As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 76

The dispute between Su Fan and the old man had indeed attracted a lot of attention.

People who had initially been drawn to Su Fan’s shorter queue, hoping to get his opinion on their unidentifiable old items, were now scared off by his earlier performance.

Su Fan could only sigh inwardly at the missed opportunities.

But then, the thought of that old fool having to spend some time in the hospital made him feel considerably better.

A truly satisfying thought.

Su Fan had assumed no one else would come for appraisals today, but surprisingly, someone approached soon after.

This time, it was a young foreign woman. She didn’t look much older than Su Fan himself.

She had a typically tall, slender build—not overly curvaceous, but well-proportioned. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, giving her the look of a sporty girl who went for a run every morning.

“Mr. Su, is it? I have a coin here. I was hoping you could tell me something about its origins.”

She glanced at the nameplate on Su Fan’s desk and spoke very politely.

“Certainly.”

Su Fan gave her a quick once-over, decided she seemed normal, and nodded.

The woman fished a coin from her pocket and placed it on the table.

“This coin was given to me by the neighbor next door when I was a child, right before he moved away.”

“He said it wasn’t worth much and I could have it as a toy.”

“I found it again recently while sorting through old things. Out of curiosity, I looked it up and found that might not be the case.”

Su Fan picked up the coin and examined it carefully.

“As you can see from the characters on it, this is a commemorative coin from modern China…”

“It’s not an ancient artifact, but it’s still quite valuable.”

“Especially the one you have here—it’s a misprinted version, which makes it rarer and highly collectible.”

“One like this is worth around eight thousand dollars.”

The woman seemed stunned by this.

“Eight thousand dollars? For just this one coin?”

“Yes. That’s the current market rate, but the premise is you find someone who recognizes its value.”

Su Fan handed the silver coin back to her.

She was noticeably more careful as she put it away.

“Okay, I understand. Thank you, Mr. Su.”

“Actually, I have a few other things here. They aren’t exactly antiques or cultural artifacts, though. I’m not sure if you could take a look at them for me.”

“Sure, bring them out. I’ll see what I can do.”

Seeing her polite attitude, Su Fan had no reason to refuse.

The girl nodded, then handed over something wrapped in oilpaper from her pocket.

When Su Fan opened it, his eyes fell upon a slightly rusted crucifix.

Seeing the crucifix, Su Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, then looked up, studying the young woman in front of him again.

Her gaze was clear, even carrying a hint of bewilderment.

“This crucifix… I can’t quite tell its background. Where did you get it?”

“A nun gave it to me when I was passing by a church. She said it was an old item left behind from the convent and that it could be very useful.”

“Are you religious?”

“My mother is, so I followed along. But for me, most of the time, it’s just a form of psychological comfort…”

Su Fan listened and nodded, then spoke.

“I’d suggest cleaning off the rust before using it, maybe wash it with some holy water… It’s an old item, after all…”

“Right, okay…”

Speaking about her faith seemed to make the girl a little self-conscious. She rewrapped the crucifix in the oilpaper.

“Thank you for your help, Mr. Su.”

After expressing her thanks, the girl turned and left.

Su Fan watched her receding figure, his fingers lightly tapping on the table.

The crucifix itself was utterly ordinary, dating probably only to the modern era.

The key was the power contained within it.

This wasn’t some cheap, mass-produced item commonly found on the market. It was a genuine tool, consecrated within a church and used for exorcisms.

Since evil cults and malevolent deities existed, it wasn’t surprising that proper churches would have professional exorcists either.

The problem, however, was that it seemed to carry a faint, residual trace of sinister energy.

While not enough to cause the holder’s sudden death, it would certainly bring some negative influences.

It proved that someone had previously used this crucifix for an exorcism, and they had failed.

Based on Su Fan’s estimation, the enemy faced was definitely stronger than Mary Shaw, perhaps on par with someone like Freddy.

What the crucifix’s previous owner had experienced was unknown, but the process must have been quite intense.

As for whether this matter would have any connection to him…

His premonition ability remained quiet; the likelihood was very small.

“Truly, America is full of surprises.”

Su Fan sighed inwardly, took a sip of tea, and waited for the next person seeking an appraisal.

——————

“Thank you very much for your cooperation this time. I hope we have the opportunity to work together again.”

After the appraisal event concluded, the director approached Su Fan and shook his hand.

Someone with such great entertainment value was far too rare!

They absolutely had to invite him again for future shoots!
Unaware of the director’s internal monologue, Su Fan simply took it as polite small talk. He offered a faint smile and a nod.

The girl who had appraised the coin and the crucifix had set an example for others.

Many people realized that as long as they weren’t there deliberately to cause trouble, Su Fan wouldn’t be overly harsh with his words.

Just like with the middle-aged man with the “Kangshifu” porcelain plate—his feedback had been tactful, allowing the appraiser to save face.

All the subsequent visitors were very polite; even when their items were identified as fakes, none of them caused a scene.

And so, Su Fan’s journey at the appraisal event concluded smoothly.

——————

Soon, the edited and reorganized footage of the appraisal exhibition was broadcast on television.

This kind of antique program was quite popular with a certain segment of viewers.

But what Su Fan hadn’t anticipated was that the producers had included him in the promotional previews.

The sharp-tongued young appraiser quickly became a topic of discussion among the audience.

Su Fan’s name gained a small wave of recognition online.

Increased recognition, of course, brought popularity.

After people discovered that Su Fan was the owner of the shop on the Walk of Fame, some came to visit specifically.

Most just browsed briefly and left, but a few were captivated by the antiques in the shop and made purchases.

Although they were just small transactions, Su Fan himself was quite satisfied.

“Take care.”

When Jamie walked in, he happened to see Su Fan seeing off a young white-collar couple.

“Su, you seem to be in a good mood these past few days.”

Noticing the slight upward curve of Su Fan’s lips, Jamie grinned too.

“The business is picking up. It’d be strange if I weren’t happy.”

“But Su, have you forgotten about discussing the payment with Scarlett?”

“Oh, that’s right, there is that matter…”

Jamie’s expression turned a bit strange.

That was Scarlett Johansson. Her star power was significantly greater than Anne Hathaway’s, not to mention she was an incredibly beautiful woman.

And yet, he could forget about that.

Was Su just not interested in women, or did he plan to spend his whole life with his antiques?