"Watch your mouth, Tim Thames! You're standing in Steinberg, not in Jovenshire. Mr. Ballard is an esteemed guest of the Griffin family, and your contempt is a disrespect to us all. "Say another word, and you're out of this house!" Rosalie asserted with firmness, a stark departure from her once meek and timid demeanorTim Thames nonchalantly shrugged and wore a casual grin."The Griffin family's young lady is quite the sharp-tongued one," he snickered. Behind him, a row of formidable bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses stood proudly.Rosalie responded with a disdainful snort, her presence commanding respect.Witnessing this transformation, Sebastian couldn't help but be amazed. He had always perceived Rosalie as meek and timid, but her assertiveness proved she was more than that.Little did he know Rosalie was renowned as the cold and ruthless Witch of Janover. Even the Four Heirs of Janover were no match for her. From a young age, she had carved a name for herself in
Rosalie nodded and signaled the butler to usher in the specialist. The specialist who emerged was a slender young man sporting a hawk nose and beady eyes. Clad in a green robe, he carried a quaint suitcase."May I present Mr. Jimmy Xeno from Cozind," Rosalie announced with a welcoming smile, prompting nods of recognition from everyone in the inner courtyard.Jimmy Xeno gracefully bowed and suggested with a smile, "Apologies for the wait. Shall we proceed to check out the wares?"Opening his suitcase, he presented a silver plate adorned with meticulous carvings. The exquisite artifact radiated a soothing warmth, capturing everyone's attention and leaving them in awe of its power.Gasps of admiration echoed through the air as everyone marveled at the extraordinary artifact.It was their first encounter with such an impressive protective artifact, and its sheer power hinted at a hefty price tag. If Rosalie's descriptions held true, its value would be immeasurable. Even Sebastia
"You despicable scoundrel!" Luca seethed with anger.With a face flushed with fury, Luca barked out, "Ms. Griffin, kick this ignorant troublemaker out at once!"The other guests chimed in with their displeasure and disdain."This insolent brat dares to challenge Mr. Goodman," a man scoffed."He's making up stories! He should know his place," someone sneered."If his words hold true, is he accusing Mr. Xeno of being a fraud?" another guest snickered.Despite the crowd's furious reproach, Sebastian remained cool and collected."What are you waiting for, Ms. Griffin? Hurry and get this man out!" Luca urged in frustration.Rosalie raised an eyebrow, a cold smirk playing on her lips. She retorted, "What gives you the right to command me, Mr. Goodman? It seems you don't understand the situation. "Mr. Ballard is an esteemed guest of the Griffin family, and I won't kick him out even if you want me to."He expressed his dissatisfaction, saying, "You should know I'm an esteemed geom
"Since you insist the silver plate is fake, let me see how you intend to prove it." Squinting his eyes, Jimmy glanced at Sebastian. He was filled with disdain. To him, Sebastian was just an immature brat. What extraordinary skills could an ordinary person like him possibly possess? There was no way he would recognize it even if a real artifact was placed before his eyes! So, Jimmy wasn't worried that Sebastian could prove anything. He had full confidence in the silver plate. After all, he was the only one who understood its profound secrets.Shaking his head, Sebastian smiled. "If that's the case, then pardon me." He took a few glances at the silver plate. Withdrawing his gaze, he sneered, "It's just an ordinary plate. All it takes is a bit of deception to fool wealthy people like you. "I've got to say, your minds are really not sharp. It's so easy to deceive you.""How dare you!""What did you say, you brat?""Damn it! Is this bastard calling us stupid?"The people
At this moment, everyone understood what was happening, even if they were foolish. "You can leave, Mr. Xeno, but you'll have to leave the silver plate here! Please explain yourself before you go!" Tim said solemnly."That's right! Why would you be in such a hurry to leave if the silver plate was a genuine artifact?" James asked coldly. There was no way he would let Jimmy go so easily when he had the guts to deceive him.Sweating profusely, Jimmy had an unpleasant expression on his face. He stared fixedly at Sebastian as anger surged in his heart.He didn't expect the scheme he set up so meticulously to be exposed by this brat.Jimmy would have earned a few million tonight, but it was all ruined by Sebastian. This filled him with intense resentment."You brat! How dare you slander me?" Jimmy gritted out. A surge of killing intent emanated from him."What? Did I hit a sore spot, Mr. Xeno? Are you going to hurt me?" Sebastian smiled faintly. There wasn't a trace of fear in h
