Chapter 35 - Old Mans Antique Shop

Chapter 35 - Old Man's Antique Shop

The buildings flanking the street were quite different from before—these were obviously quite a bit shorter and the street was rather empty. The only things on the streets were black street lamps that looked like candleholders, each with two protruding brackets beside the bulbs.

Cassius followed the checkered brick sidewalk, passing by the pale yellow buildings, and turned right at the intersection. He walked further down and spotted a dense forest hiding behind the black mountain face at the end of the secluded road.

No one would have guessed that a small antique shop had opened its doors in this area. A rectangular metal sign hung above the shop: Old Man's Antique Shop.

Well, that's an odd name, Cassius thought.

Most people who named their shop like this would still slap a name onto it like "Old Man Charlie's Antique Shop," but the owner of this shop seemed quite capricious.

Cassius had actually visited the day before. The shop was owned by a thin old man with round glasses and who had a very strange temper. Despite this, Cassius quite liked the shop. The lack of patrons was strangely appealing.

He pressed a hand over his bulging left chest. He had a good feeling about his antique shopping adventures this time. Hopefully, he would be able to find some antiques with lingering attachments, or maybe even legendary antiques. Otherwise, all the gold and silver in the world wouldn't be enough to buy what he needed.

After a brief pause, he pushed open the door and entered.

"Welcome to Old Man's Antique Shop," an aged voice sounded from behind the red counter at the entrance. An old man in a white shirt and yellow vest raised his head slightly.

"Hey, old man." Cassius waved.

He wasn't someone who made friends easily; in fact, he was quite indifferent. But for some reason, Cassius felt a close affinity with this old man. Maybe their personalities just naturally clicked? Either way, this antique shop gave him a sense of comfort.

The last time he was here in the shop, he stayed so late it was dusk by the time he left. The old man had treated him to a soybean sandwich, which was a rather odd choice of food, but admittedly quite tasty.

"Li Wei, have you had lunch?" The old man slowly put down what he was holding. He shuffled around the counter and picked up a plate.

"Not yet, I was going to eat on Nington Street." Cassius had no time to eat earlier because he was busy sorting herbs and making ointments.

"This soybean sandwich will hold you over for now." The old man handed over the plate where there was, indeed, a sandwich.

Although his "golden tongue" had the ability to detect bitterness, it wasn't always accurate. The first time Cassius approached the senior brother with the Wind Elephant Tusk Pendant, he didn't taste any bitterness.

Touching the antiques directly was still the most accurate way to find them. If they contained any lingering attachment, his arm would tingle and a bitter taste would spread in his mouth.

But if some antiques with lingering attachment were hidden too deeply and could only be detected if his arm was wounded, Cassius would have no choice but to give up. After all, it wasn't like he could go around pressing a bloody thumb on everything. Getting kicked out of every store aside, he also wasn't too keen on the rust and contracting a bacteria infection.

He walked along the shelves, touching the antiques from one side to the other but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Putting down the goblet in his hand, he picked up a nearby bronze coin. Its surface was rough and old, and though it felt like metal, it was heavily oxidized and wasn't sturdy. Cassius rubbed it lightly with his thumb, and his eyebrow instantly shot up.

There's a very familiar bitter taste... Is today my lucky day? His mouth curved up involuntarily.

Hallelujah! The coin in his hand was an antique with lingering attachment!

After checking his surroundings, Cassius started rubbing it more forcefully. The bitterness grew stronger but it seemed like there was something obstructing the absorption of lingering attachment on the coin's surface, like it required closer contact.

He bit his fingertip decisively and pressed against it lightly. A stream of icy air stabbed into his skin. The number in the top right corner of his vision jumped twice.

[Lingering Attachment: 1.9 → 2.0 → 2.1]

It was a bit low, but Cassius didn't mind. He was plently satisfied with having just the lingering attachment.

One quick glance at the shelf and he immediately found around eight similar coins. On one side of the coin was a crown with a crooked cross on top, the other side was inscribed with a large number "fifty."

Cassius picked up the coins one by one and repeated his trick. Surprisingly, he actually found another one containing lingering attachment!

[Lingering Attachment: 2.1 → 2.3]

Squeezing the coin in his palm, he shouted toward the counter, "Old man, how much for these coins?"