Montfort had just asked Jasper to do a simple scrubbing, and it only took him an hour to complete the job. Noticing Montfort hadn't returned yet, he walked to the counter, retrieved photos and blank paper hidden in the book, and began copying.
Initially challenging, as the tadpole texts required squinting to identify the structure, and the photographer was clearly not professional. The interplay of light and darkness worsened the stele's visibility.
During the copying process, Jasper's hearing seemed amplified. The creaking sounds in the steam pipes and the chatter and laughter of people outside bothered him, making it more difficult to replicate the text.
Though Montfort suggested a general similarity, Jasper took five minutes for the first copy. His results resembled a hospital doctor's handwriting.
"Nothing seems to have changed."
Feeling for a while, Jasper detected no cold air flowing through his body, thinking it resulted from insufficient copying.
Ring bell~
The doorbell rang, and Jasper calmly put away his things. A young man in a loose khaki coat entered, looking panicked. He nearly hit the old copper bell Montfort claimed to have made.
"Hello, I'm here to sell something."
The young man approached the counter timidly, his right hand inside his shirt, about to take something out.
"It's not a pistol, is it?"
Jasper speculated maliciously, but luck was on his side. It was a rusty copper ring, large enough for Jasper's two fingers.
"Please wait a moment."
Jasper nodded politely and walked to the door with the book containing photos and white paper.
"Mr. Montfort, the guests are here!" he yelled, startling the young man, who nearly fell but managed to hold onto the counter.
Seeing Jasper look over, an awkward smile appeared on the young man's pale face.
'Sub-healthy, never exposed to the sun all year round, probably still a student, not good at communicating with others. So, this is a poor student who is forced to sell valuable items at a low price to make a living?'
Jasper guessed.
Mr. Montfort emerged from the warehouse shortly, nodded to Jasper, retrieved a pair of white gloves from his pocket, and put them on before approaching the counter.
Taking advantage of the moment, Jasper immediately activated the Eye of Truth, discovering a faint red light on the ring. Positioned behind Mr. Montfort, the pale customer remained unaware of Jasper's reaction.
"Please wait..."
Carefully, Montfort picked up the ring and addressed the somewhat embarrassed young man. He then removed his glasses, held the ring in front of him, and observed it closely.
Initially routine, Jasepr suddenly noticed a white point of light in front of him glow.
'I see. Is it because of this that Mr. Montfort can take charge of this place? I just don't know if this is the basic ability provided by the church or if it is an ability that Mr. Montfort got from nowhere.'
Silently contemplating, Jasper continued watching. After activating the ability, Mr. Montfort hesitated for a moment, seemingly discovering something.
"It can be regarded as an antique," he stated plainly. "But the year may be slightly younger. Judging from the casting method of the ring itself, it is from the early days of the establishment of the Kingdom of Aurumia. This ring looks a bit larger. It is impossible for ordinary people's fingers to be so thick, so this is specially made for a specific person. Unfortunately, there is no identification mark on the ring, so I can only judge that its first owner was a century-old blacksmith or butcher. To be honest, if you can prove that this is a relic of a certain noble, I can offer you a price of more than 10 Flints."
"Yes, sir."
The young man smiled miserably.
"This is something left by our ancestor. It is said that he was indeed a blacksmith. It is not very valuable, but for the art college I will have to pay tuition fees soon, so..."
This person seemed to struggle with communication, revealing his true identity in just one sentence. Of course, that's assuming he's telling the truth.
"One Flint," Mr. Montfort declared after some thought, placing the ring back on the wooden table.
"Sir, can you add a little more..."
"I am a believer in [Mastermind]. I only give you this price because of your status as a student."
The Mr. Montfort's eyes were sharp, and the young man took a step back with an embarrassed look. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded, and Mr. Montfort swiftly pulled out a large black wallet from his arms, skillfully counting out a banknote.
"Thanks."
"Welcome to Heritage Vintage Shop again."
After accepting the money, the young man promptly turned and left without a backward glance. Jasper didn't even have a chance to learn his name.
After the bell rang once more, signaling the departure of the young man, Montfort shook his head, smiled, and retrieved a red lacquered wooden box from the counter. He carefully placed the ring in the velvet lining.
"We got really lucky."
He closed the box meticulously and took out a white note to write something on it.
"Sir, is this..."
Jasper once again displayed his self-taught acting skills, accurately controlling the surprise on his face.
"Yes."
Mr. Montfort wrote on the note and then affixed it to the box with the kind of expensive glue that cost 8 pence a bottle. Jasper remembered from memories seeing his elder use this glue during college.
"Normally, I might not be able to collect one in a week, but I didn't expect to encounter it this time as soon as I opened the door."
Observing Jasper's lingering confusion, he continued, "I can only identify whether this is a mortal thing. Next, it will be sent to the church. Our job is just to buy it."
"Will the church reimburse the 1 Flint from just now?"
"Of course." Montfort smiled meaningfully. "Not only that, after the church appraises it, they will reward us in cash, equivalent to one-tenth of the estimated value of the item. I rely on this craft for a living."
"Us?"
Jasper vaguely guessed something.
"Yes, little apprentice. I am not a stingy person. Although you are just observing this business, I will still give you a quarter of the money after three or four weeks. You can move out and be independent. The life plan should be realized within half a year."
Jasper was naturally overjoyed. He didn't expect such a good opportunity here. With just one task, he could earn three salaries from the church, apprenticeship, and acquisition commission, and also study for free. Perhaps even the "craft" job that Old Rhys arranged for Jasper couldn't compare to the prospects offered here.
"Is the 1 Flint that the young man received just now its antique value?"
