Chapter 90 “The Antique Shop’s First Big Sale”
Duncan had expected Morris’s reaction. The reason he asked was only to confirm the question.
As he had previously known, ordinary people like Morris had no idea that a fire existed – the only ones who knew were Nina and his own memory. Or, strictly speaking, until he took charge of this body.
The topic was quickly skipped over with no further questions from Mr. Morris. Afterward, the two continued to talk about various subjects regarding Nina’s studies and how she was doing in class.
Through the conversation, it could be seen that the old gentleman cared a lot about his students, but due to Nina’s uncle’s previous depraved lifestyle, the meeting got postponed to this day.
And when the “business” of today’s visit finally got finished, Mr. Morris’s attention unsurprisingly fell on his second concern.
The old man eyed the well-preserved antique dagger on the counter, and the eagerness in his eyes could be seen by anyone: “This thing… do you want to sell it?”
Duncan immediately smiled: “This is an antique shop.”
Antiques in an antique shop are of course meant to be sold.
He’s thought it through. Although this dagger came from the Vanished, but if you think about it, there seems to be no hidden danger in selling it. There are many things on that ghost ship, and not all of them are related to the supernatural – like this dagger for example. If thrown elsewhere, it was just an ordinary antique… So why couldn’t he sell it?
Compared with the pile of fakes in the store, the warehouse on the Vanished was a good means to get money!
As soon as his train of thought smoothed out, Duncan suddenly found the world growing wider. Then he realized something incredible – he was actually sitting on a treasure trove! Those things regarded as garbage on the Vanished, like chipped copper coins, or iron scrap metals tossed in a corner, are all treasures in the eyes of these historians!
Morris didn’t know what scheming thoughts were turning in the head of the antique shop owner. His attention was all on the well-preserved dagger in front of him at this time. After a long period of hesitation, the old gent cautiously spoke: “How much?”
Duncan: “…”
Heaven and earth just became narrow again. Why? Because he did not know how much to set.
Even if he inherited the memory of this body in its entirety, he still wouldn’t know what price to set for this antique. This store had never sold a single real thing since its opening.
Without question, he first ruled out the option of charging two or three thousand solas. Even if the dagger were real and exceptional, it’s no more than a hundred years old according to the details Morris revealed. Besides, it’s not like the dagger was unique. There are others out there, albeit in a worse condition, but it’s still out there.
Secondly, Morris was Nina’s history teacher. If he butchers him up knowing how fond the old gent was of the dagger, it would inevitably leave a bad impression for the girl. Earning a small profit at the price of ruining the niece’s image before the teacher was stupid. Any parent would know better than to test that theory.
Eventually, Duncan could only shake his head and smile. He’s given up and decides to toss the problem over: “You make an offer Mr. Morris. You are Nina’s most respected teacher, and I really can’t make a price like I would for an ordinary customer.”
Morris pondered the issue seriously, but not for long though.
“Three thousand… Three thousand and four hundred solas, this is my estimate,” Morris finally spoke. He seemed to have considered the number a little before settling on it, “Mr. Duncan, you may think that the price is too low, but take into account the age of the dagger and its historical positioning… This kind of non-unique collection is very discounted in the market. Of course, it’s condition is exceptionally good, which is rare, but not all collectors are interested in this…”
The old gentleman seemed to be trying to explain his reasoning for this number, and Duncan listened intently as well.
In the lower city, the total expenses of the average family of three in a month are around two to three hundred solas. That’s under the premise they wouldn’t have any leftovers, and the savings would be very little even if they did. Therefore, the dagger was almost equivalent to a family’s income for one and a half years!
Duncan honestly didn’t know if he should lament on how an antique shop could hit it so big in one day, or if he should lament the striking gap of buying power between the ordinary people and those living in the upper city.
Or perhaps he should sigh at how rich this old gent was….
“Deal,” he exhaled softly and said to the old man with a smile.
There’s no need to haggle and waste time for them both.
In any case, this was a lot of money for Nina and him now—even more than the bounties of reporting those cultists.
Not long ago, he was still thinking about the way to make money, but now he found that this matter seemed to be less urgent.
The world sure was impermanent.
Contrary to the shop owner’s frank attitude, Morris on the other hand felt that Duncan had agreed to the deal too easily. He even felt apologetic for not going higher. “Actually… You are taking a loss at this price. By normal estimate, the dagger should fetch another ten or twenty percent…. But….”
The old man scratched his nose and seemed to be a little embarrassed: “I spent a bit too much on collecting in recent days, so my hands are a bit tight on money right now….”
The old gentleman was even more candid than Duncan imagined.
“I think it’s a good price, and the difference in the middle should be because of fate,” Duncan says with a smile, and then as if suddenly remembering something, he got up and walked behind the counter. “By the way, I have a giveaway to celebrate this big sale.”
Morris watched curiously at the shop owner until he saw the small amethyst pendant being pulled out from a small compartment behind the counter.
The old man’s eyes were sharp, and he immediately noticed the label of a certain glass workshop on the item, which hadn’t been removed yet.
Morris: “…”
“A pendant with a calming effect. The crystal has been blessed with the guiding light of dispelling curses and illusions. Ancient hypnotists used this to protect their spirits from the dangers lurking in the dream world.” Duncan pushed the pendant over with a serious expression, “It has protected generations of owners in the past, and now it is yours by fate….”
Morris hesitantly pointed to the label: “But it says that it is produced by Johnny Glass Workshop…”
“I know, I forgot to take it off,” Duncan peeled off the label with an expressionless face, “this is a giveaway. There’s no way I would have so many real antiques in this shop to giveaway, right?”
Morris was stunned for a moment, then he couldn’t help but laugh: “Ha, you’re right on that point. Thank you very much for the ‘giveaway’. With this thing… I hope my daughter will nag me less.”
He said as he accepted the pendant, and then touched fiddled with his pocket and pulled out a checkbook: “I didn’t bring as much cash with me when I came out. This cheque can be cashed at the local branch at the Crossroad. Is this alright with you?”
Duncan smiled: “Of course.”
As he said this, his gaze fell on Morris’s booklet.
He’s already had his doubts about this history teacher when Nina mentioned the guy, and now, that doubt grew even bigger.
Whether in terms of the wardrobe or daily words used during their conversation, the old gent was clearly not ordinary. He’s too sophisticated, a characteristic trait not commonly found even in the upper city. A scholar of that caliber could easily get a job at the only university in this city.
Even if other factors are not considered, there’s also another obvious problem: can an ordinary public school teacher so casually spend a person’s annual income in one a single purchase?