Gacha games can't save this bizarre world.

Zhao Hao picked up the photo frame. "Absorb fate, +8 fate points."

Zhao Hao saw a badly wounded and disheveled soldier who had been rescued from the battlefield, and amidst the gunfire, he wrote this short letter. The letter passed through the hands of more than a dozen people, but ultimately never reached its intended recipient…

"My dearest Sophia, I don't know what I'm feeling as I write this letter to you. I hope you won't be sad when you receive it. Don't wait for me anymore, go and pursue your own happiness..."

The final signature is Charles Redon, dated November 6, 1918.

The stall owner, stroking his slightly wavy mustache, said, "This letter was written by a French soldier who fought in World War I. He died on the battlefield, in his final moments before victory. Unfortunately, the letter never reached Ms. Sophia."

The price listed on the letter is $60...

Uh, that's pretty touching. But I choose to get it for free!

In the end, Zhao Hao did not choose to buy the story, after all, all he wanted was the Fate Points.

Zhao Hao was overjoyed at his first victory!

He looked at the huge market; it was practically a free self-service ATM for finding out where he was going!

Unfortunately, Fate Points are not something that are easy to obtain.

After more than ten minutes, Zhao Hao visited thirty or forty stalls but did not see anything unusual.

Although he felt he could find some bargains among the antiques, Zhao Hao wasn't very confident in his eye for quality.

Trying to find a bargain after only one month in the business? That's wishful thinking.

The main issue is that the Black Iron 2-star [Antique Appreciation Monocle] is only so-so, and the information that can be seen is rather blurry.

Many things are uncertain, but for the few that are certain, the stall owners aren't stupid; they've marked up the prices even higher than the market price, clearly ripping people off!

Well, I'm not here to pick up scraps anyway; my main task is to absorb destiny points.

After wandering around for a while, Zhao Hao got a little tired and stopped to rest in front of a stall.

The stall owner was also a Song Dynasty man. He was not tall, had long hair tied in a ponytail, a pair of protruding ears, squinty eyes, a thin, pointed face, and very long arms, like a gibbon. He spoke with a strong Tianjin accent.

The stall owner handed me a small stool. "I see you're from the Song Dynasty too, right? We're compatriots!"

Zhao Hao sat down and nodded. "I'm from the Song Dynasty. How did you figure that out?"

"Hey, the Japanese are sleazy, the Koreans are stupid, and those from Southeast Asia are even more ruthless. I can recognize them at a glance. Want a cigarette?" The stall owner handed over a cigarette.

Zhao Hao waved his hand and declined, "Thank you, but I don't smoke." I cough when I smoke other cigarettes.

"It won't be good. Smoking is no good." He said, lighting one for himself.

"My friends all call me Skinny Monkey, what should I call you, brother?"

"Zhao Hao."

Skinny Monkey stall owner ⊙▽⊙: "...Good name, impressive!"

Zhao Hao: Damn it, can we not talk about this?

Skinny Monkey lived up to his reputation as a smooth talker; he was incredibly eloquent and quickly struck up a conversation with Zhao Hao. They began chatting about everything under the sun, from the most mundane topics to the most trivial matters!

He also specializes in antiques.

Of course, unlike Uncle Tie who sells genuine goods, he sells both genuine and fake products as long as he makes money.

Zhao Hao felt dizzy just looking at the things on his stall!

A bronze horse trampling a swallow, 30 centimeters tall?

A jade burial suit, 20 centimeters long, with obviously poor jade quality!

Zhao Hao asked him what kind of material the jade was made of, and he replied, "Newly inlaid jade!"

Zhao Hao: No problem!

The skinny monkey even told a foreigner that these were the remaining bronze bells from the Marquis Yi of Zeng's chime bells, and managed to trick the foreigner into buying one for $120!

Good heavens, they insisted last week's story was from the Shang and Zhou dynasties!

There's also the British monarch's crown, the one with the missing diamonds. The skinny guy says it's a simple crown made by Cromwell when he was Lord Protector of England, during a time of financial hardship for the King. So it doesn't look very impressive, but it's a valuable historical artifact!

Unfortunately, the guest was British, and in the end he didn't fight him, probably because Zhao Hao was sitting on the side, and the chances of him winning against two opponents were slim.

There were also the Pope's scepter, the Knights Templar's helmet, the Austro-Hungarian gilded cup... Zhao Hao, watching from the side, felt that his life was becoming increasingly precarious! Fraud!

"Wait a minute!" Zhao Hao carefully picked up a white jade bottle. "And what's this?"

The skinny monkey perked up at this, "Let me tell you, this is incredible! This is a jade vase!"

Zhao Hao pondered for a moment: "What jade bottle? The one that Guanyin Bodhisattva holds?!"

