As Yarrow strolled through the marketplace, a red-haired man in leather armor abruptly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
"Hey, buddy, can you do me a favor?" The man's voice carried a hint of urgency.
Yarrow eyed him warily. "What is it?"
"It's like this," the man said, scratching his head. "I just remembered I need to buy something, but I left in such a rush that I forgot my wallet. It's really important—could you lend me some money? I'll pay you back soon, I swear."
Yarrow's response was immediate. "Sorry, I didn't bring my wallet either."
It was better to steer clear of unnecessary trouble. He turned to leave, but the man reached out, stopping him again.
"Little brother, let me be honest with you." The man leaned in, lowering his voice as he pointed toward a nearby stall. "See that blue crystal bracelet over there? It's an incredible treasure. It has extremely high hidden attribute bonuses. Easily worth fifty Gold Lang, but the stall owner doesn't know its true value. I asked, and he only wants ten Sikes!"
His eyes gleamed with exaggerated excitement. "If I hadn't forgotten my money, I'd have bought it on the spot! But I live far away, and I'm afraid someone else might snatch it up before I return. If you lend me the money now, we can buy it together and split the profits. What do you say?"
Yarrow followed the man's gesture toward the stall. It was a general goods stand run by a rugged-looking merchant. Sure enough, among the scattered items, a blue crystal bracelet lay on display.
"How do you know it has hidden attribute bonuses?" Yarrow asked.
"I was once an apprentice to a great mage," the man whispered conspiratorially. "I've seen this exact item before. I know what I'm talking about!"
In that instant, everything clicked.
Yarrow had seen this scam before. Back on Earth, it was common in antique shops and gambling stone markets. The setup was always the same: an "expert" would pretend to stumble upon a hidden gem, claiming it was undervalued, but they just happened to be short on cash. There were three possible outcomes:
First, the target refused outright, avoiding the trap completely.
Second, the target lent money to the "expert." They'd buy the item together, only to later discover it was worthless. The scammer would feign regret, apologizing for their misjudgment. The loss wasn't too great, and most victims wouldn't bother making a fuss.
The real marks were those in the third scenario—the ones who didn't lend money but decided to buy the item themselves, thinking they had outsmarted the scammer. At that point, the stall owner would conveniently raise the price or bundle it with other worthless trinkets. By the time the victim realized they had been played, it was too late.
It was a crude but effective con, relying on sheer volume to catch just a few gullible marks.
"Sorry, not interested," Yarrow said with a dismissive wave.
The red-haired man sighed dramatically. "Man, you're really missing out! I better hurry back for my money."
With that, he jogged off, vanishing into the crowd.
"What a performance," Yarrow muttered, shaking his head. "He should've been an actor."
Just as he was about to move on, Tao Hu suddenly leaped onto his back, whispering in his ear, "Yarrow, there really is a treasure on that stall. It's very auspicious."
Yarrow raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Which one?"
"The thing in the wooden box at the far side."
Following her gaze, Yarrow spotted a small, unassuming wooden box with a glass cover. Inside was a thin, metallic sheet.
"And you're sure it's valuable?" he asked, keeping his voice low.
"Of course! I used to study treasure appraisal under a shopkeeper. I can spot a good find at a glance," Tao Hu declared confidently.
Yarrow frowned. "Can your past appraisal skills even be applied here?"
"You don't get it," she said smugly. "The universe shares the same origins. Good treasures shine no matter where they are."
"Alright, but do you at least know what it does?"
"That... I can't say for sure. But I guarantee it's valuable. If not, you can sell me off."
Yarrow pondered for a moment before making his decision. Without hesitation, he strode toward the stall.
The burly stall owner greeted them with a broad grin. "Come on, young man and lady! Take a look around. I only sell the best stuff!"
Yarrow feigned disinterest, casually picking up random trinkets, inspecting them absently. To be honest, most of the wares looked like junk—likely scavenged from ordinary ruins, barely worth the price of a steamed bun.
Meanwhile, Ji Xiaofei's eyes gleamed with curiosity as he eagerly examined each piece, completely engrossed in the stall's offerings.
