Albert scratched his hand and said with a serious and expectant look, “Master Wade, to tell you the truth, I want to practice martial arts. In fact, I’ve always wanted to practice martial arts, but I’ve never had the opportunity to do so…”As he spoke, he sighed and said, “I thought about asking you to be my master earlier, but I am aware of my own ability. Besides, I’m old, so I must learn things slowly, so I dare not ask you to teach a novice like me who does not even have any basics in martial arts at all. Now that you’re going to set up a training base, I thought that you can give me permission to train and learn with the students as well. As for whether I can succeed in cultivating martial arts or not, it will depend on my own destiny. If I am not cut out for martial arts, I will give up on this thought, but I will be able to do more for you in the future if I can master it…”Charlie said with a smile, “This is a trivial matter. You can just follow the students to learn the Taoi
When Isaac saw that Albert seemed to be acting mysteriously to keep him in suspense, he teased him, “Albert, don’t I know you well enough? You must have nothing better to do than to tease me! How can we still be classmates at this age?!”Albert said aggrievedly, “That’s not true, Mr. Cameron! We have a lifelong friendship, so do you think that I will tease you so casually?”After saying that, he quickly added, “Okay, Mr. Cameron, I won’t keep you in the dark anymore. I’ll get right to the point. You should know that Master Wade has recently renovated Champs Elys Resort, but do you know why he is renovating this place?” Issac said, “Isn’t it because the young master wants to train a group of martial artists there? What does this have to do with us?”Albert chuckled and said, “I mustered the courage to speak to Master Wade today, and I told him that we are both interested in practicing martial arts, so I asked him to give us a chance…”When Isaac heard this, he asked excitedly, “Wh
Isaac hurriedly said, “Albert, why don’t I treat you to a meal tonight? Let’s have a drink together!”Albert said, “I’m afraid that I won’t be able to leave for the moment. I am responsible for all the logistics here, so theoretically, I have to be on standby here twenty-four hours a day!”After saying that, Albert added, “Why don’t we do this? Let’s find a chance to have a drink together at Champs Elys Resort after lessons officially begin. We will definitely have some free time after classes.”Isaac said with a smile, “Okay! It’s settled, then!”***Meanwhile, Charlie was driving back to Aurous Hill city. Allowing Caden to stay in Aurous Hill to train martial arts experts for him had far-reaching significance to Charlie. Charlie himself had never cultivated or practiced martial arts, so apart from providing pills and mental cultivation methods, he had no other ways to truly enhance the other party’s strength and understanding of martial arts from its essence. Ever since he
Charlie called Aurora first after making up his mind. He hadn’t seen Aurora in a while now. The last time he had seen her was when she had delivered medicinal herbs to him on her father’s behalf.Charlie felt a little ashamed when he thought of how he had promised her that he would make time to supervise her training but could not do so because he had been too busy.The call was quickly connected after he called Aurora’s number. Aurora asked in surprise, “Master Wade, why do you have time to call me?”Charlie smiled and said, “I’m calling you because I have some good news to tell you.”Aurora asked happily, “What is it? Could it be that you’re coming to my house to supervise and guide me in my training? You’ve promised me for a long time…”Charlie said with a smile, “It’s also related to that in a way. I recently invited a martial arts expert to run a martial arts training class in Aurous Hill to provide systematic martial arts training from scratch. It’s a rare opportunity, so yo
“Okay, Master Wade!”***After ending the call with Aurora, Charlie called Nanako. Nanako was embroidering at home. When she received Charlie’s call, she said happily, “Charlie-kun, what are you busy with now?”Charlie smiled and said, “I’m driving, and I’m on the way back to the city. There’s something I would like to tell you in person. Are you at home now?”Nanako said happily, “Yes! Charlie-kun, you can come over anytime you want.”Charlie said, “Okay, I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”Nanako quickly put down the embroidery in her hands and said with a smile, “I’ll get ready now and boil some tea first so that we can enjoy some tea together when you come later, Charlie-kun.”Charlie hurriedly said, “You don’t need to trouble yourself. I just want to tell you something in person, and I’ll have to leave after I’m done talking to you.”Nanako said with a smile, “You can enjoy a cup of tea while you speak.”After saying that, Nanako did not wait for Charlie to express hi
Nanako knew that her father had always wished for a development in her relationship with Charlie, so she was not surprised at all when her father teased her. She did not feel very shy either. Instead, she puffed and complained, “Otou-san, I will book a hotel room for you now if you want to stay in a hotel. You can even stay in the hotel until we return to Japan! If that’s not enough for you, I can buy a hotel for you to stay in, Otou-san.”Yahiko chuckled and said, “Nanako, I was just kidding, please don’t mind me…”With that said, he quickly added, “Oh, I’m about to start playing golf, so you should entertain Mr. Wade first. We won’t go back and disturb you for the time being!”Nanako did not say much when she saw that her father had already stopped teasing her. After saying goodbye to her father, she hurried out and prepared to meet Charlie in the basement. She pressed the down button in the elevator, and the elevator door quickly opened after coming down from the top floor. N
“Okay!”When Nanako looked at Marianne’s back as she left, she felt that Marianne seemed to be acting a little strangely, but she could not tell why. She felt that Marianne seemed to be a little afraid of her as her expression seemed to be off as soon as she saw her. Nanako even felt that Marianne seemed to feel a little relieved when she got out of the elevator. Nanako wondered, ‘Am I that scary?’The elevator arrived at the underground parking lot with that thought in Nanako’s mind.Charlie drove into the underground parking lot after Nanako had waited for about five minutes. Nanako quickly stood aside expectantly. She came forward immediately after Charlie parked the car. After Charlie got out of the car, she waved at him eagerly and then bowed slightly as she said, “Charlie-kun, it must have been a tiring journey!” Charlie was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, “It was not tiring at all. How long have you been waiting here?”Nanako hurriedly said, “I just came do
