Money

"Welcome to the Dust Antique Shop, how may I help you?" As soon as he stepped through the door, a fair-faced female attendant greeted him. Perhaps to match the antique shop's style, the attendant was wearing a modified ancient costume. This style had recently become popular in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, subtly similar to the feeling of Hanfu on Earth.

"I recently heard my teacher explain the Lost Empire from six thousand years ago and suddenly became interested," Liu Tian said, using the excuse he had prepared. "Your antique shop is so large, do you have anything related to it?"

"The Lost Empire, huh~" The attendant lightly tapped her chin, discreetly observing Liu Tian's Rose Academy uniform. She specifically confirmed several anti-counterfeiting points that were emphasized during training before smiling, "The Dust Antique Shop is the largest antique shop in the entire kingdom. While we don't have many relics from the Lost Empire, we do have a decent amount. We should be able to meet your needs."

"However, what level are you looking for? And what kind of appraisal method would you prefer?"

"Level? Appraisal method? That's a novel idea—judging a book by its cover? Interesting." Liu Tian had already anticipated that he wouldn't be able to see all the collections just by walking in. He had also noticed the attendant's discreet scrutiny earlier. Knowing that his school uniform was already providing him with the most help, he didn't push further. He paused and said, "What are the levels? And how do the appraisal methods work?"

Seeing that Liu Tian wasn't backing down and didn't seem like a troublesome person, the female attendant led him to the second floor. As they walked into a private room, she explained, "Our Dust Antique Shop has three levels, categorized by value: under ten thousand is one tier, ten thousand to one hundred thousand is Level 1, and over one hundred thousand is Level 2. Levels 1 and 2 have corresponding color photographs for initial identification."

"For items over one hundred thousand, due to their exceptionally high value, our shop only provides color photographs for initial identification to most customers. After you select an item and pay a deposit, a specialized transporter will deliver it. Whether you decide to purchase it or not, there will be a viewing fee of at least one thousand, which may increase depending on the antique."

A viewing fee of one thousand? Liu Tian was taken aback. That was no small sum.

From his memory, the currency of this world was still on the gold standard. Paper money and gold could be freely exchanged in any country with intact territory and relatively stable order. The value of paper money was very firm, especially in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, which had suffered little from war.

To prevent counterfeiting, the Hundred Flowers Kingdom's paper money was only divided into three denominations: one hundred, five hundred, and one thousand. Therefore, generally, only large transactions of one hundred or more would use paper money. Ordinary people might only encounter various alloy coins in their lifetime.

A viewing fee of one thousand was enough to cover the living expenses of a family of three for half a year. If they were frugal, they could barely get by for a year with a satisfactory quality of life.

Damn it, is the wealth gap in this world really this large?

Liu Tian silently calculated the balance he had painstakingly saved over his eighteen years of life. He discovered that as the heir to a whaling ship captain, despite all his efforts, he had only managed to save a meager five thousand. He couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Under the influence of the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, a strange voice echoed in his mind—If I killed the owner of this antique shop, could I then freely enjoy the antiques?

But Liu Tian immediately realized the flaw in his thinking. With such value, the owner of the antique shop could absolutely not be a simple person. In fact, he was likely just a figurehead. The real boss was probably at the highest echelons of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom. Looking at this system, perhaps all the antiques over one hundred thousand in all the antique shops were a single collection. Even the nominal owners of these antique shops might not be able to access those treasures.

If he wanted to rob them, killing the owner would be useless. He would have to strike at the root. And to strike at the root—he couldn't possibly deal with those firearms and cannons right now.

With this thought, Liu Tian reluctantly abandoned the idea. The killing intent that had leaked out of him unconsciously retracted, making the female attendant who was preparing tea for him feel a sudden chill and warmth.

"As for the appraisal methods, they are relatively simple: one is hands-on, and the other is not. Given that you are a student of Rose Academy, you can view all Level 1 antiques for free. If you are willing to pay one hundred yuan as a viewing fee, you can have hands-on interaction with any antique for an additional one yuan—of course, if it is damaged, you will have to choose between paying for it or purchasing it."

"Starting from Level 2, even viewing requires payment, though it's only ten yuan per item. If you wish for hands-on interaction, the price will vary depending on the antique. For Level 3 antiques, each has its own special requirements. If you are interested, we can discuss them further at that time."

While the attendant was explaining, Liu Tian sipped his tea and listened intently, his mind racing. From her words, he only heard one thing—money!

Damn, they're so greedy! Which genius came up with this system? Nothing but money? Damn it, they clearly don't care about poor people like me!

With that thought, a nameless rage ignited within Liu Tian. Under the attendant's astonished gaze, he drained the hot tea in one gulp. Then, he took out two one-hundred-yuan banknotes, which he had prepared for this outing, and placed them on the table: "Bring out all the Level 1 antiques first!"

As if she had seen this expression and action countless times before, the female attendant's polite smile remained perfect. She took the banknotes from the table and bowed, "Certainly, please wait a moment. I will inform them immediately."

Watching the attendant turn and leave, Liu Tian felt his dry pockets, with only a few banknotes remaining. A question suddenly popped into his mind—Wait? Was I really seriously considering killing the boss and taking everything just now?

Hahaha, that's impossible, it must have just been my mind wandering—and even if it was real, it would definitely be the influence of the Dominating Thought from the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao, it has nothing to do with my true nature. I need to hurry and find the source of the Origin Point. While the Prism Pillar is inexhaustible, it's too rare. I might only get a little each month. I need to break through to Fighter and control the influence of the Heavenly Martial Killing Dao on me as soon as possible, otherwise, I might do something irrational at any moment...