Rare Origin Point

When Liu Tian walked out of the dust, the one thousand yuan in paper bills he had brought with him on this trip was all spent. Could it be said that it was worthy of being the largest antique shop? In the first tier alone, there were nearly a thousand unique antiques.

However, the efficiency was far lower than he had imagined.

Liu Tian opened the effort panel, visible only to him, which showed the results of his day's hard work—Origin Points: 3.8. At the same time, after Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, the word "upgradeable" reappeared.

Nearly a thousand antiques provided him with less than a third of the Origin Points, and often only 0.1 points at a time. They were absorbed completely with just a slight touch. Unlike the Prism Pillar, there was no continuous warm current generated.

There was just one problem.

Just like the "sage time" after exertion, Liu Tian calmed down after his spending spree and reflected. He immediately turned back to look at the dust, and a thought suddenly popped into his head—how could he be sure that what he was shown were all relics of the Lost Empire? What if they were half true and half false? Or even one part true and nine parts false?

Rather than trust the integrity of capitalists, he'd rather find a way to learn how to appraise them himself, at least so he wouldn't be so easily fooled.

He raised his hand and looked at his mechanical watch, then turned and walked towards Tian Dao's house.

Eleven days later, Rose Academy Library.

It was a bad weather day. The sun, which had been shining for over ten consecutive days, was now hiding behind thick clouds, making the sky gloomy. The wind howled from time to time.

Making a final note in his notebook, Liu Tian gently closed the third book he had found in the library about the Lost Empire. Seeing that it was getting late, he didn't search for another book. He simply returned the books to their places, put away his notes, and prepared to leave.

During these days, while enduring Tian Dao's controlled beatings, Liu Tian had found some time to think about how to cultivate his appraisal skills. He finally settled on a method that would undoubtedly be useful.

Reading.

Undoubtedly, although the Liu family had lived in the area for more than a decade, their rare black hair, coupled with his father not being a local and his unwillingness to scheme and climb the social ladder, had resulted in them being subtly ostracized.

Therefore, the Liu family could still be described as unfamiliar with high society.

In this era, unlike the Earth of explosive knowledge, a learned intellectual was incredibly precious. Even more so was someone who could truly be called a Lost Empire researcher, someone who could accurately analyze which antiques belonged to the Lost Empire and which did not. Such individuals were exceedingly rare. Those with such abilities were more commonly found in the Dawn Alliance across the sea, as that was where they could truly showcase their talents.

Therefore, such rare individuals were not someone like Liu Tian, an outsider "cut off from the world," could easily meet, let alone have them teach him their specialized skills.

Even if he could find relevant personnel, he would undoubtedly owe a significant favor.

In this era, money is easy to repay, but favors are hard to incur. Especially for a traditional family like the Lius, where a promise is as good as a carriage and four horses, neither Liu Yun nor Liu Tian would incur a favor unless absolutely necessary.

Furthermore, considering the worst-case scenario, the Lost Empire had been lost for too long, and materials were limited. Were those who claimed to be able to accurately analyze Lost Empire artifacts truly accurate, or were they just expertly boasting?

Therefore, learning how to appraise them himself was quite necessary. Perhaps he could even find an intrinsic connection to obtaining Origin Points.

Additionally, Liu Tian was genuinely quite interested in the history of the Lost Empire. The sudden disappearance of humans, the advanced technology that remained intact and even functional after six thousand years, the storms that had engulfed half the continent—all these signs indicated that the empire from six thousand years ago was by no means simple, and there were definitely hidden secrets behind it.

"Hey! Still here today?" A voice called out from behind him, a male voice he had become slightly familiar with recently, coming from nearby. "Interested in attending the party hosted by the Rose Princess tonight at seven?"

"Not interested," Liu Tian replied, turning his head. The person who appeared was, as expected, the familiar Ailian Yuga, the third son of a new family that had risen during the last world war. His family's foundation lay in the arms trade and military command within the Hundred Flowers Kingdom.

Although lacking deep roots, the Ailian family was considered quite influential, especially with the increasingly tense international situation. Countless people were unconsciously gravitating towards them, the ones who were particularly adept at fighting.

Externally, Ailian, who was eighteen this year, looked presentable. His features were sharp like a sculpture, his short hair was light gold, and his pupils were a deep silver-white. His slender build hinted at well-defined muscles. The roguish smile at the corner of his lips did not detract from his overall appearance; instead, it added a dangerous aura.

Ailian Yuga was quite popular in the academy, but Liu Tian, who was naturally solitary and rarely interacted with classmates, had no friends within the academy. Naturally, Ailian could not be his friend, let alone a friend who would invite him to a party.

As for why they had become relatively familiar recently, and even received an invitation to a party, it was naturally because Ailian had shamelessly approached him. And all of this was related to the Rose Princess Lilia, who had recently developed an interest in the Lost Empire.

As a professional simp with five years of experience, Ailian naturally went where the wind blew.

The Rose Princess liked the Lost Empire, so Ailian naturally had to prepare in advance—by preparing a tool to answer related questions.

As a result, Liu Tian, who spent four hours every day in the library researching the Lost Empire, caught his eye.

After several "coincidental encounters," Ailian confirmed that Liu Tian was genuinely studying knowledge related to the Lost Empire, that he had strong learning abilities, and that he had absolutely no interest in the Rose Princess. Ailian had spent considerable effort getting along with Liu Tian in recent days.

Although Liu Tian disliked meaningless social interactions, he didn't have any ill feelings towards someone who shamelessly approached him but knew his boundaries. Through Ailian's persistent efforts, the two had become "friends" after some back and forth.

Of course, the most important thing for Liu Tian was the antique items Ailian occasionally brought for free appraisal. Although the time was short, and he had only brought three items, one of them, a red gem, contained 0.3 Origin Points, which was a significant contribution to his Origin Point reserves.

Considering the possibility of getting free Origin Points in the future, Liu Tian naturally felt obligated. He couldn't hit someone who was smiling at him.

"This time, the Rose Princess's close friend will also be attending. I heard that the young lady from the Luvia family has a gentle personality and strict upbringing. This will be her first time attending a party, so it's a rare opportunity. Don't you really want to meet her?" Ailian raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously. "Don't people from your Crimson Cloud Empire like this type? She might be quite to your liking?"

"You know me," Liu Tian replied as he started walking out. "I have to go to my master's house every night to learn combat. I really don't have the extra energy to attend any parties. Next time, maybe next time."

"Combat, combat, combat is better than a beauty?" Ailian didn't push it, merely shrugging. "Nowadays, practicing martial arts your whole life is not as good as a single cannonball. The cost-effectiveness is really low. I think reaching the Martial Artist realm by your late twenties or early thirties is good enough. Why work so hard?"

"Seize the day, my friend. Once this opportunity is gone, it won't come again..."

"Next time, maybe next time..." Liu Tian waved his hand, not arguing. It was already dark, and he hadn't brought an umbrella. He needed to get going soon.