Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

In Queens, Brooklyn, and other boroughs, many Black people live with their mothers and have to fend for themselves by the age of seventeen or eighteen, often without even knowing who their fathers are.

"How did I end up hitting you with such a big bag? What kind of jade pendant is it? Let me see it."

Gou Quan took out a small bag from his pocket, took out a jade pendant and put it in Zhao Hao's hand.

Upon inspection, Zhao Hao determined that the object was a jade pendant, oval in shape, with a diameter of about four centimeters. It was light blue in color and had a warm, smooth texture.

Believe it or not, Gou Quan actually managed to snag a bargain.

Although Zhao Hao didn't know what kind of jade it was, he knew that this thing would sell for at least $50 in an antique shop!

It's probably some foreigners who don't know much about these things selling them. After all, America is one of only two superpowers in the world. While the Song Dynasty stays within its own small territory, America is much more high-profile.

Good things from all over the world will naturally flock to this country.

But why did that monk beat up Gou Quan?

Upon closer inspection, Zhao Hao noticed that the pendant depicted a tortoise leisurely resting on a lotus leaf.

The jade originally had some flaws and discoloration, which the carver made good use of, turning waste into treasure.

Gou Quan looked aggrieved, rubbing the large bump on his forehead: "I heard that jade is good for people, and don't we Song people all like this stuff? I offered it to Master Zhidian to thank him for his care all this time, and I got a big thud on the head instead!"

Zhao Hao weighed the pendant in his hand, mimicking Uncle Tie's tone and demeanor when he was trying to swindle customers: "The jade is indeed a good piece of jade, no problem. But the carving is a bit off! A turtle lying on a lotus leaf, isn't that a mob? My friend, you can't wear this!"

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Chapter 19 The Strange Object, the Eye of Doom

Old Tie's antique shop was quite busy today, not because they were busy selling goods. In this industry, people aren't busy selling; they're busy buying goods.

Uncle Tie has been able to run his antique shop for so many years, so naturally he has his own supply channels.

That day, Zhao Hao went with Uncle Tie to a remote warehouse to purchase goods.

The warehouse was old and empty, guarded by seven or eight men. Zhao Hao noticed that they were all burly and powerful, with menacing eyes, and bulging waists—they might all be carrying guns!

He never imagined that this industry would be so high-risk.

However, everything went smoothly. Those suspicious-looking burly men treated Uncle Tie with great respect, and the process was very smooth, clearly indicating that they were regular customers.

Zhao Hao drove Uncle Tie's old Ford Jeep, carrying Uncle Tie and five or six wooden boxes of various sizes back to the shop.

On the way, Uncle Tie spoke up: "Most of these people aren't exactly good people, but that's none of our business. We provide the money, they provide the goods. These foreigners plunder and steal all over the world, taking anything that looks worth a little. But they don't have any eye for quality, they don't know what's valuable. We can be considered to be robbing the rich to help the poor."

Yes, robbing the rich of the wicked to help one's own poverty.

Later, as Zhao Hao got to know these people better, he realized that they came from all sorts of backgrounds and had very diverse social structures.

There are legitimate antique dealers, gangsters, mercenaries, tomb raiders, tomb raiders posing as adventurers, and even tomb raiders with military backgrounds.

Their way of selling things is also quite strange, somewhat like opening blind boxes.

Those items were sourced from all over the world, some new and some old, some high and some low in value. Because their acquisition methods were not entirely aboveboard, they couldn't be obtained through legitimate means.

But I'm not very knowledgeable about antiques, and I don't have the time or inclination to examine them one by one. I don't know whose idea it was, but a "double-blind sale" came about!

They pack the boxes according to their place of origin and source, and then buy them in bulk without opening the boxes.

These six wooden crates of various sizes belonging to Uncle Tie cost him twelve thousand dollars.

There's no way they'll compensate us. These guys need distribution channels; they won't ruin their reputation by deliberately dumping junk.

