Chapter 42

"Meteorite collecting is getting hotter and hotter, and there are even meteorite hunters in the country now."

Jing Shizhen pointed to the meteorites in the glass cabinet and said, "All of these are from overseas auctions. The domestic meteorite market is not yet mature, but it is developing well."

"Meteorite hunters? How do they hunt these things?" Zhao Zhengshan was also drawn in and walked over.

"Do hunters have to hunt?"

Jing Shizhen shook his head and laughed, "They are a group of people who roam the Gobi desert and other uninhabited areas. Wherever there are meteorites, there are their figures."

According to Jing Shizhen, there are now over ten thousand meteorite hunters worldwide, primarily searching for fallen meteorites around the globe.

There are no laws in any country specifying the ownership of meteorites, but finders are obligated to donate 20% of the meteorites they find to academic institutions for research.

Of course, if you don't donate, no one will pursue you, but you won't get official registration and certification, which can cause problems when selling on the market.

Many wealthy individuals and research institutions are now collecting meteorites, so meteorite hunters earn quite well. If they find a rare meteorite, selling it for several million dollars is entirely possible.

"These things are quite rare; once they appear, they are all snapped up. I have only collected about ten pieces."

Jing Shizhen has a keen sense of the market. He only started collecting meteorites ten years ago and has not collected many.

However, the meteorites he has collected are all high-quality. Compared to their initial auction prices, the value of his collection has increased significantly. However, the domestic meteorite market still needs to be warmed up, and he needs to wait for the right opportunity to sell.

"My dad once gave me a meteorite, but I don't know where it is now."

Su Xiaofan remembered the pendant he had before. The meteorites in front of him were about the size of an adult's fist, and some were even smaller than the one he had before.

Out of habit, Su Xiaofan focused his attention on the meteorites. Instantly, information about the meteorites appeared in his mind.

[Repair Value: 5 points!]

[Stony-Iron Meteorite: Unrepairable!]

[Glass Meteorite: Absorbable, Absorb?]

"This... this glass meteorite can actually be absorbed?"

Seeing a meteorite that looked like glass, the information that appeared in Su Xiaofan's mind made him freeze.

Originally, he was just looking to broaden his knowledge, but he didn't expect to find a meteorite that could be absorbed by the repair system.

This was the third type of object, after high-level magical artifacts and Yin Sha stones, that Su Xiaofan had encountered that could be absorbed by the repair system. For a moment, he was unprepared and felt a bit flustered.

"No absorption!" Su Xiaofan refused to absorb it. With his previous experience of absorbing Yin Sha stones, he was afraid that the glass meteorite would turn to powder if he absorbed it now.

"Xiao Su, what's wrong? Are you interested in these meteorites?"

Seeing Su Xiaofan's expression change, Jing Shizhen thought he was interested in his meteorite collection.

"Interested."

Su Xiaofan suppressed his excitement and said, "Uncle Jing, I was just thinking, what kind of collection is best to pursue in the domestic market now?

Existing paintings, ceramics, and antiques have already been collected by others, like you, who have hidden away the best pieces, leaving very few high-quality items on the market.

But meteorites seem different. Meteorite collecting has only become popular in the past ten to twenty years, and prices have been rising steadily.

Moreover, being a meteorite hunter seems interesting. Carrying a backpack and traveling the world can also broaden one's horizons.

Uncle Jing, what do you think about me specializing in meteorite collecting?"

In an instant, Su Xiaofan found a reason for his earlier loss of composure and forced his gaze away from the glass meteorite to look at Jing Shizhen.

"Collecting meteorites is quite suitable for new collectors, but it's not cheap."

Jing Shizhen frowned slightly and said, "Being a meteorite hunter is not easy. You have to frequently visit uninhabited areas, which is very dangerous. Without wilderness survival training, I advise you not to go."

In Jing Shizhen's view, Su Xiaofan was a young man full of enthusiasm, imagining that traveling the world would be wonderful, but reality would make him regret it.

In short, Su Xiaofan had not yet been beaten down by society and did not understand its harshness.

"Uncle Jing, tell me about these meteorites, let me learn something."

Su Xiaofan pointed to the meteorites in front of him, especially the glass meteorite.

"Meteorites are divided into several categories, mainly iron meteorites, stony meteorites, and stony-iron meteorites...

As the names suggest, iron meteorites contain iron, stony meteorites are made of stone, and stony-iron meteorites are a mix...

Additionally, there are some rare meteorites, like this glass meteorite, which is extremely rare and very valuable..."

"By the way, there is also a Martian meteorite here, which is the most expensive one I have..."

