Oskiatown.When Charlie and Quinn arrived at Janus’ roast goose restaurant, it was to find him busy cleaning up together with his other workers.It was already long past noon, and there were no more customers in the restaurant. Quinn was also not worried about getting recognized, so she simply put on a mask and entered the restaurant with Charlie without any care in the world. As soon as both went past the door, the sensor rang, reminding Janus that there were guests. The busy man spoke without raising his head, “Sorry, we are closed.”Charlie smiled. “Feel free to prepare something for us to eat. We haven’t eaten yet.”Upon hearing Charlie’s voice, Janus turned his head and saw that Charlie was here together with Quinn. Delighted, he smiled and said joyfully, “Oh, my! Why haven’t the both of you eaten until now?”Quinn hooked Charlie’s arm and greeted daintily, “Hello, Uncle Janus!”Charlie’s smile widened. “Uncle Janus, we went for a walk at the Fox family’s manor around noon
Janus replied, “In fact, the restaurant’s already closed. The two people that you just saw are my old friends’ children. It’s already so late, but they haven’t eaten lunch yet. So I told them to go upstairs.”Janus then added, “But since you’re already here, I can’t possibly let your trip here be for naught. Do take a seat on the first floor. Tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll prepare it for you right away.”“Okay.” Christian nodded with a smile. “Thank you, Boss.”He then said to Merlin, “Merlin, feel free to sit down. I’ll let you try the best Oskian-style roast goose in all of New York.”Merlin smacked his lips in anticipation. “Geez. I actually just want to have a couple of drinks right now.”His gaze fell on the small wine cabinet behind the restaurant counter. Surprised, he asked, “Boss, you sell Macallan here?”“Yes.” Janus smiled . “It’s imported from Oskia. Would you like to try a bottle?”Merlin grinned cheerfully. “Yes! Give us two bottles!”Christian teased, “Yo
Meanwhile, Janus had come up with two dishes. One was the signature Oskian-style roast goose, and the other was his specialty dish, a marinated meat platter. He placed the dishes in front of Charlie and Quinn, and then whispered to them, “Young Master Wade, Miss Golding. There’s a regular customer in the restaurant along with the Oskian detective, Merlin Lammy. You shouldn’t go down for the time being.”Charlie hurriedly asked, “Uncle Janus. Merlin Lammy did not recognize you, right?”“No,” Janus said. “Previously, I dressed very differently from the usual. Besides, it was only a one-sided encounter, so it might be a little difficult for him to remember me. I deliberately tested it just now. He didn’t recognize me at all, so it should be fine.”“That’s good.” Charlie was slightly relieved. Out of curiosity, he asked again, “Uncle Janus, do you know the middle-aged man who came with Merlin Lammy?”Janus replied, “I’ve known him for a long time. He was always a regular, but I don’t
Christian said seriously, “Merlin, you have to be a little more optimistic! Aren’t you just suffering a minor setback in your strongest field? I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter.”Christian pointed at himself and said, “Look at me! I’ve been treated as a guest of honor for so many years, no matter where I go. Even if the other party is a man who’s in his nineties, he’d take the initiative to stand up to give me the best seat. Yet, I got kicked out in front of so many people when I went to an auction some time ago. At that time, I really felt like digging a hole in the ground to hide. But just look at me now! I’ve already gotten over it!”“No matter how well you do as a human, it’s impossible for everyone to give you respect. Similarly, as a detective, no matter how good your professional skills are, you won't be able to solve all cases.”“You have to learn to accept failures and try your best to stay calm at the same time. When you look back at this matter again after some time, you
Christian was deeply shocked. He instantly stood up and demanded, “What happened?”Charlie’s aunt Lulu, who was on the other end of the line, choked as she said, “The doctor said it’s a brain hemorrhage…”“Brain hemorrhage?” Christian parroted, anxious. “What exactly happened?”Lulu sobbed, “Dad’s mental state has been really bad recently… He’s unable to sleep during this period of time. He also seems to be feeling very miserable, and is in a very bad mood… He’s also very resistant to doctors, even as his body gets weaker and weaker…”“Just now… Dad went to the bathroom by himself and suddenly fainted. He fell into a coma right after. The doctor rushed over and claimed that it was a brain hemorrhage, and that it’s caused multiple organ failures. Dad’s in a deep coma now, and he only has one or two days left at most…”Christian grew more anxious and blurted out, “How could he suddenly have multiple organ failures?! What have so many of the doctors been doing?! Can’t they cure Dad?”
