章 147: WY Street
After a brief rest, the team continued their journey.
"Captain, what was that medicine you gave earlier? It worked really well," Brenton came over to Jake's side and asked in a hushed voice, seemingly afraid of being overheard.
"Just a healing potion," Jake said. "By the way, did you take care of the injuries for those two?"
"Yeah, the medicine worked wonders," Brenton said. "Captain, you're really amazing. Following you is the right choice."
"Stop buttering me up," Jake chuckled.
"This isn't flattery, it's the truth," Brenton said earnestly. "Look, you treated us to a meal, provided us with weapons, and now there's this potent healing medicine. Being with you is much safer than being with anyone else. Captain, when you become a general in the future, I'll be your personal soldier. I'll follow you for life."
"A personal soldier?" Jake heard the familiar term again. "Weren't you aiming to become a grand general, even a duke or prime minister?"
"I was just kidding about that," Brenton said sheepishly. "That's something people like you have a chance at. How could someone like me achieve that?"
"Don't be so pessimistic," Jake said. "Who knows, you might achieve it in the future. If you become my personal soldier, you won't have that chance anymore. Besides, I'm just a foot soldier; I don't have the authority to have a personal soldier."
"Captain, you'll definitely become a general," Brenton said confidently. "Even becoming a duke or prime minister is possible."
Duke or prime minister? Those weren't Jake's aspirations; he just wanted to earn more money and become wealthy. Due to the injured members, the pace of the entire supply convoy had slowed down slightly. Alexander, who wasn't too concerned initially, worried that at this rate, they might miss the deadline. Therefore, he ordered the entire convoy to speed up, which left many of the injured soldiers discontented. For a moment, many within Skylark Camp held grievances against Alexander.
After his morning exercise, instead of heading home, Jake took a taxi to WY Street. For an ordinary person, WY Street might be unfamiliar; Jake hadn't even known that J City had such a place. However, in J City's antique community, it was famous. Every shop and stall along this street was related to antiques, and Jake learned about it from Dirk.
Previously, when Jake had been worrying about the money needed for the storefront, he had been pondering how to make money quickly. The game world couldn't offer much help now; he had to find solutions in the real world.
However, Jake, in reality, had even fewer ways to make money. After attending the auction with Dirk that day, Jake finally thought of a way to earn money.
Since he could use his appraisal skill to uncover hidden treasures within seemingly crude calligraphy and paintings, why couldn't he do the same for other items? Although such situations might be rare, what if it did happen? Jake went to WY Street with this "what if" mindset. It was the renowned antique street in J City.
WY Street was bustling with activity. On both sides of the street, there were numerous small stalls, each displaying various objects—porcelain vases, ancient coins, calligraphy, inkstones, and more. Some items even had fresh soil on them, as if to prove that they had just been excavated.
The vendors at these stalls varied in their demeanor. Some sat quietly, wearing an air of arrogance, seemingly confident in their merchandise, as if they had no worries about selling them. Others were enthusiastic, eagerly introducing their wares to passersby, not much different from ordinary vendors. On both sides of the street were also numerous shops, all related to antiques. Opening a shop here required a certain amount of strength.
This was Jake's first time in such a place, and he was quite curious. However, he also remembered Dirk's warning: these casual little stalls, though they might have antiques, mostly contained replicas. True antiques were scarce, and some people who enjoyed hunting for treasures liked to visit such places. If they wanted to buy genuine antiques, it was better to go to the shops on the sides of the street, where although there were still replicas, the genuine items were predominant.
In any case, buying things here tested one's discernment and experience, and sometimes a bit of luck. Jake's purpose for coming here today was to "hunt for treasures."
Jake casually used his appraisal skill on the items at these stalls. As a result, after examining six or seven stalls in a row, he discovered that everything on display was fake—high-quality replicas with not a single genuine item.
"Indeed, hunting for treasures isn't as easy as it seems," Jake sighed inwardly.
Although these items were obviously replicas, the vendors treated them as if they were rare treasures, quoting increasingly higher prices. Jake shook his head. Anyone who believed their words might end up sacrificing their savings.
While it was a bit disappointing, he could accept it. After all, he had come with a mindset of trying his luck. Even if he didn't find anything special, he wouldn't have any regrets.
When Jake moved on to another stall, he finally found a genuine item—an antique folding fan from the Ming Dynasty. Jake became interested, squatting down to pick up the folding fan and examine it.
Apart from Jake, there was another elderly man at the stall, looking at something else—a porcelain plate. "Young friend, do you like this fan? Your taste is good; it's an artifact from the Ming Dynasty, a folding fan belonging to Li Fenghua, the talented gentleman."
The shopkeeper noticed Jake examining the fan and spoke up, "If you're interested, you can take it for six hundred thousand."
Six hundred thousand straight out of the gate! Jake was flabbergasted.
Indeed, the antique trade could be quite costly; this folding fan was priced at six hundred thousand. The joy of discovering a genuine item evaporated instantly. While he had found something authentic, it was clear that the shopkeeper knew its value too. The asking price was high, so it was evident that he wouldn't be able to find a bargain.
"I was just having a look," Jake said, putting down the fan.
Upon hearing Jake's words, the shopkeeper's enthusiastic expression instantly turned cold. "You can look, but don't touch randomly. If you damage something, can you afford to compensate for it? These are all antiques. If you don't have money, don't try to play with antiques like others."
"Shopkeeper, you're being a bit excessive. Even if I'm not buying, it's not unreasonable to look and touch a little. Moreover, I see that this young friend here is being very careful," the elderly man squatting at the stall interjected.
"Right, right," the shopkeeper didn't argue against the elderly man's words. He realized that the elderly man was a potential customer with purchasing power, evident from his interest in a particular porcelain plate. Therefore, even if he held different opinions, he wouldn't express them at this moment.
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