Jing Shizhen introduced his collection to Su Xiaofan. As he pointed, Su Xiaofan's eyes lit up.

[Martian Meteorite: Absorbable, Absorb?]

Another absorbable meteorite. Su Xiaofan had not finished observing the previous one, and he didn't expect to find another absorbable one among the remaining meteorites.

Su Xiaofan focused his attention and examined the remaining seven or eight meteorites.

[Stony Meteorite: Unrepairable!]

[Iron Meteorite: Unrepairable!]

[Stony-Iron Meteorite: Unrepairable!]

[Sunstorm Energy Factor Meteorite: Absorbable! Absorbable! Absorbable!]

Suddenly, when he saw the last meteorite, which was only the size of a thumbnail, a completely different message appeared in Su Xiaofan's mind. The three "absorbable" words and exclamation marks filled his mind.

Su Xiaofan had encountered absorbable objects before, but the choice was always his. However, this Sunstorm Energy Factor Meteorite gave him an extremely strong impulse to absorb it.

"What is this?"

Su Xiaofan used a lot of effort to shift his attention away from the Sunstorm Energy Factor Meteorite.

Although he no longer looked at the meteorite, the desire to absorb it continued to impact his inner thoughts.

"Uncle Jing, is this a meteorite? It's so small, how can you be sure it's a meteorite?"

When Su Xiaofan spoke, he felt his voice was somewhat hoarse. He swallowed hard and pointed to the last meteorite.

"This one is not certain to be a meteorite."

Seeing the meteorite Su Xiaofan pointed to, Jing Shizhen shook his head and said, "This was found by a foreign meteorite hunter, along with the Martian meteorite, and was attached to it, so it was brought back together.

However, after using some instruments to study it, we couldn't determine its specific composition. I bought it at an auction along with the Martian meteorite."

Jing Shizhen couldn't explain the small meteorite either. It was likely an undiscovered and unnamed meteorite, which he considered to have great collection value.

"Uncle Jing, I've decided. My future collection will focus on meteorites."

Su Xiaofan didn't hide his desire for the meteorites.

In fact, the constant information flashing in his mind made it impossible for him to remain calm. Not absorbing the Sunstorm Energy Factor Meteorite on the spot already showed his strong self-control.

"This path is not easy..."

Jing Shizhen shook his head and said, "If you collect other antiques, there are many predecessors to learn from, with a lot of experience to draw on. But meteorite collecting has only been popular for the past ten years. If you buy a fake meteorite, the loss will be significant."

Jing Shizhen was not particularly familiar with meteorite collecting. He just felt it would be a future hot spot and made some initial investments, but he didn't focus on it.

"Uncle Jing, can you transfer these meteorites to me?" Su Xiaofan said straightforwardly.

The stony and iron meteorites didn't matter to Su Xiaofan, and even the glass and Martian meteorites, he could do without.

But the Sunstorm Energy Factor Meteorite, he was determined to get. If necessary, he would take the risk and absorb it right under Jing Shizhen's nose.

"You want them all?"

Jing Shizhen was taken aback. He hadn't expected Su Xiaofan to be so decisive, making a move as soon as he saw what he wanted.

For a collector, this is a very good quality. The worst thing in collecting is hesitation and overthinking, by the time you decide, the item is already gone.

"If I can afford it, I'll take them all!"

Su Xiaofan nodded and said, "Uncle Jing, I don't know the prices of meteorites. You name your price, and if it's reasonable, I'll buy them all. It will be my initial collection of meteorites."

"What nonsense, building a base is for stock trading."

Jing Shizhen laughed and scolded, "Collecting should be called laying a foundation. With these meteorites as a foundation, if you can find new meteorites, it could work."

Initially, when Jing Shizhen bought these meteorites abroad, he had this idea, but the domestic meteorite market was too cold, and he was busy with other matters, so he couldn't focus on warming up the meteorite market.

"I bought these meteorites in two auctions, one in Britain and one in New York."

Jing Shizhen pointed to the first few meteorites and said, "At first, I didn't know much, so I bought mostly iron and stony meteorites, which weren't very expensive. The first ten meteorites together cost about 140,000.

However, the later meteorites were much more expensive. The glass meteorite cost 380,000, and I almost didn't get it...

The Martian meteorite was even more expensive. I spent 1.28 million to get it, and there were over ten people bidding at the time..."

"Uncle Jing, what about the smallest meteorite?" Su Xiaofan asked, this was the one he was most concerned about.

"That one cost about 30,000. Due to its unknown material and small size, there weren't many people bidding against me."

Jing Shizhen, who had personally bought these items, naturally knew them well.