Jimmy shook the gourd vigorously in his hand and chanted an incantation after he finished speaking. The gourd emitted black mists continuously as the incantation was uttered. The mists filled the air and transformed into terrifying faces of spirits.Shrill screams were emitted from the mists, resembling the wails of evil spirits that had crawled out from hell."Oh my god!""What is this? Is this black magic?" "Help! Run …"Many of the wealthy people in the courtyard were frightened to death. They fell to the floor and scrambled under tables. Trembling all over, they clutched their heads and chanted prayers in their hearts.All their lives, these aristocrats had only seen money and women. They had never witnessed such a horrifying scene before. This had completely exceeded their understanding. "T-This is the necromancy spell from Cozind …" Luca exclaimed. "Mr. Xeno is truly extraordinary. To think he could command evil spirits … My geomancy skills are nothing compared
After that, everyone watched on in amazement and bewilderment. Sebastian tapped the jewelry seven times with his finger. Then, he flung the jewelry at the cursed gourd and yelled, "Lend me the power of the universe and grant me the power of the gods to let lightning strike the earth! "Hear my pleas at once! I summon thee, lightning!"There was a thunderclap and a flash of lightning. It hit the cursed gourd directly.That was the lightning spell!It used positive energy to suppress cursed energy. When the lightning crashed down into the courtyard, Sebastian looked as awe-inspiring and lofty as a god!The cursed gourd was struck by lightning and split into pieces with a crack. Meanwhile, the dense black fog suspended midair immediately vanished due to the lightning as well!It disappeared without a trace. Meanwhile, the frosty atmosphere in the courtyard went away, too. "Oh! My cursed gourd!"Jimmy let out a yell as he saw the broken pieces of his cursed gourd. Then, he
Sebastian didn't want to involve himself with the other party any longer. Meanwhile, when Luca heard his reply, he immediately escaped. Tim frowned and glared at Sebastian. After sneering at the latter, he walked out of the courtyard. That night, he had utterly embarrassed himself. At the same time, Tim would remember Sebastian from then on. "I'm tired, Ms. Griffin. I'm going to head home now," Sebastian said. Rosalie smiled. "Dr. Ballard, I'll send you home."The other party nodded in agreement. After that, they walked out of the courtyard together. However, before they left the place, they heard someone call out, "Dr. Ballard, please wait!"Sebastian raised an eyebrow. He looked back and saw James running toward him. The man was out of breath, and his face was very pale. "Dr. Ballard, may I speak to you for a moment?""Just tell me what you want directly," Sebastian replied. Then, James said, "Dr. Ballard, to be honest, the Turner family has undergone some issues
From how pale Sebastian was, Bryson deduced that he must be very sick or extremely weak. He even felt that fighting against Sebastian would be an insult.Although he wasn't the top fighter in the Lynch family, he was still one of the best ones. There was no honor in winning against a sick person."I'm going to give you the same words," Sebastian said, smiling widely."Mr. Lynch, he's actually very powerful. I don't think that Bryson will be a match for him. Why don't you let them attack together?"Jayden had seen Sebastian fight before. Although he could see that Sebastian looked unwell, he was still an expert. It would be better to be more wary. Colton rolled his eyes at Jayden. He knew Bryson's skill level. How could an expert who was at the eighth level of the Energy Refining Technique lose against a sick man?Sebastian looked so frail that he was sure to be knocked out as soon as they started fighting. Plus, the number of people in the whole of Acorn City who could last more
Colton nodded slightly and patted Cliff on the shoulder. He turned and said to Sebastian, "You heard him. He's one of our men. Therefore, you can't take that with you, but you won't make too much of a loss. Here's a check for 500 thousand dollars. Hand that emerald buckle over!"Colton was clearly not going to give Sebastian a choice in the matter. He was used to doing whatever he pleased by relying on his family's influence. Besides, they were also on very good terms with the local Martial Arts Court. He couldn't use his family's connections for the grudge between Jayden and Sebastian, but he would have ample reason to use the Lynches' influence for a priceless emerald buckle.There always had to be a legitimate reason. Clearly, Colton was smarter than Jayden. "I'm not interested in your check, and I'm not going to give it to you either!" Sebastian answered coldly without even glancing at the check.Colton looked thoughtfully at Sebastian and clasped his hands behind his back.
