Chereads / The road of transcendence / Chapter 37 - Involved 1

Chapter 37 - Involved 1

The carriage slowly stopped in front of the Dolphin Antique Shop. Galon hopped down, paid the coachman, and approached the shop's entrance, which was firmly closed and unusually silent.

 He looked up at the shop sign and started knocking loudly.

 "Open up, old man!"

 "Coming, coming!" The door creaked open slightly, and Gego, the old man, pulled Galon inside, quickly shutting the door behind them.

 The shop was dim, lit only by a kerosene lamp on a table in front of the bookshelves. Under the faint yellow light, a small, brownish-red hourglass sat, with black sand slowly trickling down, making a soft sound.

 Galon adjusted to the dim light and glanced at the hourglass on the table.

 "What's this? A new treasure you've acquired?"

 The old man didn't respond but slowly walked to the table and sat down, his face illuminated by the light, looking unusually aged and weary.

 "This is a black hourglass a friend gave me, used for timing. It's said to measure a very long time with each flip."

 He shook the hourglass slightly. "I've had it for two weeks, and it's only run out by one-fifth. Slow, isn't it?"

 "Indeed very slow." Galon frowned slightly, observing the old man's increasingly aged appearance. "What's wrong with you, old man? You haven't been looking well lately."

 He found a stool and sat down at the table, turning up the kerosene lamp so the light brightened considerably.

"Maybe I'm sick..." Gego laughed weakly, his usual sly demeanor gone. "Tell me, what brings you here? You wouldn't come without a reason."

"I'm here to pay respects to an elderly man. You're a lonely old man in his seventies or eighties, living here all by yourself. I was worried no one would take care of you," Galon joked. "By the way, where are your children? Your relatives? I've never seen them around."

"Who knows?" The old man muttered, looking somewhat absent-minded. "Enough about that. Let's talk about your business. You wouldn't come here without a reason."

"You really do know me well." Galon could tell mentioning children might be a sore point for the old man, so he changed the subject. "I came to ask for your advice on antique appraisal. Since you run an antique shop, you must know a thing or two about it, right?"

"That's easy!" The old man sat up straight, giving Galon a sideways glance. "However..." He extended his hand, palm up, towards Galon.

Slap.

A stack of bills landed in the old man's hand.

The hand remained open.

Galon frowned and pulled out another thousand, slapping it onto the old man's hand.

"Old man, take a good look. This is a thousand a stack!"

"I know it's a thousand a stack. But appraisal is about long-term accumulation of knowledge and experience. It's not too much to ask for a bit of hard-earned money from me, right?" Gego collected the two thousand leisurely, a satisfied look on his face. "Just two thousand, you got off cheap."

"Let me introduce you to the basics of appraisal," the old man cleared his throat.

"Appraisal involves several aspects. One, identifying authenticity. Two, determining age. Three, determining origin. Four, assessing craft and value. Each aspect requires a long time to learn and accumulate experience. Which one would you like to start with?"

"Can I learn all at once? I'm confident in myself."

"All at once?" The old man looked at Galon under the light, suddenly looking pensive. "All at once, confident in yourself? Too bad... too bad you lack the talent..." His last words seemed more like a murmur.

Galon, with his enhanced physical condition, heard the old man's mumble but didn't pay much attention. Everyone has secrets they might not want to share, which is their right.

"Can we start with identifying authenticity?"

"No problem." The old man seemed suddenly enthusiastic, smacking his lips. He pulled out a drawer from under the table, took out a stack of paper and two feather pens, and opened a bottle of ink to dip one of the pens.

"Identifying authenticity is actually the most difficult part of appraisal. It relies on accumulated experience and time spent handling antiques." He drew a circle on the paper, with a cross inside.

"Do you know what this is?" He pointed at the drawing.

"A circular cross window?" Galon guessed, looking at the drawing.

"This symbol is the special mark of a jewelry craftsman from the Age of Exploration. If you understand this symbol, you can discern subtle details about its age, class, and category. Of course, without this knowledge, you're blind to these details."

