The elderly man's sparse white hair fluttered as he spoke. "Feel free to browse. The items on the left just came in from the countryside, and those on the right are some older, valuable pieces." After saying this, he returned his attention to the small object in his hands, inspecting a pale gold pocket watch with its back cover open, examining its mechanism.
Galon glanced over and began to survey the shop from left to right, taking his time to inspect the items.
On the left wall hung a rectangular painting depicting a siege under a white castle. Armored soldiers bearing red flags surged toward the fortress as catapults launched boulders, and burning oil was poured from the walls. The scene was filled with blood, limbs, and corpses.
Beneath the painting hung a dark gold circular metal piece, about half a meter in diameter, featuring a smiling face at its center.
"What's this?" Galon touched the metal, noting its hardness and the fine, copper-etching-like texture.
The shopkeeper glanced over. "That's the Sun God Totem from the Red Faction Tribe, three hundred years old. A good piece. The tribe's shamans would melt new gold ornaments and mix them with brass to pour over it. Except for the central face, the rest is layered with gold and brass. It's yours for thirty-five thousand if you're interested," he said, polishing his glasses. "Such items would fetch hundreds of thousands during the antique boom decades ago. Now, there are few who appreciate their value."
Galon twitched at the mention of the Sun God Totem, suspecting it to be a fake. Not only did his abilities not react, but such a valuable item, supposedly made of gold, wouldn't just be sold in a shop like this. If genuine, it could easily fetch over a hundred thousand in a jewelry store, yet here it was priced at thirty-five thousand—a sum far beyond the twenty dollars in his pocket.
He turned to a higher red table displaying a purple-red medal, a bottle of transparent wine, and a silver-white cup. Touching each item briefly, he felt a surge of potential when he touched the medal.
"Hmm? This one's reacting!" He examined the purple-red medal more closely, a cross adorned with dark gold wheat at its edges. At its center was a small, black circular area with a white letter: P. It emanated a strong, cold sensation, much more potent than the black pearl or Phinestine's Ring of Misfortune.
"This one's six thousand," the shopkeeper interjected, standing beside Galon unexpectedly.
"Six thousand..." Galon frowned.
The shopkeeper, dressed in black, explained, "This Copper Cross Medal was acquired from a retired officer's estate. It's a rare find from the once mighty Montia Republic, which dominated the world 150 years ago. This medal was awarded to commanders for second-level military achievements."
Galon decided to look around more before making a purchase, feeling an urge to buy it immediately but knowing he couldn't afford it. His weekly allowance was just twenty dollars, far from the six thousand needed.
Noticing Galon's reluctance, the shopkeeper added, "Another officer was interested but lacked the funds. It might be sold soon. If you're interested, don't miss this chance."
Galon's face twitched slightly. "I'll look at the other items first."
"Sure, take your time," the old man said with a chrysanthemum-like smile.
Galon glanced at the old man: "This guy... clearly sees I want to buy it and makes up a reason to rush me. It's not that I'm afraid of the unlikely chance someone else wants the same thing. But there's no hurry; I might find something else that can absorb potential elsewhere."
He steadied his mind and began wandering around the shop, looking at items on other tables and walls. Within ten minutes, he had checked everything but found that only the medal had absorbable potential; the rest were just ordinary items.
Returning to the table with the medal, he picked up the purplish-red copper cross medal and examined it again for over half an hour.
"I don't have enough money on me right now. Could you hold it for me until I can come back to buy it?" Galon looked up at the old man.
The old man had returned to his bookshelf, carefully wiping dust off antique items with a white soft cloth. Hearing Galon, he turned back with a smile, "Of course, but I can't hold it for too long. Don't think I was just rushing you earlier; there really is someone interested in buying it. They have three weeks left to reserve it."
"Three weeks..." Galon frowned. "Alright, I'll see if I can gather the money. What's the lowest price you can give?"
"Considering you're a student, I'll let it go for five thousand. I can't go any lower," the old man adjusted his glasses.
"I won't haggle now, we'll talk when I come back," Galon said, giving the copper cross medal one last look before reluctantly placing it back on the table. He then approached the old man's desk, "My name is Galon. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
"Just call me Old Grego. What do you want to ask? If it's sensitive, it won't be free, you know~~"
"I'm curious, where did you acquire that medal?" Galon asked with a frown.
Old Grego thought for a moment, "I can tell you, but..." He smiled and stretched out his hand.
Galon looked at the outstretched, skeletal hand in silence, then reluctantly took out a ten-dollar bill and placed it in the old man's palm.
