Meanwhile, Raymond sighed unhappily. "I really can't afford four hundred grand—like I said, there's not much to offer here in my shop, which I've been investing a lot in. I'd have to pay rent to the owner soon as well, and everything would end terribly for me if I paid that much…"Billy blurted right then, "You said it's medieval and worth millions, didn't you? You'd make a fortune if you sold it!"Raymond sighed again. "Million-dollar antiques aren't that easily sold, and people would be especially skeptical with a small business like mine. I could sell it at an auction too, but that's only happening when someone decides to organize one, not to mention the troublesome appraisal processes it involves.""And right now, I just think it's medieval in terms of style, but I'm no authority in the matter. In the end, it's up to experts and specific groups that would verify it, and if I messed up, it's entirely my loss.""Even if I'm lucky and it's medieval, I'd still have to wait until th

There were those in Antique Street who made their living from swindling the average Joe while others swindled antique traders.In fact, it was already cliche for them to trick antique traders with forgeries, and it was not surprising that someone had tried their luck on the opening day of Raymond's shop.As such, it was strange that he had just started today without any hype or even a proper shop sign, but someone was already after him.That told him that he was being targeted, and Raymond was putting his money on Zachary.The sole reason for that was how Zachary had come earlier to ask Raymond about how much capital he had, and he had humbly said a few hundred thousand.The fact that Billy had come and immediately demanded 500 thousand made even more sense—he wanted to siphon all of Raymond's capital.Even losing money wasn't the worst part—the worst was being labeled as an amateur.When that happened, customers who wanted the good stuff wouldn't come to him, and he would find

Mick had already clipped the security footage and was waiting for Zachary's word.He had checked the footage repeatedly as well and was only getting more impressed with his masterful acting by the second. He looked just like a maestro, and every detail he mentioned was flawless and showed experience.Zacahry even said that Raymond had truly slipped up with that bronze sculpture, leaving him endlessly thrilled.The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle was here!Hence, calling all the staff he trusted, he told them excitedly, "Spread the word right away—Raymond Cole slipped up, spending 300 thousand on a fake Renaissance-era bronze sculpture!"His staff had no idea of the conspiracy involved, only that Mick had said that someone had tried to sell a counterfeit bronze sculpture but he had seen through it right away and chased him away, only for Raymond to end up buying the fake bronze sculpture soon after.Someone asked, "Mr. Crane, don't you think Raymond Cole bought from the man

"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade

Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!