As Yarrow browsed the stall, he casually picked up a brass cane. "How much is this?"
"Four Gold Lang," the owner said without hesitation. "This is a work of art."
Yarrow internally scoffed. On this continent, there were three units of currency: Daca, Sike, and Gold Lang. The base-16 system meant that 16 Daca equaled one Sike, and 16 Sike equaled one Gold Lang. Four Gold Lang was roughly the monthly expenses of an average family.
Yet this vendor dared to ask such an outrageous price for a piece of junk—what a profiteer. He likely assumed that since Yarrow had been targeted by a scammer earlier, he must be gullible enough to overpay.
Yarrow put the cane down and picked up a ruby ring instead. "And this?"
"Ah, an exquisite handmade piece by the master craftsman Ferilon. Just for you, seven Gold Lang!"
He picked up a feather pen.
"That? A feather pen once used by the great writer Ma Dang. Five Gold Lang!"
Yarrow gave him a skeptical look and grabbed a simple wooden sign.
"Oh, that? A historical relic! A directional sign used by the Royal Knights during their march through the Lightless Forest. High commemorative value! Just three Gold Lang."
Suppressing a smirk, Yarrow picked up an ordinary stone from the corner of the stall.
"Ah, now that is special! Blessed by the Pope himself! Only six Gold Lang!"
Yarrow rolled his eyes. "I think the only thing blessed here is your ability to spin tall tales. Isn't this just a weight for your tablecloth?" He pointed to the stone's obvious indentations.
The vendor didn't even flinch. "Young man, you don't understand. Many treasures don't appear valuable at first glance, but they hold hidden worth. Many people have lost out on rare finds because they lacked vision."
Yarrow ignored the speech and turned his attention to the item Tao Hu had pointed out earlier—the sheet metal in the wooden box.
"What about this?" he asked.
The vendor hesitated, clearly unprepared. "This… uh… this is a piece of armor worn by the commander of the Iron Cross Knights! A highly commemorative artifact! Only four Gold Lang."
Yarrow raised an eyebrow. "And the name of this commander?"
The vendor choked, unable to answer. He coughed and waved a hand. "Look, are you buying or not? If not, move along. Plenty of others want my treasures."
Feigning interest, Yarrow picked up the sapphire bracelet. "This looks pretty good."
The vendor's eyes lit up. "Ah, now this is a special find! A trophy I retrieved from a treasure chest in the ruins. It has a powerful attribute bonus—though the exact properties are still unknown. Because of that, I'll let it go for just ten Gold Lang!"
"Can you go lower?" Yarrow asked.
"Name your price, then."
"One Daca."
The vendor scoffed. "I might as well give it to you for free!"
Yarrow shrugged. "No need to get angry. It's just a negotiation."
"Fine. Eight Gold Lang."
"Five Daca."
"Six Gold Lang."
"Ten Daca."
"Five Gold Lang! That's the lowest I can go!"
"One Sike. I don't have much on me. If that works, I'll take it."
"No sale! No way! Too low!" The vendor shook his head firmly.
Yarrow tapped his chin. "Alright then, how about this? Those five items I just asked about—five Sike for all of them."
"Absolutely not! Too low!"
"Then name your price."
The vendor stroked his stubbled chin, thinking. "Three Gold Lang, no less."
"Ten Sike."
"No way!"
"Fifteen Sike for all five. Final offer."
The vendor clicked his tongue. "Tsk, fine! Take them!"
Yarrow counted out three Sike, tossed them onto the stall, then reached for only the sheet metal, smiling. "I'll just take this one. Since we agreed—fifteen Sike for five items—this one comes out to three Sike."
"You little—"
"Pleasure doing business, boss."
Grabbing the box, Yarrow quickly snatched up Ji Xiaofei, who was still playing with a wooden doll, and dashed away before the vendor could protest.
The stall owner glared after him, but then his frustrated expression melted into a smirk. He picked up the three Sike, chuckling to himself.
"To think that scrap metal I picked up is worth three Sike. Heh, that kid thinks he got a bargain."
....
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