"Stingy..." Old Grego muttered, pocketing the money. "The place is a dilapidated castle, about sixty miles from Huai Shan City, in the countryside. The original owner was a viscount, but the family declined over generations and now only holds a knighthood. They couldn't afford the castle's upkeep for many years. Most of its contents were sold off over time, leaving almost nothing behind. If it weren't so run-down and poorly located, the castle itself would have been sold long ago. As for its name... it's Silver Veil Castle."
"Silver Veil Castle. Could you draw me a detailed map?" Galon asked.
Old Grego smiled again and spread his hand.
"Damn!" Galon couldn't help but curse, taking out another ten-dollar bill, "Hurry up, please!"
"No problem!" Old Grego quickly took the money, pulled out a pale yellow piece of paper from under the table, dipped a white feather pen in ink, and sketched a simple map before handing it over.
Galon quickly scanned the map, "Thank you. I'll be in touch."
Without waiting for a reply, he rolled up the map and strode out of the antique shop.
As he walked away from the shop, Galon felt the emptiness of his pockets and the sting of his financial situation: "Not only can I not afford the medal, but even visiting Silver Veil Castle would be costly... And now, I've spent all my pocket money for the next week."
Mulling over ways to gather the required five thousand, Galon had a hunch that something was concealing the full potential of the copper cross medal, preventing a complete absorption. To fully absorb it, he'd need to remove the surface layer covering the true source of potential. Simply looking and touching it wouldn't suffice.
Glancing at the faint red data in his vision, the potential had already exceeded 101%, ready to be added to any attribute.
"There's no rush. Standing there for so long only absorbed so little potential. Old Grego, being the miser he is, wouldn't allow me to just stand there and absorb it." Galon recalculated the total potential of the copper cross medal, finding it to be at least five points, which only fueled his determination.
"I'll find a way to gather the money and come here daily to absorb potential bit by bit until it's depleted!" he resolved.
Reaching the entrance to Pennington
Street, Galon looked up at his uncle's place just as the round arched window opened, revealing a plump middle-aged man looking down, "Is that Galon?" The man, with ordinary features but thick, dark eyebrows, exuded a strong and tenacious vibe, "I haven't seen you in a while, come on up!"
Surprised to see his uncle in person, Galon nodded and entered the half-open building doorway.
Inside the spacious hall, with a black carpet and a white stone angel statue at its center, Galon took the stairs to the fifth floor, where his uncle, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, greeted him, "Hurry in, the fireplace is still lit."
"Okay." Galon followed his uncle into the room, adorned with various paintings, mostly of his uncle and aunt.
Minutes later, standing by the window, Galon listened as his uncle discussed recent events in the city with a bearded guest.
Suddenly, his uncle turned his gaze to Galon, "To make something of yourself, remember this: listen more, observe more, think more, speak less, act more. This applies to both your studies and future work. And spend more time with Lombard and Phyllia; you're all cousins of the same age. They've been playing some war chess game lately, utterly neglecting their duties. You should talk some sense into them."
His uncle, a businessman with extensive connections, appeared gentle but was stubborn and authoritarian, not tolerating dissent. The bearded man chuckled, "This is your nephew? Young people nowadays really have it good. Back in our day, we didn't have such luxuries."
"Indeed, but too much comfort leads to taking things for granted," his uncle lamented, returning to business discussions.
Galon, though listening, was preoccupied with how to raise the five thousand dollars. His uncle occasionally gave him money, but it was never enough for the medal, and he didn't want to rely on this method frequently.
"I need to find my own way..." He thought of the martial arts school as a potential source of income, along with school scholarships and martial arts competitions, which could offer significant rewards.
Suddenly, his skill section updated to include Swordsmanship, Archery, and Basic Combat, each at the beginner level.
"Can I add attributes to these skills?" he wondered, focusing on Swordsmanship. The potential surged, ready to enhance any skill.
"I can!" Galon excitedly planned his next steps, confident in his ability to progress. Galon's face twitched slightly. "I'll look at the other items first."
"Sure, take your time," the old man said with a chrysanthemum-like smile.
Galon glanced at the old man: "This guy... clearly sees I want to buy it and makes up a reason to rush me. It's not that I'm afraid of the unlikely chance someone else wants the same thing. But there's no hurry; I might find something else that can absorb potential elsewhere."
He steadied his mind and began wandering around the shop, looking at items on other tables and walls. Within ten minutes, he had checked everything but found that only the medal had absorbable potential; the rest were just ordinary items.
Returning to the table with the medal, he picked up the purplish-red copper cross medal and examined it again for over half an hour.
"I don't have enough money on me right now. Could you hold it for me until I can come back to buy it?" Galon looked up at the old man.
The old man had returned to his bookshelf, carefully wiping dust off antique items with a white soft cloth. Hearing Galon, he turned back with a smile, "Of course, but I can't hold it for too long. Don't think I was just rushing you earlier; there really is someone interested in buying it. They have three weeks left to reserve it."
