Jacob asked, "Then, what would this sculpture be worth if it was genuine?"

Mr. Cardensky thought about it. "Well, there are standards when it comes to Renaissance relics, but with something this exquisite, it'd definitely be auctionable for one or two million—and that's the conservative estimate."

"How much would you sell it to me for?" Jacob then asked.

"Thirty percent of the market price," Mr. Cardensky quickly replied. "As I've said, the conservative estimate for this one is around one to two million, so we will set the price with the median estimate value at 1.5 million. And thirty percent means 450 grand."

Jacob shook his head right away. "No, no, no… that's too expensive. What if I end up unable to sell it, on top of that?"

In his mind, while he could barely accept that pricing, he still needed Raymond to be able to afford it if he wanted to swindle Raymond for twice the money.

Mr. Cardensky quickly chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Montague—now you're being too serious. In this business,