At the same time, Charlie, who was on the second floor, had an ugly expression. He heard the phone call between Christian and his youngest aunt, Lulu, and he knew that his grandfather’s life was hanging by a thread now.At this moment, he could not help but feel his heart tense up.He couldn’t understand how his grandfather who was so rich and was only in his seventies, could be dying so early.According to his youngest aunt’s description over the phone, his grandfather’s life was already hanging in the balance. Aside from Charlie’s medicine, no other medicine in this world would be able to treat him.In other words, his grandfather might not be able to overcome this hurdle if he didn’t help. In any case, the man was his mother’s father. Charlie also had a quarter of his blood running in his veins. Charlie couldn’t let his grandfather die without saving him, no matter how much prejudice he had against the latter.However, he was still not mentally prepared to meet with his gra
In fact, Charlie always had three kinds of pills on him; namely, the Healing Pill, the Rejuvenating Pill, and the Cultivating Pill.The reason why he asked Quinn to send a Healing Pill instead of a Rejuvenating Pill was because on one hand, he felt that since his uncle was kicked out of the Rejuvenating Pill auction, his identity would probably be exposed if Quinn brought them a Rejuvenating Pill. Another reason was Charlie still had some difficulty forgiving his grandfather. In his opinion, why should he use the Rejuvenating Pill if the efficacy of the Healing Pill was sufficient to save his grandfather?What’s more, his father suffered a lot of discrimination in the hands of Acker family. He was already repaying grievances with virtue simply by giving them the Healing Pill. There was no need for him to do anything more.Quinn was clueless about Charlie’s thoughts. She only knew that the situation was urgent, and that she should not be delaying any further.So, she said quickly,
He then stood up, grabbed a piece of tissue paper, and wiped his mouth before turning around and walking out.Janus was truly relieved when he saw Merline leaving and walking out the door.He wasn’t afraid of Merlin finding out his identity as an illegal immigrant, but of Merlin noticing that the latter had met him before and linking Homer’s disappearance to himself.Charlie and Quinn had been to his shop more than once so. If Janus got exposed, Merlin would be able to follow the trail and find Charlie.The case of Homer’s disappearance was not perfect. It wasn’t that Merlin could not find any clues, it was only that the clues were well hidden. If Merlin found out a clue and grabbed it, he’d be able to dig out the whole truth. Just as Janus pondered over this, he saw that Charlie and Quinn were also walking down. He stepped forward and said, “Young Master Wade, why did you come down? Inspector Lammy just left. I think he’s still not far away by now.”Charlie hurriedly said, “Unc
Zachary was instantly relieved to hear that Jacob's flight was taking off soon.The issue at hand was troublesome, but he would at least have time to come up with a plan if he was given more time.Moreover, Jacob didn't know anything and would be in Dubai in a few hours. Most importantly, he wouldn't be bothered with Aurous Hill gossip when he arrived, giving Zachary more time to deal with this mess.As such, Zachary quickly said, "Oh, nothing, Mr. President. I was just calling to check on your flight, but since you're flying now, I'm sure the air stewardess will be asking you to turn the flight mode on. I shan't be a bother now—I wish you safe travels with the missus!" Seeing how cordial Zachary was, Jacob chuckled, "How nice of you. I'll definitely get you some local souvenirs!""Oh, then allow me to thank you ahead of time, Mr. President!" Zachary exclaimed, as subservient as ever."Uh-huh," Jacob replied. "Well, I'm hanging up now. Let's catch up later.""Yes, yes, yes, let
Mr. Cardensky's forgery syndicate had made the bronze sculpture—all Zachary had done was talk Jacob into buying it, and Jacob himself had made some money after Raymond bought it.That meant the entire plot had nothing to do with Zachary as he was just a mediator at best.In other words, if the bronze sculpture was worth nothing, he didn't lose anything… although he wouldn't make a cent even if it was worth a hundred million.However, he also knew all too well what Jacob Wilson was like.In fact, in this world, he was only second to Charlie when it came to knowing what type of man Jacob Wilson really was—not even Claire or Elaine would win against them.He was a dead man.That was Zachary's immediate thought on the matter, should Jacob ever find out.After all, Jacob was precisely one of those people who didn't play by any rules—no buyer's regret? No seller's remorse? None of that applied to him.Not even the Gods could make Jacob offer a refund if he scalped them. And vice vers
As Mick Crane had established a corrupted hierarchy in Vintage Deluxe, he had to make sure his position was never threatened by Raymond Cole.That was why he wanted Raymond gone, and it was obvious from that how important self-gain was to him.However, though he plotted to protect this job with a salary of several hundred grand per annum and incentives worth just as much, he didn't think that doing so meant he had missed out on 20 million.And to add insult to injury, that 20 million had ended up in Raymond's pocket.Mick wasn't just thunderstruck—he wished he was dead.Hanging up on Trippy right then, he called Zachary directly since Zachary had told him earlier that text notifications from his number would be silenced.Zachary was just about to fall asleep when his phone began buzzing.Already annoyed when he picked up his phone, he immediately snapped at Mick when he saw who the caller was. "I told you! Text me if you have any updates, and I'll check it when I wake up! Why ar
