Chapter Nine: Money

"Welcome to Dust Antique Shop. May I help you with anything, sir?" No sooner had he stepped through the door than a refined-looking female attendant approached. Perhaps to match the antique shop's style, she wore a modernized version of traditional dress—a style that had recently become fashionable in the Kingdom of Blossoms and bore a subtle resemblance to Hanfu on Earth.

"I've recently heard my teacher talk about the Lost Empire from six thousand years ago, and I've suddenly become intrigued," Liu Tian replied, offering the excuse he had prepared in advance when faced with the attendant's inquiry. "This is such a large antique shop—do you have anything related to it?"

"The Lost Empire, hmm..." The attendant tapped her chin thoughtfully, her gaze discreetly assessing the Rose Academy uniform Liu Tian wore, paying particular attention to the security features highlighted in her training. Satisfied, she smiled. "Dust Antique Shop is the largest in the kingdom. While relics from the Lost Empire are not abundant, we do have a fair number. I believe we can meet your request."

"However, may I ask which grade you are interested in? And what kind of viewing experience you would prefer?"

"Grade? Viewing experience? That's a novel idea—like choosing dishes from a menu? Interesting." Liu Tian had anticipated that there would be requirements; it was impossible for a customer to simply browse the entire collection at will. He had also noticed the attendant's earlier surreptitious scrutiny. Knowing that the grading system was the greatest advantage his academy uniform provided, he did not press further. After a brief pause, he asked, "What grades are there? And how do the viewing experiences differ?"

Seeing that Liu Tian did not shrink back and did not seem to be an unreasonable person, the female attendant led him upstairs. As they entered a private room, she explained, "Our Dust Antique Shop has three grades, based on value. Items below ten thousand are one tier, those from ten to a hundred thousand are the first grade, and anything above a hundred thousand is the top grade. The second and third grades all have colored photographs for preliminary identification."

"For items above a hundred thousand, due to their extraordinary value, we provide only color photographs for initial viewing, except for a few special clients. Once a selection is made and a deposit paid, a dedicated courier delivers the item here. Regardless of whether the client decides to purchase, there is a viewing fee of at least one thousand per session, which may be higher depending on the item."

A viewing fee of one thousand per session? Liu Tian was momentarily stunned; that was no small sum.

In his memory, the world's currency was still on the gold standard, with paper money freely convertible to gold. Regardless of the country, as long as its sovereignty and order were intact, its currency remained stable—especially in the Kingdom of Blossoms, which had rarely suffered the ravages of war.

To prevent counterfeiting, the kingdom's banknotes came in only three denominations: one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand. Generally, only transactions of a hundred or more involved paper money; most ordinary people dealt in alloy coins and might never see paper money in their lives.

A viewing fee of one thousand was enough to support a family of three for half a year—if they were frugal, perhaps even for a whole year with a modest standard of living.

Damn, is the wealth gap in this world really so vast?

Liu Tian silently calculated the savings he had managed to scrape together over eighteen years. As the heir of a whaling ship captain, after all his efforts, his family had only managed to save five thousand—a paltry sum. He couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Under the influence of the Martial Path of Slaughter, a strange thought surfaced in his mind—if I killed the owner of this antique shop, could I then play with the antiques as I pleased?

But Liu Tian immediately realized the flaw—at such values, the shop owner was certainly no ordinary person, and was probably just a figurehead. The real owner likely belonged to the very upper echelons of the Kingdom of Blossoms. Judging by this system, all top-grade antiques above a hundred thousand might belong to a single collection, and even the apparent owners of these shops might not be able to access them.

If you wanted to steal, killing the shop owner would be useless; you'd have to strike at the root. And to do that—he was in no position to face guns and cannons.

With this realization, Liu Tian reluctantly abandoned the thought, and the murderous aura that had unconsciously leaked from him receded, leaving the attendant preparing tea feeling alternately chilled and flushed.

"As for viewing experience, it's quite simple: some items may be handled, others may not. Since you are a student of Rose Academy, you may view all first-grade items in person for free. If you wish to handle them, there is a viewing fee of one hundred per item, and an additional fee of one per item for hands-on inspection—of course, if you damage anything, you'll have to pay for it or buy it outright."

"From the second grade onward, even viewing requires payment—ten per item—and handling fees vary depending on the antique. For the third grade, each piece has its own special requirements. If you are interested, I can introduce them later."

As the attendant spoke, Liu Tian sipped his tea, listening intently and pondering. From between the lines, he heard only one word—money!

Damn, what a money-grubbing system! Which genius came up with this? Nothing but money! They don't even care about poor folks like me!

At this, Liu Tian felt a surge of anger. Ignoring the attendant's surprised look, he downed his hot tea in one gulp, then pulled out two specially prepared one-hundred bills from his pocket, slapping them onto the table. "Bring me all the first-grade antiques!"

As if she had seen such scenes countless times before, the attendant's courteous smile remained impeccable. She picked up the bills and bowed. "Very well, please wait a moment. I will notify the staff immediately."

Watching the attendant's retreating figure, Liu Tian felt the few remaining bills in his flat pocket. Suddenly, a question popped into his mind—wait a minute? Was I really just seriously considering killing the owner and taking everything?

Haha, impossible, surely just a stray thought—besides, even if I was, it must be the influence of the Martial Path's domineering will. It has nothing to do with my true nature. I really need to find the source point soon. The supply from the prism is steady but so scarce—a month's effort yields barely a drop. I need to advance to Martial Artist as soon as possible, to master the Martial Path's influence on myself. Otherwise, who knows when I might lose my mind and do something foolish...