Copper Coins and Incense Burner

But the distance was too close, which would scorch his internal circulation; he couldn't absorb anything at all right now.

He tentatively took another half-step toward the stone pillar.

The burning sensation surged up from his chest again, more urgent than before, and the warmth within the Seat of the Sun began to tremble.

He stopped.

After retreating to a safe distance, his breathing returned to a steady rhythm.

"Act according to your ability"—no wonder his grandfather had written that on the note.

As long as he could retreat, he was still safe; when he couldn't retreat, that was likely when things would truly "go wrong."

Donald watched his reaction, seemingly having expected it:

"The lad has quite sharp intuition; for your age, that's both a blessing and a curse."

Richard withdrew his gaze and walked to the other side of the shelf: "May I take a look at the copper coin and the incense burner?"

"Of course." Donald took the copper coin and the incense burner down from the shelf.

He returned to the front shop and placed both items on a velvet pad on the counter.

"Since it's your first time here, let me explain the market rates to you."

Donald sat back on his high stool, crossed his legs, and rubbed his thumb against his index finger:

"The Imperial Capital's curios market is currently divided into three tiers.

Items with less than a hundred years of contamination and weak Aether residue go for under ten pounds each."

"For the hundred to thousand-year level, with a clear history of ritual immersion, they start at twenty pounds, with no upper limit."

"As for those with even higher ages..." He gestured with his chin toward the stone pillar fragment in the corner of the back room:

"Just pretend you didn't see it; goods like that almost never circulate through normal channels."

"What about these two?" Richard tapped the copper coin and the incense burner with his finger.

"This coin itself is from the Roman era, with less than a hundred years of contamination. It has a clean foundation and stable Aether residue. Six pounds."

Donald picked up the incense burner and turned it over:

"This is just a brass incense burner from the Sufi Order. The craftsmanship isn't bad, and the object itself is larger. It also has about a hundred years of contamination. Seven pounds."

"Thirteen pounds for both." He placed the two items side-by-side on the velvet and spread his hands.

Thirteen pounds... but there were only twelve pounds in total in the wooden box. Was he supposed to borrow money from Vincent here?

"Can you tell me the origins of these two pieces?" Richard asked tentatively, his bargaining strategy beginning to charge up.

The eye behind Donald's monocle narrowed.

When people buying curios ask about origins, it's usually one of two situations.

One is the layman who loves to hear stories—the more legendary, the better, and the more legendary, the easier it is to get them to pay.

Vincent, who had been here earlier, was that type, and he was the kind of layman he liked best.

The other is the expert, who asks about origins to determine the specific process of Aether contamination.

Whether it was active ritual immersion or passive environmental infiltration, a single source or a multi-source overlay.

Judging by the reaction of this youth the moment he entered the back room, he likely didn't belong to the former.

Donald placed the coin on top of the wooden box on the counter, making it easier for them to see clearly:

"This is a silver coin from the time of Diocletian..."

"Although it contains silver, this is a copper coin." Richard interrupted.

Donald's eyelid twitched.

"The obverse is cast with the profile of Diocletian; the time is correct.

But the material is a silver-copper alloy, with a silver content of less than thirty percent. This is a characteristic of the Imperial financial collapse in the fourth century.

At that time, the official copper-to-silver ratio was drastically adjusted, passing off inferior goods as superior, which eventually triggered a persistent currency crisis."

He flicked the edge of the copper coin with his fingernail; the sound was dull, lacking the crisp ring of pure silver.

"The sound of a silver ingot is different from that of a copper ingot, sir."

Donald didn't deny it and moved his magnifying glass to the side.

"Fine, silver-copper alloy, but the age is real, and the ritual immersion is real. You aren't buying it for the bit of silver inside, anyway."

"I believe the ritual immersion." Richard flipped the coin to the reverse side.

The obverse featured Diocletian in a laurel wreath, and the reverse featured the goddess of victory, Victoria, holding a palm branch in her right hand and a round shield in her left.

"But the wear is too uniform."

Richard placed the coin on the velvet and pointed his index finger at the wear around the edge:

"In normal circulation and use, the recessed areas wear down later."

The wear on this coin is perfectly uniform, even the wear on top of the head of Victoria is about the same as in the recessed areas.

He stated his judgment:

"This isn't normal circulation wear; it's grinding."

"Someone placed this copper coin on a flat surface and spun it repeatedly to collect copper dust."

