Chapter 339: Dangerous Ancient Relics
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After parting ways with the three Team Rocket Enforcer members, Sato continued wandering around the Free Trade Zone. It was still a little past 8 o'clock, and there was plenty of time before the auction started.
Even before the auction began, Sato had already acquired three valuable items— a Float Stone, a Kingdra Reverse Scale, and a recipe for Pokémon food specifically for the Nidoran family. His mood was excellent.
However, the longer Sato strolled through the Free Trade Zone, the more he realized a significant issue—he still had opportunities to make even more money.
The trainers who had come to the underground black market in Saffron City tonight seemed to have thrown caution to the wind.
Items that they normally wouldn't dare to sell, such as artifacts stolen from ancient ruins, were now openly displayed in a specific section of the Free Trade Zone.
The Pokémon League has strict laws against the sale of these ancient artifacts.
It was a severe crime, and once discovered, the League spared no effort in tracking down and prosecuting the offenders. Those caught face at least 50 to 60 years in prison at best—more often than not, the sentence is death.
Why did the Pokémon League take such a hard stance on ancient artifacts?
Because many ancient ruins contained highly dangerous objects. Some of these so-called "artifacts" were, in reality, tools used by ancient civilizations to seal away terrifying creatures.
If the seals within these artifacts were ever broken, the consequences could potentially be unimaginable. The beings sealed away by ancient civilizations were immensely powerful—some possessed abilities capable of destroying entire landscapes, and even fome legendary Pokémon might not be able to stop them.
There had already been a tragic precedent.
A massive ancient Pokémon was once accidentally released from a black orb obtained from an ancient ruin.
It took an enormous effort and expenses for the League to finally contain the situation. Still, in the aftermath, several cities and uninhabited islands were permanently erased from the world map.
The Pokémon League learned from this catastrophe and adopted an uncompromising stance on the looting and trafficking of ancient relics.
These matters were now considered serious threats to the League's order.
However, the stricter the League's enforcement, the more lucrative the business became. Ancient artifacts are highly valuable collectibles that never depreciate in worth, making them highly sought after by the wealthy.
Of course, with such high profit margins, the trade naturally attracted plenty of opportunists.
As a result, the market became flooded with counterfeits. Generally, finding a genuine ancient artifact required sharp eyes and a keen sense of judgment.
Tonight, because trainers in the Saffron City underground black market were letting loose, many had openly put their "ancient artifacts" on display—items they had obtained through various adventures and encounters during their travels.
It was a grand feast of rare Pokémon-related items. Missing out meant waiting an unpredictable amount of time for the next opportunity, so the trainers in the underground black market were in full-on spending mode.
But no matter how much they wanted to buy, trainers always found themselves short on cash.
There were simply too many desirable items, and with Team Rocket Enforcers standing guard, they couldn't resort to theft.
Their only option was to sell some of their own possessions to fund their purchases.
This particular section of the Free Trade Zone, dedicated to ancient artifacts, had existed before. However, due to the extreme rarity of such items and the reluctance of most trainers to part with them, the area was typically small.
Tonight, however, this section had expanded more than tenfold. Rare ancient artifacts that were rarely seen were now appearing here.
Trainers loved traveling and seeking adventure. Many had come across ancient artifacts through sheer luck, but due to the League's strict regulations and their own lack of understanding regarding these items' values, they had kept them hidden away.
If it weren't for the abundance of desirable items in tonight's Free Trade Zone, leaving many trainers strapped for cash, they likely would have continued hoarding their findings.
After circling around this section of the market, Sato realized that, while many of the displayed "ancient artifacts" were indeed genuine, very few held any real value.
Using his system's appraisal function, Sato identified three particularly valuable artifacts— a spoon, an ancient statue, and a book made from real leather.
Right now, Sato was standing beside the stall displaying the spoon. The entire spoon was a deep bronze color, resembling a well-worn brass utensil that had withstood the test of time.
It was covered in intricate, unknown engravings that seemed to flow naturally across its surface, giving it an almost otherworldly aesthetic.
If Sato hadn't used his system's appraisal function, he would have assumed that this seemingly ordinary brass spoon was nothing more than an antique, with the unknown markings being mere decorative carvings.
Mysterious Spoon - Item Details:
Item: Arcane Spoon (Psychic Weapon) (Sealed Artifact)
Effect: Unknown
Description: This is a special spoon formed through the manifestation of psychic energy. It contains a sealed entity within it. To release the entity, one must find someone capable of deciphering the inscriptions on the Arcane Spoon.
The information provided by the system made it clear just how extraordinary this so-called Arcane Spoon was.
It had likely existed for an extremely long time, and most astonishingly, it wasn't even made from conventional materials—it was a psychic weapon materialized through sheer psychic energy by a powerful being.
However, Sato immediately raised his guard. This spoon was essentially an ancient artifact designed to seal away a terrifying creature.
There was no doubt about its immense value, but at the same time, it was a ticking time bomb—one that could explode at any moment.
Given the circumstances, Sato hesitated about whether he should buy it and hand it over to the Pokémon League for proper handling.
If this "time bomb" were to detonate, the consequences would be catastrophic. He couldn't even begin to imagine how modern humans would deal with whatever monstrous entity was sealed inside.
Sato had seen enough Pokémon-related media to know that such things were no joke.
He remembered an episode in the Anime where they unearthed an ancient ruin, only to unintentionally release a giant Alakazam, a giant Gengar, and a giant Jigglypuff from different ancient relics.
If it weren't for the accidental release of the giant Jigglypuff, whose Sing put both the Alakazam and Gengar to sleep, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Through his conversation with the stall owner, Sato learned that she was a female trainer, and this spoon had been obtained from the depths of the Ruins of Alph in Johto.
"The Ruins of Alph, huh… If I remember correctly, that place is absolutely crawling with Unown. Extremely dangerous. Countless trainers go missing there every year. You were lucky to make it out alive."
Sato, wearing black gloves, carefully picked up the Arcane Spoon from the stall, observing it closely. After a moment, he looked at the female trainer named Gunala and said, "Name your price. If it's reasonable, I'll take it."