Of course, if you look like a big, fat sheep, then it's hard to say.

At least established brands like Uncle Tie don't need to worry about this.

Of course, whether you can make a big profit also depends on luck.

Sometimes the price of one item is several times higher than the original price, while everything else is considered a free gift.

After returning, Uncle Tie took Zhao Hao to inventory the goods. They examined each item one by one, starting with the first volume.

Several valuable items have been unearthed, and a profit has already been made. There are still many recent antiques left, ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars, which are the first choice for most customers who come to the antique shop out of curiosity.

Wearing a monocle for antique appraisal, Zhao Hao could glean a great deal of valuable information from the antiques, such as their origin, age, and craftsmanship.

Suddenly, in a casual glance, he seemed to see a faint glimmer of light.

Hey! This radiance looks familiar...where have I seen it before?

He was taken aback, then his heart skipped a beat, and he began to adjust various angles to scan the box that had just been opened with his peripheral vision.

Uncle Tie saw him shaking his head and asked, "What are you doing? Did you twist your neck?"

Zhao Hao composed himself and said, "Uncle Tie, come and take a look at this thing, isn't something wrong with it?"

Uncle Tie put down a set of ancient European coins he was holding and walked over.

In front of Zhao Hao was a box that was roughly 20x40 cm in size. Such a small box would cost around two thousand dollars.

The items inside aren't exactly antiques, but rather more recent artifacts. They include some old-fashioned figurines, watches, crystal crafts, and porcelain. Overall, they're not very valuable; the most expensive item is probably a set of jewelry.

Uncle Tie glanced at it and estimated that he would have to lose several hundred dollars.

When he learned about its origins and general information, he didn't have much hope.

They're basically just some old items from Afrikaans, nothing of any real quality.

We still need to conduct a thorough investigation and see if we can find someone who's been taken advantage of.

However, Zhao Hao definitely didn't call him for that reason.

Zhao Hao was frowning as he examined a bead held in the corner of a wooden box, supported by worn-out flannel.

This thing doesn't look like glass; it looks like a natural mineral. It's either crystal or agate or something like that.

The texture is quite translucent, with a touch of red in the middle.

Uncle Tie looked up at Zhao Hao, who explained, "Uncle Tie, I think I just saw a strange light... I saw something similar before about that incident."

When Zhao Hao said that, Uncle Tie understood that it was his innate "yin-yang eyes" that had come into play.

Uncle Tie took out a flat little wooden box from his pocket. Inside were two strange copper coins, each three centimeters in diameter.

He held the copper coin to his eye and then looked at the beads in the box.

“It’s strange, like a bizarre object. Step back a bit, let me examine it.”

He had barely finished speaking when he turned his head and saw that Zhao Hao had already run outside the counter, not far from the door.

If Uncle Tie were to yell "Oh no!", Zhao Hao would dash out the door in less than a second.

It turned out that when Zhao Hao was observing the bead with his peripheral vision, he forgot to take off his [Antique Appraisal Monocle]. Unexpectedly, the two pieces of information were combined, and he saw a line of small characters on the bead: Eye of Misfortune, Black Iron 2-Star Mysterious Item!

This name is obviously problematic!

The fact that he didn't rush out the door to hail a taxi shows he has a conscience!

"Good heavens! Are you trying to run away?" Uncle Tie exclaimed.

Zhao Hao grinned sheepishly, "I can't help either. I was just afraid of bothering you. Do you understand what's going on?"

"Wait!" Uncle Tie shouted impatiently, turned around and walked to the back room, went up the stairs and took out a compass from his room.

This compass is very complex. In addition to the yin-yang symbol in the center, there are several concentric rings around it, densely engraved with patterns and characters.

Uncle Tie stood beside the box, holding a compass in one hand while muttering incantations. The circles on the compass began to spin, and the pointer in the center remained fixed on the direction of the beads inside the box.

"It's a strange creature, and a really unlucky one at that!"

