The shop assistant asked us what we wanted to buy. I pointed to the "Acquisitions" sign on the wall and opened my backpack. The shop assistant peeked inside and said cautiously, "Sir, are these items you have legally acquired?"
"Perfectly legal, don't worry, no one will ever investigate," I replied.
"Then would you mind telling me their origin?" the shop assistant asked again.
I pointed to the ground. "Acquired through legitimate channels."
"…What legitimate channels are there underground?" the shop assistant chuckled awkwardly.
"They are indeed legitimate channels. Our team also needs funds. We sell some inexpensive items to generate revenue for ourselves, you see?" I said with a mysterious smile, pretending to be part of the Guo Jia Archaeological Team.
Seeing my honest face (thanks to Chen Ke's sculpting that gave me a square jaw today), the shop assistant believed me and quickly invited us upstairs.
There were other customers on the first floor, so this kind of transaction couldn't take place there.
Up on the second floor, the boss seemed to have other guests. The shop assistant hurried over and whispered a few words to the boss. The boss politely saw off his guests and then invited us to sit. He also asked about the origin of the items first. I told him directly that we were from the archaeological team. The boss then asked, "Which team? The Guo Jia Team or the provincial team?"
It seemed he knew someone.
I said it was from the Jinling Provincial Team. The boss mentioned a name, but I noticed a flicker in his demeanor when he said it, suggesting he wasn't telling the truth. So, I feigned confusion, "I don't know the person you mentioned. We don't have anyone like that on our team. Could you be mistaken?"
The boss laughed heartily, "Hahaha, I was just saying that casually, perhaps I'm mistaken. Come, young man, show me the items, let me have a look?"
Heh, trying to trick me. My Qi-reading technique is like a built-in lie detector.
I opened my backpack. The boss had the shop assistant fetch a piece of white velvet cloth and spread it on the table. I didn't even know how many treasures I had brought. I carefully took them out one by one – some were so fragile they were about to crumble – and placed them on the velvet cloth.
The boss put on a pair of white gloves and picked up a hairpin, examining it closely with a magnifying glass.
"You're quite knowledgeable, boss, picking out the best one right away," I said with a smile. I judged it to be the best because this hairpin originally possessed the most intense purple aura.
The boss looked it over, nodded, and said, "Indeed. Do you know the dynasty of this hairpin?"
"I'm not sure," I replied honestly. I had no way of determining the age of items acquired from the underworld market. "I didn't personally excavate this batch of treasures. A colleague asked me to sell them, and I didn't ask for details. You understand, some things can't be discussed too precisely."
This was my understanding of the unspoken rules. After all, archaeology is a public profession. Large-scale excavations are always reported in the news. If I were to say where this item was unearthed, a quick news search would reveal the excavating entity, essentially betraying my teammates!
The boss nodded, "Then I won't mislead you. This gold hairpin should be an artifact from the Chu State during the Warring States period."
I smiled, pretending to be knowledgeable, "You have a keen eye, boss."
I figured he couldn't lie to me. If this were a negotiation, he had offered me a price that was effectively a 70% discount right from the start. What more could I say? Warring States was ancient enough. Pushing it further back to the Shang Dynasty, the price would likely be similar to Warring States artifacts.
"What's your offer?" Chu Qi asked from the side. She probably hadn't experienced this kind of transaction before, unlike Yao Yao and me, who were quite seasoned. Asking for the price now was a bit premature.
The boss glanced at Chu Qi and smiled without answering. He then picked up another hairpin, examined it for a moment, put it down, and picked up a bracelet. As he was about to finish, the shop assistant quietly brought over a calculator, the intention being obvious. He wanted to buy everything, not just select a few items. Of course, that was my intention as well. Otherwise, I would have taken them out one by one instead of all at once.
The boss fiddled with the calculator, pricing each item and adding them up. After finishing, he turned the calculator screen to show us, "Sir, what do you think of this price?"
Thirty-six, followed by six zeros.
"Holy hell, that's a lot of money!" Chu Qi exclaimed again, amazed by the peculiarities of this industry.
"This is my cousin, she hasn't seen much of the world. Please excuse her, boss," I said with a smile, and subtly nudged her with my foot to tell her to stop making random remarks. Her exclamation could have cost us five million!