Skinny Monkey was still nodding! "Yeah, right! Brother, you know your stuff!"

You know your stuff, huh! This isn't something that can be solved by a prison sentence!

Become a monk and spend the rest of your life with only the company of a Buddhist lamp and ancient Buddha, to atone for your sins!

The main reason Zhao Hao sat down and chatted with the skinny monkey for so long was that he realized the skinny monkey seemed to have some martial arts skills!

The main reason is that I haven't practiced Wanxiangquan for long and have limited experience, so I'm not sure.

However, after chatting for a while, Zhao Hao was somewhat certain that this skinny monkey was probably no ordinary person.

He was indeed skilled in martial arts, and seemed to be quite close to the Song Dynasty's Red Gate. Zhao Hao had learned from Uncle Tie's fragmented words that the Red Gate was not only a Song Dynasty organization, but also a supernatural organization with a long history!

Finally, Zhao Hao said that he was also in the antique business, and got Shouhou's phone number and shop address. They became friends and agreed to keep in touch.

With the time to meet up with Uncle Tie approaching, Zhao Hao decided to head back.

Even though I didn't spend a single penny, at least I didn't lose money, right?

Just then, he suddenly saw another glimmer of light.

He quickly put on his monocle and carefully examined the area.

That's it, the fateful moment!

Zhao Hao squatted down, pretending to examine the stall owner's items. They were all miscellaneous things, like strange stones and odd ceramics. They weren't particularly valuable, but their unusualness was what stood out.

The prices weren't expensive; the most expensive item was under $30.

Zhao Hao pretended to ponder for a while before finally taking his hands on the target object.

This thing looks like a whitish stone, and its shape is a bit strange. It's about the size of a fist, and it has a strange smell that's a bit nauseating at first!

Could it be a fossilized piece of excrement?!

Let alone fossilized excrement, even a piece of excrement, Zhao Hao would dare to grab it if fate gave him a chance!

When they grabbed it, they discovered it wasn't a stone!

"Absorb Fate, +10 Fate Points".

He saw a gigantic whale swimming freely in the deep sea, amidst the rising and falling waves, as time flowed by. Finally, this thing formed inside its body and was expelled.

Having weathered the ebb and flow of the tides and countless years, it finally washed ashore and was picked up by someone. After many years of twists and turns, it was finally bought by this stall owner for 2 dollars...

What a spectacular scene!

Zhao Hao recalled a passage: "Do you know that when a whale poops, its anus opens very wide and can't close for a long time afterward, causing it a lot of pain? You don't know, you only care about yourself!"

This is actually a piece of ambergris!

Finally, Zhao Hao picked out three or four items from the stall, including this piece of ambergris, and after bargaining, he spent $54.

"Task complete: Find a bargain, +20 Fate Points".

Hey! There's an extra bonus!

670 Fate Points!

I found a piece of ambergris. I don't know how much I made, but it certainly wasn't a small amount!

Absolutely gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!

As Zhao Hao was on his way back, he suddenly saw light again at a stall!

Coming again? Are you that lucky?

Zhao Hao was starting to panic! Had his face turned pale after he transmigrated?

After observing it carefully, he felt that something was not quite right.

First of all, the monocle has no information at all, which is definitely not normal.

Secondly, I saw a strange light on that thing, a psychic light that seemed to have a spiritual energy reaction...

He suddenly remembered the "misfortune eye" from a few days ago.

Could it be a ghost?

This stuff is a no-go, gotta get out of here, off to find Uncle Tie!

------------

Chapter 26, "The Tomb-Sweeping Scene of Qingming Festival," and the Hidden Dragon Sleeping Elixir Technique.

"Uncle Tie, Uncle Tie, come quick! I think I've seen a ghost!"

When Zhao Hao and Uncle Tie returned to the stall, the stall owner was just about to pack up.

Zhao Hao breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the thing was there.

It was a painting, rolled up and placed in a long-necked vase, along with several other scrolls.

Uncle Tie then took out the two copper coins and used them to "bless" his eyes.

However, I couldn't see anything unusual about the painting.

He glanced at Zhao Hao, thinking to himself, "This kid wouldn't lie to me." So he went up and started chatting with the stall owner.

The stall owner was also a Song Dynasty person, and he had only been in Amerika for a few years. He was still not used to the place and his English was not very good.

Life here is different from what he imagined, especially in terms of work.

Well, I'm a bit strapped for cash, so I'm selling some of my old calligraphy and paintings.

Unfortunately, the foreigners here don't appreciate Chinese calligraphy and paintings; they only like oil paintings and the like.

Uncle Tie took the scroll from the stall owner. It was quite thick and, when unfolded, was more than a meter long!

"Wow~" Zhao Hao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.