As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 59

Scarlett had her own considerations.

Having been in the film industry for so long, she had interacted with far more people than her father, an architect.

She could generally tell if someone was genuine or fake just through conversation.

She was indeed experiencing supernatural events, but that didn’t mean she would trust just anyone.

The more critical the moment, the more important it was not to grasp at any straw in a moment of panic.

Karsten quickly dialed the number and put the call on speakerphone.

“Hello, is this Master Su Fan?”

“Yes, speaking.”

“Did the talisman work?”

A very young voice came from the other end of the line, which surprised Scarlett.

She had originally imagined his voice would be deeper, more mysterious sounding.

But now, hearing him, he didn’t seem much older than herself.

Meanwhile, inside the antique shop, Su Fan had finished drawing talismans and was regulating his breathing.

He was somewhat surprised to receive Karsten’s call.

Was Death already making a move on Scarlett? The efficiency was unusually high.

“It worked, but… well, I used it.”

“What happened?”

“I was in a hurry driving to my daughter’s place and got into a car accident. The other vehicle was a small truck loaded with steel rebars. But thanks to your talisman, I only suffered minor injuries.”

“The talisman shattered?”

“Yes.”

Su Fan and Karsten continued their question-and-answer, while Scarlett listened quietly without making a sound.

Su Fan thought for a moment after hearing this.

Karsten’s incident this time was most likely a genuine accident.

Since the talisman’s efficacy was strong enough to save someone fated to die from an accident, it meant it could at least block one attack from Death.

Thinking this, Su Fan’s gaze turned to the neat stack of talismans on the desk.

It seemed his preparations weren’t in vain.

“Since you’ve already used one talisman, your daughter Scarlett only has one left.”

“She should understand that once the accidents start, they’re like a line of falling dominoes—they just keep coming.”

“A single talisman isn’t enough to keep her safe.”

Hearing this, Karsten grew anxious and was about to speak, but he saw Scarlett frantically signaling him with her eyes.

“I understand, Master Su Fan.”

“Scarlett would like to speak with you, if that’s alright?”

“Of course.”

Su Fan sighed inwardly on the other end of the line.

As a client, Karsten was being overly cautious.

If it concerned his own matters, he probably wouldn’t be so flustered. This loss of composure was all for his daughter.

“Hello, Master Su Fan.”

Soon, a low, slightly husky, mature female voice came through the phone’s speaker.

“Hello.”

“I’m sorry my father disturbed you so late at night for my sake.”

“Regarding your talisman, may I ask what its main purpose is?”

“To ward off evil and avert disasters, protecting the wearer from malevolent entities.”

“Malevolent entities…”

Scarlett suddenly felt a sense of dissonance.

The existence of Death could be categorized as fate, but “malevolent entities” sounded somewhat unreal.

“Miss Scarlett, I know this might be hard to accept for someone who grew up with a scientific education, but the fact is, there are many things in this world you aren’t aware of.”

“Trying to understand everything based on your own common sense will only lead to you dying without knowing why. I believe you’ve seen people like that before.”

Su Fan’s words involuntarily brought to Scarlett’s mind the faces of certain people.

Without exception, their faces showed disgust and mockery.

“Based on what your father told me, Death’s scythe is most likely already at your neck.”

“At a time like this, besides believing me, you have no other choice.”

Hearing the young man’s calm tone on the other end, Scarlett took a deep breath, preparing for one last test.

“Are you sure you want to help me? If you get involved, you could very well end up on Death’s list too.”

“I take payment to resolve troubles. If Death wants to put me on his list, so be it.”

Su Fan’s tone was placid, as if he wasn’t the least bit worried about the so-called death curse.

But Scarlett could tell he wasn’t dismissing her words as nonsense; rather, he had considerable confidence in his own abilities.

“How about this: I need to go out tomorrow anyway. Let’s set a time to meet and talk in person.”

“You set the time. We’re available whenever.”

“Alright. Tomorrow at 3 PM, let’s meet inside the Los Angeles Police Department.”

“Okay, no problem. See you tomorrow.”

After hanging up, Scarlett returned the phone to her father.

“Father, you should head back too. Remember to see a doctor and get your wounds treated to avoid infection.”

After sending Karsten away, Scarlett returned to the corner where she had been sitting earlier and slowly closed her eyes.

Whether he was real or fake, what kind of person he was—everything would be revealed tomorrow.

…

The next day at 3 PM.

A black Porsche pulled up in front of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The rear door opened, and Scarlett stepped out, wearing a face mask, hat, and sunglasses, covering herself completely.

This time, she hadn’t asked her father to drive her; she used her personal driver.

What she told Su Fan about others getting drawn onto the list through too much contact wasn’t entirely false.

One victim, who wasn’t a passenger, died because they were constantly with the person Death was targeting and got caught in the crossfire.

Approaching the entrance, Scarlett noticed something strange.

The patrol officers at the police station entrance seemed distracted, almost openly slacking off.

Weren’t they on duty? Weren’t they afraid of getting reprimanded by their superiors?

Scarlett didn’t ponder it too deeply and walked straight to the entrance. Before even stepping inside, she could hear commotion from within.

“Impossible!”

A hoarse shout, like a strangled duck, pierced the air, harsh and unpleasant.

It was followed by a stream of speech in a language that sounded vaguely familiar.

Scarlett thought for a moment. Where had she heard it before?

Ah, Korean.

Scarlett didn’t have much contact with South Korea, only knowing they had good relations with the US.

Her other impression might be the constant stream of immigrants.

What truly puzzled Scarlett was the reaction of the two officers near her.

Upon hearing the noise, they immediately turned their heads towards the interior, seemingly very interested in what was happening inside.

Curious, Scarlett walked down the main corridor and soon arrived at the spacious office area.

All the police officers were gathered in a circle, and in the middle, she could barely make out a few figures.

As she got closer, Scarlett finally managed to catch a few words.

“You ignorant brat, stop talking nonsense! Look at the quality of this jade Buddha, look at the craftsmanship!”

“How dare you! Say what you just said again!”

In the center, a narrow-eyed Asian old man, his face flushed red, was breathing heavily like a bellows, glaring fiercely at the young man sitting calmly opposite him as if he wanted to devour him whole.

Across from him, the young man, composed and at ease, took a sip of tea and spoke.

“Why wouldn’t I dare? I can say it as many times as you want.”

“This thing is new. It’s not worth anything.”