Chapter 53 Strengthened Powers (1/2)

Chapter 53: Strengthened Powers

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There was an old, porcelain bowl in the display cabinet next to them. Li Du had noticed it before this. The bowl was from the Sengoku era about four hundred years ago. It was one of the stars of this auction.

The bug flew past the tempered glass of the cabinet as if there was nothing there. Having gone in, it landed and placed its mouth on the bowl, and started sucking greedily.

Li Du watched curiously.

Suddenly, he felt something flow into his body, making him feel more refreshed and alive. He clenched a fist. It felt as if his strength had increased as well.

After a few seconds, the bug flew up into the air again. Flapping its wings, it flew into another display cabinet.

This one contained a chronometer from the eighteenth century. It looked like it was made of bronze and had a simple, timeless design. The bug plastered its mouth against the bell and started sucking greedily once more.

Li Du was only vaguely able to tell that it was sucking; what it was actually doing, he did not know.

Leaving the chronometer, the bug flew toward a silver statue. Li Du followed it. Needless to say, the bug resumed its sucking.

A few seconds later, it flew onto an English longbow from the Middle Ages. This time, after it finished sucking, the bug didn’t look for another item. Instead, it flew into the air, stretched itself languidly, then flew onto Li Du’s shoulder.

Just then, the yew body of the English longbow snapped in two and fell from its stand. When it fell within the display cabinet, it splintered, like glass, into many pieces.

The couple who had been standing in front of the display cabinet, looking at the longbow was startled. The woman screamed, ”Ah! What is going on?!”

Li Du instinctively stepped backward. The people around him went and crowded around the longbow. He quietly moved to a corner.

His face was calm, but inside, there was chaos. He knew that what happened to the longbow had something to do with the bug!

There were many staff members from the auction company around the area. The head of security and the manager quickly came over. They were stunned to see what had happened to the longbow.

The couple shook their hands and denied having anything to do with it. ”We have no idea what happened. The bow just snapped suddenly, on its own, and then it crashed and broke.”

Hearing this, the manager smiled and consoled the couple. Then he told the head of security, ”Hurry, go to the control room, find out what happened!”

Each display cabinet had a camera monitoring it to avoid theft.

Li Du felt a little guilty. He was somewhat at fault, although no one else knew.

All those participating in the auction were collectors. There were even some true experts among them. A silver-haired old man frowned after looking at the longbow closely. ”The bow looks like it broke due to natural weathering and old age.”

Li Du looked at the porcelain bowl and the chronometer. He felt that the bowl wasn’t as lustrous as before. The chronometer, too, now looked worn-out.

A thought occurred to him: Could the bug have absorbed the life force of the objects?

The head of security returned quickly with an iPad to the front of the display cabinet with the longbow. He showed a camera recording on the iPad to the manager and the old man.

The old man spoke incredulously while watching. ”From here on, within five seconds, it suddenly... started swiftly aging!?”

The manager was flabbergasted. ”Yes. As if within that display cabinet, five hundred years passed and not just five seconds. But how is that possible?”

”Did anyone sneak oxidizing gas into the display cabinets? Rapid oxidation can cause wood to age swiftly,” the head of security suggested grimly.

The manager’s face changed. He ordered, ”Go and check on the other items!”

None of the other items on display were damaged. This made the manager and the others quite relieved.