"Three weeks..." Galon frowned. "Alright, I'll see if I can gather the money. What's the lowest price you can give?"
"Considering you're a student, I'll let it go for five thousand. I can't go any lower," the old man adjusted his glasses.
"I won't haggle now, we'll talk when I come back," Galon said, giving the copper cross medal one last look before reluctantly placing it back on the table. He then approached the old man's desk, "My name is Galon. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
"Just call me Old Grego. What do you want to ask? If it's sensitive, it won't be free, you know~~"
"I'm curious, where did you acquire that medal?" Galon asked with a frown.
Old Grego thought for a moment, "I can tell you, but..." He smiled and stretched out his hand.
Galon looked at the outstretched, skeletal hand in silence, then reluctantly took out a ten-dollar bill and placed it in the old man's palm.
"Stingy..." Old Grego muttered, pocketing the money. "The place is a dilapidated castle, about sixty miles from Huai Shan City, in the countryside. The original owner was a viscount, but the family declined over generations and now only holds a knighthood. They couldn't afford the castle's upkeep for many years. Most of its contents were sold off over time, leaving almost nothing behind. If it weren't so run-down and poorly located, the castle itself would have been sold long ago. As for its name... it's Silver Veil Castle."
"Silver Veil Castle. Could you draw me a detailed map?" Galon asked.
Old Grego smiled again and spread his hand.
"Damn!" Galon couldn't help but curse, taking out another ten-dollar bill, "Hurry up, please!"
"No problem!" Old Grego quickly took the money, pulled out a pale yellow piece of paper from under the table, dipped a white feather pen in ink, and sketched a simple map before handing it over.
Galon quickly scanned the map, "Thank you. I'll be in touch."
Without waiting for a reply, he rolled up the map and strode out of the antique shop.
As he walked away from the shop, Galon felt the emptiness of his pockets and the sting of his financial situation: "Not only can I not afford the medal, but even visiting Silver Veil Castle would be costly... And now, I've spent all my pocket money for the next week."
Mulling over ways to gather the required five thousand, Galon had a hunch that something was concealing the full potential of the copper cross medal, preventing a complete absorption. To fully absorb it, he'd need to remove the surface layer covering the true source of potential. Simply looking and touching it wouldn't suffice.
Glancing at the faint red data in his vision, the potential had already exceeded 101%, ready to be added to any attribute.
"There's no rush. Standing there for so long only absorbed so little potential. Old Grego, being the miser he is, wouldn't allow me to just stand there and absorb it." Galon recalculated the total potential of the copper cross medal, finding it to be at least five points, which only fueled his determination.
"I'll find a way to gather the money and come here daily to absorb potential bit by bit until it's depleted!" he resolved.
Reaching the entrance to Pennington
Street, Galon looked up at his uncle's place just as the round arched window opened, revealing a plump middle-aged man looking down, "Is that Galon?" The man, with ordinary features but thick, dark eyebrows, exuded a strong and tenacious vibe, "I haven't seen you in a while, come on up!"
Surprised to see his uncle in person, Galon nodded and entered the half-open building doorway.
Inside the spacious hall, with a black carpet and a white stone angel statue at its center, Galon took the stairs to the fifth floor, where his uncle, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, greeted him, "Hurry in, the fireplace is still lit."
"Okay." Galon followed his uncle into the room, adorned with various paintings, mostly of his uncle and aunt.
Minutes later, standing by the window, Galon listened as his uncle discussed recent events in the city with a bearded guest.
Suddenly, his uncle turned his gaze to Galon, "To make something of yourself, remember this: listen more, observe more, think more, speak less, act more. This applies to both your studies and future work. And spend more time with Lombard and Phyllia; you're all cousins of the same age. They've been playing some war chess game lately, utterly neglecting their duties. You should talk some sense into them."
His uncle, a businessman with extensive connections, appeared gentle but was stubborn and authoritarian, not tolerating dissent. The bearded man chuckled, "This is your nephew? Young people nowadays really have it good. Back in our day, we didn't have such luxuries."
"Indeed, but too much comfort leads to taking things for granted," his uncle lamented, returning to business discussions.
Galon, though listening, was preoccupied with how to raise the five thousand dollars. His uncle occasionally gave him money, but it was never enough for the medal, and he didn't want to rely on this method frequently.
"I need to find my own way..." He thought of the martial arts school as a potential source of income, along with school scholarships and martial arts competitions, which could offer significant rewards.
Suddenly, his skill section updated to include Swordsmanship, Archery, and Basic Combat, each at the beginner level.
"Can I add attributes to these skills?" he wondered, focusing on Swordsmanship. The potential surged, ready to enhance any skill.
"I can!" Galon excitedly planned his next steps, confident in his ability to progress.