Appraisal X and X Dipping Jade

Qi Zhou looked over the people around him and ignored their disdainful gazes before speaking slowly:

"This flute is called 'Dipping Jade.' There are two pieces of evidence. First, the material used to make it isn't B-rank Azure-Patterned Dragon Blood Bamboo, but A-rank. If you use a high-powered magnifying glass, you can see extremely fine golden lines inside the flute. Second, there are knife marks at the end of the flute. If you soak it in the blood of a B-rank magical beast, the markings will appear."

He suddenly felt a little like the protagonist of a novel.

Ah, he was joking. What protagonist had it as bad as he did?

After the onlookers heard him out, the whole place fell silent for a moment. Then whispers broke out.

Someone couldn't hold back and challenged him. "That's awfully detailed... You're not just making it up, are you?"

"So what if he is? Mr. Wood isn't really going to soak the flute in magical beast blood. What if it ruins such a precious collectible?"

But to everyone's surprise, Arens Wood beckoned Sith Lawn over. At his signal, Sith used a pager to summon two collection conservators. They came in and took the flute away in a safe, with Sith Lawn following them out.

Everyone: "..."

"Mr. Wood, please think this through. What if..." someone couldn't help saying. Before he could finish, Arens Wood raised a hand slightly, and he said no more.

"What's your name, young man?" Arens Wood looked at Qi Zhou and asked slowly.

"...Noah Barton."

Qi Zhou answered. In his mind, the likelihood that the man before him wasn't Arens Wood had reached eighty percent.

"All right, young Noah," Arens Wood said. "Let's wait for the results together."

He paused, then smiled. "If your appraisal is correct, I'll give you this flute. In exchange, you'll stay and work for me for a year. How about it?"

"...I only recognize collectibles related to music." Ignoring the surprised voices around him, Qi Zhou continued, "Besides, I can't stay here long. I have things to do, and I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Ah, that's such a shame." Although he had been refused, Arens Wood showed no apparent change in emotion. He smiled and had no intention of bringing up the matter of having Qi Zhou stay again.

...One hour later...

Sith Lawn walked in, and everyone's eyes turned to him at once. They watched him with intense nervousness.

But Qi Zhou wasn't nervous at all. It was as if... he firmly believed his Nen wouldn't deceive him. After all, if one's conviction wasn't strong enough, Nen wouldn't appear in the first place.

Sith Lawn nodded slowly. "Master, Mr. Barton's appraisal was entirely accurate. After comparison, the collectible was indeed confirmed to be called 'Dipping Jade.'"

Everyone: "..."

Upon learning the result, the people who had provoked Qi Zhou earlier quietly moved to the back of the group, hiding themselves behind the people in front of them.

"Ah, that's wonderful. Young Mr. Barton truly is knowledgeable and sharp-eyed." When he heard this, a glimmer of darkness flashed through Arens Wood's eyes. Then he smiled and said, "The increase in this antique's value will be given to you later as thanks."

Qi Zhou nodded slightly. But his book, or rather his Nen, was still expressing a desire for the flute.

Seeing Qi Zhou's expression, Arens Wood seemed to think of something. "If young Mr. Barton can help me appraise the next collectible, which will be presented as the finale, then... heh, our earlier agreement still stands."

"Oh?" Qi Zhou looked at him. "Really?"

"Of course. Would I lie to a child like you? Haha~" Arens Wood smiled and clapped his hands. An attendant switched on the main lights, brightly illuminating the front of the hall.

A line of servants filed into the hall, pushing a small display case fitted with a safe to the center. They switched on a projector, casting an image of the item onto a white screen.

It was a roll of dark yellow beast hide. On the exposed portion, sheet music had been drawn with pigments made from unknown materials.

Qi Zhou only glanced at it once before his whole body went numb, as though even his soul had trembled.

Almost without needing to think, he knew that the music recorded on this scroll had to be the "Sonata of Darkness"!

"I imagine all of you came here to listen to the 'Sonata of Darkness,'" Arens Wood said, his gaze falling on the beast hide in the display case, his eyes clouded with tenderness and madness. "At midnight tonight, I will personally perform this epic movement for you!"

Qi Zhou pretended to casually glance at the others, and a chill ran through him. Everyone present except him had excitement and ecstasy in their eyes, an urgency and madness as though they were unwilling to wait even a second longer.

Arens Wood raised a hand slightly, and the restless crowd quieted down. He said softly, "Young Mr. Barton? Heh, could you help appraise this music scroll?"

Qi Zhou: "...Appraise what?"

Arens Wood said slowly, "The material, the ink used to write the music, or anything else... Heh, any information will do."

"...I can give it a try."

Qi Zhou slowly approached the display case and stared at the exhibit. After a long while, he said softly, "The material it's written on is Gong-Gong Beast hide."

The Gong-Gong Beast was a creature commonly eaten. If he had to find a comparison, it was roughly equivalent to the domestic pigs of his previous life.

As soon as he said that, an uproar broke out. "What are you talking about? How could it be the skin of an animal like that?!"

Qi Zhou looked at Arens Wood. The latter froze for a moment, then smiled. "Indeed, though it was a Gong-Gong Beast from a thousand years ago. DNA very similar to that of present-day Gong-Gong Beasts can be detected."

Everyone: "..."

"As for the pigment... it's a mixture of blood from around a dozen... should I call them living things? The proportions and components of the blood differ in each section, so I can't explain them all individually, but I can give a few examples."

Qi Zhou said slowly, "For example, the first line of the first section was made with a pigment mixed from the blood of a C-rank Entanglement Parrot, the juice of a D-rank Floating Luo Flower, honey made by a D-rank Feike Giant Bee, and the... excrement of a C-rank Polke Phantom Cat. Because the concentration of Entanglement Parrot blood gradually increases, the color of the first section of the music gradually turns dark brown."

Arens Wood slowly applauded, so even without him saying anything, everyone knew that the kid called "Noah" wasn't talking nonsense.

He looked at Qi Zhou and spoke very slowly. "Young Mr. Barton, as agreed, 'Dipping Jade' is yours."

Just then, a hollow, distant sound came from afar. "Dong-" "Dong-"

It rang twelve times in succession, signifying... midnight.

A smile appeared on Arens Wood's face as he looked at everyone. "Guests, the appetizer is over. Please proceed to the concert hall to witness the return of an epic chapter here."