Chapter 91 – The Antique Shop’s First Big Deal

Chapter 91 – Antique Shop’s First Big Deal
Duncan had expected Maurice’s reaction, and he had brought up the subject just to make sure.

As he had previously had information, an ordinary person like Maurice was completely unaware of the existence of any fire – a sea of fire that existed only in Nina’s and his own memories.

Or technically speaking, until he himself took charge of this body, that fire only existed in Nina’s own memories.

The subject was quickly brought up, and Maurice had no questions over the inexplicable topic, and next he told Duncan a little more about Nina’s academics, her classes, and asked a few questions about Nina’s family.

It was obvious that the older gentleman who cared about his students had wanted to know all this a long time ago, but Nina’s uncle’s previous terrible and depraved life had put it off until today.

Duncan inherited a limited memory from his body, many of the old gentleman’s questions he is actually not too clear, but the good thing is that he is flexible in his thinking, he can cope with the past based on existing memories as well as the ability to adequately brainstorm, as for those who really can not cope with …… just put it off to the decadence of life in the first place, alcohol is harmful to the people, and in the future, they must change their lives! ……

He has a lot of experience in the matter of “home visits” and knows the teacher’s general questioning habits and focus of attention, although now in a different world and a different identity, but these experiences can still be more or less useful.

And when the “business” in this area was finally finished, Mr. Morris’s attention also fell on his second concern without surprise.

The old man looked to the counter that well preserved antique dagger, the eagerness in the eyes of anyone can see: “This thing …… for sale?”

Duncan burst into a smile, “This is an antique store.”

The antiques that are placed in the antique store that is of course for sale.

At this time, he realized that although this dagger came from the Lost Country ship, but when he thought about it, selling it didn’t seem to have any hidden dangers – there are many things on the Lost Country ship, and not all of them are related to transcendence, like this dagger, throwing it elsewhere is just an ordinary antique… …What can’t I sell?
Compared to a bunch of fake goods in the store, the Lost Country’s warehouse was a good way to make money!
Duncan’s mind immediately opened up, and he suddenly realized that he’d been sitting on a treasure trove all along – those things he’d dismissed as rags were just misplaced treasure waiting for someone with money to come along, and look at old Mr. Maurice here… . isn’t that a man of destiny?

Morris did not know the head of the antique store in front of him what thoughts are turning, his attention has been all in front of this well-preserved dagger above, hesitated for half a day before he cautiously opened his mouth: “How much money?”

Duncan: “……”

The heavens and the earth were no longer wide, for he had no idea how much to set it at.

Even if he completely inherited the memory of this body, he did not know how much to set – this store has never sold a real …… and antique this thing also does not have a pricing standard, he is a complete layman, how much is appropriate to shout at this time?
Duncan quickly think up, first ruled out according to the store that pile of price tags to set the option of two or three hundred thousand – because even if this dagger is real and excellent quality, it is only a hundred years ago, at the same time, according to the old man just revealed the situation, this kind of dagger a century ago, although the survival of the dagger is not a lot of, but is not an orphan, the sailors back in the days when it was taken by the sailors, it is not an orphan. The sailors back then were using it as a utility knife …… which doomed the value of this thing to be limited.

The age of the recent, not unique, no special historical background, belongs to the excellent quality but the collection of ornamental value of the general product of the modern era, the old man seems to like it, which can slightly increase the price, but then how to raise the price is also limited – people are still Nina’s teacher, this relationship must be taken into account in it.

Duncan searched for a whole circle, in total it took less than a few seconds, in the end he still shook his head, with a smile: “You open the price – Mr. Morris, you are Nina’s most respected teacher, there is really no way for me to open the price in accordance with the ordinary customer that.”

He clearly realized the limitations of his own insights, at this time his own opening price to be masked a reliable figure that is really more difficult than letting the goat head not speak for three days, open high and open low both appear to be the level is not good, it would be better to casually give a step, so that in front of him this old gentleman to help palm.

He believed that Mr. Morris could probably guess his intention.

As for whether this transaction will lose …… Duncan is very open-minded.

No money business, can lose to where – he was unprepared to get a windfall, and by the way, can also accumulate some experience, know a professional in the field of history, no matter how it is actually considered to be a profit.

Maurice thought hard.

