As An Antique Shop Owner, It's Only Reasonable That I Know A Bit Of Magic - Chapter 77

As the two were talking, Su Fan’s phone suddenly chimed with a text message notification.

He opened it and found it was a bank alert about a change in his account balance.

“Well, I guess there’s no need to discuss it further…”

After reading the text, Su Fan shrugged at Jamie.

Scarlett had probably gotten Su Fan’s bank account details from her father, Karsten, and transferred the money directly.

Seven hundred thousand US dollars. It showed she was very sincere.

Immediately after, Su Fan’s phone started ringing.

He answered the call, and a familiar, mature woman’s voice sounded in his ear.

“Su, did you get the transfer notification?”

“Indeed, I did.”

“Besides the money, my father would like to formally thank you in person. And, of course, so would I.”

A hint of laughter tinged Scarlett’s voice.

“Please convey to Mr. Karsten that an in-person thank you isn’t necessary. I was paid to solve a problem. If he’s truly satisfied, he can just consider me for future collaborations if similar situations arise.”

Su Fan declined the request.

An ‘in-person thank you’ undoubtedly meant a meal.

His antique shop’s business was booming right now; how could he possibly close for half a day at such a crucial time?

“So, you mean I can still contact you in the future?”

Scarlett didn’t seem disappointed by Su Fan’s businesslike tone. Instead, she sounded amused.

“Of course.”

Su Fan didn’t mind the trouble of exorcisms. He just hoped the next subject wouldn’t be as troublesome as that ‘Grim Reaper’ entity.

Boosting his mastery of supernatural abilities while getting paid? Why wouldn’t he be happy with that?

“Master Su Fan, there’s an old saying in China: ‘A word once spoken cannot be taken back even by a team of four horses’…”

“My word is my bond. If you encounter any similar supernatural events, feel free to come to me.”

“Then it’s settled! I look forward to seeing you next time!”

Scarlett, having secured Su Fan’s promise, sounded quite pleased.

It left Su Fan somewhat at a loss for words.

Seeing him again would mean she’d encountered another supernatural entity. Was it really something to be this happy about?

After hanging up, Su Fan noticed Jamie looked like he had something to say but was holding back.

“What is it?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Jamie couldn’t help but give Su Fan another look.

Is he really that oblivious? Scarlett was trying to ask him out.

“You don’t visit without a reason. What news brought you here this time?”

Su Fan looked at Jamie and finally asked the purpose of his visit.

“Is it you, or is it a friend?”

Hearing this, Jamie gave a wry smile.

“It’s strange, really. Ever since solving the Mary Shaw case with you, for some reason, strange things keep happening around me, one after another.”

“It’s not strange. Once you know the world has another side to it, you start re-examining many things you previously took for granted.”

Su Fan remained calm as he poured Jamie a cup of tea.

Jamie then began to recount the events of recent times.

Because of Rachel, Jamie had canceled his earlier travel plans to clear his head. Instead, he simply bought an apartment in Los Angeles.

Being quite well-off, he bought a place in a downtown apartment building.

His neighbors included a father and daughter, and a Black couple.

The wife in the Black couple was a bit eccentric, often muttering things most people couldn’t understand.

Most neighbors were used to it and tuned her out, but Jamie didn’t completely ignore it.

Having personally experienced the terrifying Mary Shaw doll incident, he was unusually sensitive to anything related to the paranormal.

Hearing the Black woman talk about “something evil” and “the ventilation ducts” put him on alert.

So, Jamie started investigating based on what the Black woman said, observing everywhere for anything unusual.

Sure enough, he discovered the girl next door was playing with a Ouija board.

Jamie warned her not to mess with such things lightly, as it could attract trouble, but the girl clearly didn’t take it to heart.

“To be honest, I think I can understand a bit of how you must have felt back then, Su.”

Jamie said with a bitter smile.

People never listen until they’ve learned their lesson the hard way.

And after that, strange occurrences became more frequent.

At night, abnormal sounds frequently came from the ventilation ducts in the apartment.

It sounded like the heavy breathing of someone with an oxygen mask, echoing through the shafts.

When taking the elevator, even if you pressed the button for the fourth floor, it would sometimes go up to the fifth. Even elevator repairmen couldn’t find anything wrong.

These series of events made Jamie suspect something was amiss, so he came to ask Su Fan what was really going on.

“Am I just being overly paranoid?”

Jamie rubbed his forehead. At this moment, he desperately hoped it was just his nerves.

Nothing happening would be the best outcome.

However, Su Fan’s next words extinguished that hope.

“If what you described is accurate, then it’s most likely a malevolent spirit at work.”

Jamie let out a groan-like sigh. He looked at Su Fan and saw him rummaging for something.

“Are you looking for a talisman for me, Su?”

“No, I’m looking for my book on Zi Wei Dou Shu astrology… Later, give me your exact time and date of birth. I’ll chart your destiny for you. It’s rare to find someone with a constitution that both attracts spirits and is inherently resilient.”

Including this time, Jamie had encountered three supernatural incidents in just two or three months.

A rate of once a month made even Su Fan want to comment on it.

After searching for a while, he finally found the book on numerology.

This will be my reading material for this period, he thought.

“Su… you said it’s a malevolent spirit… aren’t you going to sell me a few protective talismans?”

“What are you afraid of?”

Su Fan opened the book, answering without looking up.

“She’s the one who played with the Ouija board. Whatever was summoned will definitely go after her first.”

“If you’re really that worried, I can give you a couple of Evil-Warding Talismans.”

“As for that young girl, it’s not like you didn’t warn her. She didn’t listen. What else can you do?”

Jamie opened his mouth, but didn’t know what to say.

“Look how worried you are.”

Su Fan glanced at him.

He’s a grown man, acting like an anxious teenager.

“Based on what you’ve said, this haunting spirit probably isn’t the type that kills directly. So, for the time being, that girl is likely safe.”

Jamie was taken aback. “Why?” he blurted out.

“Powerful evil spirits can harm people directly, like Mary Shaw, or Freddy from Annie’s case before.”

“Less powerful ones can’t. They need to use fear to gradually erode the victim’s mental defenses until they completely break down. Then they can seize the opportunity.”

Su Fan explained while simultaneously reading his book, managing both tasks effortlessly.

“That thing in your apartment is creating all these disturbances precisely to frighten you all. If it could kill directly, it would have done so already, harvesting the residents to strengthen itself.”