"A gift?" Renee stopped and turned around, looking at the old man with interest.How lucky could she be today, to receive a gift from such a legendary person?!She glanced at the old man's stall. Any one of those items was either priceless or incredibly rare—she could easily make a fortune selling any of them!But the old man had no intention to give her any of his wares. Instead, it was something that he carried with him. "Take this silk handkerchief, young lady. One day, it will give you much-needed guidance."The old man then stretched out his branch-like arm towards her, handing her a finely crafted silk handkerchief."This silk handkerchief…" Renee was astonished when she saw the pattern on the handkerchief.There was a phoenix and some red spider lilies embroidered on the handkerchief, it looked similar to the pattern she saw on the quilt her grandmother had left her all those years ago. Perhaps it might even have been made by the same person. It's a shame that the quilt
"Of course I don't! Why the hell would I ask you if I knew?!""Since you're so clueless, then allow me to educate you. We are Carmine Pawnshop's men. Since you're here in Water Dock, I'm guessing you can't be such an idiot that you've never even heard of Carmine Pawnshop, right? So, are you going to get out of the way now?""Ah… so you guys work for Carmine Pawnshop, huh?"Renee pursed her lips and nonchalantly added, "But how could such a reputable pawnshop act like thugs and gangsters? How could they resort to murder over such a small matter? You sent out a whole gang of burly men just to look for one woman? Is this the kind of man that the Carmine Pawnshop's boss really is?"Those words were simply outrageous. The men in the black suits were instantly enraged. They raised their clubs, eager for Renee's blood, and threatened, "She can insult us, but if she dares to insult our boss, then she needs to be put in her place!""Go ahead," said Rene with an anticipating smirk. "Put me
Renee spread out her arms and in a helpless tone replied, "I'm sorry. What I'm pawning is too hard to show. All I can do is make a guarantee that your boss will definitely take a liking to it. You should take a plunge and give me a chance. If he really likes it, he might even give you a generous bonus."Chase raised his eyebrows. He was beginning to find this woman more and more fascinating. Based on her outlandish courage alone, he knew that she wasn't one to be underestimated. Perhaps she really did have something interesting to pawn?"Okay. I'll take a gamble based on your spunk and confidence. People like us in this line of work need the courage to make a bet every once in a while. I'd gladly introduce you to our boss, but…"His gaze shifted from Renee and fell on the woman cowering behind her. He smiled and continued, "I must insist on letting us handle this woman ourselves. Please don't meddle with our business and hand her over."Renee turned around and glanced at the woman
"You said you have a son, and that he will become an orphan once you die. Is that true?""That wasn't a lie," the woman's smile became even more bitter now. "I do indeed have a son who's seriously ill. He needs a lot of money for the treatment. That's the reason I stole from Carmine Pawnshop, that's why I broke their rules. But I guess without me, my son wouldn't really be orphaned since he still has his father…""That's fine, then."The heavy burden weighing on Renee's heart lifted a little. If anything really happened to this woman, at least her child still had his father, so he would not be totally alone and abandoned in this world."Still, his father is now married to his former mistress, and they have another son who's turning a month in a few days, so I fear that he would have no time to take care of my son…""Then…"Renee suddenly became distraught again. Just as she was about to say something, Chase coldly urged the man, "Stop wasting time! Take her away!"The man in the
Renee found it weird, but because she still had an important business to attend to, she had to leave the matter there.With Chase leading her, she passed through the whole of Water Dock unimpeded and finally arrived at the center of the downstream zone, where Carmine Pawnshop proudly stood."So this is the legendary Carmine Pawnshop?" asked Renee as she stood at the door. She looked up at the gilt letters proclaiming its name on the door plaque and very bluntly commented, "It looks so… ordinary!"From the outside, the pawnshop looked like any other mansion. It just looked too "normal" and not at all befitting the "lawless land of heinous crimes" reputation that Water Dock had garnered over time. In fact, it looked too simple and clean if anything.Renee found it hard to believe that such a mundane building had been hiding priceless treasures from all over the world that inspired great fear and trepidation in the hearts of many!"What did you expect?" Chase turned around and smiled
Just then, a beautiful woman meekly interrupted them and announced, "The boss has returned tonight, Mr. Cheever, but he is extremely busy, so he said not to disturb him if there's nothing urgent.""Really?" Chase's eyes lit up. "That's great! Where is he right now? What could make him so busy? Did he find something precious?""Um… Boss is in the kitchen. I think he's… busy cooking."The woman smiled awkwardly."Cooking?!" Renee felt like cursing them all. She turned to Chase and asked, "Is this what you mean when you told me your boss is always so busy with a million things to do every day?!""Well…" Chase could hardly believe it himself. But to mend the situation, he shamelessly suggested, "I guess our boss must've found some rare precious pots to try!""..."Before she came here, she assumed that Carmine Pawnshop was a hellish place where fearsome demons gathered, but she realized that it was more of a house full of comedians! Even their boss—the infamous Midnight Demon—seemed
Renee sat in the living room, staring up at the artwork on the wall.The artist who painted the masterpiece, Dost Wurst, happened to be her father's favorite painter.Her father's favorite artwork, Evening Song of the Shepherd Boy, was destroyed in the fire.The artwork in front of her was titled Snow Before the Shepherd Boy, and it resembled the Evening Song of the Shepherd Boy in several ways. It was also the artwork that her father had been looking for while he was alive but had not found it.Nonetheless, she was still able to locate it. This made her question whether this was destiny."Do you understand drawings as well?" Behind her, a stern and chilly voice spoke out.Renee was taken aback by the familiar voice and immediately looked around.The guy was towering and imposing. Dressed in all black from head to toe, his black feather face mask seemed delicate, surrounding him with an air of mystery. The chilly grin on his face instilled terror in everyone around him. It was e
"My condition is unique?""Yes, but please don't get mad at me for saying this."Renee took the risk of offending him by pointing to the mask on his face. "I heard your face was badly damaged in the fight with Mr. Hunt, and you've been wearing a mask ever since. You've even sworn to kill anybody who has seen your face. I know it may be difficult since you are afraid of frightening people and being repulsive. But when you're on that island, all those worries will be things of the past because you can take off your mask whenever you want. Nobody will be afraid of you, nor will they dislike you. Doesn't the island suit you completely?"Mr. Q was at a loss for words when he heard this.When Renee saw his confused feelings, she said, "You're enemies with Stefan, and so am I." Because we are fighting the same adversary, I believe you should back me up. I need the money to fight Hunt Enterprise.""Who are you to do that?"Mr. Q had clearly not taken her remarks seriously."We'll just h