He didn’t think too much about it, most of his attention was on the dagger right now.

“Three thousand …… three thousand four hundred solas, that’s my estimate,” Morris finally spoke, and he seemed to have deliberated a great deal before settling on this figure, “Mr. Duncan, you may feel that this price is a bit too low, but to Considering the age of the dagger itself and its historical position …… such a non-solitary collection is heavily discounted in the marketplace. Of course, it’s in good condition, which is rare, but also take into account that not all collectors will be interested in it ……”

While the old gentleman seemed to be struggling to explain his reasoning for setting the price, Duncan listened, but his mind was already racing with calculations –

In the Lower City, the entire expenses of an average family of three in a month added up to just over two hundred solas – and most Lower City civilians had almost no balance in their monthly income and expenses, and very little if any.

This dagger was almost equivalent to a year and a half’s income for an average family in the lower city. This is the value of a “real item” here, and a less expensive “real item” at that.

He didn’t know whether to sigh at the state of the antique business, which was “not open for three years, but eat for three years”, or to sigh at the astonishing gap between the lives of ordinary people in the lower city and the so-called “decent hobbies of the upper class”.

Maybe he should marvel at the fact that the old man in front of him is really rich.

“Deal.” He exhaled softly and said to the old gentleman with a smile on his face.

He didn’t consider haggling to waste his efforts.

In any case, it was a lot of money for Nina and him right now – reporting a cultist den was nowhere near that much.

He’d been thinking about the doorway to making money not long ago, but now he realized that the matter didn’t seem so urgent anymore.

Things were unpredictable.

Morris, however, felt that Duncan agreed to too much pain, and he even produced a little apology because of this, “In fact …… this price you are at a loss, normal valuation, with the number of daggers surviving today as well as the quality of the dagger, it should be at least another one or two percent more expensive… …but ……”

The old gentleman touched his nose and seemed to be a bit embarrassed, “I’ve been spending more on collecting antiquities in recent times, and I’m slightly short-handed ……”

This old gentleman was more honest than Duncan had imagined.

“I think it’s a good price, and the difference in the middle will be considered as ‘fate’,” Duncan said with a smile, and immediately after, as if he suddenly remembered something, he got up and walked towards the back of the counter, “By the way, in celebration of this ‘big deal’, I have another freebie.”

Maurice looked on curiously and expectantly, and saw Duncan remove a small amethyst pendant from one of the compartments behind the counter.

The old gentleman had a sharp eye, and at a glance he saw that the pendant had the label of some glassblower’s workshop all but removed.

Morris: “……”

“A pendant with a calming effect to dispel evil spirits, the crystal has been blessed to point the right way through visions and curses, ancient hypnotists used it to protect their spirits against the dangers that lurked in the world of dreams,” Duncan pushes the pendant over to the other side of the room, his expression a serious one, “it has protected generations of masters, and now it is bound to you ……”

Maurice hesitantly pointed to the pendant’s label, “But this says Johnny Glassworks Productions ……”

“I know, I forgot to take it off,” Duncan grimaced as he removed the tag, “It’s a giveaway, and where do I get so many real ones as giveaways in this store?”

Maurice froze for a moment and couldn’t help but burst out laughing, “Well, to be fair – thank you very much for the ‘giveaway’, with this …… hopefully my daughter can nag me a little less.”

He accepted the pendant as he spoke, followed by a half-hearted fumble in his arms for a checkbook, “I didn’t go out with that much cash – this check can be cashed at the City State Bank of Prand in the Crossroads District or Uptown, is that okay with you?”

Duncan beamed, “Sure.”

While saying so, his eyes then fell on top of Maurice’s check.

He had some doubts when he initially heard Nina mention his history teacher, and after actually coming into contact with this Mr. Morris today, his doubts bubbled up once more.

From the way he was dressed, from his everyday speech and behavior, and from his professionalism in history and artifacts, it was clear that this old gentleman was not an ordinary person – even without knowing what was going on in Uptown, Duncan could tell that such a scholar would be more likely to be found in an Uptown university than in a public school in the Crossroads neighborhood. .

Even discounting other factors, there was an obvious problem:

Can an average public school history teacher so easily shell out a year and a half of the average downtowner’s income for a collection that happens to look good?
(End of chapter)