As Ian Cash's trio turned and left Treasure Measure, Trippy was still standing there, staring blankly as they headed off to the distance, utterly dispirited.Seeing that, Raymond returned his phone and said coolly, "We had agreed on some ground rules, but not only did you break them, you even tried to sabotage me.""Since you refuse to be honorable, you can't blame me for being cold—starting now, we shall have nothing to do with each other. We'll be strangers even if we bump into each other."Trippy was already choking, and he snatched his phone back before dashing out of Treasure Measure, calling Mick Crane as soon as he left.Mick had just arrived at Vintage Deluxe and hadn't even sat down when Trippy called, and he asked as soon as he answered, "How did it go? What did you find out?"However, Trippy was so exasperated he burst into tears right then, "M-Mr. Crane… My dear Mr. Crane…"Mick was left reeling from shock, and he promptly snapped, "Can't you fucking talk? Why are you
Seeing that the transaction was complete and that the bargain deal had been taken, the other collectors all excused themselves and left.As for Ian, once he had bagged the bronze sculpture, he nodded at Raymond. "I apologize for leaving early, Mr. Cole, but I must return to Eastcliff. However, you can contact me again should you pick up another treasure. I'm quite a spendthrift, and I pay up right away if the item is good and the price is right."Raymond smiled. "Very well. I shall contact you first the next time I get something good."Ian nodded and was ready to leave with his two friends when Trippy chased after them."Please, Mr. Cash!" He cried urgently, his anxiety overcoming him. "You shouldn't buy that! It's a forgery!"Ian frowned at him. "Are you trying to sabotage Mr. Cole? Aren't you supposed to be his friend?""Hell, no!" Trippy promptly replied. "I'm no friend of his—I'm just here to watch, but I didn't think he dared to trick you for 20 million! I can't bear to see
No one except Raymond expected that the terms would be agreed upon so quickly.He was utterly confident in his judgment and even more so in his value appraisal.He was convinced that once they had a good look, any one of these collectors who could afford twenty million wouldn't miss this bargain.After all, an opportunity to secure an item worth millions more than the price they paid was very rare.In fact, when the other nine collectors heard that the first collector was buying it, it was only to be expected even if it left them all gloomy. They had all held the bronze sculpture in their hands—they knew it was definitely worth that much.However, no one in the room was more shocked than Trippy.He looked utterly flabbergasted, his eyes wide and bulging as he stared at the bronze sculpture while asking himself the same question repeatedly.Was that crap really worth twenty million? How?!While Trippy was still stunned, Raymond had already sent his payment details to the first
Unable to nitpick on the air stewardess' response, Elaine pouted, "Well, try to ask management to improve on your first-class cabins anyway. Maybe even make a premium-class or something since it's not like we can't afford it."The air stewardess quickly said, "We will definitely relay your message to the management."Nodding in satisfaction, Elaine waved her off. "Alright. You can go back to work now."Clearly relieved, the air stewardess bowed her head respectfully. "Always happy to be of service."After the air stewardess left, Jacob asked Elaine in curiosity, "Was the private jet that good?"Elaine rolled her eyes. "Didn't you see the stuff I posted in the chat group?""Not really," Jacob blurted. Elaine was ready to snap at him for not caring, but considering that they had made up now and she shouldn't fuss too much over the little things, she snorted, "Just remember to like and comment on all my posts in the chat group, otherwise, I will make you regret it!""No problem!"
While the ten collectors were taking turns studying the bronze sculpture, Jacob and Elaine were boarding their flight.As they were flying first-class, they had priority over the other passengers and boarded from the separate plug door at the first-class section.The capacity of the Boeing 777 was huge, and the wide-body aircraft could be connected to a special double corridor bridge where first class and business class passengers boarded separately from the economy class passengers.As the terminals to economy class and business class were connected, Elaine and Jacob were able to get through the first-class terminal unimpeded, but the passengers in economy class had a queue of over two hundred passengers. Even as she walked, Elaine was looking over her shoulder and exclaiming at Jacob, "Must be nice being rich! We used to have to queue like the rest of them, waiting for over thirty minutes just to board our flight." "In first class, we may be in the same plane, but we don't hav
Meanwhile, once Raymond had briefed everyone about the rules, he opened the door and invited everyone into Treasure Measure.It was not that wide but appeared spacious since the interior was mostly empty—it was not really crowded even with thirty-ish people.Then, locking the door from the inside, Raymond told them, "I can tell from everyone's faces that we are all veterans here, so I'm sure you understand the rules while appraising: no photos or videos, thank you very much."Indeed, there were many rules that governed the hobby, the most important being respecting the seller's requests and privacy.As the collectors listened, they knew that Raymond was selling but did not want the public to know too much about him.They all nodded, and those who had their phones out slid them back into their pockets.With that, Raymond took out the bronze sculpture that he had brought, leaving Trippy a little surprised.He had never seen the bronze sculpture with his own eyes before, only from