Chapter 102 - Antique Appraisal Convention

"What about this place? It's a bit out of the way." Matthew pointed at a detached house up ahead.

Cassius got out of the car and looked up. The house, surrounded by a low gray-white wall, occupied a significant area. There was a solid iron gate circling the residence with a shiny metal mailbox standing by it.

The three of them walked closer and noticed a stone path leading from the gate all the way to the house. They pushed open the gate and entered a small courtyard with green grass, flower beds, and a few ornamental trees around the edges. A three-story house, alight in gold from dusk's glow, stood in the center of the courtyard. Its tile roof had a mix of different warm tones.

Cassius nodded slightly. He liked its warm reddish-brown color.

"The owner of this house is moving to East Sea County soon and since they're in a rush, the price is quite low. They're looking to sell quickly, so the whole place is just a hundred fifty thousand Hongli Federation dollars," Matthew explained as they walked.

Cassius nodded again, clearly satisfied.

"Oh, and there's a pretty big basement here too. It used to be a storage room, but I think it'll clean up quite nicely," Matthew added. He mentioned there were some drawbacks, like how it was pretty isolated with very few neighbors, transportation wasn't very convenient, and it was far from Baichuan City's central district.

But Cassius didn't mind. He needed some quiet place, and the fewer neighbors the better. As for transportation, the distance from Jessica Apartments to Hongta Street wasn't that much farther from this house to Hongta Street. Plus, the house was still within city limits, with a bus stop a few hundred meters away.

They went in to check out the inside. Cassius liked the layout so much, he immediately decided to take it. "Thanks a lot."

"No problem. We're friends, aren't we?" Matthew said with a smile.

At this point, they really were friends.

Cassius had saved Matthew's younger brother, and Matthew had helped Cassius find information on the coin antique and the Lanxin Grass. Now, he had found a house that suited Cassius's tastes perfectly. Their mutual assistance had brought them closer together.

Standing in the empty living room, Matthew said, "I have some reliable contacts in a few renovation and furniture companies. I'll give you their details. Just give them my name, and they'll give you a good discount."

They left the house and walked into the courtyard, still chatting. Matthew had some news about the Crown Star Coin Cassius had asked him to find. A White Rose Antique Appraisal Convention was going to take place in the central district museum tomorrow. It was a comprehensive exchange convention hosted by the external company White Rose Antiques.

The White Rose Antiques was well-known in the eastern six counties. The appraisal convention would include exhibitions, charity donations, auctions, and a banquet. It wasn't a regular antique exhibition but a novel concept borrowed from abroad.

Over a hundred of the Crown Star Coins Cassius wanted would be displayed there. The White Rose Antique Company had collected them because even though they did not have significant antique value, they were good enough for display.

As Connan Company's general manager, Matthew had received an invitation and could take Cassius to the exhibition.

Cassius was intrigued. This was an excellent opportunity. With so many antiques in one place, one or two of them might have lingering attachment energy. Whether he bought it or stole it, he wanted them in his hands.

Cassius had never struggled with obtaining legendary antiques; he had difficulty tracking them down. He used to wander through various antique shops, hoping to stumble upon one by chance. But with such a good opportunity in front of him, he readily agreed.

Three minutes later.

"See you tomorrow," Matthew said at the door, with Phil beside him.

"Uh..." Cassius hesitated.

Matthew playfully tapped his hat. "Get in."

Cassius shook his head wryly, opened the car door, and got in. Matthew had been joking; he wouldn't leave Cassius to spend the night in an empty house.

Settling into the soft backseat, Cassius crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He could sense Matthew's goodwill. Matthew genuinely wanted to be friends, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to such lengths, and Cassius needed his connections. A friendship which they mutually benefited from was just perfect.

A few minutes later, the car arrived at the entrance of Jessica Apartments on Flag Street, and Cassius stepped out.

The driver's side window rolled down, and Phil waved lightly. "See you tomorrow, Coach."

"See you tomorrow," Cassius replied, turning around and heading toward the apartment building.

Phil had just arrived at class with his backpack the next day when Milo mysteriously pulled him aside and solemnly declared, "I'm done with sword training!"

"???" Phil stared wide-eyed. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to train martial arts!" Milo grinned proudly and recounted the events of the previous evening—with some embellishments. Then he crossed his arms, wearing a cool expression.

Phil eagerly played along. "Dang, that's impressive! Did you really beat up those three punks all by yourself?".

"Of course! Look at this." Milo pulled Phil into a corner and secretly reached into his pocket.

Phil panicked. "Dude, it's broad daylight! Why are you being so sketchy?"

"What on earth are you thinking? Look at my prize!" Milo triumphantly presented a pocketknife.

The three punks had fled so quickly the previous evening that they had left the knife behind, which Milo had brought home as a trophy.

"Whoa, you really fought off three guys!" Phil flashed a quick thumbs-up. He greatly admired superheroes and was similarly influenced by the popular comic "Captain Hongli."

"But seriously, why did you stick the knife in your pants?" Phil looked skeptically at Milo.

"Well, I need to have it on me, right? Besides, it's not like it's in my underwear."

Milo's clothes had shallow pockets, except for one long inner pocket in his pants which he used to keep his pocket money safe from being lost or stolen. Now, it served as the pocketknife's sheath.

The two friends chatted in the corner, and the topic gradually shifted to the recent ranking matches in the school's Combat Club.

Phil wanted to participate to see where his progress was at, while Milo planned to quit the Kendo Club and apply to join the Combat Club. If that didn't happen, then he'd simply remain clubless.

Ever since that incident, Milo was fueled with determination. If he wanted to learn real skills, he needed to train with Coach Li Wei. The fact that all those years of kendo practice had been rendered useless by a punk's kick had been a significant blow to him.

Ring...

The clear sound of a bell rang out. A large hand slapped down on a metal alarm clock. Cassius quickly sat up and glanced at the clock. 7:05 a.m. He was back on track with his routine.

As per his usual routine, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and made breakfast. The only difference was that Cassius skipped his herbal bath today because Matthew had told him that the White Rose Antique Appraisal Convention would start early, leaving him no time for morning exercise.

Twenty minutes later, Cassius finished his milk.

He glanced out the window. The car hadn't arrived yet. He turned back to stare at the black bag beside the sofa. As usual, he laid out the four antiques on the coffee table.

Touching them lightly, he felt a cool sensation seep into his skin. Cassius let his fingers glide across each antique, keeping an eye on the top right corner of his vision. The lingering attachment energy had increased by 0.1.

[Lingering Attachment Energy: 3.8]

The energy was still replenishing even on the second day.

If this keeps up for another five days, I’d essentially get an extra legendary antique for free,

Cassius thought, satisfied as he replaced the item.

Honk, honk, honk...

A series of honks sounded outside. Cassius looked out the window and saw a long car parked by the roadside. He quickly pulled on his suit jacket from the sofa, grabbed the pocket watch pendant from the coffee table, and headed downstairs.

"Coming," Cassius called out as he strode toward the car.

The driver's window rolled down, revealing Matthew's handsome face and another striking profile in the passenger seat. A graceful black-haired woman with an impressive figure sat by Matthew's side. She gazed deeply with her large, enchanting eyes. A prominent black tear mole at the corner of her elongated eye added to her allure.

"Li Wei, this is Violet."