"It's highly likely the work of an alchemist using copper dust with silver content as a reagent medium. This method of grinding causes uniform damage to the copper surface."

Vincent watched from the side, secretly marveling at his cousin's profound Scholarship.

Donald's expression didn't change much, but he hid his hands under the counter.

"Even if it was used by an alchemist, the Aether contamination is a fact."

"It is a fact, but the nature of the contamination is problematic."

Richard felt the feedback provided by his internal circulation.

"This coin was repeatedly ground down, and the Aether was forced in along the direction of the grinding, not deposited naturally."

He set the coin down.

Donald scrutinized him, remaining silent for a long time.

"And this incense burner, you said it was from the Sufi Order."

Richard lifted the lid of the incense burner and set it aside, leaning in to examine the inner walls of the furnace.

The inner walls were covered in fine carbon deposits, accumulated over years and soaked into the copper.

There was a shallow rose relief on the bottom of the burner; in Sufi tradition, the rose is a symbol of divine love and is closely related to fire rituals.

"There is no problem with the burner itself. It's a daily utensil from the Sufi Sanctuary, and the Aether contamination is the standard natural deposition from incense smoke."

He put the lid back on and ran his index finger along the hollowed-out pattern on the rim.

"But here, the outer edge of the lid has a layer of heterogeneous copper oxidation, which is different from the patina on the main body of the burner."

"This indicates the lid was replaced later. It wasn't the original material, and the copper alloy composition is different."

He flipped the burner over to the bottom; there was no inscription, but there were regular small circular holes.

"There are three exhaust holes at the bottom. An original Sufi Sanctuary incense burner doesn't need bottom ventilation."

"This was a later modification, likely to allow the burner to be used in a hanging position."

He placed the burner back on the velvet cloth: "For both items, how about nine pounds?"

Donald's monocle nearly fell off the bridge of his nose.

"Not good at all. Little brother, your haggling is far too ruthless."

"Mr. Shopkeeper, I have already explained the issues with the coin and the burner very clearly."

Donald opened his mouth.

Vincent chimed in from the side: "Uncle Donald, I think that coin is indeed worn quite badly."

"You're joining in on the fun too?" Donald glared at him.

"It's only right, he's my own cousin after all." Vincent grinned, showing no hesitation at all.

Donald picked up the coin and flipped it over, then held the burner up to his eyes and examined it with a magnifying glass.

"I'll concede on the coin; it does have some wear issues."

"But you're wrong about the burner. Those minor modifications don't affect the overall structural integrity."

"Eleven and a half pounds. I won't sell it for a penny less."

Richard frowned and pointed out the most fatal flaw of the burner:

"This burner changed hands throughout history, and it happened while it was still being used as a ritual vessel."

"It was reused by people from different factions, so the subsequent Aether would overlap with the original deposits, creating an interference layer."

"To clear this layer of interference, extra effort is required in the early stages. Nine and a half pounds."

"How old are you this year?" Donald suddenly asked.

"Sixteen."

"Who did you learn all this from?"

"Books."

Donald sighed and glanced at his ledger.

"Ten pounds for both. I'll throw in a leather pouch to carry them in, but the clogged Aether is your own problem to deal with."

"Nine and a half pounds."

"Ten pounds flat, no room for negotiation. If you don't want it, you can just leave."

Donald slapped his palm onto the counter: "At this price, I don't even have a reasonable profit. I'm doing this purely for the sake of Mr. Gerald, and..."

He pointed at Richard.

"And you kid really have some skills; my goods weren't wasted on you."

Richard thought for a moment, opened his satchel, and counted out the banknotes.

"Deal, ten pounds."

Donald counted the money bill by bill and tucked it into the iron box beneath the counter, his expression as sour as if he had bitten into a lemon.

He wrapped the copper coins and the incense burner in two layers of oil paper, placed them in a leather pouch, and pushed it across.

"Everyone who comes out of the Ashford family is a sharp one."

He muttered, taking his monocle off the bridge of his nose to wipe it clean:

"Your aunt was just as difficult when she came last time; not a single person in that family is easy to talk to."

Vincent grinned from ear to ear.

Donald put his glasses back on and waddled his short, stout body around from behind the counter.

He walked to the door, lifted the tapestry, and gestured for them to leave.

"The goods are bought, the letter is received, off you go, I won't be seeing you out."

"Uncle Donald..."

"Go, go, go, I haven't even eaten yet; you two have been pestering me all morning, and the money I earned isn't even enough to buy a salted fish."