I loaded the Mysticism panel.

But getting too close would burn his internal circulation, so he can't absorb anything right now.

He tentatively took another half step toward the stone pillar.

A burning sensation surged back up from my chest, more intense than before, and the warmth within my Sun Constellation began to tremble.

He stopped.

After returning to a safe distance, breathing returned to normal.

"Do what you can," no wonder my grandfather wrote that on the note.

If you can get out, you're still safe; if you can't get out, things will probably be completely "ruined".

Donner, observing his reaction, seemed to have anticipated it:

"Young man, you have a pretty sharp intuition, which is both a good thing and a bad thing for someone your age."

Richard turned his gaze away and walked to the other side of the shelf: "May I take a look at the copper coins and incense burner?"

"Of course." Donald took the copper coins and incense burner off the shelf.

He returned to the front bunk and placed the two items on the velvet mat on the counter.

"Since this is your first time here, let me tell you about the market rates."

Donald sat back on the bar stool, crossed his legs, and rubbed his thumb and forefinger together:

"The Imperial Capital Curiosities Market is now divided into three tiers."

For items contaminated less than a century ago with minimal residual ether, the price is under ten pounds per piece.

"For items with a history of ritual immersion spanning hundreds to thousands of years, prices start at twenty pounds and have no upper limit."

"As for the older ones..." He gestured towards the broken stone pillar in the corner of the back room:

"Just pretend you didn't see it. This kind of stuff almost never circulates through normal channels."

"What about these two?" Richard pointed to the copper coin and the incense burner with his finger.

"This coin dates back to ancient Rome, and the erosion is less than a hundred years old. The base is clean, and the etheric residue is stable. It is worth six pounds."

Donald picked up the incense burner again and turned it around:

"This is just a Sufi brass incense burner. The workmanship is quite good, and the overall piece is larger. It has also been stained for about a hundred years. It costs seven pounds."

"Thirteen pounds for both." He laid the two items side by side on the velvet cloth and spread his hands.

Thirteen pounds... but there are only twelve pounds in the wooden box. Does he have to borrow money from Vincent here?

"Could you tell me about the origins of these two items?" Richard asked tentatively, his bargaining skills now fully developed.

Donald squinted behind his monocle.

When people come to buy unusual items and ask about their origin, there are only two possibilities.

One type is the layman who likes to hear stories, the more legendary the better, and the more legendary the story, the easier it is for them to spend money.

Vincent was that kind of person before, and he liked laymen like that the most.

Another type is the expert, who asks about the origin in order to determine the specific process of the etheric contamination.

Is it an active ritualistic influence or a passive environmental infiltration? Is it a single source or a combination of multiple sources?

Judging from his reaction the moment he entered the back room, the boy in front of me probably doesn't belong to the former category.

Donner placed the coin on top of the wooden box on the counter so that the others could see it more clearly:

"This is a silver coin from the time of Diocletian..."

"Although it contains silver, it's still a copper coin," Richard interrupted.

Donald's eyelid twitched.

"The obverse features a profile of Diocletian, and the date is correct."

However, the material is a silver-copper alloy, with a silver content of less than 30%, which is a characteristic of the fourth-century period of imperial financial collapse.

At the time, the official copper-silver ratio in coin minting was drastically adjusted, resulting in the use of inferior copper and silver, which ultimately triggered a prolonged currency crisis.

He flicked the edge of the copper coin with his fingernail; the sound was dull, unlike the crisp echo of pure silver.

"The sound of a silver ingot is different from that of a bronze ingot, sir."

Donner did not deny it, but moved the magnifying glass to the side.

"Okay, it's a copper-silver alloy, but the age is real, and the ritual immersion is real too. You didn't buy it for the little bit of silver inside."

"The ritual instills my faith." Richard turned the coin over.

The obverse features Diocletian with a laurel wreath, while the reverse depicts Victoria, the goddess of victory, holding a palm branch in her right hand and a round shield in her left.

"But the wear is too even."

Richard placed the copper coin on the velvet cloth and pointed to the wear around the edge with his index finger:

"For normal circulation and use, the concave area will be ground down later."

The wear on this coin is uniformly distributed throughout, even the wear on the area above Victoria's head is similar to the dented area.

He stated his judgment:

"This is not normal wear and tear from circulation; it's abrasion."

Someone placed this copper coin on a flat surface and spun it extensively to collect copper powder.

