Chapter 1 Antique Dealer

"Rusted Silver Coin"

The copper-plated signboard hung on an iron pole outside the store swayed in the wind, making a squeaking sound from time to time in the evening breeze that attracted attention.

But even so, very few people are willing to stop in front of the store at the end of the day.

This is daily life at the antique store run by Clayton Bello.

This place is located at No. 47 Lemon Street, Sasha City. The location is neither good nor bad, just like its business situation.

Antique stores are not ordinary stores. Regular customers are Clayton's main source of income.

The Bello family once lived in a city further south in Dorne, but after the death of his parents who valued family reunion, he alone had the final say where to settle.

In the four years after he was discharged from the army, he used the 600 pounds of retirement pay from the army and the part of the inheritance left to him by his father to take over the store. The antique business is considered to be a field that is quite close to the upper class, and he has some talents, so he is better than

Compared with those colleagues who set up stalls in black streets, it is quite impressive.

At this time, Clayton Bello was in the studio on the second floor of the store, wearing a mask and an apron. He bent over and used a long clamp to fish out five slightly faded medals from the turbid liquid in the bucket.

But judging from his expression, it was obvious that he brought this thing back to Sasha just for convenience, and there was another reason that really made him come back.

Clayton glanced at it and found that in the box containing the ring seal, there was a layer of square protrusions under the goose-yellow velvet cloth.

His torso expanded, splitting his clothes.

Clayton has handled 24 pieces here - 23 of them are fake, and the only real one belongs to him.

He poured out the flannel and a note fell on the table, which seemed to be left by the old owner of the seal.

There are expensive-looking swords hanging on the wall, unsheathed, as if they will be ready to return to the battlefield in the next moment.

When talking about business, Clayton immediately became serious, but did not take the box, but whispered: "This kind of treasure is indeed precious, but it is not easy to trade."

He glanced at the ring seal lying quietly on the table.

Out of some curiosity, Clayton picked up the ring, turned it left and right and put it on the little finger of his left hand.

"The bishop's seal of the White Vatican, a top quality product."

Joe had no objection to this, and then made a new proposal: "Then let's go to the big tree house for a drink at six o'clock tomorrow night, just like before?"

But work is work.

When the two of them stood together, the difference was immediately apparent. Clayton's hairstyle and beard were the same three-quarter length and thick king's beard. His facial features were tougher, and he looked a head taller than Joe. He was tawny.

The eyes are intimidating.

If you want to use the background story to sell it for a good price, you have to find that kind of fanatical believer.

The Loren War Medal of Honor was only awarded by the Dornish royal family to soldiers who participated in 5 or more battles in the Loren War. A total of more than 600 medals were issued, which has extremely high commemorative value.

Many people actually don't care whether antiques are genuine or not. The purpose of their collection is just to pursue that unique feeling. Regardless of whether this ring seal is genuine or fake, its simple appearance determines that the upper limit of its price will not be too high.

Clayton pressed the position on his temples to unzip it. The money was actually quite a lot, but it was definitely not worth the price of a genuine bishop's ring seal.

Because they made too many unjust, false and wrong cases, they aroused dissatisfaction in various countries. The White Church finally abolished the Heretic Tribunal, executed a number of priests who served in it, and refused to admit that those absurd and wanton behaviors were authorized by the Pope.

Clayton reluctantly accepted the box: "How much did you pay for it?"

"I understand, Miss Charlotte, you can get off work."

The Inquisition itself is not recognized by the White Sect, so of course this seal will not be held accountable by the White Sect, because even if it is genuine, it is "not" theirs.

Clayton had no objections.

"Three hundred gold pounds."

Frustrated, Clayton tried to take off the ring, but was unable to do so because his finger was too thick.

They jointly participated in the Roron War in 163 and were comrades in the same company.

"Haha." Qiao smiled awkwardly, blinked twice, and refused to continue.

The reason why he chose to be an antique dealer was because he hoped that he could change himself under the influence of cultural relics and culture.

Lieutenant was his rank in the army, and after retirement, only the old guys would still call him that.

He got up and walked into the bathroom, intending to lubricate it with soapy water first.

That's what Joe means by legal.

When he joined the army, queuing to kill tactics was still the mainstream method of war. By the time he retired, skirmishing tactics had been relatively maturely incorporated into military drills.

Clayton closed the box and stuffed it into his jacket pocket: "I won't say much this time. If you have any plans to leave Sasha City in the near future, I will send the money to your old house after I appraise the ring.

"

His parents fell ill and died while he was serving, and he didn't have time to go back and take a look. His brother who joined the army was hit in the heart by a stray bullet on another battlefield, and his close comrades were torn apart by artillery shells in front of his eyes.

Clayton gave more than eleven years of youth to the army; time was just the lowest-valued commodity among the things he lost.

