Chapter 5: Antique Market

"This tiny box... hold on a moment." When Pearson saw the two boxes that could fit in the palm of his hand, a smile initially crept onto his face, but then he suddenly turned serious, as if he had thought of something.

"Are you certain there are firearms inside?"

"I'm sure, because both of these boxes have been opened and inspected."

"Just wait a moment." After seeing Liang En nod solemnly, Pearson immediately walked out from behind the counter, locked the door, and pulled down the curtains.

Then, with an excited expression, he turned on the overhead light on the counter and retrieved a pair of silk gloves from a drawer underneath.

"Let me take a look." Pearson carefully opened the box, and his eyes widened. "This is... a hummingbird?"

"That's right, it's the world's smallest mass-produced automatic pistol." Seeing the surprised expression on his friend's face, Liang En smiled. "I thought you might not be familiar with this."

"Although my family rarely deals with these things, as a half-military enthusiast, how could I not know about this unique pistol?" Pearson said, taking out a magnifying glass and some tools to carefully examine the box and the gun.

"This is the 2.7mm caliber version, and it's the premium type with a nickel-plated surface." After inspecting it several times, Pearson finally put down the magnifying glass.

"However, the production quantity of this thing is just over a thousand, and from the moment it was created, it's been a luxury item for the wealthy. How could it possibly be found in those row houses in East London?"

"But that's the reality, and now the gun is right in front of you." Liang En smiled and shrugged. "So, why don't you estimate a price? As long as your offer is reasonable, I'll sell it to you."

"I'm glad you're willing to consider me as the first customer, my dear Lawrence." Seeing Liang En's openness, Pearson began to speak as well.

"You've really done me a great favor, especially since I'm currently trying to expand my business to those affluent folks in the Kensington-Chelsea area. And this gun of yours could be just the thing to open doors for me with them."

"But the problem is, I can't come up with that much cash right now." Pearson shrugged somewhat helplessly, his expression turning a bit glum.

"Three months ago, a regular version of this gun sold in London's market for 29,000 pounds. Yours, with the nickel plating, should be about 10% to 20% more expensive. On top of that, the original bullets for the hummingbird cost 70 pounds each—"

"Here's what I can offer: 20,000 pounds, and all these items are yours." After some thought, Liang En quoted a whole number and pushed the two boxes towards Pearson.

Liang En knew that the market price of these items was one thing, but whether they could actually be sold for that price was another matter entirely.

Furthermore, in his view, interactions between friends should involve reciprocity, rather than one side giving all the time. So, after receiving numerous favors from Pearson before, he felt it was a chance for him to repay some of those favors now.

More importantly, based on their four years of interaction, Liang En also knew that the Pearson family were people of high moral standards and trustworthy. This was one of the crucial reasons why their antique shop, though slow-growing, had managed to operate for five generations and over a hundred years in London.

"But I only have a little over 5,000 pounds available right now—" As Liang En mentioned this, Pearson became even more excited. "So, wait here for me a moment. I'll go to my father—"

"No need, my friend." Since the decision to sell had been made, Liang En naturally intended to settle the matter in one go. "You can give me whatever cash you can, and write an IOU for the rest. When you have more funds, you can pay me back."

Fifteen minutes later, Liang En left Pearson's store with 5,520 pounds, an IOU, and a metal detector.

Originally, he intended to strengthen his equipment once he had more funds, buying the nearly new second-hand metal detector in the store. However, at this point, Pearson simply handed the detector over to him and stubbornly refused to take even a penny.

The reason for acquiring this metal detector was to prepare for the next step in his treasure hunting work. Due to the differences between the two worlds, some famous historical sites remained undiscovered in this world's history.

While considering the differences between the worlds, it was possible that some of those sites might not even exist in this world. However, at least a significant portion of them should be present, much like in his previous life, yet they remained undiscovered.

For a simple example, in this world, "The Epic of Homer" was not significantly different from the previous world's version, yet Troy had never been discovered.

It was precisely due to these differences, combined with the existence of his "golden finger," that Liang En chose the path he was on now.

However, no matter how grand his dreams were, many things had to start from the simplest foundations. After all, archaeological work in this era had become highly regulated, unlike the chaos and frenzy of the 19th century.

With his current identity, if he were to directly run to Turkey to search for Troy, even achieving the dual rewards of fame and fortune like the original discoverer might be the best-case scenario. Losing his underwear might be a real possibility, or even vanishing from the face of the Earth.

Shaking off the random thoughts cluttering his mind, Liang En hopped into his small van and drove straight to the Alfie Antique Market on Church Street.

In English, there are two words to describe antiques. "Vintage" specifically refers to modern antiques, often with histories of less than a hundred years.

On the other hand, "Antique" refers to items with histories exceeding a hundred years, similar to what the Chinese generally refer to as antiques.

The Alfie Antique Market is a historically significant antique market that primarily deals in antiques of the "Antique" classification.

Though it might appear somewhat worn and run-down overall, with abandoned shops scattered around, beneath the weathered façade lies the largest antique market in the entire Greater London area.

The market houses around a hundred stores, selling various categories of old goods like antique jewelry, furniture, oil paintings, and clothing. Among these, there are quite a few treasures worth a fortune.

Fashionistas, celebrities, affluent individuals, and even nobles often come here to acquire items they desire.

Liang En's visit wasn't about scavenging for overlooked gems; the local professional-level businesses were likely to have already spotted those valuables and priced them accordingly.

His reason for coming here was to decipher how to utilize his "golden finger."

The "golden finger" was indeed a valuable asset; its previous effects alone had proven its worth.

Unfortunately, apart from a few simple descriptions on the cards, there wasn't even an instruction manual for the "golden finger." Thus, he had to wade through unfamiliar waters, exploring bit by bit.

Based on previous experience, the power of the "golden finger" was primarily realized through various cards. However, the problem now was that Liang En didn't know how to acquire new cards.

Luckily, due to reading numerous novels on the subject in his past life, he could try all the methods mentioned in those novels right here at the antique market, hoping for a breakthrough.

Unlike typical antique markets, the Alfie Antique Market mostly consists of indoor shops, with very few outdoor stalls. Each merchant operates within their own storefront.

After wandering around and grabbing a bite to eat, Liang En entered a shop that dealt in miscellaneous antiques.