25 Abilities 1 (1/2)
After exiting the Dojo, the few Seniors came out for food and drinks. As Garen was practically force fed alcohol and had gotten somewhat tipsy, he was afraid to go back home and be punished for underage drinking.
Since his Senior Siblings bombarded him and requested him to drink, Garen had no choice but to give them the satisfaction and comply. Any one of them there had the ability to disable him with one hand.
After finalizing plans for next week’s Acceptance Ceremony, Garen finally managed to get out of the hotel. He wandered down the city roads at night to digest the alcohol.
As he walked, his head felt heavy while his feet felt light. After roaming the streets for a long time, he unknowingly returned to Pennington Street.
The moonlight was like a white veil that draped down, the entire street appeared milky and misty.
Faint lights peeked out of the windows in the two buildings on the side. People’s shadows moved from time to time beneath the faint yellow light, and a piano was dimly playing; its beats were crisp and a little choppy.
Garen walked along the right sidewalk. Gusts of cold wind blew onto his face, clearing his foggy mind.
In front of him, a black double carriage approached. On the carriage, the hanging horse lights shook from side to side, shining bright enough to see only the rider’s silhouette.
The carriage passed by Garen before turning into the corner and disappearing. Then, there were only the occasional echoes of breathing sounds from the horse.
Garen buttoned up his collar and quickened his steps.
Walking to the end of the road, he stood before Dolphin Antiques. He originally only wanted to clear his mind and walk around this area; however, the light in the antique store was still on.
Walking in front of the door, he knocked the door.
”Open up old man!”
The door creaked.
On the metal door, a round hole opened. The old man’s smiling face was now visible along with his sparse and messy white hair.
”Ah it’s you bastard,” he sniffled and smelled the alcohol, ”You dared to drink at your young age!”
The old man hurriedly opened the door and let Garen come in.
”Ughhh… Old man, do you have anything that can sober me up?” Garen’s head still felt heavier than his feet, like he was walking on a cloud. He tried to walk in a straight line yet his body kept on falling to one side.
”I own an antique store, not a grocery store.” The old man sat down, he seemed to be taking pleasure in Garen’s pain. Turning his head and glaring at Garen, he said, ”You’re scared that your family would notice that you’ve been drinking. That’s why you’re wandering outside trying to sober up, am I right?”
”How did you know?” Garen sat on a red-clothed stool, after moving the fake antiques on top of a table nearby, and massaged his temples.
”It’s very obvious just from looking at you. I was about to go home, but since you’re here, I will stay a bit longer. These days, it is not very safe in the city at night. You should be careful and don’t stay out too late.”
”I know, I know, don’t worry,” Garen dry coughed, ”Old man, do you have any water here?”
”In the room at the back. You get it yourself, I’m too lazy to take care of you,” Old Man Gregor was sitting at his desk writing something to help with the criminal case.
Garen wobbled his way to the only other room in the shop and poured himself a cup of water. The moment the cold water entered his stomach, he felt better.
Returning to the main room, he dragged out a chair and sat down beside the old man at the table.
Under the influence of the alcohol, Garen asked the question he had been wanting to ask for a long time.
”Old man, where is the book you showed me last time? Can you let me read it some more?”
Old Man Gregor bit the feather on the end of his pen, pretending not to hear.
”Hey old man, did you hear me?”
”I heard you! Why are you being so loud?” Old Man Gregor waved his hand, ”Even if I give you that book, it would be useless. Without that ability, no matter how many times you read it, the result will be the same.”
”Says who? That is because I didn’t read it carefully last time,” Garen non-sensibly said, ”If you give it to me this time, I will for sure read it very carefully!”
”You bastard sure know how to pick items. Do you even know how high the market price is for that book? If you damage it, you couldn’t afford it even if you worked through your next life,” the old man sneered.
”It’s calling showing appreciation, do you understand? I simply appreciate antiques! It’s not like I asked you to gift it to me,” Garen said. Nowadays, he came over to bicker with the old man every day. Even if he didn’t want to see that book, he would be requesting some other stuff from the old man.
”Also, what kind of ability do you need to read a book?”
”No ability means you have no abilities.”
”You don’t understand,” the old man nodded in satisfaction at his own writing, ”Dale Quicksilver has some conjectures about the robbery.”
”What conjectures?”
”They’re investigating a crime in the rural area right now. They found a clue that indicates that the stuff stolen in my shop is still in the city. Though they are still investigating, I have hope that most of the stuff will be returned to me.”
The old man put away the pen and paper on the table and capped the ink bottle. He glanced at Garen, ”Also, stop thinking about the book, I mailed it to a friend a while ago; it’s no longer here.”
”Then do you have anything similar here? I’m only interested in stuff similar to the emblem and that book.”
”You mean you like objects that have troublesome stories behind them?” the old man asked in shock.
”Troublesome stories?” Garen was a little stunned.
”The Bronze Cross Emblem belonged to generations of wastrels. The entire family’s savings were all wasted by them. The book has a similar story. They are all objects that ruined their owner’s life!” the old man sobbed a little and exclaimed.
”Objects with troublesome stories eh?”
Garen was deep in thought.
After walking out from the antique store, he sobered up a little and pondered this problem.