“Martial arts?” Nanako asked in surprise, “Charlie-kun, are you talking about Oskian martial arts?”Charlie nodded and said, “That’s right. Oskian martial arts uses essential qi to open up the eight extraordinary meridians.”Nanako was dumbfounded and asked, “Can I?”After saying that, she said in a low voice, “After all, I’m not an Oskian, Charlie-kun…”Charlie waved his hand, looked at Nanako, and said seriously, “Oskian martial arts have already taken root all over the world. Many sects overseas have recruited foreign disciples, and there are also many foreign members in Ten Thousand Armies, so you have nothing to worry about. If you are interested, I can arrange for you to participate in the training.”Nanako hurriedly asked, “What kind of training is it? Will you be training me personally, Charlie-kun?”Charlie shook his head and said with a smile, “I don’t have that ability. A former leader of a martial arts sect from North America will be conducting the training. This trai
Trippy rolled his eyes as he texted back: [Hell no. I need to start my business instead of wasting my time. You morons can come get a number yourself if you like. Haha!]Still, Trippy had just sent his text when a trio arrived in a hurry outside Treasure Measure.Seeing that the doors were closed, the leader asked Trippy, "Excuse me, can I ask if this is Treasure Measure? Owned by a man named Mr. Cole?"Trippy was at once surprised. "You mean Raymond Cole?"The leader quickly said, "We don't know his first name, only that his last name is Cole, and his handle name was Treasure Measure's Mr. Cole."Trippy chuckled. "That'd be him. Has to be, since he hand wrote that shop sign."Pausing, he then asked in curiosity, "So, you've come to see him being a sucker?"The leader was naturally curious as to what Trippy was talking about. However, he was also reluctant to reveal why he had come since there was a killer bargain at stake. In fact, every other collector who was coming was k
Raymond also added that the 20 million price tag wouldn't be cut or increased. To put it simply, the bronze sculpture was right there in Aurous Hill and waiting—it was a race.Hence, many reputable collectors contacted expert appraisers throughout the night, some even booking night flights straight to Aurous Hill.The best amongst them was a fanatic collector of bronze items in Eastcliff.Following a brief exchange with Raymond online, he immediately called an expert who was also a close friend. As soon as his call was answered, he asked the other man if he had time to travel to Aurous Hill so that no one else would beat them to it—and they would drive out in the night if at all possible.After all, the earliest flight was at six in the morning, and it'd be eight by the time they made it to Aurous Hill Airport and nine by the time they got to Antique Street in a cab.Therefore, the ideal way to get there was by driving over six hundred miles at top speed, and that meant reaching A
While Jacob was feeling delighted after pulling off his con, Raymond had posted details of the bronze sculpture online.The website he was using was the biggest platform for antique collectors and the antique trade where each user could set a favorite tag in the antique category and era. If a user who preferred canvas art pieces of the Tudor dynasty set that label as their favorite, they would immediately be notified with text or desktop notifications in regards to any item with the same label.As medieval bronze sculptures were rare in the first place, most who were interested had already set that label on their favorites and were immediately notified soon after Raymond posted pictures of the bronze sculpture online.The collectors were naturally eager to check it out as gilded sculptures of the medieval era were really rare, and most collectors would go a lifetime without picking one up for their collection.On top of that, the seller had even listed a major flaw and was only ask
"Nope," Jacob chuckled. "We were both working separately and just happened to get back in at the same time."Then, he immediately became smug and excited, "Guess what, dear? I made 200 thousand out of the deal! In net profits!""For real?!" Elaine gaped. "200 thousand in just one night?! That's amazing! How did you do that?"Claire was surprised to hear that too, and she came over to ask, "What deal was it, Dad?"Jacob grinned, "Oh, it's nothing to brag about. It's just that I managed to pick up a nice antique item thanks to my wisdom and then sold it for 200 thousand."Pausing, he then sighed in dismay, "However, the buyer wasn't too rich—I would have squeezed him for 400 thousand, but he couldn't afford more, so I had to settle for less."Elaine quickly exclaimed, "Shit, we're talking about a loss of 200 thousand! People would work a year and still never earn that much…"She trailed off for a moment before asking, "By the way, dear—are we still flying out first thing tomorrow?
Jacob laughed. "Put that issue behind us? Sure, but we're not becoming friends. Hell, I can't even hold a grudge now that you're shit out of luck."Then, his tone changed sharply and suddenly became icy, "But you see, Aurous Hill is not a place you can stay just because you want to. No… After this, you're not going to be able to make a living in the antique trade.""If I were you, I'd be running a thousand miles away, far away from Aurous Hill where no one would know my face to start over. That way, you just might be able to make a living."Raymond simply kept smiling, "You need not be concerned about how I'm going to survive here, Mr. Wilson. I'd be very grateful if you'd cease any form of harassment once you leave my premises."Jacob pursed his lips, staring at Raymond in disappointment. "I'm plenty magnanimous, so I won't stoop to such pettiness. Just do whatever you like!"Clicking his tongue, he huffed, "Tut, tut… And here I'd thought you're tough, but you're just yet another
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!