It's highly likely the work of an alchemist, using copper powder containing silver as a medium for the potion. This grinding method would cause homogeneous damage to the copper surface.

Vincent watched from the side, secretly marveling at his cousin's extensive knowledge.

Donald's expression didn't change much, but he hid his hand under the counter.

"Even if it was used by an alchemist, the fact remains that it was contaminated with ether."

"That's true, but the nature of the infection is problematic."

Richard felt the feedback given by the internal circulation.

"This copper coin was repeatedly ground, and the ether was forcibly injected along the grinding direction, rather than being naturally deposited."

He put the copper coin down.

Donna stared at him, remaining silent for a long time.

"And this incense burner, you said it's Sufi."

Richard lifted the lid of the incense burner and set it aside, then leaned closer to examine the inner wall of the burner.

The inner wall has fine carbon deposits that have seeped into the copper over the years.

The bottom of the hearth features a shallow relief of roses. In Sufi tradition, the rose is a symbol of sacred love and is closely related to fire rituals.

"There is nothing wrong with the incense burner itself. It is a daily utensil used in a Sufi sanctuary. Etheric contamination is the most standard natural deposition of incense."

He put the stove lid back on and ran his index finger along the openwork pattern on the edge of the lid.

"But here, there is a ring of heterogeneous copper oxide layer on the outer edge of the cover, which is different from the patina of the main body of the furnace."

This indicates that the lid was replaced later with non-original materials; the proportions of the copper alloy were different.

He turned the incense burner over to the bottom; the base had no inscriptions, but it had regular small round holes.

"There are three vents at the bottom. The original Sophie Sanctuary incense burner does not require bottom vents."

This was a later modification, probably to allow the incense burner to be used in a suspended manner.

He placed the incense burner back on the velvet cloth: "How about nine pounds for both?"

Donner's monocle almost fell off his nose.

"Not good. Little brother, your chopping technique is too ruthless."

"Shopkeeper, I have already explained the issue of the copper coins and incense burner very clearly."

Donald opened his mouth.

Vincent chimed in from the side, "Uncle Donna, I think that coin is indeed badly worn."

"You're here to join in the fun too?" Donald glared at him.

"Of course, of course, he's my cousin." Vincent said with a grin, not being polite at all.

Donald picked up the copper coin and examined it, then held the incense burner up to his eyes and looked at it with a magnifying glass.

"I acknowledge that the copper coins do have some wear and tear."

But you're wrong about the incense burner; that small change doesn't affect the overall structural integrity.

"Eleven and a half pounds, not a penny less."

Richard frowned and pointed out the most fatal problem with the incense burner:

"This incense burner has changed hands throughout history, and its ownership has changed during its use as a ritual object."

When used repeatedly by different factions, the ether will subsequently overlap with the original deposit, creating an interference layer.

"To clear this interference, extra effort will be needed initially, costing nine and a half pounds."

"How old are you this year?" Donald suddenly asked.

"sixteen."

"Who taught you all this?"

"In the book."

Donner sighed and glanced at the ledger.

"Ten pounds, for both items together. I'll also give you a leather pouch to carry things in. As for the choked ether, that's your own problem."

Nine and a half pounds.

"Ten pounds exactly, no negotiation. If you don't want it, then leave."

Donner slammed his hand on the counter: "At this price, I don't even have a reasonable profit margin. It's purely out of respect for Mr. Gerald, and also..."

He pointed at Richard.

"And you've really got some skills, kid. You didn't wrong my goods."

Richard thought for a moment, opened his backpack, and counted out the banknotes.

"Okay, ten pounds."

Donald counted the money one bill at a time and stuffed it into the metal box under the counter, his face showing an expression as if he had just chewed a sour lemon.

He wrapped the copper coins and incense burner in two layers of oiled paper, put them in a leather bag, and pushed it over.

"Everyone from the Ashford family is a shrewd and calculating person."

He muttered to himself, took his monocle off his nose, and wiped it.

"Your aunt was just as difficult last time she came; none of them are easy to talk to."

Vincent grinned from ear to ear.

Donald put his glasses back on and circled around the counter with his short, stout body.

He walked to the door, lifted the tapestry, and gestured for people to enter.

"I've bought the goods and received the letter. Goodbye, both of you."

"Uncle Donna..."

"Come on, come on, I haven't eaten yet. You two have been nagging me all morning, and the money I've earned isn't even enough to buy a salted fish."