Jasper hadn't gotten over it yet.
"Do you think I was too harsh and didn't show more consideration to the young man just now?"
He asked rhetorically.
Jasper waved immediately.
"Absolutely not. I understand that the more skilled a storyteller is, the more likely the items they sell will be embellished. My interest is genuinely in gaining more knowledge about antiques."
"You still know this?"
Montfort showed a slightly strange expression.
"Yes, my family used to run a small store, and my father would also buy some second-hand goods. I listened to what he said."
'In reality, I read about it in a previous life novel.'
"That's right. The young man may really be a student, but this thing is definitely not a family heirloom. When he left, he didn't even take another look at the ring, which is enough to show that he was just eager to get rid of such a thing. So, from what I've seen, this is probably rubbish he found somewhere to try his luck, or it might just be stolen goods."
Jasper opened his mouth but did not refute. This era was certainly not as glorious as he had envisioned. There is much evil and darkness hidden in the slums and sewers. Gangsters and killers are the keywords of this era. And he was just fortunate to have a good identity.
"As for the value of the antique, if I were to appraise it, it would only be worth 2 Flints. What I just appraised is all true." Dad laughed.
'So, you still made a Flint.'
Jasper complained in his mind but didn't think there was anything wrong with this kind of thing. Heritage Vintage Shop is a legitimate antique shop on the surface. If it didn't conduct business according to the rules, its true role would have been discovered long ago.
The rest of the morning unfolded as Mr. Montfort predicted, with few guests. Jasper carefully copied the Tadpole essay a hundred times, feeling dizzy and even retching a few times.
Montfort said that this was a normal situation. He scoffed at the method of accumulating souls of Church of Death and Endings is at a low level. They followed some weird method to get close to the corpse and understand death. That was the way to truly suffer.
Jasper didn't feel the effect of this because he was not sensitive to spirits. After using the ability for a few days, he got used to the spirit flowing through his body, feeling the subtle flow of air even when simply copying a word.
After lunch, there was a half-hour break. Mr. Montfort first tested Jasper's historical knowledge. After discovering it was a complete mess, he could only let him read a book first, understand common sense and nouns before practicing.
"At least you can read."
Mr. Montfort stood in front of the counter, muttering softly, leaving Jasper beside him feeling awkward and unsure of what to say.
"It's all the original owner's fault!"
The day passed so peacefully. Montfort did not involve Jasper in dealing with the ring, but as he left, he gave him a few history books to read at home.
"You also know about that big octopus, so go home quickly."
As Jasper was about to step out of the store, Mr. Montfort reminded him from behind, and then he remembered that there was such a thing.
In Lutetia City at the end of July, it gets dark later. Jasper's home is to the west, and to the east is the chaotic dock area. Both his family and his father have told him not to go near there unless there is nothing wrong because only the dock area is worse than the slums in terms of public security in Lutetia City.
Worried he might encounter the octopus again if he returned home late, he decided to take the carriage home. To avoid being looked down upon by the coachman this time, he adjusted his more mature clothes and tried to pretend to be a middle-class gentleman who had just finished work. Then he walked with a book under his arm to the intersection of Fifth Queen Avenue, where several carriages were stopped, the coachman about to hang out the kerosene lamp.
"Sir, would you like to buy a bouquet of flowers?"
A timid voice came from beside him. Jasper turned his head and saw a shabby little girl standing at the entrance of the alley next to him. She looked to be no more than ten years old, her face not delicate, her dark blond hair simply tied into a big braid hanging down her back, and her toes exposed from the shoes on her feet.
"Anyway, now that I have money, I can buy a bunch and take it home as a celebration."
Jasper thought as he smiled and walked over, of course, without entering the alley. In this era, as long as ordinary gangsters and criminals walk on the road, they would never dare to cause trouble, but the densely packed alleys hiding filth and evil are beyond the jurisdiction of the law enforcement.
"Okay, what flowers do you have here, and how much does a bouquet cost?"
Jasper asked cheerfully, and the girl immediately smiled, then lowered her head and took out a white flower with a 3-inch-long green branch from the small basket. It looked like a subspecies of pinwheel, but it was pretty.
"Two pence and three flowers, sir."
"I want a red one, but that's okay too."
Jasper thought so and didn't want to disappoint the girl, so he put his hand in his pocket to get the money. In Lutetia, a casual worker's daily wage is about 8 pence, and the girl's small basket can only hold no more than 20 flowers at a time. Considering the issue of freshness, the price is not expensive.
He had some change prepared in advance. He carefully counted out two coins and took them out. Just as he was about to put them into the girl's open hands, a stream of cold air suddenly appeared and went straight into his eyes.
Immediately, the girl, flowers, and basket in front of him all glowed darkly.
"Black is a charlatan."
Jenkins thought for no reason and felt the expression on his face freeze.
"What's going on? I just want to buy a flower."
He froze there and didn't dare to move. There was a bit of night breeze in the city on a summer evening, but Jasper only felt that his whole face was hot and swollen.
"Sir, won't you buy it?"
When the little girl saw Jasper stopped, his face showed slight confusion, which then turned into grievance. The gentleman passing by holding a civilized stick and wearing a black hat glanced at the two of them, curled his lips, and continued to stride forward.
"Buy, buy."
The biggest characteristic of strange things is that they are weird. Once you encounter them, run away if you can and never look back. —— This is what Mr. Montfort told Jasper today about his secret to longevity. At this moment, Jasper didn't fully understand what had happened to him. He didn't dare to easily offend the little girl, but buying flowers meant coming into contact with strange things. On balance, the little girl should be in greater danger than the flower, after all, the former is considered a living person.