but wonder, could it be that Elgin's auction venue was especially popular with whaling merchants?

Otherwise, why would a fishing fork cannon that should enter the museum still set off a climax?

He leaned over the baffle and looked at Mr. Pidick, "Sir, would you like to help me out?" ”

Pidick had been waiting for Lorraine to ask.

He laughed aloud and explained, "This is not a cannon, it's an opportunity to contact Mr. Scott." ”

"Contact? An apprentice? ”

"He's no ordinary apprentice." Pidick sold a pass, "Riley. Bell is one of the finest shipwrights in Mary County in recent decades, and ten years ago he was a first-class master craftsman at Devon Harbour Dockyard, and then he retired to Losimouth to open Bell Dockyard. ”

"Clen. Scott is a disciple of Mr. Bell, and is the finest of them. He inherited the mantle of his skills, and he had already been apprenticed, but because Mr. Bell was not in good health, he stayed by the teacher's side in the name of an apprentice. ”

Lorraine suddenly became interested: "You mean...... An apprentice is not an apprentice? ”

"In the past six years, Bell's dockyard has basically been operated by him, and the reputation of the dockyard has not only not fallen, but has a better reputation than when Bell ran it himself. You say, is he an apprentice? ”

Hearing Pidick say this, Lorraine was confused.

"Sir, according to you, he is loyal and highly valued, why ......?"

"Bell died years ago."

"Dead?"

"Yes, Bell is dead, and less than a month after his son inherited the dockyard, he hired a new master and manager. Mr. Scott, as a sign of the dockyard, remains an apprentice to this day. Why do you say that? ”

Lorraine's eyes lit up.

In a short period of time, the bid for the ballista had risen to a whopping eleven pounds, and Lorraine chuckled and took the sign from Henna.

"Fifteen pounds."

There was a sudden silence in the venue.

The nobleman in the private room bid for the second time, and raised the bid to eight bids in one go, obviously aiming for Scott.

Most people began to hesitate, and it was not until Ramos began to count down that someone tentatively raised the platoon: "Fifteen pounds and ten ......"

"Thirty pounds." Lorraine stood up and bowed in a circle around the boxes, saying, "The lack of men on board makes you laugh." ”