Chapter 189 - 188: Antique Collecting is like Stone Gambling, Both are a Gamble

Chapter 189: Chapter 188: Antique Collecting is like Stone Gambling, Both are a Gamble

Grandpa Collins had barely finished a sentence before Grandpa Sutton eagerly chimed in with something else. Rian Sinclair, who originally wanted to just zone out, had no choice but to brace herself and deal with the two elders’ relentless barrage of questions.

Rian felt as if her brain was about to be completely drained.

"What else could I do? But I have to admit, the knowledge in this field is quite interesting."

That was the truth. She found the world of antiques to be profoundly deep and full of character. Every antique possessed its own unique history. As appraisers, they had to peel back the layers of mist to truly understand its essence. With every veil lifted, another layer of historical significance was revealed. She quite enjoyed the process.

As soon as she finished speaking, Wyatt Winslow immediately blurted out the question burning in his mind. "Rian, why did you refuse Elder Collins’s offer to take you in as a student?"

Rian didn’t even have to think before replying, "I’m too busy."

Her answer was both true and false, but she didn’t want to dwell on it. When she was little, a wise elder had taught her with great care. Even now, at her current age, the memories remained deeply ingrained. She could neither forget him nor the experiences they had shared.

Rian’s reply was something none of them had anticipated. Seeing their confused expressions, she elaborated, "I have an overwhelming number of companies under my name, my affairs over in Meridia aren’t finished yet, and I still have a lot to handle with school."

The group pondered her words for a moment. Soon, admiration shone in their eyes as they looked at her. After all, someone had previously looked into her assets, so they were well aware of the companies registered under Rian’s name.

Seeing that they bought her excuse, Rian breathed a sigh of relief and glanced around at the room’s layout. She wondered why she had really rejected Elder Collins. It was probably because that little old man would get jealous.

Ruby Forrest continued to stare at her unblinkingly, her expression screaming, "My Rian is so amazing!" Rian affectionately rubbed Ruby’s little head and checked the time.

"Let’s go. We should head out and have some fun. My body feels like it’s about to atrophy from sitting for so long."

Noel Sutton wholeheartedly agreed. "We really can’t come to Grandpa Sutton’s place next time. This single visit almost sent me to an early grave."

Wyatt nodded in agreement. After all, during their past visits, Grandpa Sutton had usually kicked them out right after they exchanged greetings. To think they had actually stayed for so long this time! At this thought, Wyatt cast an admiring glance at Rian, fully aware that she was the reason they hadn’t been kicked out.

Noel called someone over to lead the way, and after weaving through a series of turns, they finally made it outside. Looking at the displays in front of them, they noticed that the number of street stalls seemed to have doubled since earlier.

Standing beside Rian, Noel caught her reaction and quickly explained, "It’s past five in the afternoon now, which is peak hour for foot traffic. A lot of vendors come out to set up their stalls at this time, and even the closed shops will open their doors. Whenever this time rolls around, business booms for everyone."

Noel pointed toward The Glazier’s Alley. Rian followed his gaze and saw that the workshops were packed with people, and shoppers were browsing through items at the surrounding stalls. However, the rules at the stalls were far more relaxed than inside the workshops; the strict "never pass an item hand-to-hand" policy didn’t exist out here.

Playing the antique market was just like gambling on jade stones. Both were gambles. One relied on a deep foundation of knowledge, while the other depended on sheer luck and a sharp eye.

Noel looked at their surroundings, his step visibly lighter. While he wasn’t particularly interested in the formal art of brewing tea, he was deeply fascinated by buying antiques. Without that interest, he wouldn’t have been able to learn a single thing about it. After all, to most people, these were just dusty old relics; very few young people were willing to engage with them. It was purely his passion that allowed him to absorb the knowledge.

Rian observed the surrounding vendors. Unlike The Undercity’s black market, where transactions were conducted via silent hand signals, the merchants here actively spoke with their customers. It was much better than the black market atmosphere. Back in The Undercity, if a vendor made a hand signal and you accepted it, you had to swallow the cost—whether they meant a hundred million or ten million. That was the rule over there, which was why there was never a shortage of new customers getting scammed.

Seeing Rian’s interest in the stalls, Noel chimed in to explain. "Rian, Kyoro has two major antique streets: Gresham Market and The Glazier’s Alley. Right now, we’re in The Glazier’s Alley.

"However, the chances of finding anything good at these stalls are incredibly slim nowadays. If we were to turn the clock back a decade or two, you might have had a shot at unearthing a real treasure.

"Now, if you ask a stall owner what era an item is from, they’ll swear it’s an ancient relic from the Shang or Zhou Dynasty—but in reality, it was probably mass-produced in a factory just ’last week.’

"But then again..." Noel gestured subtly toward the buyers lingering around the stalls. "...there are always people who refuse to believe the odds and insist on trying their luck."

Hearing this, Rian cast another glance at the wares displayed on the stalls. At first glance, everything looked remarkably similar, and there wasn’t a single standout piece among them. It was her first time here, so she hadn’t known the local rules, but Noel’s explanation gave her a solid understanding of how things worked.

Noel glanced down at a new message on his phone, then looked up. "Let’s go, friends. Time to take care of some real business."

Wyatt and Ruby had no idea what was going on, but they obediently followed him. Rian, who had noticed Noel speaking up only after checking his phone, didn’t say a word. She simply pursed her lips and fell into step behind them.

A short while later, Noel stopped in front of a dilapidated workshop. Rian’s eyes flickered, and she shot Noel a knowing glance. This workshop perfectly aligned with the code "Tiger Six, Turtle Seven." Among the mythical beasts, the Tiger represented the White Tiger, which corresponded to the West. The Turtle represented the Black Tortoise, which corresponded to the North. Going west past six workshops from their starting point, then heading north past seven workshops, brought them exactly to the location the mysterious man had mentioned earlier.

Rian hadn’t made the connection at first; she had only remembered the numbers six and seven. Coincidentally, they matched the exact number of workshops they had just passed and aligned perfectly with the corresponding cardinal directions. If that was the case, this had to be Grandpa Sutton’s doing. She recalled the conversation between Grandpa Sutton and that mysterious man—they had only left behind a cryptic directional code and nothing more. It seemed they would have to judge for themselves whether the goods inside were actually worth it.

Noel put his phone away and stepped forward to knock on the door—one light tap, followed by two heavy ones. KNOCK, THUD, THUD.

A few seconds later, a hoarse male voice echoed from inside. "Returning angler? Did you bring enough bait for the heavy catch?"

Wyatt and Ruby looked utterly bewildered. Deciding he didn’t want any part of this, Wyatt simply grabbed Ruby and bailed.

Rian wanted to leave as well, but Noel spoke up. "Rian, do you want to come inside and take a look with me?"

Standing off to the side, Rian nodded. She had naturally heard the voice coming from inside the house. Her eyes shifted slightly as she listened closely to the exchange.

Noel didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he pondered for a few seconds before calling back, "New angler. I have enough bait to feed however heavy the catch is."

As soon as Noel finished speaking, a voice from inside replied, "Hold on."

The door was then pulled open. CREAK. The sound was exceptionally grating. Rian frowned slightly at the harsh noise, but she quickly masked her expression. Noel, on the other hand, showed his discomfort openly; he wasn’t nearly as fast as Rian at hiding his reactions.