Money

"Welcome to Dust Antique Shop. How may I help you?" As soon as Liu Tian stepped inside, a pretty, refined-looking female attendant came over to greet him. Perhaps to match the antique shop's style, she wore a modified version of traditional clothing, a style that had only recently become fashionable in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom. It gave a subtle impression similar to the hanfu of Earth.

"Recently, my teacher told us about the Lost Empire from six thousand years ago, and I suddenly became interested in it." In response to the attendant's inquiry, Liu Tian gave the excuse he had prepared in advance. "A shop as big as yours must have something related to it, right?"

"The Lost Empire, huh~" The attendant lightly touched her chin and discreetly looked over Liu Tian's Rose Academy uniform. She paid particular attention to several anti-counterfeiting details emphasized during her training, and only after carefully checking them did she smile. "Dust Antique Shop is the largest antique shop in the entire kingdom. We don't have a lot of relics related to the Lost Empire, but we do have quite a few. We should be able to meet your needs."

"However, I'm not sure which tier you're interested in, or which viewing option you'd prefer."

"Tier? Viewing option? That's a new one. Do you serve up different things depending on the customer? Interesting." Liu Tian had already expected that he wouldn't be able to see the entire collection just by walking in, and he'd noticed the attendant's supposedly discreet scrutiny as well. Knowing that the uniform had already helped him as much as it could, he didn't press the matter. After a brief pause, he asked, "What tiers do you have? And what are the viewing options?"

Seeing that Liu Tian didn't seem inclined to back down, but also didn't seem like an unreasonable person, the attendant led him to the second floor. As she ushered him into a private room, she explained, "Dust Antique Shop has three tiers, divided by value. Items under ten thousand are in the first tier; items from ten thousand to a hundred thousand are in the second; and anything over a hundred thousand is in the third. The second and third tiers each have color photographs for an initial viewing."

"Because items worth over a hundred thousand are particularly valuable, our shop only provides color photographs for the initial viewing, except to certain special customers. Once a customer selects an item and pays a deposit, a dedicated courier will bring it over. Whether or not you buy it, the viewing fee is at least one thousand per item, and may be higher depending on the antique."

A thousand just to view one? Liu Tian was stunned. That was no small sum.

From what he remembered, this world's currency was still on the gold standard. Paper money could be freely exchanged for gold in any country, provided it had intact sovereignty and relatively stable national order. Paper money was particularly strong in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, which had seen little warfare.

To prevent counterfeiting, the Hundred Flowers Kingdom issued paper bills in only three denominations: one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand. As a result, paper money was generally used only for large transactions of a hundred or more. Ordinary people might go their whole lives handling nothing but a few kinds of alloy coins.

A thousand for a viewing was enough to cover a family of three's food and clothing for half a year. If they were thrifty, it could just about last a year, and still afford a decent standard of living.

Damn it, was the wealth gap in this world really that huge?

Liu Tian silently calculated the savings he'd painstakingly accumulated over eighteen years. As the heir to a whaling ship captain, his family had worked hard for so long, yet had managed to save a mere five thousand. He couldn't help cursing inwardly.

Under the influence of Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, a strange voice rang out in his mind: If I kill the owner of this antique shop, can't I just look at whatever antiques I want?

But Liu Tian immediately realized that something was wrong. Given the value of these items, the shop's owner could hardly be an ordinary person. The owner was probably just a figurehead, while the real boss was likely one of the highest-ranking people in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom. Judging by this business model, perhaps every antique worth over a hundred thousand in every antique shop belonged to the same collection. Even the owners who ran these shops in public might not be able to access those treasures.

If he wanted to rob the place, killing the owner wouldn't help. He'd have to kill whoever was behind it—and if he wanted to get to the root of things, he couldn't handle those rifles and cannons just yet.

Thinking of that, Liu Tian reluctantly abandoned the idea. The killing intent spilling from his body receded without him noticing, leaving the attendant, who was making tea for him, feeling alternating chills and warmth.

"As for the viewing options, those are fairly simple. You can either handle an item or simply look at it. Since you're a Rose Academy student, you can view all the first-tier items for free. If you're willing to pay a hundred as a viewing fee, you can handle any antique for just one extra yuan. Of course, if you damage it, you'll have to choose between paying for it and buying it."

"Starting with the second tier, you have to pay even just to view an item. It costs ten yuan per item, and handling fees vary depending on the antique. As for third-tier antiques, each one has its own special requirements. If you're interested, we can explain those later."

As the attendant explained, Liu Tian sipped his tea, listened, and thought. He could hear only one thing in every word she said: money!

What a damn rip-off! Which genius came up with this business model? Money, money, and nothing but money! Damn it, they didn't give a damn about poor people like me!

At the thought, Liu Tian's anger flared. Under the attendant's astonished gaze, he gulped down the hot tea, then pulled two hundred-yuan bills from his pocket—money he'd set aside specifically for this trip—and placed them on the table. "Bring me all the first-tier antiques!"

As though she had seen similar expressions and actions countless times before, the attendant's polite smile remained flawless. She took the money from the table and bowed. "Certainly. Please wait a moment. I'll notify them right away."

Watching the attendant turn and leave, Liu Tian felt the few bills left in his deflated pocket and suddenly had a question: Wait. Had I really just been seriously considering killing the owner and taking everything?

Ahaha, no way. It must've just been a wandering thought—and even if it wasn't, it was definitely the influence of Dominating Thought from Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, and had nothing to do with my true nature. Looks like I need to hurry up and find out where the Origin Point comes from. I can get a steady supply from the Prism Pillar, but it's far too little—probably only one point a month. I need to break through to become a fighter soon and take control of Heavenly Martial Killing Dao's influence over me. Otherwise, one day I might lose my head and do something irrational...