Chapter 31 - 1.9
"It's not this one…"
Cassius slowly walked down the second-floor hall, touching objects that looked like they could be antiques. Three minutes later, he removed his hand from a painting at the corridor's corner, then turned to look at the nearby study.
His shoes made no sound as Cassius walked up and stood before the study's door. He could hear a man's muffled voice from inside.
There seemed to be two people talking about Ace of Spades and Duststorm. One of them was the two brothers' father, who was on the phone, and the other was the villa's butler.
Cassius caught a key piece of information from their conversation.
Ace of Spades was planning to retaliate against Duststorm in the coming few months, with one of the locations being Baichuan City.
Duststorm had secured a batch of dubious antiques from an outer district and had plans to transport them to Baichuan City for an exhibition and auction this month. Some of these antiques had tragic backstories, but whether they were real or completely fabricated by Duststorm was a different story. Regardless, they were the auction's centerpiece.
Given the large number of antiques, Duststorm was going to make a considerable profit from reselling these to wealthy individuals in Baichuan City and nearby towns. And, well, Ace of Spades wasn't going to let that happen. Ideally, the interception would happen during the transfer. That would teach Duststorm a lesson they would never forget.
"July 25, after midnight. Warehouse on 118 Beika Street, Baichuan City. Black Fotte transport vehicle, usually with three men escorting it. Possibly armed…"
Cassius noted the information down. He wasn't sure if it would be useful, but nobody could predict what would happen in the future. Who knew? This could save his life one day.
It’s here. The source of the bitterness.
It was an antique vase used as decoration at the study's entrance. Predominantly white with a retro blue-green hue, the vase's rim had a faint gold edge with patterns extending down to the base.
Cassius pressed his thumb against it. A familiar sensation washed over him as cool air rushed into the wound.
[Lingering Attachment: 1.1→1.2→1.3→1.4…]
So cold. Cassius felt the lingering attachment rapidly increase as he endured the chilling sensation that made his muscles stiffen and shiver.
Thud…
The vase trembled slightly. The conversation inside stopped.
Click!
The study door suddenly opened.
A burly middle-aged man in a white shirt and brown vest stepped out. He had a stern demeanor, meticulously groomed hair, a brown beard, and sharp eyes. With his chiseled features, the man's overall air gave the impression of an eagle in flight.
The man glanced around the corridor but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He closed the door, and resumed his conversation with the butler.
"Put fifty thousand Federation dollars in an envelope. I need to properly thank that Mr. Li Wei later. Wait, add another twenty thousand. Seventy thousand Federation dollars should be good…"
Back in the first-floor living room.
Cassius walked in from the hallway. "Sorry, my stomach was suddenly acting up. Thanks for waiting."
"It's alright." Matthew smiled slightly. "I was just talking with Phil about the Gray Seal Martial Arts Hall. He wants to learn some real combat techniques for self-defense. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble Mr. Li Wei to teach him these next few months."
Phil swivelled to look at him, hope brimming in his eyes, from beside his brother.
"Not a problem. As long as he genuinely wants to learn combat techniques and trains with me, he will definitely see results." Cassius returned to the sofa, cane in hand.
The three of them continued talking for another five minutes until a burly man in a white shirt descended the stairs and entered the living room.
"Father." Phil and Matthew got to their feet.
"Mr. Jason." Cassius politely stood up as well.
The man before them was Jason Hudson, Matthew and Phil's father. He had an imperceptible aura of authority, with strong eyebrows and a gaze that left an impression.
"Haha, we can drop the formalities. Let's sit and chat," Jason said to Cassius with a smile, gesturing for everyone to sit down.
When Cassius sat down, he was handed a bulging brown envelope. Something seemed to be stuffed inside.
"I want to thank you for your help earlier, Mr. Li Wei. If it weren't for you, I might not have been able to see my Phil again," Jason said, ruffling Phil's head. "This is a small token of my gratitude. I won't have you refusing this." He placed the envelope firmly into Cassius's lap and withdrew his hand.
"Then…thank you."
Cassius wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had left Fengnan City for Baichuan City and applied to be an instructor at Gray Seal Martial Arts Hall to make money, after all. If he wanted to continue practicing the Wind Elephant Covert Martial Arts, he would need an assortment of special medicines and ointments—all of which required a lot of money.
Moreover, Cassius needed to find legendary antiques and antiques with lingering attachment whenever possible. Having the right connections and enough funds were also important. Perhaps establishing a relationship with the Hudson family would be beneficial.
More than half an hour had passed. A cool breeze blew over.
Cassius took a deep breath of the night air and turned back around to gaze at the brightly lit gray-and-white villa.
He looked at the upper right corner, and he couldn't help the hint of joy appearing on his face.
[Lingering Attachment: 1.9]
He had absorbed two antiques with lingering attachment: the Purple Wood Cane which provided 1.1 units, and the white vase which provided 0.8 units.
He was well-prepared for his next time-travel.
Cassius speculated that the lingering attachment required for the different time-travel nodes probably varied since they represented different periods of Li Wei's strength. The first time-travel to the youth training camp incident required 1 unit, and it was very likely the ruthless battle required more, but no more than 2 units.
Either way, he had more or less secured his next time-travel which gave Cassius some breathing room.
Of course, this didn’t mean that he would stop searching for antiques with lingering attachment. He still visited various antique shops in Baichuan City every other day, hoping to find something valuable.
A very generous seventy thousand dollars. Cassius walked down the avenue toward his residence, opening Jason's "token of gratitude" along the way. There were seven thick bundles of yellow bills, each bundle containing one hundred Hongli Federation dollar notes, inside the brown envelope.
Hongli Federation was notably one of the world's three powerhouses, making its currency quite valuable with good purchasing power.
"I'll go to the pharmacy for herbs tomorrow morning, visit antique shops in Baichuan City later, and then head to the Gray Seal Martial Arts Hall in the afternoon…" Cassius muttered to himself. Although his packed schedule meant he was going to be busy for some time, he felt fulfilled which was rare for him.
Strolling along the avenue, he soon arrived at a rectangular bus platform with a brass sign.
It's half-past seven. There won't be anymore buses, but I wonder if there are any horse carriages? Cassius walked further down the platform, leaning on his cane.
Horse carriages were practically extinct in the major cities of the Hongli Federation and even in first and second tier cities, and only occasionally appeared in smaller cities like Fengnan City and Baichuan City. A decade ago, horse carriages were a common mode of transport, but they had gradually been replaced by cars and buses.
A leaf fell from a roadside ornamental tree.
Jingle, jingle.
In the distance, a black-canopied, two-horse carriage approached.
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