Galon nodded thoughtfully. "Are you saying that to identify authenticity, it's not just about the item's crafting details but also its historical background and specific knowledge to accurately determine authenticity?"

"Ah, sharp! You're quick to understand." The old man was about to explain this key point, but Galon guessed it first, slightly surprised. "I was going to show you a high-quality replica, indistinguishable except for the mark, as a vivid example. But you caught on immediately."

He paused. "Since you've grasped the concept, you should understand that authenticating antiques requires knowledge of history, different eras' craftsmanship, famous masters, schools, categories, renowned stories, manufacturing styles, and origins. Often, combining these elements allows you to make a more accurate judgment on antiques and jewels."

"So, the first thing I need to learn is this background knowledge?" Galon nodded. "Do you have any comprehensive books on this?"

"There are, but just reading books isn't very helpful. First, finish the books, then I'll share my personal appraisal experiences and special methods with you. We'll take it step by step. Many things aren't in books. Appraisal involves not just sight but also smell, hearing, touch, and taste. Theory alone is meaningless. But start with the books."

The old man rummaged through the bookshelves and pulled out a white-covered tome: "This is the History of Jewelry."

He found another, even thicker, book, "This is the Classification and Historical Development of Antiques," and pushed both books towards Galon.

"Take these home and read them. Come back when you're done."

Galon looked at the two voluminous books, speechless. "How long will it take me to read these? A thousand pages each?"

"No rush, take your time. Finish within a month," the old man waved dismissively. "Now, off you go. I need to close up and rest."

Galon, carrying the books, replied, "I'll be back after I'm done."

"Oh, right." The old man slapped his forehead. "You were asking about that book last time. Since you're so fond of it, I'll give you a little trinket as a keepsake."

He fumbled in his pocket and finally pulled out a small pendant, a miniature book design.

"Here."

Galon caught it, examining the tiny pendant, intricately crafted in black with a dark red mysterious symbol at the center of the opened pages.

"What's this?"

"Just something that came with the book I bought. Keep it safe," the old man said, scratching his groin, seemingly itchy.

Galon felt a chill and quickly pocketed the pendant. "Where did you pull this out from? Disgusting. I'm leaving."

"Go on, then," the old man waved dismissively.

Leaving the antique shop, Galon waited for a carriage at the door, but none passed by for over ten minutes. The shop's location was remote, rarely visited by carriage riders. He decided to walk towards Pennington Street, carrying the books.

Reaching his uncle's building, he glanced at his uncle's window and saw Rombas quickly move away, leaving the fluttering curtains. It seemed he was deliberately avoiding Galon.

Galon had intended to visit his uncle but lost interest upon seeing Rombas. After their last unpleasant encounter, seeing him always irritated Galon.

"He's been pretty quiet lately." Carrying the books, Galon hadn't walked far when he heard rapid footsteps behind him.

"Galon, brother!" A youthful girl's voice called from behind.

Galon turned and saw a young girl with flushed cheeks running towards him.

Dressed in a tight white cotton shirt and white denim jeans accentuating her slender legs and hips, she appeared to be only thirteen or fourteen years old, with little chest development. Her approach brought a faint youthful fragrance, and her short reddish hair added a refreshing, energetic aura.

"Galon, you were passing by. Why didn't you come up for a visit?" It was Philia, his uncle's other daughter, who always showed warmth towards Galon, perhaps because the previous Galon loved playing with children.

"I didn't know Philia was here." Galon smiled, pinching her nose. "Why did you cut your hair?"

"I'm learning martial arts." She demonstrated a basic pose.

"And uncle?"

"He's entertaining guests at home, talking about complicated and annoying matters. Come up and keep me company, Galon?" Philia tugged at his arm.

"Let's not. Uncle's busy with business. I won't disturb."

"Also, dad heard about you being taken as an apprentice by the White Cloud Grandmaster. He's not happy about it," Philia whispered. "He said he doesn't want you wasting time on martial arts. Learning a little for self-defense is enough, but dedicating all your effort to it is a waste."

Galon frowned. "I thought uncle would be happy."