Archer's Adventure Manual

"I think this skull is really something special, but I probably can't understand it just by looking at it. Wait a moment."

Thompson left a message and then disappeared into the antique shop's storeroom, presumably looking for some strange and unusual items.

A short while later, Thompson came out with something that looked like a magnifying glass.

After muttering a series of incomprehensible incantations, Thompson sprinkled a string of unknown powder onto the surface, and the magnifying glass revealed a vibrant green color.

He peered through the magnifying glass with his tiny eyes, carefully examining the skull on the table.

Then Thompson frowned, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and the next moment, he fainted.

Lorraine was startled and rushed to check on Thompson's condition. Thompson's eyes were tightly closed and his body was still twitching, indicating that his condition was not good.

Adventure Handbook.

The phantom of the Adventure Handbook appeared before Loran's eyes, and Loran saw the latest information.

"Survival Guide: You have observed a magic trick, Adventure Points +2; This seems pretty good... | Unlocks the skill 'Spirit Vision'"

This wasn't the time to worry about points, so Loran quickly asked, "Is this little old man in front of me in any danger?"

"Would you like to spend 1 Adventure Point to actively obtain Survival Guide?"

"yes."

"Survival Guide: This old man seems to have just fainted due to some kind of shock and is otherwise unharmed."

Loran breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that he was alright. He had thought that this guy had used magic to kill himself.

It's not that Loran is kind-hearted, but he's mainly afraid of being extorted by the old man's family. There's no surveillance or anything, so who can he complain to?

Loran laid the old man flat on the ground so he could rest.

He then walked over to the skull, stroked his chin, observed it for a while, and then chose to flip through the adventure manual to check the skill "Spirit Vision".

Vision lv.1 (unlocked at cost of 20 Adventure Points): Gain inspirational vision for 30 seconds, allowing you to view the general attributes of creatures and glimpse partial past stories of objects.

He unlocked the purchase qualification for this skill because he saw the old man casting a spell, so the old man must have used this magic.

This magic wasn't harmful, so it couldn't be the culprit that caused the old man to faint. The problem must lie with this skull.

Skulls clearly belong to the category of objects, and peeking into only a part of the past stories of skulls... there's probably something fishy going on here.

I can only unlock level 1 spiritual vision, but the old man's spiritual vision level might be higher, and he might see more than just one side of the past stories.

A more detailed story, which caused the old man to faint from fright? Hmm...maybe.

As Loran speculated, he waited for the old man to wake up, for only when the old man awoke could the veil be lifted.

"Hello, I'd like to buy some antiques. I'd like to choose an exquisite gift for my fiancée."

Just then, an elegant man dressed in a black suit appeared in front of the shop, looking like a nobleman.

"Oh, what's wrong with this old gentleman?" The elegant man was somewhat stunned when he saw Thompson lying on the ground 'sleeping'.

"Uh, the shop owner was just too tired, so he fell asleep..." Loran explained, scratching his head.

The elegant man nodded. "I understand. Studying antiques and jewelry is indeed a tiring job, but I can't find a better option. I need to receive this gift tonight. You're an employee here, so you should know a thing or two."

Without waiting for Loran to speak, the elegant man began to select items on his own.

Just as Loran stood up to explain something, he saw him pick up an exquisite necklace and examine it closely.

This necklace, made of sparkling crystal, subtly exudes a sense of antiquity, as if it were left behind by royalty from long ago.

The elegant man smiled and said, "This necklace is exquisite. I chose it at first sight. I think it must be fate."

"Ah, it is indeed very exquisite, but..." Loran was about to explain when he was interrupted again.

"Yes, it's a waste to leave such a beautiful necklace here. It needs to find a new owner, which is my fiancée. The price tag on it is 5 gold coins. Hmm, it's expensive, but it's worth it."

The elegant man stared intently at Loran, placing five gold coins on the counter. He didn't care about the skull; after all, it was an antique shop, and it was normal for strange and unusual things to appear.

"The law of the kingdom stipulates that the price marked on the shelf is the selling price. As a nobleman, I disdain haggling. So may I take this necklace now?" the elegant man asked casually.

Loran opened his mouth, "Uh, Thompson's price is already this much, it should be fine."

This is a deal worth 5 gold coins! Loran has never seen so much money before. If he refuses and Thompson misses out on this deal, he might faint again.

"Okay... alright."

"My name is Mark Warren, and I'll be a regular here if my fiancée likes it."

The elegant man left the antique shop with a few words, humming a little tune, and the exquisite necklace in his hand, until his figure disappeared around the street corner.

Thompson, who was on the ground, suddenly coughed, stood up abruptly, rubbed his hands together, went to the wooden table, and began to count the few gleaming gold coins.

"Hehe, as expected, the children of the Warren nobility are really rich. A fake crystal can sell for so much money. We're rich, we're rich!" Thompson muttered lewdly as he counted the gold coins.

Lorraine stared, astonished, "Thompman, you...you were already awake?"

Upon hearing Loran's voice, Thompson stiffened instantly. He coughed twice and muttered, "Alas, what a pity! My ancient royal crystal was sold for a paltry five gold coins! I should have just put a price for reference only... Ahhh, my heart aches so much."

Loran: "..."

"Mr. Thompson, now that you're awake, why don't you personally greet the guests... and you actually cheated your clients?" Loran raised an eyebrow; he was beginning to question the short old man's character.

Thompson shook his head repeatedly, denying it outright: "No, no, no, I didn't! Don't talk nonsense! I was just fainting, oh, my head hurts so much..."

As he spoke, he covered his head, which had only a few hairs, and looked quite serious about it.

Loran was speechless, but quickly came up with a good idea and chuckled, "Old man, you can examine this skull for me for free, right?"

Thompson narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Of course you have to pay. Let me tell you, this skull is something special. I just investigated it and almost got myself killed. If you want to know the secrets of this skull, either pay me or give it to me."

"So, how much will it cost?"

Thompson held up three fingers. "Three gold coins."

Three gold coins is equivalent to thirty thousand copper coins. How many goblins would you have to kill to earn that? Thompson is so damn greedy!

Loran grinned mischievously and nodded seriously. "Okay, I promise you. Go ahead and tell me."

"Hmm, that's more like it." Thompson's face lit up with joy. Although his business was usually very bad, he made a fortune whenever he opened for business.

If we don't open for a year, we can live off the profits for a whole year when we do open! It's such a lucrative business!