Uncle Tie put away the compass, walked to the landline, and started making a call.

"Colt, come here, I've received something..."

About twenty minutes later, Colt arrived at the antique shop with two men in black suits.

Colt smiled and nodded at Zhao Hao, then greeted Uncle Tie.

Uncle Tie said urgently, "Stop arguing! Take it now, the sooner the better!"

Colt waved his hand, and one of the men beside him took out what appeared to be a silver metal box and carefully placed the entire wooden crate inside. After locking it with multiple locks, the two carefully carried the crate out and placed it in a black car.

Colt asked, "Uncle Iron, what is this thing this time? Just tell me so I can deal with it when I get back."

Uncle Tie said, "I don't know what it is. I only know that it will make the people in the neighborhood more and more unlucky."

After Colt left, Uncle Iron's expression remained rather solemn, or rather, even more so.

Zhao Hao asked cautiously, "Uncle Tie, will taking it have any negative effects? Should we try to get rid of the bad luck?"

Uncle Tie waved his hand and said, "It doesn't seem that simple. I saw more information on the compass. This strange thing might be connected to some other dangerous things. This resurgence of the extraordinary has caused many dangerous beings to revive as well... But since the Mysterious Bureau has sealed it away, it has nothing to do with us."

Zhao Hao never expected that Uncle Tie's antique shop also had the function of recycling strange items. Even more unexpected was that there was money to be made by handing them over to the Mysterious Bureau!

That's true, the Celestial Empire even gives 500 yuan and a banner!

The Mysterious Bureau gave him 3000 dollars, and Uncle Tie split 500 dollars with Zhao Hao.

Furthermore, Zhao Hao was considered a temporary employee of the Mysterious Bureau and received 10 merit points. These points could supposedly be exchanged for resources within the Mysterious Bureau.

The Mysterious Bureau did have some methods after all, and after bringing back the Eye of Misfortune, they quickly researched and extracted a lot of information.

This thing can cause people who are in the vicinity for a long time to have bad hallucinations, and their luck will turn bad, eventually leading to misfortune and bad luck.

The Bureau of Mysteries traced the origin of this thing and discovered eight "accidents".

The earliest was even two and a half years ago.

If an ordinary person gets their hands on this thing, it will affect them within one or two weeks, or at most one or two months, and they will eventually die of bad luck!

As for the origin of the items, it is impossible to verify.

Zhao Haobai picked up 300 dollars, feeling incredibly satisfied. He fantasized about doing this a few more times a month—the income would be phenomenal!

Uncle Tie immediately extinguished his hopes for this: "Don't count on getting rich this way! Getting one or two a month is considered extremely lucky. And this is only because of the recent surge in psionic activity and the resurgence of supernatural powers! Ten years ago, you wouldn't encounter one of these things for several years..."

Zhao Hao felt a pang of regret, then he realized a problem.

He asked Uncle Tie, "Is money important to extraordinary individuals?"

Money is certainly important to everyone. But Zhao Hao was asking about its relation to the growth of a superhuman's strength.

Uncle Tie naturally understood Zhao Hao's meaning, and the answer was yes.

"The inner and outer worlds are actually interconnected and difficult to separate. Gold and silver are also important resources in the inner world, and they are also necessary resources. Many precious metals and various gemstones are naturally endowed with spirituality, and they are often resources and necessities, so they are also general equivalents in the extraordinary world."

Uncle Tie, in a good mood, couldn't help but say a few more words: "In ancient times, Taoist priests used furnaces to refine metals and stones, preparing them into medicinal elixirs in an attempt to create the elixir of immortality. This is the origin of the 'Yellow and White Techniques' of turning stone into gold. The Records of the Grand Historian, Book of Feng and Shan, states that the basis for this is: Immortals eat gold and drink pearls, their lifespan is equal to that of heaven and earth; those who take gold live as long as gold, and those who take jade live as long as jade. Tell me, isn't money important?"