The weapon indicates that it should be the property of the head of the agency in charge of the battle.

Seeing that the former commander still looked familiar, Qiao was also a little surprised: "Me too. Seeing that you are doing well makes me feel relieved. But I am here for a business."

Clayton agreed through the door. He used a sponge to carefully absorb the corrosive liquid on the fake medals, then wrapped them in silk and listed them on the workbench. Then he took off his apron, put on a black jacket and went downstairs to meet them.

guest.

Even civilians may be hunted down by those combat priests as long as they show any abnormality.

Seeing this brown-haired young man in a white formal suit, Clayton stepped forward and gave him a hug: "Qiao, I didn't expect you to come back. When I think about the last time we met, it was just like yesterday."

Clayton's parents were not religious, so neither was he.

Clayton recognized what it represented.

Two crossed tridents guard the spire at the top.

Even if antiques cannot be received, antique dealers must also learn to make "antiques".

After the knock on the door, there was a notice from the female assistant outside the door.

Joe Mani inherited the Rusty Silver Coin Antique Shop from his parents after he retired. However, because he had the ideal of traveling around the world and was unwilling to operate such a fixed industry, he sold the shop to Clayton.

Nothing interested him.

Nothing happened.

Joe couldn't help but push the box into Clayton's hand: "It was originally a collection of a foreign friend of mine, but his business has been sluggish recently, so he planned to sell these things to fill the financial gap. For the sake of friendship, I bought it

This piece, but I don’t have the hobby of collecting it, so I brought it to you.”

The pattern of this seal belongs to the Heretic Tribunal that was abolished by the White Sect three hundred years ago. It is said to be a terrifying institution used to approve heretics, wizards and dark races.

"Is it really a lie again? I'm so stupid!"

"You didn't meet this friend at the poker table, did you?"

He took out a small box from his coat pocket and opened it. Lying on the goose-yellow soft velvet was a sterling silver ring, which had been oxidized to give it a mottled black color.

"Mr. Bello, your guest is here."

With such a family atmosphere, Clayton certainly didn't like to have contact with Bai Jiao. In addition, he had some reasons of his own.

"Lieutenant, long time no see."

"It is said that the ring seals of the bishops of the Tribunal are protected by divine power. They can verify that the owner has not been replaced by a monster with the ability to shape-shift. Those who wear this ring will immediately appear in their original form."

After a few more small talk to see off his old comrades, Clayton went upstairs alone to clean the studio, and finally turned off the switch.

But at this moment, a severe burning sensation suddenly came from the part where the skin was in contact with the ring, spreading throughout the body like wildfire, and in less than half a second, the pain went straight to the brain.

The brown-haired young man waiting on the first floor was not interested in them. He just looked at the rusty exhibits in the display cabinet with his hands behind his back, and did not turn around until Clayton stood behind him.

"Don't worry, this is absolutely legal and no one will care about it."

The religious art of Baijiao is so overwhelming that it has made people a little tired of aesthetics.

After working for four years, he was still confused, but his counterfeiting skills were getting better and better.

After dinner, Clayton walked into the room that had been converted into a study to take a nap.

The light of the rusty silver coins dimmed. He went out with a lantern and locked the door, then walked back to the rented tenement apartment.

Clayton Bello never finished college,

He joined the army at the age of eighteen and served as a cavalryman in the Storm Guard of the Kingdom of Dorne for eleven years.

The only contact between the Bello family and the Baijiao was when his brother kidnapped a nun from the monastery to be his wife, which made the clergy in his home parish very hostile to his family.

He took out the seal from his pocket and turned the seal towards himself.

In the display cabinets on the first floor, enamel and crystal ornaments are shining under the illumination of electric lights.

The White Sect is not only the Kingdom of Dorne, but also the mainstream faith in the entire northern world. Even if its current status is not as prosperous as in the cold weapon era, an object that symbolizes power such as the Bishop's Seal is not an object that can be easily leaked.

Obviously thirty-three is still in his prime, but Clayton feels like an old man.

In anticipation, ten seconds passed.

Qiao's gifts gave him a headache. Even if Bai Jiao's items were legal, it would be difficult to find a willing buyer.

But Clayton is very bad at dealing with them.

Black hair like steel needles pierced from the pores all over the body. Even the areas not covered by hair were matte black. The originally quite burly body suddenly expanded by a quarter from height to width, and the limbs were exaggerated.

of muscle mass, but still feels slender,

The snout is elongated, the ears become pointed and pulled back, the head transforms into a wolf shape, and the tawny eyes glow in the dark.

Looking down at the torn clothes that had fallen to the ground, the werewolf Clayton scratched his head with his sharp nails, and a much deeper voice came from the wolf kiss, which was quite surprising:

"It's amazing, this time it's actually the real thing!"
Chapter completed!