Sebastian had just walked out of the antiques street and had held out his hand to flag down a cab when a middle-aged man in black training clothes walked over to him. The man held out a hand to block Sebastian and Unus' path."Stop!" Sebastian glanced at the middle-aged man and asked, "And what can I do for you?""Mr. Lynch wants to see you. Come with me!" the middle-aged man said icily."Mr. Lynch? Who the hell is that?" Sebastian asked sardonically, sneering. "It's Colton Lynch, and you better remember it!"Sebastian heard a clear, crisp voice. Two young men walked over to him, one walking slightly in front of the other.There was a young man in a branded suit next to the first one. Sebastian couldn't help laughing out loud when he saw the young man next to Colton. It was Jayden, his old friend from Sartvale.Sebastian had never expected to meet Jayden Acorn City. Now that he thought about it, Jayden still owed him a life. If Sebastian hadn't shown mercy to him, the flowers
The old man nodded slightly and said, "That's right. My name is Solomon Jackman. If you think things through, you can come to Townsend Clinic. We can discuss the price!"Solomon bowed to Sebastian before squeezing out of the crowd. Cliff's eyes reddened as he watched Solomon leave. Solomon was a prominent figure in Acorn City. Not only did he have exceptional medical skills, he was also skilled in martial arts. However, neither of those were Solomon's true specialty. What he was most skilled at was antique appraisal! Any antique that Solomon appraised was sure to be a treasure among treasures.Noticing Sebastian and Unus turning to walk away, Cliff immediately became agitated. "Stop!" he shouted.Sebastian turned to glance at him and said, "A deal's a deal. No returns or refunds. You said that yourself. It's the rule of the antique industry!"Cliff ignored all of that. He came out from behind his stall and grabbed Sebastian's sleeve. "I'm not going to sell that emerald pendan
"I don't think that you've seen the original form of this emerald pendant, either," Sebastian said, smiling coldly at Cliff. Cliff looked disdainfully at him. He felt that Sebastian was just unhappy about being tricked and was trying to provoke him. "Stop putting on that mysterious act. Why wouldn't I know about something that belongs to me?" Cliff demanded with a scoff. "You might really not know," Sebastian replied. He closed his palm slightly and exerted a slight force. The layer of stone on top of the emerald pendant peeled off. While everyone looked on, dumbstruck, Sebastian opened his palm once more. The crowd gasped.There were two clouds of energy on the emerald pendant, chasing each other like a pair of fish. One was black, while the other was red. The emerald pendant had been square-shaped originally, but it had now become a round emerald buckle. In the middle of it, a pale yellow energy was rising slowly. Everyone cried out in shock. It was clearly a rare trea
Some people just didn't know what was good for them. Even if Cliff had wanted to laugh, he should have waited for Sebastian to leave before doing so. How could he call a buyer a fool while they were still there?"It may be a little crude, my young friend, but it doesn't change the fact that you were hoodwinked!" Cliff said, guffawing gleefully.Since Sebastian had already paid, he could no longer take it back. After all, it was a rule never to accept returns or refunds. When Cliff thought of how he had charged Sebastian more than ten thousand for something that had only cost him about 300 to 400 dollars, he became even more smug. "You'll just have to bear with it, my young friend. Not regretting your purchase is the rule of the antique industry. Even if you've now found out that you were deceived, you can't get your money back!""That's right. The work on the emerald pendant that you're holding is so shoddy that it was clearly just done last week. It's a new item!" "Watch out
Sebastian laughed at the reluctant expression on the stall owner's face. He weighed the emerald pendant in his hand and asked, "Mister, are you sure that this emerald pendant is worth 210 thousand?"With that, he tossed it onto the counter and turned to leave."Huh?"The stall owner immediately ran around to the front of the stall when he saw that Sebastian was about to leave. He grabbed him and said, "Don't be in such a rush to leave, my young friend. Let's negotiate. If you're sincere about buying it, I'll sell it to you at 150 thousand, and I'll be making a loss. Let this be the start of a friendship between us!"Sebastian smiled slightly and said, "Mister, even a layman can tell that this emerald pendant is a fake. I just like the patterns on it because it's quite trendy. That's why I asked about it on a whim."Describing the patterns on the antique as trendy only served to show how obvious it was that it was a fake.The stall owner turned beet red, then white. He cursed hi
However, the more famous something was, the more imitations there would be. Antiques were no exception. In Boren, streets filled with antique stores were abundant. From Klane City to the smallest town, they were omnipresent.There were stores and stalls of various kinds that had everything, but all of them had one thing in common. All the antiques and trinkets that they sold were a mixed bag of authentic and fake. Buyers had to rely on their own judgment. There was also an unspoken rule there. Once a deal was made, no returns were allowed. If a buyer had paid for an item before realizing that something was wrong or recognizing that it was a fake, they would have no choice but to accept it. There was a saying about how the golden age of antiques was during times of chaos. Although they were now in times of peace, many members of the upper class were still very interested in them. Both experts and laymen liked to have a few collector's items in their homes. There were plenty of we
"Watch him closely! If you lose him, I'll have your head!" Anton said before hanging up. A malicious grin spread across his face.As the son of the head director of Boren Martial Arts Court, many were eager to curry favor with him. If it came to dealing with Sebastian, there were plenty of people willing to do the dirty work for him. Acorn City was the second largest city in Boren after Klane City, and Anton knew just who to call. About two weeks ago, the Lynch family of Acorn City had sent gifts to him. However, as the Lynches were a third-rate elite martial arts family, Anton had dismissed them. That was why, despite searching frantically, he couldn't find Colton Lynch's name card."Damn it! Where did that asshole's name card get to?"It was the first time Anton had been so anxious about finding the name card of an heir from a third-rate family. After rummaging around for a while, Anton had a sudden flash of inspiration. It was in the trash can!He suddenly remembered that